Uh -- what was this? I was intrigued by the idea -- although slightly worried that Stephanie Meyer endorsed the book on the back cover -- but it reall...moreUh -- what was this? I was intrigued by the idea -- although slightly worried that Stephanie Meyer endorsed the book on the back cover -- but it really failed to convince me. The Romeo and Juliet parallels are hideously forced, and R is a really, really articulate, thoughtful, philosophical zombie... which, yeah, not convincing. I kinda wanted this to be gross, a little frightening: not necrophilia-gross, but at least a bit closer to Tim Waggoner's Nekropolis books where Matt's limbs do have a tendency to fall off and the love that's there between him and Devona has to surpass the physical. With the ending of this, it felt just like a fairytale, far too pat. I didn't think you could Twilight-ify zombies, but apparently you can.
I've reviewed the three main titles separately, but I wanted to put down a quick note about the short stories in this book, too -- they're worth readi...moreI've reviewed the three main titles separately, but I wanted to put down a quick note about the short stories in this book, too -- they're worth reading, bridging the gaps and filling in the holes quite satisfactorily. I'm glad I had the collection both for those and because it was easy to go from one book to another without having to pause. Which is weird for me to say at the moment because -- look at my currently-reading shelf -- I'm doing nothing but pause.
Overall, the collection of three books could have tighter writing and so on, but I found it really fun and addictive, and I'm going to keep reading Tim Waggoner's work, there's no doubt of that.(less)
After reading this article in the New York Times, I had to try reading this. I mean, I love genre fiction and I have a degree in English Literature, s...moreAfter reading this article in the New York Times, I had to try reading this. I mean, I love genre fiction and I have a degree in English Literature, so you'd better hope I've got the intellectual side down since that's about all my degree seems to be good for demonstrating... Surely I'd get the best of both worlds out of this.
And, you know, apparently that degree doesn't say a damn thing, because I just found Zone One boring. I read the first twenty-five pages rather hopefully; something about the prose style did sweep me up and keep me turning pages. But as I got further into the book and nothing happened, and nothing happened, and nothing happened, I began to lose my patience. Literary fiction is great, even when it spools out slowly -- Kazuo Ishiguro's work is slow and good, in that way -- but this just bored me. I felt nothing about the words on the page but apathy. The back promises a 'punchy cocktail of horror, comedy and social critique', but I didn't really find anything but the latter, and I'd heard all that before...
This bit from the article sums it up all too well:
A plot summary is impossible: there isn’t a plot. To make matters worse, the protagonist is a laconic introvert of self-avowed mediocrity. The only ostensibly interesting things about him are his nickname, Mark Spitz (the explanation for which is withheld so long that the payoff stakes rise perilously high), his tendency to hallucinate falling ash and his ominous flirtation with the mysterious “forbidden thought.” Spitz is a sweeper and, for the novel’s three-day, flashback-filled present, our guide to the new (and hence the old) reality.
And then the bits of the article about the supposed pay-off never -- for me, anyway -- materialised.(less)
It took me a while to get into this series, but now I'm sure I'll be following it to its conclusion -- which I certainly hope this book wasn't, with t...moreIt took me a while to get into this series, but now I'm sure I'll be following it to its conclusion -- which I certainly hope this book wasn't, with that ending. It's opening out more and more from a simple story of a PI whose gimmick is that he's a zombie: he just saved the underworld for the third time and there's no way he's getting out of the spotlight now. Besides, his wife's bearing twins.
The writing improves throughout the three books, or at least I didn't notice as many things that jarred here. I did notice some typos -- skipped punctuation and the like -- which should ideally have been caught, but eh. He has a female character front and centre, for the most part -- less so in this book because of the kidnapping thing that goes on, but she's still there and pretty kickass, and there are other strong female characters as well. Pretty good, for something based on the PI/noir genre.
Not the highest of literature, maybe, but fun.(less)
This book didn't start out so well, what with the repetition of descriptions almost verbatim from the first book and the short stories, but it's still...moreThis book didn't start out so well, what with the repetition of descriptions almost verbatim from the first book and the short stories, but it's still pretty more-ish, like the first book. I read reviews of this when I was part-way through, for some reason, and had to laugh when someone said they wished Devona wasn't a character so it could get back to being a book like the rest of the "dick genre". Pretty apt way to put it, considering most private detectives have and are dicks, and even the ones I love can be very misogynistic. It's great that Matt has a girlfriend, and respects her, and works alongside her, and that they work through their issues.
