All we will know is one night the world went to shit and everything changed. It happened. The dead rose, we fell. We lost the war and we lost the world. End of story. And the Ruin is going to be the equivalent of Vegas. The Ruin will be hazardous for your health. Not only will it be riddled with undead, but it will be completely overgrown and extremely difficult to navigate. We will discover most of what we think we know about zombies is not really true. And finally we will eventually come to realize that although zombies are extremely interested in nom-nomming on the living, they used to be our family members or friends so we will be faced with the moral dilemma of whether or not to treat them humanely.
I loved this book. For a second I had doubts and thought it was going to go down the slippery slope to Shitville with an instalove story, but it quickly redeemed itself and remained great. Hey, I gotta find out what really goes down in Gameland, right?!?!?!?! View all 13 comments. Jul 09, Trudi rated it it was amazing Shelves: survive-this , apocalyptic-types , young-adult , , group-in-peril , series , infection , science-fiction , zombies , favorites.
And the books are coming fast and furious, especially in the YA area. Some are good, some are awful, and some are outstanding. Moody is the man, but even he can write a zombie novel that sucks. This comes back to the all-important character development. Through the eyes of 15 yr old Benny Imura, we come to understand that zombies are not just mindless monsters out to gouge and consume humans.
She was, what? Eighteen years old when she died. Might have been pretty. She had people at home who loved her…. People who worried when she was late getting home. So the zombies are not just plot devices or mere window dressing here; they serve a real purpose and are an important part of the story. Just imagine a world that survives an actual zombie apocalypse. As groups of survivors ban together in fenced enclaves to try and eke out a semi-normal existence, who will these people become?
Maberry hits that out of the park and I want to smooch him for it. They held each other and wept as the night closed its fist around their tiny shelter, and the world below them seethed with killers both living and dead. But not Tom. Tom is in his 30s. He is a survivor. He is a specialist. He has been forged in battle and now is as strong and unbending as his katana - no, not that!
In a world that's been plunged into Hell and lived to tell about it Tom has retained his humanity. He is deep and soulful and will kick your ass in 2 seconds flat. How could a girl NOT fall in love? I was going to put my sober, hyper-critical hat on and give this four stars, but piss on that. For all the reasons described above and more, I'm happy to give this book five, fat fearsome stars.
View all 24 comments. Oct 30, Morgan F rated it really liked it Shelves: pulse-it , young-adult , fantasy , goodreads-author , its-a-boy , zombies , dystopian-apocalyptic , good-sized , read , e-book. I so am. I would be like those chicks in horror movies who get killed off in the opening credits. I am skilled in no way shape or form. I hate the wilderness and physical activity.
I am not a quick thinker and I panic under pressure. So basically, I am screwed unless I find Tom Imura. Tom Imura was I am. Tom Imura was one of the main reasons I enjoyed this book. He is basically a calm, sexy zombie-slaying Samurai. My plan is to marry him. I know, I know. How Mary-Suish of me. This way we can have lots of half-Japanese zombie-killing offspring, and God knows the world needs more of those.
Benny, the MC, is not as good as Tom. He is like a non-sexy, less-Asian bratty version of him. In the beginning of the novel, he was close to insufferable and I wanted to stab him with a katana This book taught me Japanese! Think of him as Harry Potter a la Book 5. But he did show growth and development and yada yada yada and by the end of the book he actually resembled a likable human being.
But still not as awesome as Tom. I liked this book, but it was nothing close to fantastic for me. Despite the heavy themes, I was never emotionally invested in it. I disliked the writing, and even though the characters are developed, I never felt an attachment to them.
This is entirely personal, however, and thats why I won't make too big of a stink about it. It was a good zombie book. Not all about the braaaaaiiiiinzzzz. Zombies are people too. Albeit, dead ones. But still. It's best to be prepared. View all 49 comments. Apr 12, Giselle rated it really liked it Shelves: audiobook. Long overdue for this zombie fan, I am finally - finally - reading this series! As you can guess I've been hearing a lot about this award winning author, Jonathan Maberry, and although I'm only on book 2 at the moment, I can already see why it garnered so much popularity and book 2 is even better so far!
This novel is set years after the zombies came, so it's not your run of the mill survival of the fittest story happening in the midst of an apocalypse, this one is about what happens after th Long overdue for this zombie fan, I am finally - finally - reading this series!
This novel is set years after the zombies came, so it's not your run of the mill survival of the fittest story happening in the midst of an apocalypse, this one is about what happens after that. After society has somewhat survived. After people have been forced to learn to live with unrelenting fear. After everyone in power is out there shambling away, leaving control to whoever takes it. This is the post apocalypse, ladies and gentlemen, it's violent, it's merciless, and the only way to fight for what's right is to go and do it yourself!
