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Dead Things

by Matt Darst (Goodreads Author)

3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 · rating details · 169 ratings · 51 reviews

Nearly two decades have passed since the fall of the United States. And the rise of the church to fill the void. Nearly twenty years since Ian Sumner lost his father. And the dead took to the streets to dine on the living. Now Ian and a lost band of survivors are trapped in the wilderness, miles from safety. Pursued by madmen and monsters, they unravel the secrets of the p...more

Paperback, 222 pages

Published March 31st 2012 by Grand Mal Press (first published July 25th 2011)

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Dec 15, 2011 Clack rated it 5 of 5 stars

This first novel by writer Matt Darst ranks highly in my top ten list of 2011. I won’t go into too much detail suffice to say you ought to go out and buy this right now !!!

This beautifully crafted novel will appeal to the nerds (or should I say intelligent? in all of us), with his careful use of social commentary and character dialogue, Darst has strayed into areas that most novels just ignore, and leave us more “astute” readers thinking “why and how” ?, Darst answers these questions. Dead Thing...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Chris Smith rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'll start by admitting that I'm not a zombie fan: It's a genre that's really overstayed it's welcome. However, I'm always up for a decent story, well written characters, and the possibility of a new twist on a tired motif. Sadly, this book had none of those things.

The biggest issue I had with this book is that the author suffers from "Brownian Crichtonitis": devoting huge swaths of the book to long-winded exposition, soap-boxing, or "look at this cool theory I thought up!", which MAY touch bri...more I'll start by admitting that I'm not a zombie fan: It's a genre that's really overstayed it's welcome. However, I'm always up for a decent story, well written characters, and the possibility of a new twist on a tired motif. Sadly, this book had none of those things.

The biggest issue I had with this book is that the author suffers from "Brownian Crichtonitis": devoting huge swaths of the book to long-winded exposition, soap-boxing, or "look at this cool theory I thought up!", which MAY touch briefly on the plot, but more often than not yanks the reader out of the urgency of the situation. The segment comparing "Star Wars" to "Dune" was, by far, the worst offense.

The characters didn't stand out in the least. I only remember their names because I just finished the book yesterday. There were practically no development in any of them, and what little there might have been seemed so sudden due to a lack of relevant back-story for anyone. Again, had the author cut down on the incongruous monologue/dialog fluff, there might have been room to make me care about the characters.

I get that this is a "zombie book", and it seems all zombie stories aren't about the living, but about the dead. The living are the minor players and are used to showcase how foul the zombies are. I gave this book two stars because when the zombies entered the picture, they really did shine. Most zombie theory is squarely in the science category, and this is no exception. It would have bolstered the story to get more into that aspect, but the author painted himself into a corner with the other, more frightening focus of the book, which was the rule of the Church.

After the collapse of American society, the Church became the authority, banning scientific study and returning the country to the era of witch burning. Zombies are bad enough, but having to deal with what must be a biological epidemic and not being able to tackle it biologically meant that the author COULD NOT offer a satisfactory resolution, and the characters are basically screwed.

The ending...well, I wasn't even aware that the ending was near. It pretty much drew to a screeching halt, with what little plot traffic there was piling up in a heap on the last few pages. It sounds like there might be room for a sequel or two. I hope that if the author decides to tackle this opportunity that he spends more time on the characters, and less in using them as mouthpieces for unrelated exposition. (less)

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Apr 15, 2012 Holly rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is my first exposure to zombie lit, and I absolutely enjoyed it. Dead Things tells the tale of a society years after a zombie epidemic. Most of the U.S. has been overrun by the undead, but large pockets of survivors remain. The political debates of today have been settled (at least publicly) because the government has been replaced by religious institutions. That background allows themes (like church vs. science) to play out. Things heat up when a small plane traveling from Kentucky to a re...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Suzanne Robb rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I first started to read this book I was a bit lost as the POV is an omnipresent one. We know what everyone is thinking. Usually this works against a story, but NOT in this case.

