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Zombie books
There are a lot of really great zombie books out there, and then there's the ones that make you go huh? I mean like, you want to give them a chance because they are frikkin' zombie books, right? But then there's something so incredibly stupid about the story that you just stop right in the middle of your reading and close the book forever. Do you know any like that?
My favorites are Day By Day Armageddon by JL Bourne, Plague of the dead by ZA Recht, and The Infection by Craig DiLouie. There are more, but these three are very creatively written with realistic tactical scenarios and mind numbing horror.
Then there are a few that just make me want to throw the book across the room. One was The Rising, by Brian Keene. I mean really? Talking zombies? Zombies that drive cars? Zombie animals, including a zombie goldfish? WTF?!! These were not zombies but demonically possessed carcasses. I HATED this book. I kept thinking about how zombie mice and rats could overtake mankind worse than worrying about the other zombie people or animals. You couldn't hide then, they'd simply chew their way into your hiding spot and get you. It was beyond stupid. There really isn't much else to say about this book. It is simply one of, if not THE worst zombie book I've ever read, and I've read a lot.
Down The Road, by Bowie Ibarra. Sorry, I know he's a member here but I'm entitled to my opinion, and my opinion is this book sucked in so many ways. Random sex scenes between the protagonist and another one of his coworkers, immediately after disposing of some zombies and AFTER puking, now that's what I call SEXAY! NOT. And then of course our hero really is a superhero, complete with superhuman strength and superhuman agility. He can single handedly fight off the gang members because he's so badass! No really, STOP! Everything about the way the main character is written feels fake and although there were a few good things I liked about the story, one of them being FEMA's role, I just feel that the protagonist was Mr. Ibarra's fantasy life coming through on paper.
As The World Dies, by Rhiannon Frater. I cannot for the life of me figure out how this ever got published by TOR. Her writing skill is amateur at best. She has a peculiar habit of using the same words over and over, not only in the same paragraph but even within the same sentence! Redundancy girl is redundant! And if that is not bad enough, she also likes to force feed you scenes by beating you upside the head over and over in order for you to get the point. I don't think she's ever heard the phrase "Show not tell". And then all of the characters "sigh" every other sentence, so often that you actually start to count how many times she does this. Another term that was very annoying was "Gawd". She overused this ad nauseum. But the worst part was how unrealistic the behavior of the two main characters were. They were more concerned with the most trivial "girlie" things, and it reminded me more of a young adult paranormal romance than an actual zombie horror book.
I might add a few more reviews at a later date, but I hope that others here can accept my opinions and not get angry over my views. I'm a diehard zombie fan and will always check out more as they come along.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Scatoma on
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Everybody is entitled to their opinions. I doubt we would be discussing zombie books if it wasn't for the Rising though. That book set up all the new zombie authors to get published anywhere at all. I know a lot of people that feel like that about Keene's book. It ties in with ALL of his books so if you ever get a chance to read the sequel or any of his other work you really should. The zombie debate is silly because they are fake. I have no preference in my zombie fiction. I like them fast, slow, smart, dumb, dead, sick whatever. My least favorite zombie books are "Eve of the Dead" and "The Dead Walk Diaries: Night." They pretty damn weak books. Have you read "Eden" Pedro?
Also I love talking zombie books bro! This is great!
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Permalink Reply by Pedro The Zombie on
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I've read Eden and Eve of the Dead, but not The Dead Walk Diaries. Eve I agree was pretty weak, and Eden was just plain boring to me. I have to be hooked within the first chapter or so, or else I'm already looking for the next book to move on to. I will try to give a book a chance if it sounds like it might have promise. As far as fast or slow zombies, I do prefer slow zombies but I am willing to accept fast moving zombies as well. I just don't care for "intelligent" zombies. I've yet to read a story featuring them that was done well. Oh, and your comment about The Rising setting other zombie authors up to get published? I think zombies were due anyway, and that is why that book got published because it was something "different" in the horror genre. Actually Max Brooks gives that honor up to Len Barnhart with his book Reign of the Dead. He said that it was Barnhart who really reintroduced zombies into modern horror literature, there's a video on youtube where he discusses this.
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I can count how many times I have seen The Rising in a book store, I would say every time. I can also recall seeing Reign of the Dead in about zero book stores. I love Reign, but I guarantee you the Rising has outsold it ten times over. Keene made it possible for Brooks to be successful with WWZ which came out years later I think. Of course Brooks out sells them all though.
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True, because you are comparing a self published book with a traditionally published book. Both have about the same impact though as far as fandom is concerned. And Barnhart's book came out first, which is why Max Brooks holds it in such high regard. Brooks doesn't even mention Keene's work, but he specifically states that it was Barnhart who paved the way for other zombie authors, so I think you're giving props to the wrong person. Keene may have enjoyed being published through Leisure, but both have a similar sized fanbase, both have had foreign publications of their books, and both have sold their books to a film production company. So if we're to compare which one was better based on that, I'd say it didn't matter who was traditionally published and who wasn't. Barnhart accomplished the same thing in the end.
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I've never heard about Play Dead, who is it by?
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Wait, is this that piece of shit zombie football story that was written by some guy who acts in a soap opera? I've heard about it after all. I heard it was full of cliches and hackneyed prose. Dude, I'm not into a zombie version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the whole concept is pretty lame. I like books with real horror, not comedy, or "paranormal romance", or goofy concepts intended to ride the coattails of the current wave of popularity.
Give me blood, guts, action, suspense, horror, and gut wrenching fear. Fear that you might not make it. I want to read about characters struggling to survive in a world that has gone under. No joking around, no tossing out cliches.
To each their own, and I'm not knocking your choice, I just don't enjoy those kinds of books, but others might like it.
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Permalink Reply by Komrad Wayne on
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yea I got 9 12 chapters in to Pride and gave it up, book was boring to me...
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at the same time, one cant reread the same story written over and over, if every novel you read is a post apocalypse, lonely group of survivors struggling to make it with no power, water or electric...it would get boring, the genre has to expand...there is a place for the oddball comedies...Ill agree I havent read too many that kept me intrigued, but some are well done...I will present my favorite zombie novel of yet, and that is "Feed" by Myra Grant, if you havent read it yet, I suggest you do...great book
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I disagree Wayne, only because they are not all the same, although the basic premise might be. While so many are trying almost too hard to do something different within the genre, most are not succeeding because it takes skill to construct a good story. You can have all of the basic ingredients included and still come out with an exciting plot with great storytelling. Doing something different with the characters is where it's at, not doing something different with the zombies.
I also don't care for Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies, or any of the other mashups. I think it's lazy writing and relying too much on a "classic" in order to draw readers in. Another form of riding the coattails.
I've heard that Feed is pretty good, and it is on my TBR list. I'm looking forward to that one; I've heard a lot of great things about it.
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I stated them in my first post, Day By Day Armageddon, Plague of the Dead, and The Infection was also very good. I'm currently reading Tooth And Nail, it is pretty good as well.
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I found Dead City by Joe McKinney to annoy me at times, but it was a good read overall. I was just upset because he kept getting distracted from rescuing his own family, which to me didn't make much sense. Also the ending was pretty abrupt. I still liked it though, he had some really cool, tense scenes in it. I still have to read his other work.
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