This is basically the gist of what this series is about. With that said, don't expect constant flesh eating action. We're after something that is much more cruel than zombies - the latter having more or less settled down on a now barely inhabited earth. They remain a constant threat for sure, and the fear is looming in the background at all times, but it's not a continuous bloodbath like your average zombie horror flick. Although we do get some intensely kick ass zombie scenes that will get your adrenaline pumping once or twice.
Learning about these zombies, the world building as a whole, kept me engrossed as much as any action sequence. I loved all the theories behind the zombies themselves which, if explored further, has the potential to become very interesting. Very realistic; very eerie.
The main character, Benny, I admit, was not my favorite at the beginning. He came off as an annoying brat, and oblivious one time too many, but when he goes off into the Rot and Ruin with his brother - aka in the real world - he grows up fast. We see this teenage boy learn the horrors that lay beyond the fence, and, in turn, the change in behavior this elicits. It's impressive character growth. In the end he's still a teenager at heart and with harsh cracks in his soul, but he's a brave young man that I came to admire.
As for Tom, he's the bigger, stronger, more intelligent big brother who plays a big role in this story. What I loved the most about him was how much of a survivor he was, while keeping his moral values in check - not always easy in this world! Plus he never gives up on his little brother regardless of Benny's grudge against him. There is one other character who comes into play who fascinated me from the start. I'm very curious to see where this character will lead us.
One thing I didn't feel in this book was the romance. Benny kept saying that he didn't feel "that way" about Nix, then a romance sprouts out of nowhere between them, lacking both buildup and emotional connection.
You can't even blame it on a bond built from surviving together through extreme life and death situations because they're apart most of the book, until they're suddenly making out. I just didn't understand where it came from. I can already say that Rot and Ruin is only just the beginning of what promises to be an excellent, hectic series.
Like all great zombie stories, it' a very character oriented, well built world filled with villains who are even worse than the flesh eating monsters who started it all! View all 10 comments. Jul 10, carol. Shelves: young-adult , zombies , end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it , multi-culti , male-lead.
I know, zombies, right? So passe, so early century, so urban fiction--so yawn for so many people. The genre is erroneously underrated; the best zombie and apocalypse fiction is about wrestling with humanity, ethics and survival, with some hair-raising action to leaven the philosophy.
At worst, they're Cracker Jacks, caramel popcorn fun with a prize at the end. I love me some apocalypse fiction, and when Trudi recommended this series, I knew I had to give it a go.
It opens in a small town of 28 th I know, zombies, right? It opens in a small town of 28 thousand, with fifteen year-old Benny and his best friend Lou Chong forced to look for jobs, the bane of countless teenagers during countless summers. Only, if they don't find a job, food rations will be decreased by half, and we all know how teens like to eat.
Benny lives with his half-brother Tom in a gated community, only this particularly community is gated to keep the zombies out. Benny has been carrying a grudge against Tom since the day of the Fall, fourteen years ago. He has a memory of Tom carrying him, racing away from the arms of his mom and leaving her to their father, who was already a zombie.
Since then, Tom has spent years raising and protecting him, now working as a zombie- quieter. Benny truly doesn't understand his brother's expertise and philosophy, instead admiring the town bounty-hunter thugs who brag about number of kills and scavenged riches. To absolutely no one's surprise, Benny fails as all the jobs he tries and resigns himself to apprenticing with Tom. Tom takes him outside the fence, and Benny finds many of his beliefs and emotions challenged.
They return to town, more stuff happens, and Benny has to do some fast growing up as they race against time to save The expositional process of going through different jobs is a novel and clever one, introducing the reader to various roles and norms within the community.
The locksmiths repair locks so people can be locked in at night in case they die of natural causes , and erosion artists act like police sketch artists for those missing family and friends. There isn't too much that is unique in the town setting or in society's reaction to the Fall, except for a religious faction that blames the zombies on technology. Religion plays another role outside the fence when Benny meets the zombie sympathizers. Mentality and technology have an s Western feel, with bounty hunters and traders being the few willing to set foot outside of town.
I lacked patience for early Benny; he's such a teenager , but of course, that's so he can grow exponentially by the book's finish. Characterization was done well; developed so that we had a feel for their complexities and motivations. Teenage dialogue, slacking and angst was believable. Zombies were standard for the genre. Writing was competent, with enough variety in structure and word choice to remain interesting, even if it didn't lead me to marvel over its beauty.
There's a twisty ending, one part that we could see coming, another twist we couldn't, and it lends an emotional gravity to the book. Three and a half stars on the GR scale of enjoyment, rounding up because 1 I feel like it, and 2 I recognize my enjoyment in the first part was slightly compromised by the idiot naive teen angle that left me wanting to slap Benny. But that's me and teenagers, and probably a mark of how well Maberry creates characters.
