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krakentamer's review
4.0
I acquired this ebook almost 3 years ago, but hadn't read it until just now. It had sat in my kindle app for so long that I'd developed a bit of banner blindness to it, and it took until I made a concerted effort to clean out older stuff for me to finally crack it open. I'm glad that I finally got around to reading it, as I found it to be quite enjoyable, and a refreshingly more realistic (well, at least: plausible) view of post-apocalyptic society. Except for the zombies, of course. I've consumed a ton of zombie-based entertainment, and I'd long ago reached peak zombie (part of the reason that this book sat unread for so long); but this one takes an interesting approach in that the word "zombie" is not even mentioned until the last quarter (or less). The end of the world isn't brought about by the zombies themselves - it's the Plague wiping out 99%+ of the population that's the true disaster, with the infected/undead/zombies becoming another obstacle - dangerous but controllable.
In this new society, we don't see villains swooping in to take over; instead, the remnants of the government and the military do their best to provide some degree of societal continuity. People are still trying to help each other, and don't just automatically resort to barbarism.
I also appreciated the idea of a Hardrive [sic] Archaeologist, because of course that would be a profession in the future, especially after a societal and infrastructure collapse.
In this new society, we don't see villains swooping in to take over; instead, the remnants of the government and the military do their best to provide some degree of societal continuity. People are still trying to help each other, and don't just automatically resort to barbarism.
I also appreciated the idea of a Hardrive [sic] Archaeologist, because of course that would be a profession in the future, especially after a societal and infrastructure collapse.
taysbookshelf's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book, but nothing about it was stand-out for me. It was your pretty typical zombie fare: explosions, finding loved ones, survival...you know the drill. It explored, at the surface level, how reconstruction would work, and the political issues which would arise from it. Frankly, I wish these issues were explored much further, as I haven't read many zombie books (maybe aside from Mira Grant's Newsflesh series) which deal with political ramifications of the zombie apocalypse. Overall, the book was a fun, pulpy read, but I wasn't blown away.
hograhr's review
2.0
Ugggh.
That should sum up my thoughts on this book.
A few issues I had:
1.) Not a big fan of the "diary" style narration.
2.) Did not really care about the main character, I saw no connection between him and "Alex" nor any reason why he would go to such lengths for her. Something about chasing a "girlfriend" (one who cheats on him in the first chapter no less) versus, say a wife of 20 years, across country just rings hollow, and his last pontifications about what he learned about love do not have any impact due to the hollow relationship.
3.) Unrealistic setting. So the most populous region in the most populous state in the country is who manages to get the zombies under control? Not the slightest bit believable. Sure if the story took place in North Dakota or something where the zombies hordes would be much more manageable. But SoCal? Nuh uh.
4.) I Loved, loved, loved "Old Man and the Wasteland" so definitely felt let down with this one.
That should sum up my thoughts on this book.
A few issues I had:
1.) Not a big fan of the "diary" style narration.
2.) Did not really care about the main character, I saw no connection between him and "Alex" nor any reason why he would go to such lengths for her. Something about chasing a "girlfriend" (one who cheats on him in the first chapter no less) versus, say a wife of 20 years, across country just rings hollow, and his last pontifications about what he learned about love do not have any impact due to the hollow relationship.
3.) Unrealistic setting. So the most populous region in the most populous state in the country is who manages to get the zombies under control? Not the slightest bit believable. Sure if the story took place in North Dakota or something where the zombies hordes would be much more manageable. But SoCal? Nuh uh.
4.) I Loved, loved, loved "Old Man and the Wasteland" so definitely felt let down with this one.
jennyninnymuggins's review against another edition
3.0
Good character growth, interesting ideas and plot lines. The ending was a little too eye-roll inducing for my taste.
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