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As oppose to the hyper-violent variety that tend to run rampant through out literature. I just finished reading this book, and must say it was an exhilirating read. Great first book. Though they are equally as blood thirsty just driven on a more primal level.Great book and zombie, or survivor book fan should check it out. I felt that even though people point out grammatical mistakes, that it was neccesary and was in fact a concious decision to portray realism. This book was great well placed, action in all the right places it left me hanging I can hardly wait for the sequel.If your a fan of Romero, you will enjoy this book, the zombies tend to be Romeroesque.
I could not put this book down, and in light of some of the more disappointing zombie novels/movies out there, this novel may not be revolutionary for the zombie genre, but it definitely deserves the hype it receives; read this novel and preorder his newest novel coming out in a few months time, it'll help pass the time while we all wait for the inevitable apocalypse. J.L. Bourne serves on active duty with the Air Force, and it's apparent that in certain aspects, he really knows his stuff.
Well which is it. I think he has potential though, especially if he takes his criticism seriously. But let me ask this: If this guy is such a stoic military purist, then why would he ignore his commanding officer's orders to join his squad on base. It wasn't because he looked out and saw an unassailable horde of zombies outside his conveniently constructed high rock wall. The editing is also terrible with many glaring mistakes, and I feel that if there was a good editor at the helm, many of Bourne's problems could have been cleaned up before the book even went to print. I could maybe see stocking up on food and bottled water, but not on ammo and materials for fortification. I was hoping they'd get eaten. Come on.
I guess I can only explain the majority of Amazon users' glowing appraisals with the fact that Bourne has some interesting ideas. Wrong. I also can't stand how the main character regards the zombies. Not to mention that toward the end he describes a couple of bound zombies as being `poor creatures' or something to that effect. It was because he thought he'd be better off in his home than on a MILITARY BASE. This doesn't sound like the conditioned thinking of a man who has spent the majority of his adult life serving the military. It's like he thought of the most interesting places someone could hold-up during a zombie apocalypse and then wrote a book about them. That combined with the fleeting bits of action throughout the story encouraged me to continue reading despite my overwhelming objections to much of the rest of the book.Some users have tried to explain the main character's overreaction, and thereby preparedness, for a zombie fallout with the fact that he is a military man and therefore preparation is in his nature, but I just don't buy it.
The journal-style is an unnecessary and detracting novelty, and Bourne's writing style is so magniloquent and yet so often bad that at times it becomes hard to stomach. They're zombies, which means they're not after humans because they're cruel or because they enjoy maiming people. He often refers to them in bombastic terms like `demonic creatures', `putrid devils', `pure evil', etc. I might have even forgiven his ill-tempered attitude towards them if something happened to make him a voracious zombist (I just coined that), like he knew for a fact that they killed his parents or his friend was killed right in front of him or something, but nothing even happens to the character to birth such unfounded animosity towards them. Each character seems to be in the story to serve the utility of the moment and that's it: There's the military tactician/pilot, the mechanical engineer, the medical nurse, the chemist (I'm sure he'll come in handy in the next book), the love interest, and the zombie-sensing dog--a varied and useful combination of people/dog indeed.
Get consistent as well as logical.My last complaint is the poor writing and editing. You irrationally hate them or you realize that it's not their fault for being undead. There's a viral outbreak in China and this guy starts putting bars on his windows in case the Texans begin looting. They're after them because of a singular primordial instinct in the back of their decomposing brains to feed.
They're all very emotionless and hard to sympathize with, i.e. And on the flip side, let's say I agree with the explanation and that the reaction was realistic for a disciplined member of the military. The lack of and/or unexplainable character development is another one of my gripes.
Two cons, ends very abruptly, and definitely needs a sequel. GREAT zombie book. You won't regret reading this book. This book is probably the best zombie book I've read with the exception of World War Z. It's written in the form of a diary/journal which makes it very personal.
Buying this book isn't taking a risk with your money its taking a risk of loosing your free time because you wont be able to put it down. I bought a copy for my brother in Hawaii for Christmas & he read it in a matter of days. I really enjoyed the read and would recommend this book highly. THis book is awesome. I enjoyed every moment and could not put it down.
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