The story is very much character and plot driven. This is not your typical zombie apocalypse. It has come and gone, and what this writer does is weave a world pieced together by bits of the aftermath. What he imagines is something that is scarily possible, though I will not spoil it for you as to what happens.

The mai...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Camille rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was very hard to put down. For an end-of-the-world as we know it book, it was very believable. A plague hits the US quickly moving around the globe. As governments become unable to keep the citizens safe and no longer function, the "church" steps in to to fill the areas where people need help. In the US this is a very repressive church. One which will no longer tolerate any technology or science or scientific learning. Because of the restrictions on all medical and scientific experimentatio...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Andrea rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: amazon-freebies

Dead Things by Matt Darst was, I hate to say, pretty average.

I enjoyed the concept of the rise of the religious state in a zombie apocalypse, but for me, this wasn’t explored as thoroughly as I’d have liked, as this could have been a really good hook. I also liked that the story was set some twenty years after the zombie outbreak, as most in this genre focus more on the initial outbreak; that said, for the most part it may as well have been in the initial throes, for all the plot made of it.

The...more

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Apr 22, 2012 David Bernstein rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Dead Things, the narrative for one really stood out. It was different than most books I've read, and a good change for me, as i usually enjoy past tense books more. But it wasn't even the present tense that i enjoyed as it was the way in which the author wrote--his style. A lot of telling, instead of showing, but it really worked, which for most authors it doesn't.
It's clear the author loves certain topics and educating the reader, hence the long sections of off-the-main-story...more

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May 01, 2012 Kristin (Blood,Sweat, and Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was sent a copy of this book to review by the Author. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any way for providing it.

Review:
The only thing scarier than a Zombie Apocalypse is a Nation ruled by religion.

Dead Things starts off nearly 20 years after a viral outbreak caused the dead to rise. Cities are closed off from each other and technology exists only in the most basic form. This world is ruled by the church, science is all but extinct and even doctors are limited in the scope t...more I was sent a copy of this book to review by the Author. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any way for providing it.

Review:
The only thing scarier than a Zombie Apocalypse is a Nation ruled by religion.

Dead Things starts off nearly 20 years after a viral outbreak caused the dead to rise. Cities are closed off from each other and technology exists only in the most basic form. This world is ruled by the church, science is all but extinct and even doctors are limited in the scope to heal patients lest the Church lose it's grip on the masses. This scenario above all was the scariest part of the book and I have to control myself not to go into an epic rant about the stupidity of the population placing their lives in the church's hands. Once the massive book burning took place and those who even hinted at science being branded Heretics you think people would go hmmm this isn't a good thing.

Anyway back to the review, I liked the character Van the best. He realized the world was f*cked in its present state and didn't let the Church influence him. While I'm sure he had Faith in something he was a realist. On the other hand I didn't like the actual main character Ian. Even tough he goes through quite a personality change throughout the book I just never connected with him.

Now for the things I didn't like about the book:

The Zombies- I thought this was a zombie book but you barely see them. Gore, awesome zombie deaths nope not in this book. It was almost like the Author didn't know how to write the scenes so he just time jumped over them.

The Random Rants- Several times throughout the book the characters go off on nonsensical rants about random bullsh*t. This book tried way to hard to be like Clerks and Zombieland. It just didn't work at all.

The Science- While the book makes it clear scientific reasoning has been all but expunged the characters seem to all be very knowledgeable about something they aren't allowed to use. Plus all the scientific talk really slowed down the pacing of this book.

The Church- See Above. Plus I would of liked after all the survivors saw that they didn't end still in a church. I mean seriously?!? If you read this you will get what I mean.

The Time Jumps- While time jumps can work, these just didn't 90% of the time. I felt again that the time jumps were used so that the Author didn't have to come up with ways to explain how Characters made it from Point A to B.

