The Rising
by Brian Keene
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 268)
Read in January, 2008
This was the First Brian Keene book that I picked up, and to be honest... I wasn't expecting much. I enjoy a good Zombie film as much as the next person, but had never read a zombie book before. I was pleasantly surprised while reading this book. The characters were (for the most part) very real, engaging, and the type of people the reader cares about.
The zombies were not your stereotypical zombies; they were far more mobile, and capable of using tools, weapons, and setting traps to catch t...more
The zombies were not your stereotypical zombies; they were far more mobile, and capable of using tools, weapons, and setting traps to catch t...more
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Read in October, 2006
recommended to VanHalen by:
The authorrecommends it for: Zombie horror fans, Slash horror fans
So I am doing a sweep of Brian's books which I have read.
I had the pleasure of being present when he read a chapter of this book at the World Horror Convention is Chicago.
It was then which I decided that I would look at reading his work, because he has a good edge of catching the real reactions of people to fucked up situations and the details of icky horror.
His horror is generally not clean.
It isn't Kingly style, it is Barker's Books of Blood.
I would rate this novel higher, but...more
I had the pleasure of being present when he read a chapter of this book at the World Horror Convention is Chicago.
It was then which I decided that I would look at reading his work, because he has a good edge of catching the real reactions of people to fucked up situations and the details of icky horror.
His horror is generally not clean.
It isn't Kingly style, it is Barker's Books of Blood.
I would rate this novel higher, but...more
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recommended to Rob by:
Stupid forum user.
recommends it for: people I hate
recommends it for: people I hate
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Hell, I love zombies but man have I not seen enough fan films just treading over the same Romero ground.
Keene takes the zombie genre to a different level of craziness with this book. Not a better level, just a different one.
See, we humans screwed up. We were trying to open a gateway to parallel universes via one of those things they are building in Europe right now. Particle accelerators to simulate the big bang. That sounds right.
Well instead we open up hell. Basically. All ...more
Keene takes the zombie genre to a different level of craziness with this book. Not a better level, just a different one.
See, we humans screwed up. We were trying to open a gateway to parallel universes via one of those things they are building in Europe right now. Particle accelerators to simulate the big bang. That sounds right.
Well instead we open up hell. Basically. All ...more
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Read in November, 2006
recommends it for:
zombie lovers!
Warning, Zombie book alert. But really good! The dead are rising…and they are being inhabited by beings from another dimension. These beings got vanquished there when God won the battle of good over evil. These beings have found a portal…and are using dead bodies to inhabit. Oh..and they feed on human flesh because it gives them strength. Of COURSE it does! We first meet the main character, Jim Thurmond, holed up in a bomb shelter in his back yard being threatened by his now zombie ...more
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Read in August, 2007
I've read three Brian Keene horror novels this summer- previous to this, I tried The Conqueror Worms and City of the Dead, the "sequel" to this book, The Rising. I put sequel in quotes because City of the Dead isn't so much a sequel as it is a necessary continuation of the story in this book, which ends on a really lame note that demands futher reading.
That quibble aside, The Rising is my favorite of the Keene horror novels I checked out over the past two months. The zombie story r...more
That quibble aside, The Rising is my favorite of the Keene horror novels I checked out over the past two months. The zombie story r...more
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Keene paints an incredibly dark post-apocalyptic picture of the world in the aftermath of a "zombie" infestation. Zombie is not the appropriate term tho. Malevolent spirits from another world, entering into ours from a scientific breakthrough (no pun intended), invade the recently deceased (including animals) with the host's memories and learned skills intact. Survivor gangs develop (cannibals, skinheads, thugs), the army imposes severe martial law, and those just struggling to surviv...more
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Read in May, 2008
This was my very first "zombie" book. And I'll have to say I was a bit disappointed in his explanation of the zombie phenomenon. That aside, the plot ebbed and flowed. Sometimes it seemed well-paced and other times it was stagnant. I also had a problem with the ending. Either kill them off or let them live, or at the very least, lean one way or the other and let the reader decide. But to have an ending that is completely going to leave the reader hanging doesn't sit well with me. It ma...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
Not many people
There were so many things wrong with this book that I couldn't even finish it. Some people will be angry at me for this, but I have my reasons. Firstly, the book was WAY too gory. Some people may be cool with that, but not me. Secondly, WAY too much swearing. Third, the characters seem to be heading to an improvement in their lives, characters like the drug addict Frankie, the scientist Jim, etc. but I can't get to where I like any of them. They just don't have anything that appeals to me. In sh...more
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I am a zombie nut, and this first novel did not disappoint. The zombies are quite a bit different than what most of us are used to, but that makes them all the more terrifying! This is the story of Jim who goes on a long journey up the East Coast to look for his son Danny after the zombie apocolypse. He is joined on this search by some unlikely friends like a preacher and a drug addicted prostitute. Be sure to have the sequel City of the Dead handy when you get to the end of this one.
