Rot & Ruin (Rot & Ruin, #1) in 2016 Hub Reading Challenge

Jan 20, 2012 Bethany Miller rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks-on-cd, 1st-choice-books

3.5 stars

“Benny Imura couldn’t hold a job, so he took to killing.

It was the family business. He barely liked his family – and by his family he meant his older brother ‘Mr. Freaking Perfect Tom Imura’ - and he definitely like didn’t like the idea of ‘business.’ Or work. The only part of the deal that sounded like it might be fun was the actual killing.”

Benny and Tom live in a post-apocalyptic world that is mostly overrun by zombies. Though the small town they live is relatively safe, it is surrou 3.5 stars

“Benny Imura couldn’t hold a job, so he took to killing.

It was the family business. He barely liked his family – and by his family he meant his older brother ‘Mr. Freaking Perfect Tom Imura’ - and he definitely like didn’t like the idea of ‘business.’ Or work. The only part of the deal that sounded like it might be fun was the actual killing.”

Benny and Tom live in a post-apocalyptic world that is mostly overrun by zombies. Though the small town they live is relatively safe, it is surrounded by the Rot and Ruin, where zombies roam free and very few humans would ever dare to go. Benny idolizes bounty hunters like Charlie “Pink-eye” Mathais and his partner, the Motor City Hammer, who go out into the Rot and Ruin to kill zombies. Benny’s brother Charlie is a bounty hunter too, but in Benny’s eyes he is not nearly as cool as Charlie and the Hammer. Benny still remembers First Night – the night that the zombie apocalypse began. Even though he was just a baby at the time, Benny has a memory of Tom running away with Benny in his arms as their parents are attacked and turned into zombies. So it’s only after trying every other job in the want ads that Benny agrees to join Tom in the family business – zombie hunting. Benny soon finds out there’s more to the family business than he ever could have imagined and that the real evil may lie within humans rather than zombies.

I avoided this book for while even though I was intrigued by the reviews. I think I was put off by the cover. It made me think, “This book will be either scary or gross or possibly both.” While there are definitely scary moments and gross moments, they do not dominate the book. It’s a great adventure story with relatable characters and relationships. The world of the book has a definite Wild West vibe, which I really enjoyed. It did take me a little while to get into the book as there is a lot of world building and not much plot as Benny and Chong search for jobs. At first Benny got on my nerves, but then I realized the things that were annoying me were very realistic teenage boy things, and he grows and matures throughout the book in a way that is very satisfying. Tom Imura is a great character as well, and the developing relationship between the two brothers adds depth to the novel. Some reviewers have commented that Tom could be very preachy, and I guess I can see their point. However, I did not find his conversations with Benny to be too lengthy nor did they take me out to of the book. It reminded me of For the Win by Cory Doctorow in that these occasional tangents were necessary for a deeper understanding of the characters and the world they live in. Overall, the book really exceeded my expectations and I am looking forward to reading the sequel.
...more

Like · see review

Jun 04, 2012 Melissa rated it really liked it

Shelves: teen, horror, adventure

A great coming of age novel that just so happens to take place during the zombie apocalypse. Though the book started out a little slow it was definitely worth it to setup the story and the characters. Once I got halfway through the book I couldn't put it down. I look forward to reading the sequel. ...more

Like · see review

May 15, 2013 Kit rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Weirdly "preachy" for a zombie novel. It felt too heavy-handed with the, "Zombies are people, too," stance. While I understand what the author was trying to do - yes, zombies were once someone's loved ones, and you wouldn't want someone to defile the body of a deceased family member - but, really... when I read a zombie story, what I'm looking for is creepy, suspenseful, scary moments, and zombie hunters TAKING DOWN ZOMBIES!! Not was I was hoping for. :( ...more

Like · see review

Feb 04, 2016 Julie Trapp rated it really liked it

Pretty good. I know this is #1 of a series, but I feel this can also be a stand-alone. I knew Tom was going to reappear somewhere along the way just not sure when. Benny always blamed Tom for his parents deaths, but in the end, learned the truth about that day and learned to forgive & respect Tom.

Like · see review