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October Group Read #1: Tankbread
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message 201:
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Teresa
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rated it 4 stars
Oct 14, 2013 02:49PM
Paul...yeah...I DID notice how disgusted BD was over the feral children. I think I quoted the slaying scene where he told that little bastard Hawk-Head 'There is no hope for you,' or something like that (sorry...I'm at work and don't have my copy). I personally really liked BD...I KNOW he is a very complex character, but I also understand that being a 'pulp fiction' book, there isn't room for all that development. I was thinking pulp in the back of my mind, but I've always thought that would be an insult to label a writer's work as pulp. And, not being an author myself, I never really thought about how difficult it would be to include characters and situations that you yourself don't really like. Must be hard! Anyway, thank you very much for the input. Sorry if I insulted you with the Bizarro thing. CMIII is one of my favorites, and I love Eraserhead Press and their imprints. You ARE right....a lot of Bizarro these days is trash, but the more skilled writers can pull off a sort of modern day magical realism that is firmly on the sick and twisted side! Oh, and I completely agree with you...I think Tammy probably woulda smashed her Kindle in disgust! ;-)
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Paul wrote: "This is pulp-zombie horror people. It is meant to be fast, furious and constant. There isn't a lot of room for long passages of meaningful dialogue. It's blood, gore and crazy action scenes." Well said! That must account for Leandro the Greek and the Pigs.
Mod
Since we all seems to be finished, how about the final questions a little early?
1) Yet again, BD has a sexual encounter, although this one seemed a little bit different. How did you feel about it? Was this a satisfying resolution to their relationship?
2)Did any events in this section take you by surprise?
3)What about the end game or "final battle" did you particularly like? What did you dislike?
4)Overall, were you satisfied by the conclusion?
5)How will you rate this book, and why?
And - any general questions, discussion points, observation you have etc are welcome, as usual :)
Just in case everyone scatters before the 14th - thank you so much for being such a great group! I've had a wonderful time. This has been a fantastic first group read experience for me. *big squishy hugs*
I'll just leave this here:http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news...
Evidence of how quickly people turn savage if their lives are disrupted. The common theory is that we are nine meals, or three days away from anarchy - it turns out to be less than three hours.
Elizabeth wrote: "1) Yet again, BD has a sexual encounter, although this one seemed a little bit different. How did you feel about it? Was this a satisfying resolution to their relationship?For me, it was symbolic of BD's recognising that Else had reached maturity. She always had the body of an adult, and in around 6 weeks her blank-slate brain had far surpassed his in terms of understanding and intellect. They had become close and he knew that one way or the other, one of them was going to die. So he gave into that sexual tension and shared the experience with Else.
2)Did any events in this section take you by surprise?
The final scene took me by surprise. I did not have that ending planned out - it just came out of nowhere
3)What about the end game or "final battle" did you particularly like? What did you dislike?
It could have gone on for longer. But realistically? Fights are short and bloody. BD isn't a superhero. He's not a martial artist. He's just a guy.
4)Overall, were you satisfied by the conclusion?"
Over all, yes I was. If I was to re-write the story, it would turn out entirely different I am sure. It's why I'm writing other books, both in this Universe and in others that deal with people facing the end of their world.
Teresa wrote: "Paul...yeah...I DID notice how disgusted BD was over the feral children. I think I quoted the slaying scene where he told that little bastard Hawk-Head 'There is no hope for you,' or something like..."Bizarro isn't an insult :-)
I just don't think I write in that genre. That said though, I agree with the sentiment that zombies are not a genre.
Paul wrote: "Evidence of how quickly people turn savage if their lives are disrupted."I wouldn't call it anarchy or savage. Carts were abandoned in the aisles of one Walmart after the announcement was made that EBT cards were once again showing accurate spending limits.
They knew exactly what they were doing. They had an opportunity for a free ride, and they took it for all it was worth.