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This book can be summed up in one word - AWESOME!!! I was hooked from the first page. However, I do hope that,as another reviewer stated, there is a sequel to this story. I was so caught up in the struggle between the living and the undead, good vs evil that towards the end - my stomach was in knots. And then.....well, you'll have to read it yourself. Other than the way it ended - this novel was extremely well-written. Brian Keene definitely joins the ranks of my favorite horror authors.
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Read in June, 2008
Keene's novel ramps the zombie genre up a couple of notches, much as Skipp & Spector's work did for the rest of the horror genre in the 80's. This is a fast-paced adventure with some characters that start out as not especially likeable or distinct that evolve admirably by the end. The ending is the only quibble I have with the book; it just kind of stops without a resolution, so you have to go find the sequel, CITY OF THE DEAD, to get closure.
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Cool ideas and it starts out well. But just a little too dark for me. Hell, Lovecraft is more upbeat and positive than this. I don't need a happy ending, but the characters should at least have half a chance at making it. That's what makes some zombie movies great. The main characters could survive if only they were a bit wiser. In this, it doesn't matter how smart they are, there is no way to make it.
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Read in July, 2008
An interesting and new take on the traditional zombie story. This time the dead, not just humans, are more demon than zombie. Unfortunately, the story still takes a lot of the same ideas from past zombie films and the writing itself was far from great. Despite its annoyances and weaknesses, it was still entertaining and I'll probably end up checking out the sequel.
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Read in April, 2007
The whole book was good except the ending. I hate most of Brian Keene's endings. I heard he has a different ending on his website. Maybe I should read that one. Zombie animals, babies and pregnant women. what more could you want? Military zombie soldier expiermentation? It has that. Gjhetto thugs getting mauled by zombie lions in a zoo? Yeah that's in there too.
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Read in February, 2007
recommends it for:
Horror Fans
When considering my rating, you should remember that I'm a fan of the horror genre.
This is a fairly original take on the zombie genre. Keene creates a zombie apocalypse where the dead come back to life not as mindless corpses, but as cunning, evil, and twisted creatures intent on destroying humanity.
This is the first book in a series of 2.
This is a fairly original take on the zombie genre. Keene creates a zombie apocalypse where the dead come back to life not as mindless corpses, but as cunning, evil, and twisted creatures intent on destroying humanity.
This is the first book in a series of 2.
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
horror-lovers
This was my first real horror book. It drew me into the world of reading that I am currently exploring. I absolutely love the horror genre, and this author really knows it well. He balances an eerie zombie uprising with tension and gore; it's great. It makes you cringe at parts, but it's so intriguing... I had a hard time putting this book down.
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Read in January, 2005
recommends it for:
fans of the zombie genre and horror
Man, this is a really great read. It is well-written and is paced nicely. The premise is that demons or something like demons begin to inhabit the bodies of the dead and use these bodies to kill the remaining living humans. No one is safe as these creatures not only enter and control the bodies of humans, but of animals as well. Good stuff.
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Read in May, 2008
Keene takes the horribly over-used theme of zombies and really turns it on it's head. For the most part, the story really flies along although there are a few parts where the story bogs down.
My only complaint is with the ending. There isn't resolution to the story's most central theme and it's frustrating.
My only complaint is with the ending. There isn't resolution to the story's most central theme and it's frustrating.
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