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badseedgirl's review against another edition
3.0
Flu by Wayne Simmons is in a reality reread for me. I read this book back in 2013 while going through a bit of a zombie obsession. I have always loved the zombie sub-genre and tend to go through phases and I read this story at the tail end of the phase. I was not sure if I gave it the credit it deserved, because by the tail end of a phase, I tend to be jaded after reading what inevitably ends up being several mediocre books in the genre.
I enjoyed this reread and because I did not remember how the story ended, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The characters were well developed tragic heroes and survivors. They truly were dispirit characters thrown together by chance. I just loved that. But after rereading this book, do I want to change my original review of 3 stars? Well, actually no, but maybe yes. I think at this point I would give the book 3.5 stars, but since Goodreads does not allow ½ stars (and shame on you Goodreads) I guess I would leave it at 3 stars.
I enjoyed this reread and because I did not remember how the story ended, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The characters were well developed tragic heroes and survivors. They truly were dispirit characters thrown together by chance. I just loved that. But after rereading this book, do I want to change my original review of 3 stars? Well, actually no, but maybe yes. I think at this point I would give the book 3.5 stars, but since Goodreads does not allow ½ stars (and shame on you Goodreads) I guess I would leave it at 3 stars.
anna3101's review against another edition
1.0
I'm sorry I've wasted my time reading this book. There's nothing in it. Atmosphere? Intriguing characters? Fast-paced plot? Forget about it all if you are going to read "Flu".
I'm also annoyed with the amount of f-words that are used everywhere for no reason. I'm not a prude and I don't mind any kind of language in a book - as long as it belongs there.
In this case, it was swearing for swearing's sake.
I've read quite a lot of zombie books and I don't think any of them ever had such unlikeable characters and such boring writing style.
Brrr.
I'm also annoyed with the amount of f-words that are used everywhere for no reason. I'm not a prude and I don't mind any kind of language in a book - as long as it belongs there.
In this case, it was swearing for swearing's sake.
I've read quite a lot of zombie books and I don't think any of them ever had such unlikeable characters and such boring writing style.
Brrr.
smashingreads's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure how I feel about this one. There is no final resolution as it clearly leads into a second book and, while I enjoyed the story, I don't think there is enough here for me to want to continue on. Hmm..
gemmaduds's review against another edition
3.0
I really did like this. It kept me on edge in the way that a good horror film would, and was well written - enough blood and suspense to keep me happy. The pages turned quickly and I was gutted when I misplaced the book for a few days right in the middle of reading!
The story is less about the flu virus (you don't get to find out any of the scientific details surrounding how it started) and more about survival - which was a major plus for me as I love survival tales.
There seemed to be a few things brushed over, and the odd bit that felt misplaced; but nothing that put me off reading at all.
I did have one major hang up with it. The female characters in this novel seemed so cliche. Neither of them initially knew how to work a gun (on the other hand, every male character instinctfully picks up a weapon and is a brilliant shot). They fall flat (and often fall over at the most inappropriate of times) and rely on the men to look out for them or to teach them how to look out for themselves.
I'm not usually one to go off on a rant about people portraying the stereotypical woman, as normally I wouldn't even notice. But this one had me a bit irritated because it was so blindingly obvious, otherwise it would have definitely been very high on my list of favourite apocalyptic thrillers.
All in all a great read! Just ignore the fact that the ladies are a bit of a nightmare situation.
The story is less about the flu virus (you don't get to find out any of the scientific details surrounding how it started) and more about survival - which was a major plus for me as I love survival tales.
There seemed to be a few things brushed over, and the odd bit that felt misplaced; but nothing that put me off reading at all.
I did have one major hang up with it. The female characters in this novel seemed so cliche. Neither of them initially knew how to work a gun (on the other hand, every male character instinctfully picks up a weapon and is a brilliant shot). They fall flat (and often fall over at the most inappropriate of times) and rely on the men to look out for them or to teach them how to look out for themselves.
I'm not usually one to go off on a rant about people portraying the stereotypical woman, as normally I wouldn't even notice. But this one had me a bit irritated because it was so blindingly obvious, otherwise it would have definitely been very high on my list of favourite apocalyptic thrillers.
All in all a great read! Just ignore the fact that the ladies are a bit of a nightmare situation.
readerxxx's review against another edition
2.0
Just another zombie novel. Nothing creative other than that the source of zombie-ism comes from the H1N1 flu virus taking a turn for the worse. Character development was lacking. Never really gave a crap whether someone lived or died.
This is the rare case where I think a movie would be better than the book.
This is the rare case where I think a movie would be better than the book.
pelargonia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
linawamba's review against another edition
5.0
NO ES OTRA MALDITA NOVELA DE ZOMBIS
Pandemia llegó a España hace relativamente poco, en pleno apogeo de la oleada de novelas de zombis que han salido a la luz en los últimos años. Quizás por eso no ha recibido todo el éxito que en realidad se merece.