The plot itself got spoiled for me (by that same bad habit of mine of reading reviews looking for spoilers), so it wasn't surprising, but I thought it was reasonably well done -- building on things mentioned before in the first book and the short stories, and carrying a narrative forward. Bonus points because Devona is not a side-plot or side-character, she's centre-stage and involved in almost all the action.
While I think Waggoner's writing can be pretty lazy, I'm sure I'm going to go on and read Dark War. It's a lot of fun.(less)
I haven't actually seen Dollhouse, but I heard good things about it and I generally trust Joss Whedon's imagination, ever since I saw Firefly. So, whe...moreI haven't actually seen Dollhouse, but I heard good things about it and I generally trust Joss Whedon's imagination, ever since I saw Firefly. So, when I saw this on Netgalley, I requested it and read it as soon as I was given access to it. The art is great throughout: the artist/s captured the actors very well, and it all comes together nicely. I think I liked the scenes of Alpha's fragmenting hold on his personalities most -- I wouldn't have believed, knowing Firefly so well, that you could make Alan Tudyk look that evil.
The story itself is pretty standard for speculative fiction, I guess: it involves people's brains being wiped so they basically become zombies, trying only to kill others and convert others to be like them. It's played out pretty well, though. The Ivies and Alpha are extremely interesting -- philosophically and in terms of figuring out what's going on in their heads -- though Trevor is a bit of a cipher for the reader, a way in to the story even if you don't really know what's going on (i.e. you haven't watched the series).
Definitely interested in watching the series now, and I think I'll pick this up in hardcopy for my collection.(less)
Crumbs is a fascinating rewrite of the well known Hansel and Gretel story. Elora Bishop brings a twist to the story, setting it in a post apocalyptic...moreCrumbs is a fascinating rewrite of the well known Hansel and Gretel story. Elora Bishop brings a twist to the story, setting it in a post apocalyptic world, with a disease turning people into -- basically -- zombies. It's very short, and the main story is quite small, but the set-up is good enough to carry a bigger story. Mind you, I'm glad that this sticks to being about a girl and her brother finding safety, and about the girl falling in live -- there's plenty of zombie novels out there and not enough LGBT fiction.
The voice of this story -- first person -- is a bit different to Elora Bishop/Sarah Diemer's work, which is good -- felt real. I enjoyed it.(less)
I read a couple of friends' reviews of this, and downloaded a sample chapter, and it just sort of got under my skin -- the whole idea of it. It does s...moreI read a couple of friends' reviews of this, and downloaded a sample chapter, and it just sort of got under my skin -- the whole idea of it. It does something pretty original with the mythology it uses, with dragons and with zombies -- something I've certainly never seen before, anyway. It's a novella, but it got me as involved as if it were a full-length novel: I held my breath for much of the last two chapters.
It's full of guts 'n' gore, so descriptions of that kind of thing gross you out, then you probably won't enjoy this, and there's also descriptions of drug-taking, which might make you uncomfortable. Normally, both the gore and the drugs would make me uncomfortable, but the story made it make sense.
The main antagonist and protagonist are both strong female characters, too, which might be a draw for some!(less)
I wasn't sure if I'd really enjoy this series, but I picked up the book and devoured it in a matter of hours without even getting distracted, so, you...moreI wasn't sure if I'd really enjoy this series, but I picked up the book and devoured it in a matter of hours without even getting distracted, so, you know. I even read two of the short stories that slot into the series.
That said, I'm not so wildly enthusiastic about it that I want everyone to read it right away or anything: it was an easy read, enjoyable for that, and I liked the world of Nekropolis, but... There's not much substance there, really, somehow. I don't know how to make that make sense -- I enjoyed it, but I didn't get emotionally involved, not in the main character or in the romance.
But, for once, I'm perfectly happy with that. Apparently sometimes I can go for a plot that just rolls along.(less)
I'm wavering between three and four stars for Feed. I'll start with the things that annoyed me -- and it's really one big one: the narration. There is...moreI'm wavering between three and four stars for Feed. I'll start with the things that annoyed me -- and it's really one big one: the narration. There is no reason given for why the narrator is saying all these things: if she were narrating in her head, there'd be no need for the massive infodumps, because she knows what's going on and how the zombie apocalypse started. Also, for plot reasons, it shouldn't be in past tense, it doesn't make logical sense for it to be in past tense, (view spoiler)[unless she's narrating from beyond the grave (hide spoiler)]: if that's the case, there's no explanation of that. She also mentions details that don't turn out to be relevant, in a way that makes me expect them to be -- e.g. mentioning backup batteries and how Buffy didn't check them, and then it just doesn't mention them again.
