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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This is a funky little book. We get very little worldbuilding about the zombies - what made them, how it happened, how far the effect extended, how long it lasted, lots of that. Iwanted to know more. We get a little worldbuilding about how vampires work in this universe, which was nice. The summary implies a relationship that doesn't really occur in the book, which was a little disappointing. Withrow and Jennifer were both cool characters, and I liked their arcs.
I love the Withrow Chronicle series and just reread book one. I guess, if this was the only book and with my present experience, I would rate this book a three-star on my Goodreads scale - but I have such fond memories and the series only gets better as the writer hones his craft.
The first book is aging, as the cultural references of a decade ago are fading from collective memory, and it shows Mr. Williams slow mastery of writing. The book is really three novellas with the first part developing out of an absolutely awesome idea of what a vampire would do with his homeowner association during a zombie apocalypse. Part raw talent, part great idea, and part love of writing, section one introduces us to Mr. Withrow Surrett in all his 350 pound glory. A must-read if you have read other books in the series.
Books two and three are better and each works well as a stand-alone. Book three pulls things together into a series and after that the books should be read in order published. Book four is out and Mr. Williams states book five is just about ready (as of October 2017) and should be the last book of this series. Other stories in the Withrow universe may happen. You don't need to read book one first - and if you have limited time I would recommend book two, Tooth and Nail, as the first book.
Back to Perishables. The second section is a parallel story also happening during the zombie uprising, a backstory for an important character in section three. A more experienced writer would not have included it - just written it out to figure out the character - but this was Mr. Williams first book so it made the cut. The writing shows improvement, with better transitions, more complicated and nuanced characters, and more sophisticated fight scenes.
Then we have section three. All the writing experience in the first two novellas comes crashing back into a really awesome manuscript. The wonderful juxtaposition of vampire and real-world of the homeowners association returns with Black Friday Thanksgiving madness where Withrow attends the midnight opening of a tech store to get a great deal on a movie player. The story begins with him standing by the doors waiting for them to open, the crowd behind the 350 pounds of him and his "service" animal / vampiric-blood enhanced rottweiler. Nothing could possibly go wrong from that start, right?
The writer then draws on his skill, his honed raw talent developed during the first two stories, and characters, plot, MONSTERS, everything ... is just better. Everything you liked in the first two sections multiplied by each other.
And the step up between section one and section three is what you see between book one (Perishables) and book two (Tooth and Nail). An exceptional series with each book improving on the last.
The first book is aging, as the cultural references of a decade ago are fading from collective memory, and it shows Mr. Williams slow mastery of writing. The book is really three novellas with the first part developing out of an absolutely awesome idea of what a vampire would do with his homeowner association during a zombie apocalypse. Part raw talent, part great idea, and part love of writing, section one introduces us to Mr. Withrow Surrett in all his 350 pound glory. A must-read if you have read other books in the series.
Books two and three are better and each works well as a stand-alone. Book three pulls things together into a series and after that the books should be read in order published. Book four is out and Mr. Williams states book five is just about ready (as of October 2017) and should be the last book of this series. Other stories in the Withrow universe may happen. You don't need to read book one first - and if you have limited time I would recommend book two, Tooth and Nail, as the first book.
Back to Perishables. The second section is a parallel story also happening during the zombie uprising, a backstory for an important character in section three. A more experienced writer would not have included it - just written it out to figure out the character - but this was Mr. Williams first book so it made the cut. The writing shows improvement, with better transitions, more complicated and nuanced characters, and more sophisticated fight scenes.
Then we have section three. All the writing experience in the first two novellas comes crashing back into a really awesome manuscript. The wonderful juxtaposition of vampire and real-world of the homeowners association returns with Black Friday Thanksgiving madness where Withrow attends the midnight opening of a tech store to get a great deal on a movie player. The story begins with him standing by the doors waiting for them to open, the crowd behind the 350 pounds of him and his "service" animal / vampiric-blood enhanced rottweiler. Nothing could possibly go wrong from that start, right?
