Scan barcode
wilhelheim's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kate4ez's review against another edition
2.0
Grim, dark and hard to put down. The immediacy of the present-tense narrative kept me reading. However, I can't say I loved this book. I didn't feel any sympathy for or identify with the haters, any more than I would for any other mindless killers. The lack of any real ending was disappointing, as well.
lovecrafttapes's review against another edition
3.0
I found this debut novel by David Moody to be crafted well enough, but the mundane existence of the main characters really brings it down to a level well below action-packed. The horror is pretty standard for this subgenre, with few surprises.
brisingr's review against another edition
4.0
I had three reasons why I bought this book. 1) the cover is fantastic. 2) Guilermo del Toro is recommending this. 3) it was very cheap. And I have to thank my classmates for telling me to read this book.
Humanity has in front of it a new threat: the human itself. But not usual humans, but humans that has changed from the nice and familiar people we know into "haters" that kill with cold blood the person next to them. While the crimes are becoming more and more frequent, Danny McCoyne tries his best to keep his family alive.
Hater is the kind of fast-paced book, made to be devoured by a relatively large public, in spite of the cruel subjects you find in it. And the book was a real surprise for me and I liked it quite a lot. Because it was not predictable (at least not for me) and because it shows society in it's absolute crisis, where even the sole survival of the human race is at stake. I think it is even terrifying (and I am not the kind of person who gets easily impressed) exactly because of how real it feels, I can see everything happening exactly how it was described in this book.
It's not the kind of book that will change your life and maybe any other time I wouldn't have enjoyed it so much. I read books that were much better than this one, but also books that were much worse. What makes Hater special though, it is the fact that as a final product, this book is satisfying. It gives the reader a little bit of everything. You have different types of love, action and moments that will catch your breath and you also have peaceful, familiar scenes of a normal life. I, especially, needed this kind of book: that doesn't ask too much of you, that presents in it's own rhythm how things are going; you don't need to always be thinking a step ahead, maybe-maybe you'll guess what's happening. I needed a relaxing and refreshing book, in simply the way it is written. And if anyone feels like reading something out of what they're usually reading, something new to break the chain of similar books, I totally recommend this one.
Danny is such a nice character! He's human, so so human, and as a reader, you fully emphasize with what he's feeling and living. You would also swear, be terified or sick to your stomach, you would also want more and you would also feel the same type of despair. He's charming thanks to his normality, thanks to the fact that each of us has a little bit of Dannny and Danny has a little bit of each of us. And I'm talking so much about this particular character because he's also the narrator of the most part of the story, so you're following all his actions. But the other characters were just as charming and normal, just as any of us or the people around us.
But, the bad part of this book: it didn't manage to make me feel everything as vividly as I was expecting from this kind of reading experience. I would have liked the despair and the horror to be better described, to feel the fear and the panic in my own bones.
But it's intense and I appreciate the crimes and how they were done. I like murders with style, and this book has a lot of this. It also ends in a very interesting cliffhanger and I am so curious to see what's happening from now onwards! This book was really such a pleasent surprise!
Humanity has in front of it a new threat: the human itself. But not usual humans, but humans that has changed from the nice and familiar people we know into "haters" that kill with cold blood the person next to them. While the crimes are becoming more and more frequent, Danny McCoyne tries his best to keep his family alive.
Hater is the kind of fast-paced book, made to be devoured by a relatively large public, in spite of the cruel subjects you find in it. And the book was a real surprise for me and I liked it quite a lot. Because it was not predictable (at least not for me) and because it shows society in it's absolute crisis, where even the sole survival of the human race is at stake. I think it is even terrifying (and I am not the kind of person who gets easily impressed) exactly because of how real it feels, I can see everything happening exactly how it was described in this book.
It's not the kind of book that will change your life and maybe any other time I wouldn't have enjoyed it so much. I read books that were much better than this one, but also books that were much worse. What makes Hater special though, it is the fact that as a final product, this book is satisfying. It gives the reader a little bit of everything. You have different types of love, action and moments that will catch your breath and you also have peaceful, familiar scenes of a normal life. I, especially, needed this kind of book: that doesn't ask too much of you, that presents in it's own rhythm how things are going; you don't need to always be thinking a step ahead, maybe-maybe you'll guess what's happening. I needed a relaxing and refreshing book, in simply the way it is written. And if anyone feels like reading something out of what they're usually reading, something new to break the chain of similar books, I totally recommend this one.
Danny is such a nice character! He's human, so so human, and as a reader, you fully emphasize with what he's feeling and living. You would also swear, be terified or sick to your stomach, you would also want more and you would also feel the same type of despair. He's charming thanks to his normality, thanks to the fact that each of us has a little bit of Dannny and Danny has a little bit of each of us. And I'm talking so much about this particular character because he's also the narrator of the most part of the story, so you're following all his actions. But the other characters were just as charming and normal, just as any of us or the people around us.
