In a world where zombie literature, movies, and clothing has become more than just a fad, but commonplace in America, it takes writers, good writers, to write something that gives you a new perspective on the genre, and that is what David Bernstein has done with his novel Amongst the Dead.
A young girl at the age of 13 named Riley is trying to live out her life with her father in the wake of a devastating zombie apocalypse. They seem to be doing alright until one day when her father makes a run to grab supplies in town, and becomes bitten by one of the beasts. He returns home to his daughter, sets her up with everything she will need to live on without him, and ends his own life in a grave he dug himself in the yard. From here on out, the novel follows young Riley in a desolate world of zombie takeover, and few human survivors. From fighting off would be attackers that try to take over her home to escaping a woman's breeding cult. From finding a mother and her son that take her in, and then finding out where she truly came from and what she herself is, this novel doesn't let you down.
What I find extremely intriguing about David's zombie novel becomes very apparent to readers in a short period of time. The 'hero' in this novel is not a buff mid 30's ex-military man. The 'hero' in this novel is not a trained in survival skills their whole life, gun toting, strong female lead. The 'hero' is a young girl at the age of 13 who has been taught by her father how to survive, and finds the strength and willpower within herself to continue on in this world. The other aspect that I really enjoyed was that this wasn't your typical 'shoot in the head to kill them' zombie story. It gets a little bit more gruesome and personal than that. In order to kill these zombies, you must sever the brain-eye connection, not just the brain itself. That means you're in for some eyeball stabbing and personal eyeball removal to save civilians from becoming one of the zombies, which I felt was a refreshing addition to the zombie idea. I really enjoyed the ending too, when you finally figure out what Riley's life has led up to, and what she really is, not just a plain old human it turns out.
This novel has a great refreshing storyline in the zombie genre, but the pacing I'll admit is just a tad slow in some parts. That being said, those parts aren't very long, and you get right back into the action with Riley and her trials of a zombie infested landscape that keep you reading right to the last page in anticipation.
Final grade : B+
Review by Kyle Lybeck
A young girl at the age of 13 named Riley is trying to live out her life with her father in the wake of a devastating zombie apocalypse. They seem to be doing alright until one day when her father makes a run to grab supplies in town, and becomes bitten by one of the beasts. He returns home to his daughter, sets her up with everything she will need to live on without him, and ends his own life in a grave he dug himself in the yard. From here on out, the novel follows young Riley in a desolate world of zombie takeover, and few human survivors. From fighting off would be attackers that try to take over her home to escaping a woman's breeding cult. From finding a mother and her son that take her in, and then finding out where she truly came from and what she herself is, this novel doesn't let you down.
What I find extremely intriguing about David's zombie novel becomes very apparent to readers in a short period of time. The 'hero' in this novel is not a buff mid 30's ex-military man. The 'hero' in this novel is not a trained in survival skills their whole life, gun toting, strong female lead. The 'hero' is a young girl at the age of 13 who has been taught by her father how to survive, and finds the strength and willpower within herself to continue on in this world. The other aspect that I really enjoyed was that this wasn't your typical 'shoot in the head to kill them' zombie story. It gets a little bit more gruesome and personal than that. In order to kill these zombies, you must sever the brain-eye connection, not just the brain itself. That means you're in for some eyeball stabbing and personal eyeball removal to save civilians from becoming one of the zombies, which I felt was a refreshing addition to the zombie idea. I really enjoyed the ending too, when you finally figure out what Riley's life has led up to, and what she really is, not just a plain old human it turns out.
This novel has a great refreshing storyline in the zombie genre, but the pacing I'll admit is just a tad slow in some parts. That being said, those parts aren't very long, and you get right back into the action with Riley and her trials of a zombie infested landscape that keep you reading right to the last page in anticipation.
Final grade : B+
Review by Kyle Lybeck
The author does not allow comments to this entry
No comments