Review: The First Days: As The World Dies by Rhiannon Frater

Genre: Adult, Horror
ParaElement: Zombies
Order Online:  Amazon.com
Stalk the Author: Web | Twitter
Review copy provided by publisher.

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PJ's QUICKIE POV:

I have something for Zombies. It's this little problem I have, kind of an obsession. There is something about the entire human race turning into mad, flesh eating monsters that just scares the pants off me. So, now that you know my zombie junkee status, the book that recently fueled my addiction is THE FIRST DAYS which starts out with a bang and soon degrades into zombie lunacy. I was scared, I was disgusted, I was biting my nails, turning page after page. It was a zombie movie in book form, with the same terror inducing action but at the same time it invoked the same thin plot sequences that are rampant in zombie movies and sometimes cheesy interaction of characters. Yet, we always look past that, right? Directly into the chomping jaws of the fast approaching zombie...

REVIEW:


This little poignant number opens with a woman in a pink bathrobe, standing on her lawn. She is staring at her front door as tiny fingers are shoving themselves under the crack trying to get at her. The fingers of her three year old son that she had found her husband chomping on not a few minutes ago. She has locked her husband, their twelve year old and their three year old in her house. She's had a terrible night. But, her savior pulls up on her lawn in a beat up white pick-up and so begins the journey of their first days in a new world. One where the dead reanimate and try to eat you. Where they don't slow down like the zombie movies, but will run until their knee caps explode. Where if given enough time - they begin to problem solve.


Chicks can kick zombie butt too...experience it first hand with THE FIRST DAYS. This is not for the feint of heart. There is ripping flesh and gun shots and cursing and just mayhem. If you like zombies, pick this one up!


There are a few drawbacks to the tale, a bit of plot slippage and parts that didn't add together. Some character slippage - minor flaws that you would expect of a zombie movie, gore goes up, plot and dialogue doesn't always add up. I mean, it was a zombie movie rewritten into a book form, instead of the usual book into movie. There were a lot of references to Romero and zombie movies, which I thought was hoaky, you could tell the author had seen a few zombie apocalypse movies herself. But, don't pay attention to those flaws and just experience the horror and the fun that was two chicks just tearing it up.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Recommended for zombie fans. If you've enjoyed similar apocalypse books where the dead reanimate and began eating people this is the book for you. Mature content of violent, sexual and explicit nature.

Like this Like That

1. Aftertime (Luna Books) by Sophie Littlefield
2. For a Young Adult take - Enclave by Ann Aguirre

PJ Review: Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield

Genre: Adult, Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian
SciFi Element: Post-Apocalyptic World, Zombies
Series: Aftertime Series Book 1
Order Online:  Amazon.com
Stalk the Author: Web |  Blog | Twitter
Review copy provided by publisher.

PJ's QUICKIE POV:
In a world overrun by Young Adult Dystopian an adult version of the currently “hot” genre stands out among the rest. I can tell you personally that I usually prefer the young adult versions of this genre, for the simple fact that in adult-speak it can be too much. A zombie ripping the flesh off of your best friend in a YA tone is more palatable than in an adult tone. Call me a wuss, but dystopians always hit closer to home for me than your normal run-of-the-mill horror novels. I can read the scariest, bloodiest, nastiest scenes and not bat and eyelash -- but give me a dystopian, with real-world type scenarios and I’m a blabbering, emotional mess. That is why when I opened the first page of AFTERTIME I was cringing before I even began to read. Yet, as word after word was digested I was caught and while I was disturbed a good bit, I was so enmeshed within the story that it didn’t matter. AFTERTIME was riveting, emotional and real, it was a true journey that struck a chord with me that I didn’t expect in a “zombie” novel. When you break it down, this was a story about a mother and a child and the things a woman will do to save her offspring. As a mother I could only hope my strength would be as great as Cass'.

REVIEW:
Cass Dollar awakens to a dystopian landscape in clothes that do not belong to her and healing bite marks along her back. Her hair has been ripped from her head, there are self-inflicted wounds all over her body. She doesn’t know how long she has been out of it, maybe weeks, months? As memories begin resurfacing she focuses on one thing, Ruthie, her child. She has to get her back.

Cass’ world is a barren landscape of death. Once the great state of California, the area is now dead, ripe with flesh eating infected humans called Beaters and the remaining humans that will do anything to survive. Hardly anything lives, killed off by terrorist attacks or government experiments gone wrong. Cass has to travel through this wasteland and hope that she isn’t attacked by Beaters or survivors and that she’ll some how make it back to where she last saw Ruthie.

