The Zombie War came
unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the
urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the
survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United
States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that
once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and
inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men,
women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or
at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. "World War Z" is the
result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully
conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit
of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.
***I cut out the other 6 paragraphs from the huge Goodreads blurb***
My Review:
I looked forward to reading this book so much. I was excited because I
worked in a building on George Square in Glasgow where they filmed some
of the scenes and you can see it in the film clips. I couldn't wait to
read the book then see the film.
Reality bites!
I really
did not like anything about this book. Firstly, the blurb on Goodreads
is like a novel in itself-over description and so much information that
you are drowning in it before you even start the book! Seriously people,
cut it down and just briefly say what the book is about! If I hadn't
already bought it years ago, that blurb would have put me right off. It
is meant to entice the reader, not bore the arse off them!
I hate
the oral history format which I was trying for the first time and have
no interest in trying again, and it was just boring! What I LOVE about
zombie books is being with the characters as they creep down dark
corridors on supply runs, trying to hide from or outrun a hungry zombie,
the shock of a loved one being bitten. It is part of the tension and
excitement. Having people recount their experiences after the event
whether it is a conversation, an email or diary entry just doesn't cut
it for me. It removes the drama and the feeling that you are there with
them. I just didn't get that with the oral history format and it took
away what I love about zombies.
Yes some of the interviews in
this format are quite interesting but you have to plough through a lot
of boring bits to unearth the gems and I just couldn't be bothered doing
that through a whole book, without getting tempted to skim and skip.
That told me right away that this was not going to be my kind of book.
When you do get something interesting that you want to hear more about,
their story ends and it switches to a story from some new and not very
interesting person and that gets frustrating. I'd rather get to know a
group of survivors by sharing in their story as we go along and not have
after the fact reporting. There were a lot of things that they droned
on about that didn't interest me and it just felt like one big info
dump. I felt as if I was being forced to read a very coma inducing
government inquiry report into sewage or something.
And where are
the zombies! It's not REALLY a zombie book without the rampaging undead
breaking down barricades and coming to chew on our heroes! Nope, it's
all over already and now we'll tell you a bit about what happened. Grrr.
I have higher hopes for the film on this score though, fingers crossed.
I hope we get to experience the zombie attacks this time!
There
is no real impact in the survivor interviews...because we don't know
the dying or those who went zombie. They are just nameless faceless
people mentioned briefly and forgotten about. I felt no emotion or
connection to any of these people so I wasn't really drawn into the
stories. That is part of why I lost interest quickly. Where are the
scares? Where is the drama? Where are the gut wrenching moments when
your favourite gets bitten? OK so I know that this is not the type of
book the author set out to do. He wanted to do the aftermath where
reports of the disaster are being used. It is a plot device and if you
like that format I imagine you would say that he has done a good job of
delivering that.
Overall I was greatly bummed out with this
book which didn't live up to my expectations. That is not to say it is a
bad book. Just be aware that if you want a traditional survivors
battling zombies book, you won't find it here. 
Welcome to Chuckles Top Ten! This is where I look at my top tens-things I love, things I hate, things that excite me, things that just pass me by, all from the world of books, film, music, TV and life in general! My ten aren't in any particular order unless I say otherwise on each post. Please feel free to put your own top ten(or less) into the comments section as well as stopping by to say hello!
*waves*
So what subject to start with my top ten? We'll go for a nice easy one to get me started which is the top ten foods and drinkies that I just can't resist!
1) Chocolate: I mean come on, it's chocolate! So many lovely types to choose from! Milk or White, filled with orange/mint/caramel etc, Lindor, Cadbury, Galaxy, Easter eggs, mini eggs, creme eggs...*drools* I definitely have a sweet fang!
2) Cheese: I have always loved cheese! I can eat it on its own in a big lump or smother it over a pizza, use it in a cheese sauce with chicken, shove it in a sandwich...Again there are so many types to choose from!
3) Pepsi: Yes I am certainly on Team Pepsi because I find Coke leaves an aftertaste that I don't like. I don't take any form of Pepsi except the original and I hate Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Max! Just give me a cold bottle of Pepsi and I'm happy...
4) Pizza: Our local pizza shop is GREAT and when I get one I go with a cheese pizza with pineapple, onion, spicy sausage and kebab meat...YUM! Nice and healthy eh?!!!
5) Chicken Tikka Masala: Without a doubt, my favourite Indian dish! I'm not a fan of really hot curry so this suits me fine. But I really hate it when a takeaway throws peppers and other crap into it....noooo!
6) Tuna Pasta Bake: Ooh I make this nearly every week using the Homepride Creamy Tuna sauce from the jar and plenty of cheese and tuna in it. My mouth is watering just thinking about it...
7) Bacon Roll or Roll and Square sausage: Depending on what mood I'm in, I love to just sit with one of these and a big splodge of tomato sauce on it. Lovely!
8) Tango Orange/Citrus: I love both of these and could happily use this as my desert island drink.
9) Key Lime Pie: My favourite fat buster treat which I rarely allow myself to have due to the horrific calory count! The one thing I don't like is those hard bits of lime rind that some companies insist on shoving on top! That bugs me!
10) Turkey with bread sauce & sage and onion stuffing: As a meal I just love it! I don't regard it as just a Christmas meal but trying to get it after January each year can be a challenge!
So what are your favourite foods? What can't you resist?
Welcome to Reading with Chuckles! This is where I fill you in on what
I'm reading each week-what it is, where I got it or heard about it,
what I think of it, if I'm continuing with it or abandoning it and any
special offers I'm aware of where you can try the book yourself.
Comments are welcome but no spoilers please! It's not fair to other
readers!
