Zombies! discussion
This topic is about
Cedric Nye
Buddy Reads
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Zombie Fighter Jango Series
Wow!! Thank you, Jonathan! I don't know what the etiquette is here. Should I play it cool, and pretend that this is no big deal to me?I will, if you allow it, put the names of everyone who participates in this Buddy Read into Random.org at the end, and give the winner one of my hand-made self-defense key-fobs with the Death's Head Skull on it!
Cedric
Awesome. =) I consider it a honor to have us in your contest.Feel free to intermingle and interact with us. I love it when authors interact with their readers. Besides I'm sure I'll have a ton of questions to ask you as the buddy read continues. Thanks so much for visiting our buddy read topic. I think that is super cool of you.
I sent out a invite to all of my friends online, so far three of them are signing up as we speak.
Wicked! I just followed this discussion, so let me know if you have any questions at all. I am super stoked!
Pronounced like: "hypnotic" and "rocks"
hIpnoticraQs wrote: "Pronounced like: "hypnotic" and "rocks""Ha ha ha ha. I was wondering how to pronounce your username for almost a year now. Thanks for the clarification.
Also thanks for reading this book with me. =) I'm very excited. The reviews for the first Zombie Fighter Jango book have been amazing.
I am starting it today!
I have started, won't give anything away, it's been quite fun and funny so far.
Hey there, I'd like to join in - I've read the first two books but not the third. Jango's a good read!
Wow, do men ever grow out of potty humor? Just read the bathroom scene at the gun warehouse, SMH.
Can't speak to that, since my ex got really mad at me when I bought my son the book "Farts in the Wild". I thought the book was hilarious.Jango's toilet humor is fitting - it matches his personality and doesn't take it into the gross factor. Jango's just off, in more ways than one, and his sense of humor shows it.
I'm here too (thanks, Jonathan!!), just picked up the book. Will try to commence tonight or tomorrow
Netanella pegged it! Jango is just off.
The biggest confusion for me is that I have five Jango books in my Kindle Cloud, but Amazon says I only bought one of the three books that are currently listed on Amazon.• The Road To Hell Is Paved With Zombies: Zombie Fighter Jango Book 1
• Jango's Anthem (ZOMBIE FIGHTER JANGO Book 2)
• The Road to Hell is Paved With Zombies (ZOMBIE FIGHTER JANGO BOOK 1)
• Welcome To Prescott, AZ. Population: DEAD! (Zombie Fighter Jango Book 2)
• Jango Meets The Zombies (Zombie Fighter Jango Book 1)
The 2nd of the five is the only one that goes to an active link on Amazon. I didn't even realize there was a third book. :(
I could swear I wrote reviews on the first two books, but I don't see them anywhere? Probably disappeared with the version of the book I apparently bought?
Randy! Thank you so much for telling me about this series!=)
Also. Mallory Heart! Thank you for coming!
hIpnoticraQs wrote: "Wow, do men ever grow out of potty humor? Just read the bathroom scene at the gun warehouse, SMH."We never do.
Long live The Three Stooges!
hi! thanks for the invite. i'll join. when are we starting?
Latasha wrote: "hi! thanks for the invite. i'll join. when are we starting?"Anytime you want! Thank you for joining up with us!
=)
I self-published some REALLY short stories in the beginning, and Goodreads refuses to get rid of those dead links. If you bought The Road to Hell before Severed Press re-published it, you may have two editions. "Jango Meets the Zombies" and "Welcome to Prescott, AZ: Populations Dead" are gone the way of the Dodo bird. I apologize for the confusion!Cedric
Randy wrote: "The biggest confusion for me is that I have five Jango books in my Kindle Cloud, but Amazon says I only bought one of the three books that are currently listed on Amazon.
• The Road To Hell Is Pav..."
Randy
I saw those two on GR, with the addendum "no longer available." I started the first--so glad for Jonathan's invite, 'cause I REALLY like it! Jango rocks!!
Thank you, Mallory!! I am super glad you are digging Jango. People seem to either love or hate the guy, not many people in the middle. Thank you for participating in this Buddy read! Mallory Heart wrote: "I saw those two on GR, with the addendum "no longer available." I started the first--so glad for Jonathan's invite, 'cause I REALLY like it! Jango rocks!!"