Overall this book was a good effort which is the only reason why I am not rating it 2 Stars. The ending intrigued me enough where if a sequel was made I'd want to read it. I am rating Dead Things 3 Stars.(less)

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Nov 23, 2011 Dave Lightfoot rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was totally blown away by this novel.
The writing style is exciting, quirky, intelligent, humorous and completely engrossing.
I was immediatley grabbed from the first page and couldn't stop reading until the very end.
Matthew Darst weaves a tale set in an apocalyptic world that keeps the reader interested and constantly wanting more with a style that is rarely found in this genre. The story itself is brilliant, a true zombie novel that fits well into the genre. The difference between this and man...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Holly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, fiction-speculative, paranormal-zombies

READ THIS BOOK! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
The author sent me the book as a prize in a drawing. I consider myself incredibly lucky in that regard. I just finished the book and it is, without a doubt, fantastic. I don't know which creeps me out more - the zombie stuff or the church-run country. The novel is almost TOO true to life. I hope there is a sequel, because I love not only the world building, but the characters, the reality, the blending of current events with an all-too-plausible future, and add...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I won this book in a Goodreads Firstreads giveaway.

I give this book 4 thumbs up (my two and two from the zombie sneaking up behind me)! What an excellend debut novel.
Matt Darst takes the reader into an alternate future, 20 years post-zombie infection. The tale is told from a narrator who sees all and knows all (including the thoughts & feelings of the characters). I think this provides the reader the best viewpoint of everything going on. The story is about a group traveling via plane from...more

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May 02, 2012 Jan rated it 2 of 5 stars

I have to agree with the reader comments concerning the author's irrelevant, rambling dialog inserted during inappropriate moments in the novel. There could have been so much more done with the tension of these moments. I also felt the character should have been fleshed out a bit more. I feel I barely 'know' them and I'm 75% through this book already. Not one of them has engaged my full interest.

I really feel that long rants on various subjects and lists of quoted reference material were great...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Robert rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm impressed yet again with another "zombie" book. I have been fortunate enough to select books in this genre that keep the subject interesting. I liked that this book didn't really center around zombies, but more on the people who are surviving the outbreak and the type of civilization they live in. I really enjoyed the role the "church" takes on in this story. I wish the author went a little further in this area because I truly believe that the religious aspect is even scarier than the zombie...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Annabel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks

Read this book if you want to read about the scientific way why a zombie apocalypse might occur. Or if you want to read about the difference/similarities between Star Wars and Dune. Or if you want to read about endless cross-references to vampire outbreaks vs. meteor crashes.

Don't read this book if your looking for a nice, exciting, adventurous book about a zombie world because you will be distracted from the story by all this useless nonsense. The story could be SO good if the author just stay...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Lynne Premo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: postapocalyptic, zombies

Wish I could give this 3.5 stars. For what it was, Dead Things was actually pretty good. Had a decent storyline with only a few cliches here and there, interesting characters, and fairly indiscriminate about who bit the dust. There were a few mistakes that a decent copyeditor would have caught, and the climax was pretty improbable, even for a zombie book. Also, I wish that some novel in which main characters hook up would NOT end with a freaking babe in arms (Suzanne Collins, I'm looking at you)...more

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Apr 07, 2013 James rated it 4 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

Zombies are all the rage right now. Everywhere you look, it's zombies, zombies and more zombies. So, if someone's going to tackle the subject matter, they need to bring something different to the genre. That is exactly what Matt Darst has done. I was immediately immersed in the world he created, and I felt invested in the main characters. Mr. Darst's post-apocalyptic scenario was entirely plausible and I can't really recall reading...more Disclaimer: I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

Zombies are all the rage right now. Everywhere you look, it's zombies, zombies and more zombies. So, if someone's going to tackle the subject matter, they need to bring something different to the genre. That is exactly what Matt Darst has done. I was immediately immersed in the world he created, and I felt invested in the main characters. Mr. Darst's post-apocalyptic scenario was entirely plausible and I can't really recall reading anything quite like it. Without spoiling anything, I'll just say the author has combined several new and interesting ideas with the old standards.