Also, I have to say, I didn't get emotionally connected with the story until the end of the second part, and I wasn't really emotionally connected until the end of the third. Mind you, I fought tears through the fourth and fifth parts, so it's not as though I never connected with it.
I enjoyed the characters, particularly the minor ones: Mahir, Senator Ryman, Emily Ryman. I did think the villain was a bit of a cardboard cut-out: you knew he'd be evil all along, just because the narrator doesn't like him.
If zombies freak you out, I don't recommend it. If disease freaks you out, I don't recommend it. If you want a zombie book with politics and an emotional kick, I recommend it. Just don't blame me if the narrator bugs you and the first part is kinda slow.(less)
The companion to the fourth season of Supernatural, mostly held high in my heart because of the introduction of one Misha Collins. This volume has the...moreThe companion to the fourth season of Supernatural, mostly held high in my heart because of the introduction of one Misha Collins. This volume has the usual stuff -- interviews, character bios, discussions of individual episodes... I like all the titbits about the pranks Jared was pulling on poor Misha.(less)
World War Z uses an interesting concept: the idea of collecting an oral history about something that didn't really happen. I like the idea of this in...moreWorld War Z uses an interesting concept: the idea of collecting an oral history about something that didn't really happen. I like the idea of this in itself -- Ursula Le Guin's Always Coming Home convinced me of that -- and thought this was a fair enough attempt at it. The political scenarios are well thought out, and the consequences of all sorts of different actions and ideas are traced through to their conclusions. It really could happen this way, and it really could be recorded this way --
By a biased, probably white, male, of course. It'd be really clever if Max Brooks wrote it that way on purpose: male interviewees outnumbering the female, political bias on the part of the archivist, etc.
It'd be nice to think it was done that way on purpose, even, but I can't quite buy that, cleverly put together as the whole thing is. Cracks show, like the general evenness of tone: all the different narrators sound very similar, the political slant is nearly all one way, etc. It remains obviously a book by a single author. Still, it's a fun central conceit, and though I began to get a bit bored of it by the end, it was an interesting take on a what-might-be.(less)
I don't think I actually read it all the way through, but I read enough to get the gist. The juxtaposition feels ridiculous, sometimes in a good way a...moreI don't think I actually read it all the way through, but I read enough to get the gist. The juxtaposition feels ridiculous, sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a bad, but for what it is, it's reasonably well done. (less)
I'm vacillating between giving Boneshaker three and four stars. It mostly fell down for me for very, very subjective reasons -- liberal use of a trope...moreI'm vacillating between giving Boneshaker three and four stars. It mostly fell down for me for very, very subjective reasons -- liberal use of a trope I'm not fond of -- although there's also a bit of a problem with the pacing. In places it worked very well: beautifully tense and exciting. But after a while, the sneaking and hiding wears on you. It's like watching a movie consisting of nothing but scenes in which the characters crawl through tunnels. No matter how well-shot those scenes are, it gets boring.
The trope that irritated me was the trope of 'they just missed each other'. Briar and Zeke could have met several times before they actually do, and while that might have shortened the book if they hadn't missed each other, I'm not sure that would have been a bad thing. Still, that's one of my pet peeves. It always reminds me of romantic comedies, which invariably make me want to beat my head against whatever's convenient (and I got dragged to a fair number as a teenager).
I also wasn't terribly pleased with Zeke. He ran when he should have stayed still, and stayed still when he should've been running. I know that he wasn't psychic and doesn't know what the reader knows, but even early on, Rudy is obviously not the kind of guy he should be running with. You take what you can get, I guess, but...
I was much more impressed with Briar. An older, working class single mother, kicking so much ass. She doesn't make the same stupid decisions as Zeke, so she's a lot easier to sympathise with. She's not perfect, no, but she does what she thinks is right.
The setting is well done -- quite vivid, and oddly realistic despite the fact that, yeah, it's full of zombies. It's not the most convincing explanation, I guess -- gas that creates the living dead? -- but it's not too necessary, either. The whole thing with Minnericht... I called it, to some extent: I guessed why Briar was so sure about who he was (or, rather, wasn't). I liked it, though.