Randy wrote: "hIpnoticraQs wrote: "Wow, do men ever grow out of potty humor? Just read the bathroom scene at the gun warehouse, SMH."We never do.
Long live The Three Stooges!
"
I'll take that as a no, haha
Hi everyone! I'm going to jump in and read the first book with you.
Thanks for coming Kim.I'm happy to see a good turn out for the first book in the series.
=)
Cedric: "People seem to either love or hate the guy, not many people in the middle." I'm about 26 pp. in, and the more I read, the more I admire. Anybody who fights for/protects the underdog and rumbles against ANY kind of abusers earns my approval!
I'm in, too. It's a quick read so far, which is just the right pace for a zombie novel.
Jeff wrote: "I'm in, too. It's a quick read so far, which is just the right pace for a zombie novel."Awesome Jeff.
It's good to be in another buddy read with you again.
=)
I started reading tonight. I love the comparison to marionettes!
One of my favorite parts in the book is when Jango takes out grandma in the pink bunny slippers. Anyone else have a favorite scene?
I chuckled over the grandma scene myself, and Fatso in the men's room--he's quiet for so long, then suddenly, the Zombie War Cry! I really liked Jango's remorse and wonder scene after he outs down the chef just prior to the gun shop.
You all are so awesome!! I feel honored that such wicked-cool folks are reading my book! I won't lie, I giggle every time I even think about Jango running around his Geo Metro hatch-back!! That might be my favorite scene. Like a demented version of a Scooby Doo chase scene!
I agree with you wholeheartedly!Mallory Heart wrote: "Cedric: "People seem to either love or hate the guy, not many people in the middle." I'm about 26 pp. in, and the more I read, the more I admire. Anybody who fights for/protects the underdog and ru..."
I love the sword scene when he is talking with Sonja. I was smiling so much.
Impressions at 64 pages in:When deciding if I wanted to take this Buddy Read on, I saw various comments about this book having a protagonist like nothing I'd ever seen. I tend to take comments like that with a grain of salt because I've read a lot of books, seen a lot of movies, and there's nothing new under the sun, especially when it comes to zombie novels. But I have to admit, I see their point.
There are a lot of zombie novels in which the main character comes from the Alpha Male Weapons Enthusiast archetype. These characters usually come across as a stand in for the author, or at least who the author thinks/hopes he would be in the midst of the zombie apocalypse. The problem with this is that authors who fit/want to fit this archetype seem to be reluctant to give the main character any major flaws. Any flaws that DO exist come across as unintentional (and, therefore, hilarious).
But Jango doesn't fit this model. He has flaws. He's even aware of them. Whereas the average Alpha Male Weapons Enthusiast is always the squared-away man-with-a-plan, Jango is erratic, living in the moment. He doesn't even strictly fit with the Alpha-Male archetype because he doesn't seem like a natural leader. He's an introverted loner, who will freak out in certain situations. Truth be told, he occasionally comes off as a bit of a spaz. And that's what I like about him.
I also like that Sonja suddenly becomes a bit leery of Jango when he talks about (view spoiler). In a lot of zombie novels, secondary characters only exist to be a) villains for the protagonist to kill, b) the poor, downtrodden masses who will surely die because they didn't start out the novel with a prepper pack, and c) a fellow survivor who reassures the Alpha Male Weapoms Emthusiast that killing anyone who inconveniences him is The Right Thing To Do. The fact that Sonja is bit freaked out by his erratic behavior is to her credit.
And now for the criticisms (and yes, I write this knowing the author is reading the thread).
hIpnoticraQs mentioned the potty humor above, and I have the same reservations about it. Mostly I can take or leave it, but i'd prefer to leave it. If it's there, it should be really GOOD potty humor, and I don't think this rose to that level.
I can't believe I just wrote that paragraph.
Also, I don't like when novels suddenly switch to omniscient narration 1/3 of the way into the book, even a short book. I think it works better when a new character's POV is delineated by new chapters, or at least a chapter break. Maybe that's just a personal preference, but most successful authors employ this method for, I think, good reason.
And finally, more showing, less telling. An author doesn't have to set aside entire paragraphs detailing their character's motivations and psychological traits, at least not right away and all at once. Space them out, and for the most part let the reader interpret them on their own. Readers are smart, trust them.