This book is not without its faults, however. For one, I felt it was too short. I felt some events were "rushed". It felt like there could have been more time spent on key plot points. I wanted some of the characters to be a bit more fleshed-out as well. Some of them were very generic and others barely made an impression, and these were main characters. Perhaps those issues are tied in to the main problem I had with Dead Things. It felt very disjointed. Characters were introduced rapidly, some of which weren't brought in until near the end of the book, and didn't always have a purpose. The actual plot progression felt a bit "jumpy" as well. This goes back to my previous "rushed" issue. The humorous sections were good, but they were kinda few and far between, and I wish there were more of them, actually. Hopefully Mr. Darst is planning a sequel, or if he has a 2nd book coming, this happens.

I feel as if I'm being too hard on this book, and maybe I am, but I really liked it. I felt the book had a lot going for it, but it could have been so much more. The best way to describe Dead Things, is to compare it to a Lady Gaga video. There's a lot of ideas in there, and it's very entertaining, but there's just not enough time for everything to reach its full potential. In both cases, I wish somethings were either left out to give other ideas room to breathe, or make it longer so the whole piece flourishes. It's all about the editing.

In conclusion, I'd give this book 3.75 stars, so I rounded up to 4. If you're a horror enthusiast, especially a zombie fan, this is definitely worth your time. The refreshing ideas make up for it's faults. Anyone else, this book will probably be a "love it or hate it" read.(less)

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Nov 02, 2012 Frank rated it 4 of 5 stars

Like a lot of people I am sick of Zombie stories in any form of media at this point. Dead Things was different. The story is definitely character driven but with some great legit horror scenes. My favorite part is the characters trying to figure out what caused this zombie "plague". Some of the theories will have you running to google all types of information from comets to mass disappearances. Lots of fun "geek" dialogue too that has made me now have to read Dune by Frank Herbert. Should of rea...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Talyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-ve-won, psychological, questions-humanity, zombies-aaah, violence, survival, stupid-people, horror-dark-creepy-gothic, here-be-monsters, fighting-against-all-odds, dystopia, cults-crazy-religions, band-of-friends, adults-are-stupid, adults-are-monsters, absolutely-no-mercy

I had won this book in a GoodReads giveaway... Yaaaay me!

That was probably a few months ago. But winning books? God that's like a special present for me.

But I finally decided to read this book. Not because I really WANTED to, but because I had unfortunately misplaced World War Z by Max Brooks in a movie theater when I went to see The House at the End of the Street last weekend... So worried, and it was a school library book, too!

Anyway. The back of this book advertises the writing style was lik...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: post-apocalyptic, zombie

So what did I like? The gradual reveal was done great. No big info dump of the backstory, but little pieces here and there, where it made sense. Sure there were some flashbacks, but still they felt "right."

This is and isn't your standard zombie book. It is in that the expected stuff happens; the zombies are zombies, etc. What's different is the story of the society and “government” that survives and how it relates to the main characters.

If you’re a zombie book reader, read this…

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Nov 21, 2012 Nachelle Butler rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have one word to say about this book, extraordinary! I've really been on this post apocalyptic kick since reading The Hunger Games, so when I won Dead Things by Matt Darst (I didn't even know until it arrived in the mail, haha) I was thrilled. I grew up on horror and zombie movies, and this is just completely my type of plot. Even still, I was surprised by the stories' contents. This isn't your typical zombie story, and it'll keep you up at night slightly creeped out and deep in thought!

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Apr 12, 2012 Scott rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting premise but the author tends to go off on a tangent on seemingly unrelated topics (Dune Vs Star Wars, George Bush, etc) The jumping back and forth between the past and present is a bit jarring as well as it tends to happen in the middle of something else going on in the present. I think a more thorough editor could have really brought out a gem here as the thought of religion gaining a foothold in the world thanks to a zombie apocalypse is a very unique idea for the genre.