Y es que Pandemia no es otra maldita novela de zombis. Además de una trama ágil, rica en personajes (es una novela coral con diferentes líneas argumentales que se cruzan y que recuerdan lejanamente a Descansa en paz, de Lindqvist, pero con mucha más acción y con zombis más agresivos que en la, por otra parte brillante, novela del sueco) y que no da lugar al aburrimiento, brilla por su estilo: léxico rico y oraciones muy elaboradas que agilizan su lectura y la convierte en un verdadero placer. ¡Aquí hay literatura!
Leyendo esta novela no podía dejar de reflexionar acerca de la importancia del cómo, que muchas veces se olvida cuando los autores se centran en el qué. ¿Puede una novela sobre zombis entretener y además estar bien escrita? Aquí tenemos ambas cosas: Wayne Simmons nos cuenta una historia interesante, que nos dejará sin respiración y que llegados a cierto punto, nos impedirá parar de leer. La clave, insisto, reside en el estilo del autor, así como en una brillante traducción de Joe Alamo.
Visto esto, yo me pregunto: ¿por qué no es más conocido Wayne Simmons en España? He leído y releído muchos libros de terror, especialmente de zombis, y todavía no logro responder a esta pregunta, así de injusto me parece.
Wayne Simmons nació, creció y vive en Irlanda del Norte, y su novela está ambientada en Belfast. Quizás, y esta es la única respuesta que he logrado encontrar, Simmons sería un súper ventas en nuestras librerías si hubiera nacido, crecido y estuviese afincado en Suecia.
Pandemia llegó a España hace relativamente poco, en pleno apogeo de la oleada de novelas de zombis que han salido a la luz en los últimos años. Quizás por eso no ha recibido todo el éxito que en realidad se merece.
Y es que Pandemia no es otra maldita novela de zombis. Además de una trama ágil, rica en personajes (es una novela coral con diferentes líneas argumentales que se cruzan y que recuerdan lejanamente a Descansa en paz, de Lindqvist, pero con mucha más acción y con zombis más agresivos que en la, por otra parte brillante, novela del sueco) y que no da lugar al aburrimiento, brilla por su estilo: léxico rico y oraciones muy elaboradas que agilizan su lectura y la convierte en un verdadero placer. ¡Aquí hay literatura!
Leyendo esta novela no podía dejar de reflexionar acerca de la importancia del cómo, que muchas veces se olvida cuando los autores se centran en el qué. ¿Puede una novela sobre zombis entretener y además estar bien escrita? Aquí tenemos ambas cosas: Wayne Simmons nos cuenta una historia interesante, que nos dejará sin respiración y que llegados a cierto punto, nos impedirá parar de leer. La clave, insisto, reside en el estilo del autor, así como en una brillante traducción de Joe Alamo.
Visto esto, yo me pregunto: ¿por qué no es más conocido Wayne Simmons en España? He leído y releído muchos libros de terror, especialmente de zombis, y todavía no logro responder a esta pregunta, así de injusto me parece.
Wayne Simmons nació, creció y vive en Irlanda del Norte, y su novela está ambientada en Belfast. Quizás, y esta es la única respuesta que he logrado encontrar, Simmons sería un súper ventas en nuestras librerías si hubiera nacido, crecido y estuviese afincado en Suecia.
jasonoffer's review
1.0
I enjoy Zombie novels, well i think i do as the majority are very dissappointing and this was no exception. I find action zombie novels set over a few days or hours just dont work.
The plot was plainly boring and as ever had the most ridiculous character's (in the army base). I have no idea how these characters are imagined up and the story lines about them were simply pathetic.
The action was poorly described....I could go on, but would say don't bother wasting your money you will end up not reading swathes of the book.
The plot was plainly boring and as ever had the most ridiculous character's (in the army base). I have no idea how these characters are imagined up and the story lines about them were simply pathetic.
The action was poorly described....I could go on, but would say don't bother wasting your money you will end up not reading swathes of the book.
thisdivinelight's review
1.0
Awful doesn't even begin to describe how this book is written. The plot is interesting enough - although a bit of a cliche considering apocalyptic/post apocalyptic works have been around for long enough to merit an entire genre to themselves. Sadly, that's where the 'interesting' begins and ends. The storyline meanders in and out of the perspectives of too many characters without really knitting them together into a seamless whole. And the prose is, to put it simply, amateurish and shoddy. Writing prose filled with epithets, slang and abuses doesn't alone a great read make - and in this book it comes across as a juvenile attempt to capture the interest perhaps, of a certain type of audience.
An epic fail - on every level. Pick it up only if you enjoy masochism and have an inordinate amount of time to waste!
An epic fail - on every level. Pick it up only if you enjoy masochism and have an inordinate amount of time to waste!