The writer then draws on his skill, his honed raw talent developed during the first two stories, and characters, plot, MONSTERS, everything ... is just better. Everything you liked in the first two sections multiplied by each other.
And the step up between section one and section three is what you see between book one (Perishables) and book two (Tooth and Nail). An exceptional series with each book improving on the last.
This was gifted to by a friend and what an absolute treat. Off the bat (eyyy) the premise was fun and it was a delight that the narrative didn't disappoint.
The characters were pretty likeable and having Withrow so disconnected from humanity feels like a concept that should be explored more but isn't. So it was refreshing to see his reaction to most situations. Sometimes over the top, other times cold which worked well for someone that no longer knows how to regulate within the confines of what's considered normal.
The plot though, specifically the zombies made me fall in love.
Do forgive the spoiler but the second uprising used one of my favorite tropes which is Hive Mind. It makes a typical undead much more of a threat and raises stakes (eyyy I swear I'm not doing this on purpose) creating a palpable sense of tension especially given the circumstances of having someone who might be considered overpowered in a fight. It made things feel very balanced.
I'm biased but that second situation could've been expanded much further and I would've devoured (I'm not counting that one) it voraciously. Though it would've been nice to have done so given I almost missed the connection of Jennifer from the second story. She'd understandably drastically changed given the situation she was in and it was a wonderful touch given it's not often the post tragedy is explored.
Overall, fantastic read. Checked all my boxes and kept me entirely engaged. I'd definitely recommend.
My only advice would be an editor for a few minor mistakes such as the dog breed changing and Herb's name briefly being Ken, etc, in which case Mr Williams, I'd happily volunteer.
The characters were pretty likeable and having Withrow so disconnected from humanity feels like a concept that should be explored more but isn't. So it was refreshing to see his reaction to most situations. Sometimes over the top, other times cold which worked well for someone that no longer knows how to regulate within the confines of what's considered normal.
The plot though, specifically the zombies made me fall in love.
Do forgive the spoiler but the second uprising used one of my favorite tropes which is Hive Mind. It makes a typical undead much more of a threat and raises stakes (eyyy I swear I'm not doing this on purpose) creating a palpable sense of tension especially given the circumstances of having someone who might be considered overpowered in a fight. It made things feel very balanced.
I'm biased but that second situation could've been expanded much further and I would've devoured (I'm not counting that one) it voraciously. Though it would've been nice to have done so given I almost missed the connection of Jennifer from the second story. She'd understandably drastically changed given the situation she was in and it was a wonderful touch given it's not often the post tragedy is explored.
Overall, fantastic read. Checked all my boxes and kept me entirely engaged. I'd definitely recommend.
My only advice would be an editor for a few minor mistakes such as the dog breed changing and Herb's name briefly being Ken, etc, in which case Mr Williams, I'd happily volunteer.
adventurous
adventurous
hopeful
tense
A fun vampire story. It could almost be read as three separate short stories, and the change to Jennifer's POV after 30% of the book was quite jarring at first.
But it's a nice story that makes fun of society and has more to say than simply vampires and zombies.
But it's a nice story that makes fun of society and has more to say than simply vampires and zombies.
adventurous
UPDATE 2020 REREAD
In response to the COVID-19 epidemic, the author created a podcast called Social Distancing Radio, in which he—at the request of a friend and long-time reader—read this book to create something familiar and safe in a time of stress. As a long-time reader and friend of his, I found this reading tremendously comforting. The unpolished rawness of it made it feel almost as though I were at a live author reading.
(You can find the podcast here: https://www.robustmcmanlypants.org/socialdistancingradio/)
ORIGINAL REVIEW
Perishables develops tension in a highly effective manner which makes use of its division into three parts (each of which can be considered a story in of itself). It begins with a sort of lighthearted zombie romp with a hint of darkness. I had several moments of laughing out loud and needing to explain myself to others. In part 2, the tone shifts to a balanced blend of equal parts humor and tension. While there was less laughter, there were plenty of smiles and moments of genuine concern for the well-being of the characters. It finishes with the kind of intensity that found me frozen completely upright and holding my breath.