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Nov 22, 2012 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks

For the most part I liked DEAD THINGS. It was for the most part a well written story and a pretty decent zombie novel. The main characters were good and I enjoyed reading about Ian and Wright. I would have liked to see a little more of Van's Dad and it was nice how Peter's story ended up.

For the most part the dialogue was good, but some of it could have been better. The little discussions with the character Van got annoying and went on for way too long at time (Star Wars/Dune was the worst). Als...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Daniel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: free-kindle

The premise and story were good - spent to much time expressing personal opinions on everything which bogged down the story. I did enjoy the "Dune" "Star Wars" comparison though. Did not really get the whole love interest between the young boy and the seasoned soldier? Then they get married? Whatever - felt like more time could have been spent on running/fighting and what not instead of how the zombies came about; which seemed to be the focus. Gave it 3 stars because I like Zombies.

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Nov 03, 2012 Kate rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: apocalyptic

There were such long swaths of exposition and 'this is how the world works, isn't it cool' in this book that the story itself became a choppy mess. It had potential, maybe, but... things were too predictable, characters were too predictable... everything that went bump in the night was forecasted so strongly that not once did I jump. Not once did I gasp. Not once was I surprised.

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May 07, 2012 Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of zombies, science nerds

Shelves: zombie, science-fiction, horror, apocalyptic, dystopian

Deserving of almost 4 stars. I was very caught up in the story line, but the style or maybe point of view disrupted the flow. I loved the flashbacks, especially in Chicago, since I live in Wrigleyville and can easily picture myself on the CTA....how freaky to be stuck on train during a epidemic such as this. The science theories were fascinating. Because I read this book on the kindle I didn't realize the book was over until I literally was on the last page. It seemed to end so abruptly. I was r...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Stefania rated it 4 of 5 stars

L'argomento è trito e ritrito: gli zombie invadono la terra e pochi sopravvissuti strangolano per sopravvivere. Qui il potere è stato preso dalla chiesa, che elimina ogni forma di libero pensiero mette al bando la scienza e brucia libri e film e fumetti. Però il libro è scritto davvero bene i personaggi sono ben delineati. Appassionante e commovente.

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Mar 29, 2013 Abby rated it 4 of 5 stars

I won this book in a First Reads Giveaway.
It was a very compelling read! I couldn't put this book down.
The angle Darst takes on the Z-Poc is new and interesting! Furthermore, Dead Things is very intelligently written. Darst's knowledge base and research is evident and convincingly advances the story.

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Dec 05, 2012 Becci rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book had some really good aspects. I wish it had been longer so it could've been better developed. There were lots of things I would've wanted explored more, and the medical aspects maybe a little less. But overall it was worth the read, and it was very difficult to put down.

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Feb 24, 2013 Brenda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Got this free. Quick, pretty entertaining read. My biggest takeaway was that zombies are really vampires-- ugly, dumb vampires. That, and if there is actually a zombie apocalypse we better hope our gun rights are in tact because you need loads of guns to kill them.

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Sep 02, 2012 Mike rated it 2 of 5 stars

Story set in a post-zombie apocalypse theocracy and the characters get trapped outside of the safe area. It was a good premise but the story is disjointed. It skips over a lot of stuff and tries to do too much in too few pages. In order to live up to its potential it should have been much longer to explore all the themes it touched on.

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About Matt Darst

Matt Darst got hooked on books early. He read recreationally at first. But soon after discovering a dog-eared copy of "Salem's Lot," he began hitting the hard stuff.

By twelve, Matt’s addiction to the written word took a turn for the worse. He started writing…for fun. His experimentation with notebooks (a classic gateway) led to dabbling with typewriters.

Matt went cold turkey in law school. He deci...more

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