REVIEW: Rot and Ruin by: Jonathan Maberry
In the zombie infested world Benny Imura has grown up in, teenagers must work once they turn fifteen or they’ll lose their food rations. Benny isn’t interested in taking on the family business, but he reluctantly agrees to train as a zombie killer with his boring big brother, Tom. He expects a dull job, whacking zombies for cash. What he discovers is a vocation that will teach him what it really means to be human.
As his worldview is challenged again and again by the lessons he learns from Tom, Benny is forced to confront another horrifying reality: Sometimes the most terrible monsters are human.
Critically acclaimed author Jonathan Maberry crafts a terrifying future vision of a zombie apocalypse, brought to life through the rich emotional struggles of a teenager trying to find his place in a tumultuous new world?
I have always heard good things about the works of Jonathan Maberry. His Bram Stoker award winning novel ‘Ghost Road Blues’ has been on my reading list for quite some time now. Despite all the great things I have heard about his horror novels, I wasn’t going to let the popularity of the author influence this review. I like to review things as fairly as I can, and in saying that, I will review all books on the same spectrum of evaluation. Aspiring authors and veteran authors will be reviewed equally.
With saying all that, I did enjoy this book thoroughly. The author was targeting a younger audience with this book, and he did this was brilliance. The protagonist of the story is of a young teenage boy named Benny Imura. This book was a magnificent story, and the author wrote a book that made an excellent read, and it reached its intended audience quite accurately.
Plot: The plot to this story has an issue or two, but overall it was strong and very well paced. I saw problems with the plot at the beginning of the story because I was afraid it was going to be a little predictable. But, in defence to the author, this book wasn’t nearly as predictable as I thought it would be. The story started off at a fairly sober pace, which was intended to reflect Benny’s character and it laid a solid foundation for several of the secondary characters. As the story progressed, the character develop did not lack in any category, the dialogue was appropriate to each character and reflected their personalities well. As the story continued, the pace increased and the tension was rising, the story took several twist and turns and it made for a riveting read. Especially for a novel intended for a younger audience, it still proves to be an appropriate and enjoyable read by readers of all ages.
He also introduced new things to the genre at the same time. He incorporated the idea of Bounty Hunters and a ‘closure specialist’. Like this is a formidable and fresh idea to bring into the genre and it made for a unique and interesting premise.
Characters: The characters in this story were excellent. The author spent a good portion of time creating the character of Benny, and his friends. He also created a vivid characterization of Benny through how the character looked at his older brother, Tom. Throughout the story, the evolution of Benny’s character is a prime example of strong character development. The strongest aspect of this story was the characters and I feel that would be a strong claim agreed upon by anyone who has had the opportunity to read this book. This book was kind of like a Catcher of the Rye, with zombies.
Philosophical statements: This book is loaded with several statements that will resonate with you, long after the book has been put down. He had used the element of foreshadowing magnificently throughout the story. There are even shreds of potential symbolism within the story. The many ideas and theories about life and death that have been touched upon in this story are endless, and it bodes very well with anybody who is a deep thinking reader.
Overall: This is an excellent story. This is one of the freshest zombie books that I have seen in awhile. He maintains the old Romero style zombies while keeping the gore at a minimum. The philosophical aspects of this book are a real seller, and these statements act along perfectly in unison with the characters. The characters are so relatable and real that you will feel as if by reading this book, you just met a few new people. This is a strong book that touches the heart and reading the sequel (Dust and Decay) would be at the top of my list. This is a book that reeks of soul, and it is just an extraordinary story about the human soul and the end of the world.
Available at Amazon
