As far as I remember, the first of this series is being turned into a film, and hopefully this one as well, which I think is fan-frigging-...more4 1/2 Stars.
As far as I remember, the first of this series is being turned into a film, and hopefully this one as well, which I think is fan-frigging-tastic. As with the first book, this was a gripping read. We have the Imuras, Benny (the main character), Tom (his older sumari sword wielding brother), Nix (Benny's girlfriend), Lilah (the legendary Lost Girl) and Chong (his best friend) going on an adventure, all but Chong leaving town for good. Well, that was the plan! But what they don't know is that they have bounties on their heads, created by two EXTREMELY nasty SOBs out for revenge, their identities rather surprising, especially the older of the two (although it makes perfect sense).
I thought this story tied into the last one perfectly, and was extremely well structured. Yes, I knocked off half a star, but only due to some slower pockets in the story, but I still wouldn't have wanted it changed, because every book has some areas were it needs to allow the reader to breath, and the ending sure as hell almost made me knock it up to a full 5. But, I'm reviewing this book as a whole, and 4 1/2 stars is still pretty high up there, so if you come across any slower areas, don't worry, because the ending is even better than the first book's, though, a lot sadder, one of my favourites going down, which I preferred didn't happen, but I understand it was needed with what I know of the third book, the death pushing the main star of the series further into his journey as well as dealing with the theme of grief.
In regards to the third book, which I now have, I would love to see Benny further his growth, coming into his own completely. Although Benny did wonderful in this story, he is still a kid, and what I want in the next installment is for him to be even more like his brother - to eventually become a man of legend, as well as that person everyone looked up to, which Tom achieved.
All the characters were very well portrayed, Chong also being one of my favourites. The way he grew in this story was wonderful. Plus, I liked how his relationship with Lilah progressed and how it was a great plot device as well, creating a storyline which had many moments of "I can't stop reading." There was also a new lot of characters, an introduction to a wonderful cast of bounty hunters who were like Tom - heroes.
In relation to the writing style, it is very good. And the author's ability to put you in the scene was fantastic, his settings very well written, his descriptions spot on.
In addition, I like how this story has a number of mysteries weaved in, which I assume will be major issues in the next book, like:
1) Why some people didn't reanimate into zombies after dying? My theory is that it relates to the cadaverine potion that is put on to ward off zombies. The cadaverine may possibly be reacting like a vaccine. 2) Why they came across some zombies who were really fast.
3) And what is so bad that the preacher warned them not to continue on their journey, where they saw the plane headed to. And who was flying that plane, and what is their role in the next story.
All the above gets the reader to snap up the next book, wanting to know the answers. Plus, of course, the reader is now very much tied to the characters, wanting to continue on with their journey, to see how they get through more hard times and come out at the end as the victors.
All up, I definitely would recommend this series to readers who love YA books with bite, zombie stories, survival books and authors who know how to keep their readers enthralled.
Benny Imura in my eyes. He has the right look, half-Japanese, half-Irish/American.
When I went into reading Rot & Ruin I did not expect to find it so engrossing. I’ve only read one other zombie book, Outpost, and liked it, but th...moreWhen I went into reading Rot & Ruin I did not expect to find it so engrossing. I’ve only read one other zombie book, Outpost, and liked it, but that one was a totally different look at the zombie lore. In Rot & Ruin zombies act like expected, but apart from that, the author doesn’t present his zombie story like others. Instead, he takes it from a very human angle, following the lives of Benny, his brother and friends. We get down to how life is for Benny, what it is like to live in a time where the old conventions of the world are no longer viable. In school, amongst their studies they learn how to handle zombies. When they reach 15 they have to start working so they can keep their rations. Because they live in an enclosed town, where it is supposedly safe from zombies, he has only a limited choice of jobs he can pick from, of which most he considers boring. So, in the end he ends up becoming an apprentice to his half-brother Tom, who is a bounty hunter (a closure specialist to be precise). At the beginning of the book Benny will annoy you, because he acts like a selfish teenager that unjustly blames his brother for things. He admires the wrong kinds of people, two other nasty bounty hunters, when he should be admiring, instead of hating, his brother. But as the story proceeds events happen one after the other and his affected and preconceived notions about how things are starts to be questioned, then falls completely away.
What I loved about this book was the way the author didn’t make the zombies out to be the real villains. The zombies act on instinct, they have no hate in them, just need, you can’t judge them on a human level, because they are no longer human and are basically animals that don’t know any better. But the bounty hunters (apart from Tom) are the real villains. They know what they are doing, are supposedly with feelings, yet they do the vilest things: like preying on the zombies and young children for their own amusement. They’ve created a Gameland where they barter money to see which children can survive in a pit (and other scenarios) against zombies. They also hack at zombies for their own amusement, playing with them, and forgetting they were once people, people that were loved. This is Tom’s view of zombies, which is why he’s a closure specialist. He gets contracts from families to go put their loved ones (who have become zombies) to rest in a humane manner.
Because of what the bad bounty hunters do they have made enemies not only with Tom, but a girl who roams the wilderness. When the worst of the bounty hunters attack people that Tom and Benny love, taking one of them, the brothers go looking for her (Nix, and Benny’s love interest). Along the way the lost girl joins them, leading to an explosive climax. And the epilogue is so perfect, really moving.
This is just a fantastic novel, well worth your time reading. I’ve been told that this book and its sequels are being turned into movies, which I would absolutely love to see.
5 very well deserved stars. I highly recommend Rot & Ruin. (less)
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