There are many wonderful little details which allowed me to connect with the supernatural universe in this novel. I was somewhat reminded of the way Ridley Scott uses tiny realistic touches to give a sense of concreteness to his fantastic worlds.
I almost hate to say this last bit of praise, because it's a sad statement that it shouldn't be the norm. However, it isn't in most media, and it most certainly isn't typical of this genre. I was thrilled to find myself reading about a woman who was neither a helpless stereotype of femininity nor an idolized and often pornesque heroine("Up on a pedestal or down on her knees, it's all a male fantasy."-Margaret Atwood). She didn't fuss or moan about her hair, clothes or makeup. She didn't wail and worry about her romantic life. She had one, but it was simply a part of her life not her reason for being and not a focal point of the story. She was just a person, and I loved it.
And lest I forget, this author owes me 1.5 hours of sleep I missed because I was too involved in the book.
In response to the COVID-19 epidemic, the author created a podcast called Social Distancing Radio, in which he—at the request of a friend and long-time reader—read this book to create something familiar and safe in a time of stress. As a long-time reader and friend of his, I found this reading tremendously comforting. The unpolished rawness of it made it feel almost as though I were at a live author reading.
(You can find the podcast here: https://www.robustmcmanlypants.org/socialdistancingradio/)
ORIGINAL REVIEW
Perishables develops tension in a highly effective manner which makes use of its division into three parts (each of which can be considered a story in of itself). It begins with a sort of lighthearted zombie romp with a hint of darkness. I had several moments of laughing out loud and needing to explain myself to others. In part 2, the tone shifts to a balanced blend of equal parts humor and tension. While there was less laughter, there were plenty of smiles and moments of genuine concern for the well-being of the characters. It finishes with the kind of intensity that found me frozen completely upright and holding my breath.
There are many wonderful little details which allowed me to connect with the supernatural universe in this novel. I was somewhat reminded of the way Ridley Scott uses tiny realistic touches to give a sense of concreteness to his fantastic worlds.
I almost hate to say this last bit of praise, because it's a sad statement that it shouldn't be the norm. However, it isn't in most media, and it most certainly isn't typical of this genre. I was thrilled to find myself reading about a woman who was neither a helpless stereotype of femininity nor an idolized and often pornesque heroine("Up on a pedestal or down on her knees, it's all a male fantasy."-Margaret Atwood). She didn't fuss or moan about her hair, clothes or makeup. She didn't wail and worry about her romantic life. She had one, but it was simply a part of her life not her reason for being and not a focal point of the story. She was just a person, and I loved it.
And lest I forget, this author owes me 1.5 hours of sleep I missed because I was too involved in the book.
This book is essentially three stories that become interconnected. Plus recipes for food that is just as terrifying as the monsters in the stories. The first tale is a light-hearted vampire/zombie tale with added suburban angst. It is as light and fluffy as the ambrosia salad, and about as filling. However, readers who are expecting nothing more than a few tee-hees will be disappointed as the subject becomes darker and more intense as the stories progress.
I greatly preferred the latter two stories, and was especially taken with the final story. It adds an element to the typical zombie fare which I've never seen before and was both horrifying and believable. What I've always liked about this author's work is the blurry line between happily-ever-after and the way things would probably really work out.
Perishables is a vampire and zombies book, with no shortage of humour. But it still manages to address real issues of dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic event, the pain of being shunned by one's community and having to hide one's real self under a façade of normalcy. Those aspects of the book are where this author really shines, and those are 5 star sections.
I greatly preferred the latter two stories, and was especially taken with the final story. It adds an element to the typical zombie fare which I've never seen before and was both horrifying and believable. What I've always liked about this author's work is the blurry line between happily-ever-after and the way things would probably really work out.
Perishables is a vampire and zombies book, with no shortage of humour. But it still manages to address real issues of dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic event, the pain of being shunned by one's community and having to hide one's real self under a façade of normalcy. Those aspects of the book are where this author really shines, and those are 5 star sections.