Personally, I think anyone that went way over their limit should no longer be eligible for EBT. But that's just a gut reaction.
Elizabeth,The most difficult thing of any group read is to lead it!
Thank you for all the time and effort you put into creating the awesome and stimulating questions.
Mod
But thank you for your kind words!
Sorry, but I don't feel like talking about the end. It just left a bad taste in my mouth that I'd just as soon forget.
Mod
Fair enough! I understand.
Mod
I was a little creeped out and disappointed by this, to be honest. Throughout the book, I saw Else and BD's relationship as more father/daughter than anything else. So when they consummated it, it just felt wrong. I didn't feel like there was emotional justification for them to be sexually connected.
2)Did any events in this section take you by surprise?
The arrival of the knight kind of delighted me. It was just a little blip, but how appropriate that he would swoop in to rescue them. I mean - a knight on a horse, riding to the rescue. Excellent.
3)What about the end game or "final battle" did you particularly like? What did you dislike?
My dislikes first. This was too pat of a resolution. I mean - why would Else's blood given to Adam be the solution? How does it get from Adam to all of the other evols? I also didn't like that BD ingesting it would make him a suitable sacrifice in her place. Also too pat. Was there no other alternative? Injecting Adam, perhaps? I wasn't thrilled by the lack of resolution with Mafia Zombie. He was a fascinating character for the brief time we saw him in the beginning of the book, and I think I would have liked to see more of him at the end.
Likes - I enjoyed the cinematic scenery. The waves of flesh leading up to Adam was sort of a nice touch. So was the talk with the Dr, followed by him being ripped into by the feeding tentacle.
4)Overall, were you satisfied by the conclusion?
Ummmmmmm I don't know. I think so. The very last scene where BD is dead, and yet refuses to rise up so that the evols stay down is sort of poetic. Yet, the final battle sort of grated on me. However, it's still a resolution to the overall story, and provides a conclusive end, so that's good.
I think I feel about the ending the way I feel abot the rest of the book. A bit teased. There's some great moments, but they don't tie together very well.
5)How will you rate this book, and why?
I'm going to give it a 3. I think it could do with some really solid editing to bring it all together more cohesively. I was jerked uncomfortably from the story more than once because scenes and situations shifted so abruptly. There were some logic flaws going on here. However, it also kept me reading and kept me reasonably entertained the whole time. There were some really good scenes, particularly at the beginning. So, despite some flaws, I still enjoyed the reading experience.
And - any general questions, discussion points, observation you have etc are welcome, as usual :)
I really enjoyed the sheer readability of this book. It has a certain pull to it, that makes you want to keep reading. Some books have it, some books don't. I don't analyze why - I just appreciate it when it happens. I think I would feel much differently about this book if it didn't have that readability.
Ugh...stuck at work late AGAIN!!! For the 4th nite in a row!!!! Arg! 50 hrs in 4 days REALLY f&%king sucks!!! I'll answer these tomorrow afternoon, after I FINALLY get some rest :-( I HATE being short a worker. Everyone acts like it is sooooo hard to find a damn job, and we've been trying to hire for WEEKS now. So, after my previous gem of a day off tomorrow, back to the grind for another 40 hrs in three days. I'm going to collapse from exhaustion. Plus, my epilepsy is triggered by lack of sleep and stress. I'm gonna end up flopping around on the damn floor! *end rant*
Mod
I do hope you get some rest, Teresa - that's a LOT of hours to be working in such a short period of time, with very little relaxation. :(
Okay...FINALLY got some sleep (not enough, but its a start). Here are my answers:1) Yet again, BD has a sexual encounter, although this one seemed a little bit different. How did you feel about it? Was this a satisfying resolution to their relationship?
I am still on the fence about this one. It's like Elizabeth said...their relationship is more father/daughter throughout the book than lovers. Then again, like Paul said, it IS kinda the pinnacle of their relationship, as Else was MUCH more developed mentally than BD by the end of the book. I will say, the scene was nice and steamy, which I like outta my sex scenes. I guess, to be concise, I'm still not really sure HOW I feel about the whole thing. But that's okay. That's what sequels are for!