I enjoyed Boneshaker, yeah, but I'm not in a tearing hurry to read the other two books set in the same world.(less)
Just like the other Supernatural companions, most of this is in black and white, but there's a full colour insert with promo pictures and photos of th...moreJust like the other Supernatural companions, most of this is in black and white, but there's a full colour insert with promo pictures and photos of the set. There's sections on each episode and character, and a bit finding out what the cast and crew are scared of... pretty fun.(less)
The second official companion is much like the first: full of background information about the show, cast and crew. There's another section of glossy...moreThe second official companion is much like the first: full of background information about the show, cast and crew. There's another section of glossy promo photos and pictures of the sets. There's character bios, with some thoughts from the actors. I especially liked to read Jeffrey Dean Morgan's thoughts on John Winchester.(less)
The Supernatural companions aren't as classy as the Firefly companions. Most of it's in black and white, although there is a section of full-colour pr...moreThe Supernatural companions aren't as classy as the Firefly companions. Most of it's in black and white, although there is a section of full-colour promo pictures. Anyway, the main interest here is in the tidbits you can pick up about the cast and crew. I liked reading Jared Padalecki's thoughts on why Sam is the way he is -- not all borne out by later canon, but still interesting.(less)
I love the title of this. It intrigued me right from the word go, and it's also an appropriate way to refer to the forest in this book. I wanted more...moreI love the title of this. It intrigued me right from the word go, and it's also an appropriate way to refer to the forest in this book. I wanted more from this book -- in a good way -- I want to know how things got as they are, I want to know how the Sisterhood got to control the village, I want to know exactly what they did to Gabrielle and why. And I really want to know who survives and how. So I suppose I will be reading the other books in the trilogy!
The main character is not really my main interest. She's so... selfish. I mean, it's understandable, but the other characters... I want to know more about Cass, about Travis, about Harry. And I wanted to understand her relationships with those people, too: less telling, more showing. I never really got why she was so in love with Travis. I could see he was likeable, in some ways, but never really understood what made Mary think she was so in love with him, when really, she was so easily pushed into giving him up.
There's a lot of potential for emotional intensity and angst, and in some places, it hit the nail on the head. Beth and Jed. Mary and Travis, after what happens quite late on in the book... I feel like this has a lot of potential, that it's a good taste of something, but I wish there was more. There's a strong female protagonist, there's romance, drama, danger, horror, action. It'll probably make a great movie as long as you're not a purist about it. But I wish we knew more about how the world came to be the way it is in the books. I suppose it'll come with the later books, though.(less)
Hmmm, where to start. I picked I Am Legend up in a charity shop spree, but I've been meaning to read it for a while. Had no idea what it was about, bu...moreHmmm, where to start. I picked I Am Legend up in a charity shop spree, but I've been meaning to read it for a while. Had no idea what it was about, but knew it was Something I Should Read. So I picked it up for, what, 79p? Awesome. Turns out, it's a kind of post-apocalyptic thing, and it's about vampires. It's not simple horror, and I didn't find it very scary, but there are all these attempts to make it make sense and be almost scientific. It doesn't really work, it just comes off as pseudo-science, but it's an interesting attempt. The pseudo-science is pretty excusable, actually, for the most part, when you consider that the main character isn't a scientist or anything. He's just trying to muddle his way through.
The main character isn't easy to sympathise with. I mean, on one level, it is easy -- he's the last surviving human, he's besieged and trying to do the best he can. Nothing is easy, and you know that you'd be as much of a wreck. At the same time, the point about the way he slaughters the vampires indiscriminately is a fair one. He doesn't seem to have considered the ethics of his situation.
The ending is interesting, though. A little twist, to make the reader see it clearly.
Overall, I wasn't blown away? It's easy to read, probably worth a read if you're interested in vampire literature, but it isn't exactly unmissable. Not in my opinion, anyway.(less)
Cell is a little like The Stand. There's the same big apocalyptic event wiping out parts of humanity, and the us against them mentality, similar probl...moreCell is a little like The Stand. There's the same big apocalyptic event wiping out parts of humanity, and the us against them mentality, similar problems of survival. However, there are quite a few differences, too.
For starters, the first thing I noticed was the much quicker beginning to the action. By page eight, in my copy, things were going to hell. No big build-up introducing us to a ton of characters. I actually quite liked it. It sucked me in pretty fast, and it didn't cost much in terms of characterisation -- I still got to know and love the characters.
It's also not as... explained as The Stand. In that, we knew what was happening. With Cell, we're in the dark and we have no idea what is really going on, or why. We have the same journey of discovery as the characters. The pseudo-science is also on much shakier grounds. I was able to suspend my disbelief enough to read it, but your mileage may well vary. Particularly as, be warned, this book does not come with explanations as to why, which definitely did irritate me.
This reminds me of From A Buick 8, which is the same deal, but even that has more closure than Cell. I quite liked the uncertainty, and the last line, but I wasn't ready to leave the story, really.
Not my favourite King novel, but definitely okay for a quick, immersive read, I think.(less)
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