But, the bad part of this book: it didn't manage to make me feel everything as vividly as I was expecting from this kind of reading experience. I would have liked the despair and the horror to be better described, to feel the fear and the panic in my own bones.
But it's intense and I appreciate the crimes and how they were done. I like murders with style, and this book has a lot of this. It also ends in a very interesting cliffhanger and I am so curious to see what's happening from now onwards! This book was really such a pleasent surprise!
ryoflame's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I found some of the premise interesting and I would have rated the book higher if our MC wasn't SO unlikeable. The way he thinks of his wife and his kids and people around him, his hateful internal monologues made me think the author was going to do something clever like say, if you were already a hateful person you wouldn't turn, but this isn't the case and I was left wondering what it was all for. Danny is just awful and I wasn't invested in his survival, which meant that while I enjoyed watching the chaos develop there was no real sense of danger or urgency for me around our MC. A shame, it could have been fun.
lindseyannd's review against another edition
3.0
Eh. Main character complaining all the time got a bit annoying but it’s a pretty accurate depiction of life. Not sure I’ll read the rest in the series.
helaisme's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
jbliv's review against another edition
2.0
First, Hater is not really a novel. It's part of a novel (I assume) . For me, that breaks trust with the reader, so I won't be back. Not that I mind a series. Take McCammon's Matthew Corbett series, for example, the difference being that each book is a standalone novel, one of merit in its own right. Or take King's Green Mile - - at least he telegraphed that one well in advance. But this, a full price $10 book? No way.
Next, the first two thirds of the book is pure exposition, devoid of any direct main character involvement in the plot. Everything happens off screen, and we learn mostly through cable news, or third person stories shoved into the narrative. It's quite shocking, the lack of direct action for the bulk of this "novel." It's worse, considering how far off the rails this goes by the end.
Barely any personal conflict, and no resolution at all, make for a poor read.
Next, the first two thirds of the book is pure exposition, devoid of any direct main character involvement in the plot. Everything happens off screen, and we learn mostly through cable news, or third person stories shoved into the narrative. It's quite shocking, the lack of direct action for the bulk of this "novel." It's worse, considering how far off the rails this goes by the end.
Barely any personal conflict, and no resolution at all, make for a poor read.
badseedgirl's review against another edition
3.0
Let’s get a couple things straight. David Moody has written Zombie fiction, His novel [b:Autumn|8103876|Autumn|David Moody|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429272451s/8103876.jpg|255391] is one of the most unusual takes on a zombie outbreak I have ever read, and if someone is looking for a good zombie read, I recommend that book.
1. Hater IS NOT A ZOMBIE BOOK. It is a zombie book like “28 Days Later” was a zombie movie.
2. In fact, on the surface Hater is a sort of spin off of 28 days later, you know without the rage infected monkeys, and from the infected point of view. But only on the surface. Hater IS NOT A 28 DAYS LATER RIP-OFF. The infected are not influenced by rage at all. They are infected with fear. Their entire “fight or flight” instincts are ramped up into overdrive and then their ability enact the “flight” response has been stripped away. The Haters perceive that they are fighting for their very lives and it is a kill or be killed situation.
3. NO ONE SHOULD LIKE Danny McCoyne. He is an anti-hero. Let’s face it, even before he is infected he was a bit of a tool. But that’s the point, we all know people like that. He is just your average douche bag. He is not a super douche or particularly evil.
Now that you have these three points in mind, go enjoy this book. I know I did.
PS this is book number 2 in my “2016 Lite N Fluffy Summer Reading List”
3 of 5 stars
1. Hater IS NOT A ZOMBIE BOOK. It is a zombie book like “28 Days Later” was a zombie movie.
2. In fact, on the surface Hater is a sort of spin off of 28 days later, you know without the rage infected monkeys, and from the infected point of view. But only on the surface. Hater IS NOT A 28 DAYS LATER RIP-OFF. The infected are not influenced by rage at all. They are infected with fear. Their entire “fight or flight” instincts are ramped up into overdrive and then their ability enact the “flight” response has been stripped away. The Haters perceive that they are fighting for their very lives and it is a kill or be killed situation.
3. NO ONE SHOULD LIKE Danny McCoyne. He is an anti-hero. Let’s face it, even before he is infected he was a bit of a tool. But that’s the point, we all know people like that. He is just your average douche bag. He is not a super douche or particularly evil.
Now that you have these three points in mind, go enjoy this book. I know I did.
PS this is book number 2 in my “2016 Lite N Fluffy Summer Reading List”
3 of 5 stars