Along the way, Cass meets Smoke. Not one to trust, but she knows she can’t do it alone, she begrudgingly let’s him help her find her daughter, all the while holding him at arms-length. He is kind though and without him they’ll be no chance for her, no chance for Ruthie.

I know what you are thinking, More Zombies. But, don’t let your preconceived notions hold you back from this gem. Littlefield takes a tried and true horror element and infuses it with new life, real human elements and a voice that will have you enthralled. The perfection of this tale was the character of Cass, she wasn’t likable at all times and sometimes you didn’t agree with her actions, but her character was real, her transition and development was real. Littlefield did a remarkable job with portraying a scarred and slightly used woman and making her into a heroine. There was nothing special about Cass Dollar, but because of Littlefield’s portrayal she became larger than life and in the end very special.

I can not wait to get my grubby hands on Rebirth, book 2.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Recommended for fans of horror and zombies and dystopian, any will do. There is also a bit of romance in the pages so ladies you will be satisfied. For fans of King and Koontz this is a good female voice to compare. This is an adult novel and recommended for a mature audience.










Like this, Like That:

1. The Stand by Stephen King
2.  Strangers by Dean Koontz

The 411:

1. Book two will be released in July 2011 
2. Rebirth (Aftertime Novel)
3. Sophie Littlefield will be at BEA 2011 

Infinity by Sherilyn Kenyon

Infinity by Sherilyn Kenyon
Review copy provided by publisher.

"...you keep going and going no matter what happens or what obstacles you meet. Over, under, around, or through. There's always a way. And if you have to chase something to infinity, strap on your big-boy pants, hiking boots, and go."

PJVs QUICKIE POV: The only thing of Kenyon's that I had read before was a BAD (Bureau of American Defense) novel. And being a not-so-happy fan of romance I wasn't too impressed. I just don't like the romance algorithm. So, Infinity I will say is my first "real" experience of Kenyon's writing, and I think I might just have to go out and buy the entire Dark Hunter series. Egad - where do I start??? Witty, raucous, and pungent, this is a BIG GIRL/BOY novel wrapped in a YA package. Built to entertain the masses the maturity of the content will entertain both teens and adults both. Kenyon throws you head first into the underbelly of the real New Orleans, the back streets and hovels where the werewolves and vampires hide. After you read Infinity you'll feel as if you not only got to tour NOLA from a locals perspective, but also got a zombie slaying 101 guide for real world implementation.

REVIEW:  Nick Gauthier is a fourteen year old boy, struggling between his poor-upbringing and the call of the streets and his mother's tenacity to get him off the streets and into college.  He has been blessed with a brain, so his mother has him in St. Richard's, a very exclusive richy rich school, where he doesn't fit.  Scholarship kid, wearing thrift store fashion just doesn't mesh well with BMW driving, trust fund babies. What Nick doesn't know though is that St. Richard's is housing more than trust-funders - it also has a few werewolves, demons and now zombies.

After a football player decides to take a bite (literally) out of his team mate, Nick's world is thrown into utter chaos. On the run and on the hunt, Nick is now about to get a crash course on the paranormal that he refused to believe in.  To up the stakes even more, it would seem the zombies might be gunning for him and probably because Nick might not be as human as he thought.

Fans of Kenyon, or just of the paranormally inclined young adult genres, you are going to want to read this one. The world is a lot bigger than most YA novels delve into, but it is not confusing and the plot stays on track.  You will not have to have read any Dark Hunter books to understand this one (I know, I haven't read any of them).

RECOMMENDATIONS: A bit of cursing, but nothing to get your panties in a bunch, this novel is safe for teens and mature enough for adults. UF fans will enjoy. This is not a romance. This is a karate chopping, kick butting, slap-yo-mamma action adventure with a male lead. Great for boys and girls.

Extra: After reading a few reviews on Amazon.com I started to see a pattern and would like to make an added observation on this review.  Fans of the Dark Hunter series seem a bit disappointed in this book and I think I know why.  This is not a romance. No steamy scenes, just some kick butt action from the POV of a young teen. Very different from the Dark-Hunter series.  Don't expect kisses...just a lot of kicking. Well there might be a kiss. ;)

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Purchased with my own cold hard cash

PJVs QUICKIE POV: Egad Brain! Shiver shiver, snicker snicker. Thrills and chills galore are embedded within the pages of The Forest of Hands and Teeth then wrapped up in an emotional roller coaster. Why did I read this book? Zombies scare me silly - and add the insanity of the innocent rural lifestyle and well you have zombies munching on heart-breakingly innocent villagers. This is much different than zombies munching on snarky British guys, at least they seem like they deserve it.  I'm still in an emotional cloud and I'm hearing moaning around every corner. But, I loved every minute of it? Most of the book was spent running from this zombie or that, but wow, can Ms. Ryan (I'm sorry Mrs. now) tell a story.