None of the above criticisms are enough to keep me from finishing the series. One thing I like about the current Wild West style of the horror publishing world at the moment is the chance to grab onto a new author early in their career and watch them grow and develop their skills (Mark Tufo is a good example of this). So I'm going to keep on keeping on, and I hope Cedric does, too.
I agree with Jeff. (On both the positives and the negatives.)I also love who the book is dedicated towards (Especially after reading the own author's bibliography.) I feel like the main character is portrayed very accurately as someone who has suffered from domestic abuse. Coming from my own personal traumas, and as someone who also lives with a individual who has suffered multiple kinds of abuse, I admire the author for showing that one can strive to become a better person despite enduring those hardships.
I am looking forward to seeing Cedric hone his writing craft and develop his skill. I speak for myself when I say I plan on following him for the long run.
Netanella wrote: "One of my favorite parts in the book is when Jango takes out grandma in the pink bunny slippers. Anyone else have a favorite scene?"Jango's threats are funny to me, the ones he made when he first met Sonja. Tearing off her head and burning her and pissing on her ashes.
hIpnoticraQs wrote: "Anyone up for "# 2" ??"I'm 55% done with the first book. I apologize for lagging behind work has been nuts. But I will definitely read the 2nd book too. I am enjoying the buddy read so far.
The Road to Hell is Paved With Zombies was my first foray into the world of writing. You all are reading the edited, re-published version... Thank the stars for that! My first cut of that book was rougher than a dried corn-cob. The second book, Jango's Anthem, is definitely a smoother ride.Now, I will say this, the descriptions of Jango's mental state, his issues, they serve a purpose. I wanted to cram my readers inside of Jango's skull, so that you could be right there with him, staring out at the world with his eyes. His reactions, and actions are based upon how a Child of Abuse would actually respond to given stimuli.
On a side note, you can use Google maps and Google Earth to see every place Jango goes. AND, I teach many aspects of stick fighting for FREE on YouTube, if any of you are interested in the noble art of skull-crushery.
Thank you again for all of your comments! I am really digging all of you!!!
hIpnoticraQs wrote: "Anyone up for "# 2" ??"I see that my attempt at potty humor was lame and stale.
(sound of crickets chirping)
Jonathan wrote: "hIpnoticraQs wrote: "Anyone up for "# 2" ??"I'm 55% done with the first book. I apologize for lagging behind work has been nuts. But I will definitely read the 2nd book too. I am enjoying the bu..."
whenever you're ready
Nicely played! That scooted right over my melon! Ha ha ha!hIpnoticraQs wrote: "hIpnoticraQs wrote: "Anyone up for "# 2" ??"
I see that my attempt at potty humor was lame and stale.
(sound of crickets chirping)"
I finished last night, and I am so impressed! I think for me the major theme of the book is, of course, Jango's mental state, his past history, etc. we don't have to have exactly similar histories to relate...abused children, adolescents, adults--all "siblings under the skin." (view spoiler)
Well-done, Cedric!! You can be very proud...
Thank you so much, Mallory! You totally "get" it. Mallory Heart wrote: "I finished last night, and I am so impressed! I think for me the major theme of the book is, of course, Jango's mental state, his past history, etc. we don't have to have exactly similar histories ..."
Thanks, Cedric. The story impressed and enlightened me.
I finished the story last night. it was fun & entertaining!
Awesome! Thank you very much for reading my first book!Latasha wrote: "I finished the story last night. it was fun & entertaining!"
Books mentioned in this topic
Rage and Ruin (other topics)Rage and Ruin (other topics)
The Association (other topics)
The Road to Hell is Paved With Zombies (other topics)
Jango's Anthem (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Cedric Nye (other topics)Cedric Nye (other topics)
Link to series: https://www.goodreads.com/series/1065...
The first book in the series is the cleverly named The Road to Hell is Paved With Zombies.
The sequel to that book is Jango's Anthem.
The newest book to round out the trilogy is Rage and Ruin.
All three books are really short and under 200 pages if I am not mistaken. A good friend of mine recommended me this series and I couldn't help but become interested. I checked out the author Cedric Nye's facebook and the man is absolutely awesome. Check him out when you get the chance. Link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zombie...
Feel free to hit me up at anytime. The goal is to start this series sometime this week. However we're both flexible and don't mind if you join up in a few weeks or whatever. The main goal is to have fun and talk about zombies.
Cheers!