View all 15 comments. Talk about an excellent read! View 1 comment. The ratings from my friends on this book are all over the place. Some loved it-some hated it. I almost took it back to the library without reading it because of that. Glad I gave it a go. Benny is a typical teenager in the beginning of this book.
I didn't like his smart little butt and spent most of the time wanting to smack some sense into his head. Honestly, he kind reminds me of Carl from the Walking Dead. I couldn't stand that kid in the beginning of the series and half the time now I want to The ratings from my friends on this book are all over the place.
I couldn't stand that kid in the beginning of the series and half the time now I want to knock him one. He has started to come into his own now though and sometimes I see a spark of what he could become. Benny has to find a job or his food rations will be cut.
They live in a town that everyone has to have a job in order to eat He goes through several jobs just slacking off hoping to find something easy to do. He finally ends up going out into the "Ruin" with his older brother Tom as an apprentice to bounty hunting zombies. Tom is half asian and badass with a sword. He kinda reminds me of Glenn from Walking dead He is thought of by his brother as a coward and no where as cool as the other bounty hunters that brag about their kills.
Out in the Ruin this book came alive for me. I flipping loved it. There are always questions in this type of story about who the bad guys are? Is it the living? Who want power? Is it the zoms? Who only need to feed? I couldn't put this book down. I will be stalking down the sequels to this story-I need to know if it stays this good or fizzles. View 2 comments. Jun 20, Mr. Matt rated it really liked it Shelves: zombies , young-adult , horror , , dystopia.
There are many stories about the outbreak of the impending zombie apocalypse. Tales of those first, terrible days when the horror of the outbreak strikes home. Rot and Ruin, in a pleasant surprise, breaks the mold on zombie stories.
It picks up the story fifteen or so years after that first night. The initial chaos is gone. Humanity has figured out how to deal with the undead. They are slow. They are stupid. They are clumsy. While still a terrible threat, they are manageable. It is in this settin There are many stories about the outbreak of the impending zombie apocalypse.
It is in this setting that the story of Benny Imura unfolds. Benny is a fifteen year old kid who is trying to find his place in the fenced in town of Mountainside. Like all kids, at fifteen he must find gainful employment or his rations will be cut.
Benny bounces from one to the other before discovering that he has no other alternative than to apprentice with his brother, Tom. Benny can't stand his brother because all he remembers is that his brother ran with him, leaving his mother to his already zombified father.
Tom is a bit of a bounty hunter. A man who brings closure to families by putting their undead loved ones to rest. And this is where the author separates himself from the other zombie apocalypse books out there.
Tom teaches his brother that the zombies are more than the shambling undead. They were people once. They had lives and hopes and dreams. They had families. Tom humanizes the undead. And it is effective. Because they are so slow and so stupid and so clumsy, I felt sorry for them. They have no chance against humans who know what they are doing.
Folded over this whole story is a mystery - the mystery of the Lost Girl. On First Night, one of the residents of Mountainside helped a little girl and her sister escape the undead. Benny catches wind of the story and begins digging into it. It turns out that his brother has seen and even spoken to the Lost Girl. Who is she? Why won't she come into town? This mystery and the story of the Lost Girl set this book apart.
Tell us what you like and we'll recommend books you'll love. Sign up and get a free ebook! By Jonathan Maberry.
Trade Paperback Hardcover eBook. Table of Contents Reading Group Guide. About The Book. Reading Group Guide. By clicking 'Sign me up' I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the privacy policy and terms of use. But the Ruin is far more dangerous than any of them can imagine. Fierce animals hunt them. They come face to face with a death cult. And these zoms are different. Faster, smarter, and infinitely more dangerous. Has the zombie plague mutated, or is there something far more sinister behind this new invasion of the living dead?
Benny Imura and his friends have found the jet and Sanctuary—but neither is what they expected. With Chong hovering between life and death, clinging to his humanity by a thread, Benny makes a startling discovery: A scientist may have discovered a cure for the zombie plague.
I was born right around the time the world died. A plague turned everyone into zombies. Actual living dead. No one knows where it started. Or how. Or why. It spread fast, though. By the time people realized that there was a problem, the problem was biting them. Then everything went crazy.
There was a day the survivors call First Night. That was the point at which no one could ignore the problem. It was happening everywhere. The year I was born, the United States Census Bureau estimated that there were 6,,, people alive on planet Earth. My mom says that probably a billion people died on First Night. And over the next few days and weeks, nearly everybody died. After that there were no more news reports. There was no one left to report it. And after the power grids failed, there was no way to report it.
The world went dark and it went silent. Except for the sound the dead make. And they are hungry. All the time. They want to eat people.
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