2)Did any events in this section take you by surprise?
Yes and no. I KNEW CHARLIE WAS BAD!!! NEINER NEINER!!!! I called it from the get-go ;-) Sorry, I get excited when I'm right about guessing what will happen. Sir Tristan? Well THAT surprised the shit right outta me! At least we have one stereotypical 'knight in shining armor' character, right? He threw me WAY off, and I was thinking it was VERY strange. Thank god for him though, cause if he wouldn't have shown, our story woulda went nowhere cause our heroes would be D-E-A-D!
3)What about the end game or "final battle" did you particularly like? What did you dislike?
I liked it that BD finally realized that he had to sacrifice himself in order to save Else. I found it slightly odd that he didn't explain more to Else in the way of what to expect through her pregnancy, how INCREDIBLY vital keeping the fetus safe actually is, etc. But I guess she probably has that female intuition along with her 'psychic' ability. I DIDN'T like the fact that Adam was kinda ill described. Was the entire opera room a huge mass of jellified zombie daddy? The way it was described was bizarre to me. I understand that their was a Jesus type zombie displayed on the stage, but he seemed to be part of a larger entity that took up the whole room, what with the tentacle type barbs shooting out from wherever they came from. Where DID the come from? It just wasn't as well described as I would have preferred. But then again, I have been sooooo tired, I may have misread something.
4)Overall, were you satisfied by the conclusion?
Other than the kinda sloppy description of the final battle, YES!!! It was the end that made me love this book. I think it was a great cliffhanger, and I most certainly am looking forward to the sequel.
5)How will you rate this book, and why?
I rated it 4, but actually 4 1/4. I wish they let you use fractions, damn it! But the reason for my rating is that I liked how quickly it went; I liked the characters; and even though there were a lot of complaints, I LOVED the gore. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...I AM bit of a sicko, so this 'did it' for me. I was also THRILLED when Paul spoke up about this being a 'pulp fiction' book, because now it all makes more sense to me. I feel as though all my loose ends have been tied (good enough, at least), and I can't wait to see Else again in the sequel.
Elizabeth wrote: "I wasn't thrilled by the lack of resolution with Mafia Zombie. He was a fascinating character for the brief time we saw him in the beginning of the book, and I think I would have liked to see more of him at the end. ..."
Me too! I don't get it...were Charlie and Soo Yong working together??? That doesn't make ANY sense, though, because Soo Yong is an evol. I don't know WHAT happened there, but maybe there will be more explanation in the sequel.
Elizabeth wrote: "I really enjoyed the sheer readability of this book. It has a certain pull to it, that makes you want to keep reading. Some books have it, some books don't. I don't analyze why - I just appreciate it when it happens. I think I would feel much differently about this book if it didn't have that readability. ..."
Well said! That is EXACTLY what made this book so good. You are absolutely dead on by with this observation. I think that without the readability factor, I might have joined Tammy in not finishing, but this book tugged me along. Good work, Paul...not all writers can accomplish that.
Elizabeth wrote: "Um. No flopping please.
I do hope you get some rest, Teresa - that's a LOT of hours to be working in such a short period of time, with very little relaxation. :("
NO SEIZURES!!!! YAY!!! Thank god I got some good sleep last nite. AND, we had two final interviews today...I soooo hope we have a new team member!
*****Once again, guys, I wanna thank you all for a very pleasant group read experience. So far, this group has the best group reads I've come across. Thanks for all the input and feedback; it was wonderful! Thanks again, and I'll be seeing you around the First Days thread! :-)*****
Thanks to everyone who participated in this read.Your HONEST reviews are appreciated, both on Goodreads and on Amazon.
A new edition with a proper edit is coming out soon - but it doesn't change the story itself (so you haven't missed anything).