REVIEW: In a charming little village, set deep in the forest, lives a girl named Mary. Mary should only be thinking about who will ask to court her during the Winter months, she should be thinking about marriage, settling down, having babies, like a good member of the village. Mary isn't concerned about things like that though, she is a dreamer and she is dreaming of the ocean. Stories told to her by her mother about the waves and tall buildings that touch the sky. Things she believes one day she will see.

There is only one problem with Mary's dream.  Fencing surrounds her entire village, and behind that fencing is The Forest of Hands and Teeth and within that forest the Unconsecrated live, if you call it living.  They are the dead that have risen, they do not age, they only rot and fall apart - with one thing on their mind, eat living flesh. Yum.

Never one for a zombie novel, I bought the book after meeting the author and getting a fan girl crush on her just by hearing her speak about how she derived her ideas. She struck me as quite brilliant and I had to read her work. Very glad I did. Ryan's style of writing isn't peppered with flourishes or showiness, she tells a story, getting right to the point. Mary's struggle is mostly internal and Ryan grasps the psychological aspect very well, transitioning directly from internalizing to battle mode in an instant.  In fact the action sequences come on so quickly and unexpectedly it is almost as if you were there because of your lack of preparedness.

My only problems I had with the book was the sheer stupidity of the characters sometimes. They knew the zombies were out there, it was almost as if they were in denial - get prepared people, you are going to be attacked! They would stay holed up in an area and play house...all while the hordes of the dead would press against the walls. Thus, going back to the innocent, ignorance of the villagers. So used to taking orders from the governing few (The Sisters & The Guardians) that they can't make hard decisions on their own. All of them crippled by grief that I think they almost wanted to be overrun and killed. It was definitely an emotional ping pong match.

I've heard this book described as The Village with Joaquin Pheonix meets Night of the Living Dead. I really have to disagree. Yes, they lived in a village, cut off from the rest of the world. Yes, the elders kept the younger population ignorant of some things. But, the hole point of The Village was that the elders specifically kept the group away from the outside world because of the violence and death that is so prolific in modern society, whereas in TFOHAT, this village is separated by a great apocalyptic event where the dead rise and kill the living. Quite different. I see the Night of the Living Dead parallel - yep you guessed it, zombies.

I WILL BE READING ON.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Mature teens, there are no explicit scenes, but it does have a lot of emotional turmoil that I think will be interpreted better by a more mature audience. Adults will have no problem digesting this little number, nothing immature about it.

RUMINATIONS: (For those who have read this book already - please don't read if you haven't, will contain spoilers) Mary is a bit on the crazy side, is she not? The scene where she first enters the house from the second village and finds the newborn had me all agog. I was about ready to beat the dog with the book (if I had an evil dog beating streak in me) in shear frustration and emotional volcanoness from that little scene. OMG. And really I know in zombie movies/books the whole point is that really everyone dies - which is the whole reason I'm not a fan of zombies.  I mean really they are slow and stupid, where is the blow torch when you need it? I lost my train of thought on that one. Oh, yes, the fire. Yack! What was that about? This thing never stopped!

Cheating, Death Review & Giveaway Alert

It is Zombie Time! Cheating, Death by Teel McClanahan III is a horrifying roller coaster ride through the zombie filled streets of Denver. The book is a short, thrilling ride...so I'm going to keep this review nice and short also.

The story takes you to Denver where some zombies have gotten loose in the streets - and they are doing what they do best -eating people. Melvin, who witnesses the first attack, grabs his family and skedaddles. But, escape is not that easy, and Melvin and his wife find themselves in a very terrifying and heart breaking race to save themselves and hopefully their children.

The book is well written, and the tone of the novel is consistent. The tone is narrative and almost apathetic. Straight forward descriptions are given of bloody gag-inducing scenes. This kind of narrative tone can turn some readers off, but it actually helped me keep reading. The disassociation of the narrator let me not panic as much as I would have when reading a particularly gruesome scene in the stadium.

Because of this disassociation though, I did have a few little problems. The characters sometimes seemed to be reacting in a manner that was not consistent in a real world situation. Now, don't get me wrong, I have never been in a zombie attack and I'm guessing everyone would be in shock. But I have been in some high-stress situations and I think the characters reacted in a manner I didn't expect.

Other than that, I was happily pleased with this book. Recommended for adults who want a little gore in their books. If you like fuzzy kitties, happy love stories and meadow frolicking with dukes that like to ravish...well I don't think this would be your thing.

Thanks to Mr. McClanahan for offering up his book for my reading pleasures!

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