My good reading spell has continued with 9 completed books this week and only one was a short story, so I'm really happy with progress. Three biographies, one sports book, three horror, and two urban fantasy. I aim to get my tbr down to 550 books by the end of February so I have 14 to go to get there. Looking good so far!
The first Gordon Ramsay book 'Humble Pie' was surprisingly good. 'Playing with Fire' was good but there was more emphasis on the business deals which weren't really my thing. It was still good to read though. I love watching Pawn Stars so grabbing License to Pawn was a no brainer for me and it was a really good read. I was given a review copy of Path of the Heretic, so I re-read The Beholder, which was the first book in the series before moving on to the new release. Then came the zombies and killer dogs!!!
"Mountain Man" Augustus
Berry is a survivor in undead suburbia. He scavenges what he can from
what's left over. He is very careful in what he does and where he goes,
taking no chances, no unnecessary risks, and weighing every choice...
until he decides to visit the hospital at the edge of town, and
experiences terror the likes he's never encountered before.
My Review:
Gus lives in the mountains, away from the 'gimps' seeking to shred the flesh of the living, but needs to come down on supply runs. Today he is seeking medical supplies and needs to take the risk of looking at the hospital just in case it hasn't been looted. It looks deserted but you never know what might be lurking in the dark...
This was a good introduction to Gus, learning about his habits and personality while he creeps around the dark corridors, looking for anything that can be used. We know he likes a drink to help him sleep, we know he has the worst zombie nightwares and we know that he is a guy who is doing everything he can to protect himself and survive. That does not mean that he cannot make mistakes. There are blood trails leading into the dark and Gus is unsure exactly where the medicines might be. Leaving too soon means losing the chance at hitting gold. Staying too long means danger has a chance to creep up on you. And then he hears the strange noise...
I liked the tension and the action in this short story. It certainly makes you want to find out what happens to Gus in future adventures. He comes across as a normal guy who learns the zombie rules from watching crap films. He is no superhero but tries to prepare the best he can when he goes out to salvage supplies.
The one thing that was a slight niggle was that in the first half of the story, the author overdosed a bit on fancy descriptions that just weren't needed. The vending machines were raped and punished. The squeaky wheel on a hamper was 'whistling its tune the whole way, like a high dwarf going home to see Snow White'. It was a bit over the top for me and didn't add to the story. When the author concentrated on just describing what happens to Gus, the writing is transformed into something so much better, and we get caught up in his story. It becomes tense and gritty and entertaining! Sometimes keeping it simple and putting the author right beside Gus in the story is a better idea.
Does this prequel make me want to read the full novels? Hell yes! I think Gus is going to be an interesting guy to go on an adventure with. The writer also adds enough realism with the setting of the hospital to show good attention to detail that bodes well for a novel. I look forward to reading more.
When
the Zombie Apocalypse came, one country had shut down its borders in
response to a major terrorist attack. Now Fortress Britain is the last
bastion of the living - with 50 million beleaguered survivors facing
down a world of 7 billion animated corpses.
And when civilization
fell, one international team of supremely elite special operators was
being assembled for a nearly impossible mission, deployed out of the SAS
barracks at Hereford. Supremely trained and armed, always the most
skilled, resolved, and unstoppable amongst us, now the commandos of
Alpha team are humanity's last best hope for survival. Searching through
the detritus of fallen Europe, scavenging pharmaceutical labs for clues
to a vaccine that might bring humanity back from the brink, now they
are tasked with one last desperate operation.
My Review:
Britain is the only country who seems to have the zombie apocalypse
under some kind of control, due to a terrorist scare shutting their
airspace to aircraft just as the virus went global. The Channel Tunnel
has been blocked off and the military have all but a few random zombies
taken care of. But things are about to go wrong...
Firstly,
military based in the UK have to go on missions into Europe for supplies
and information about a cure. The missions get more dangerous and new
mutant versions of the zombies with more speed and intelligence are
appearing, putting the troops in extreme danger. Then a breach appears
in the tunnel and zombies are piling out from France, turning the local
population into the undead and starting a panic. Now home defence
becomes a priority starting with a tunnel clearout where there are
rumours of survivors.
I liked this book. The writing was very
tight and the author has a good way of drawing you into the story. The
missions are very tense and exciting as you wait to see if the troops or
the zombies are going to get the upper hand. The action near the tunnel
takes place in the dark, where you know bad things are lurking and
people are being pounced on by the undead. It was quite a gripping read
and it was not hard to get caught up in events as things go wrong. I'm
not a military expert so I have no idea how accurate the portrayal of
the soldiers and weapons are but to the untrained eye it feels realistic
and authentic. This is how I imagine that a military base in a crisis
would be operating, complete with the mix of characters getting on each
others nerves, but uniting to get on with the job.
However, the
gripes? The US military are in the UK which is the only safe place to
launch operations from. So of course they decide to throw their weight
around, barking out orders and causing resentment from the UK
soldiers-and this British reader. This is our bloody country and foreign
troops should do what they are told or they can go back to the Infected
States of America. The religious bits held no interest for me and that
would make my brain wander off to think about food for a while.
Eventually I skimmed over this stuff to get back to the story.
Although
I liked this book, I have a rule and a budget. I buy proper sized
novels not books that seem to be chopped into several parts to make more
money for the author. I can get a 423 page urban fantasy paperback book
by a favourite author for £5 with 430 pages on Amazon. To buy books two
and three in paperback of this series on Amazon, it will cost me £11.64
for 414 pages with the possibility of it not being proof-read for
mistakes. This is why Indie books, however good they are, get less sales
in paperback than they should. I only use my ereader to try out new
authors if the books are free or under £1 as I have a tight book budget.
If I like the books I try to buy the series in paperback. But not at
this price I'm afraid!
