Jonah Caine, a lone survivor in a zombie-infested world, struggles to understand the apocalypse in which he lives. Unable to find a moral or sane reason for the horror that surrounds him, he is overwhelmed by violence and insignificance.
After wandering for months, Jonah's lonely existence dramatically changes when he discovers a group of survivors. Living in a museum-turned-compound, they are led jointly by Jack, an ever-practical and efficient military man, and Milton, a mysterious, quizzical prophet who holds a strange power over the dead. Both leaders share Jonah's anguish over the brutality of their world, as well as his hope for its beauty. Together with others, they build a community that reestablishes an island of order and humanity surrounded by relentless ghouls.
But this newfound peace is short-lived, as Jonah and his band of refugees clash with another group of survivors who remind them that the undead are not the only -- nor the most grotesque -- horrors they must face.
Prior to writing this work of fiction, Dr. Paffenroth wrote a non-fiction novel detailing the history of zombies in both film and literature called Gospel of the Living Dead. I have not read that work, but from everything I hear, it is a very detailed and intriguing history of zombies. I say that to note that not only did this author research zombies, but he must have thoroughly researched what makes zombie novels successful, and he then took that knowledge and transformed it into one of the best debuts in fiction Ive seen in quite a while.
The plot of this one is about the same as every other zombie novel out there- zombies have taken over, and the few remaining humans have banded together and are struggling to survive. However, what Paffenroth does differently is introduce some originality in the form of humans that are even worse than the zombies they are avoiding, and a character that is immune to the zombies bites. This originality along with a cast of characters that are fully developed make this an outstanding work.
The pace of this one is hectic from page one. The action starts from the first page and never lets up. For an action whore like me, this was nirvana. The tense atmosphere only adds to the feverish pace. The setting was typical of most zombie novels in that most of the world is a wasteland save for the pockets of resistance the survivors have set up.
I give this one a 4*. This is an outstanding novel, especially coming from someone that has never written fiction before. Go out and buy it today.
.............................
Dying to Live
by Kim Paffenroth
Publisher: Permuted Press
Trade Paperback
190 pages
$12.95
Originally review by Renfield on Horror-Web.com
After wandering for months, Jonah's lonely existence dramatically changes when he discovers a group of survivors. Living in a museum-turned-compound, they are led jointly by Jack, an ever-practical and efficient military man, and Milton, a mysterious, quizzical prophet who holds a strange power over the dead. Both leaders share Jonah's anguish over the brutality of their world, as well as his hope for its beauty. Together with others, they build a community that reestablishes an island of order and humanity surrounded by relentless ghouls.
But this newfound peace is short-lived, as Jonah and his band of refugees clash with another group of survivors who remind them that the undead are not the only -- nor the most grotesque -- horrors they must face.
Prior to writing this work of fiction, Dr. Paffenroth wrote a non-fiction novel detailing the history of zombies in both film and literature called Gospel of the Living Dead. I have not read that work, but from everything I hear, it is a very detailed and intriguing history of zombies. I say that to note that not only did this author research zombies, but he must have thoroughly researched what makes zombie novels successful, and he then took that knowledge and transformed it into one of the best debuts in fiction Ive seen in quite a while.
The plot of this one is about the same as every other zombie novel out there- zombies have taken over, and the few remaining humans have banded together and are struggling to survive. However, what Paffenroth does differently is introduce some originality in the form of humans that are even worse than the zombies they are avoiding, and a character that is immune to the zombies bites. This originality along with a cast of characters that are fully developed make this an outstanding work.
The pace of this one is hectic from page one. The action starts from the first page and never lets up. For an action whore like me, this was nirvana. The tense atmosphere only adds to the feverish pace. The setting was typical of most zombie novels in that most of the world is a wasteland save for the pockets of resistance the survivors have set up.
I give this one a 4*. This is an outstanding novel, especially coming from someone that has never written fiction before. Go out and buy it today.
.............................
Dying to Live
by Kim Paffenroth
Publisher: Permuted Press
Trade Paperback
190 pages
$12.95
Originally review by Renfield on Horror-Web.com
