Author: Jonathan Maberry

Date of Publication:September 14 2010
Pages: 458
Source: Library

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

Review:

I've always considered zombies to be absolutely terrifying. They're gross, ugly, and as far as monsters go, they're probably the least dangerous because they can't think and move incredibly slowly. What frightens me is that they were people who lost the essence of who they were. They don't think or reason anymore. They are eternally dead and hungry, and it's not like they chose it. They're mindless.

Rot & Ruin explores a world torn apart by these type of zombies. It's a post apocalyptic world years after the First Night and it's bleak. While the writing is pretty light, even through the worst parts, when you really think about it the world in Rot & Ruin is tragic. People have given up on technology and live their lives in fear. Imagine the life you have right now, and imagine it being taken away and all that remains is you. You exist but everything you've known is gone. It's frightening. People lash out and react in different ways, ranging from denial to hatred. There are some very nasty people in Rot & Ruin and they are irredeemable. That being said, even the worst has experienced things no one should see.

Benny is one of those guys that is full of hatred. He's 15 years old and completely immature. It was annoying at some times, but other tines it was hilarious. What I like about Benny is that slowly, he and his friends grow up and change. They learn about this world they live in and make decisions about the future they want. The decisions Benny in particular makes impress me because he is changed by the end of the story.

Benny's relationship with Tom was also a highlight. Their banter wasn't irritating so much as endearing to me, just because I have a little sister and we get into many nonsensical arguments as well. I appreciated how Tom dealt with Benny and Tom became a guy I admired a lot.

There was a lot to enjoy in Rot & Ruin, but there were some issues I had. The first is that nothing happens for a very long time. Most of the first half of the story is about learning about the world, the situation, and the characters. Stuff does happen during that time, but it's not very clear what this book is ultimately about until a little over halfway through. There is also a great deal of dialogue early on which isn't a bad thing, except it gets a little heavy. I think there are at least two huge stories that are told to Benny.

Once you get past the initial hump, the story is entertaining. The characters deal with pain and loss and to be honest, while there may not be an initial connection to them, by the end there is. The ending is also very satisfying and it definitely makes me want to read the sequel.

I like where this story is heading. Maybe Rot & Ruin was long and felt long, but the characters were endearing by the end. I would have liked to have more of a connection to the characters, and I think that will grow with the sequel. So far, Rot & Ruin is a nice start to the series.

3 hearts.

-P.E.

This post was actually written for Halloween, but it got lost along the way...

I love stories full of drama and tragedy; heroes defying all odds and saving their loved ones, or failing and dying gruesome deaths. I love the creepy, bloody, inventive ways to die and I can pretty much deal with anything on screen as long as it is not a bug. That I can't deal with.


Oh my god this looks exactly like a nightmare I had as a kid: running away from dinosaurs and big vehicles. 

It's completely bizarre that I appreciate macabre and gore in fiction considering my intense dislike (okay okay, fear) of this stuff in person.

I do not go into hospitals if I can help it. I hate sickness and they terrify me. I feel like germs are everywhere and crawling all over me. I genuinely feel like I'm suffocating a little there.

If you get hurt, I am the last person you will want to seek for aid. When my little sister's tooth was extremely wobbly and bloody, she asked me to look at it and pull it out. I hid my face in my hands and refused to look, and eventually she pulled her own tooth out herself. This is astonishing to me because I would throw enormous tantrums and fits and refused to let anyone touch me teeth when I was losing them.



In movies, I laugh when the monster is gobbling someone else. In real life, I can't look at my mom getting a flu shot because I will freak out.

And when it comes to bugs I am hopeless. I will scream and rub away. I used to dream of livng in New York and then I learned there are cockroaches there and now I've decided my dream is to live on top of a mountain in BC.

Somehow though, these petty fears don't translate to fiction. I know what's happening on screen is fake and that's apparently all the difference. I can watch explosions and almost anything on TV, whereas my tolerance in RL is minimal.



Watching these gross things also helps put some things into perspective. I've already alluded to being terrified of needles and a very, uh, determined child. I would fight getting a shot with everything I had until I started trying to conquer my fears (or at least stop being hopelessly embarrassing). I did that thanks to things like Harry Potter.

Every time I had to (who am I kidding? I still do this) do something that scares me, I put it into perspective by comparing my upcoming horror to the obstacles heroes face. Like, what's a flu shot compared to a basilisk? What's a bug compared to a massive Leviathon? What's a lightning storm compared to the light slowly and surely being sucked away until nothing but darkness is left? It's nothing, so suck it up!

Horror helps me feel brave when I'm actually a wimp. It forces me to see some things I rather wouldn't. It makes me experience awful situations, and realize that there's a way to be brave and come out alive. That's why I love it, even if it is ridiculous and cheesy.

-P.E.

OMG A PARTY! Yes, you're going to one fabulous party set up by the coolest person you know, the one with an island home right near your town. But whoops, your parents say you can't go. Bummer...

As if you're going to let your parents stop you! No, you're going to get your red dress on and get ready for dancing in the moonlight! First, you'll have to sneak on the party yacht this dude has (yeah, he's loaded). But piece of cake.

Now you're on his island! No one else inhabits the island so his house is in the centre, surrounded by trees. It's fall, and all the leaves are on the ground, but there are still enough trees and the island is still big enough to block all light from the party from mainland.

And what a party it is. The bass is rockin', and everybody is dancing and singing and what's behind that tree? Whoops, better not look. It's epic.

At some point, the party starts and people start to leave. This is the part where everything goes horribly wrong. You passed out, and shit, it's almost morning and your parents are going to wonder where you've been. You wake up to a bloodcurdling scream.

But here's the deal: everybody outside of the room you're in, the kitchen, is dead. Like, brutally murdered. So what happens next? Let's talk about what NOT to do.

1. Do NOT wander around saying "Hello? Hello?" Do you seriously want to alert the murderer about a potential new victim?

2. When you hear a creepy noise in the back yard, stay put! Run in the other direction!

3. When you're running, don't look back but the enemy is always in front of you!

4. Don't you dare stop to take a picture of something.

5. Leave the goddamn Ouija board alone.

6. Do not start to walk toward the trees that suddenly have creepy fog all over.

7. That little girl you see, outside the window wearing a cute little white nightgown? Don't follow her.

8. Stay away from sheds.

9. Don't even think about going in the basement.

10. Rocking chair? Don't touch. Back away slowly.

11. Don't touch the dead people either. For all you know, they're zombies.

12. Are you serious? WHY ARE YOU WALKING AROUND IN HEELS. Take those off and find some sensible shoes that you can run with.

13. If you have to pry it off a dead body, so be it.

14. Now don't go having a panic attack. Sobbing and freaking out won't help you- it's actually detrimental because now you're being loud.

15. Find a weapon.

16. Find a backup weapon.

17. Find some salt or a cross or any religious symbol (hey- you never know!)

18. Cut a slit in your dress so you can move better.

19. Stay away from the creepy dolls.

20. See the 'stuffed' clown sitting on the rocking chair? Yes, the one that looks like a murderer in disguise. Stab it!

21. No, leave dead Johnny alone and stop screaming.

22. Did you hear that? Over there in the woods, it looks like someone with blonde hair. Maybe a friend? NO! Run the other way!

23. Congratulations, you didn't die in the forest! Now get to the boat. And for heaven's sake, make sure no one is on it and there's no random hole before you leave.

24. You know the weird thing you see in the water that looks like a corpse's hand? Ignore it.

25. Don't turn towards that lovely, sirenic music you're hearing.

26. Uh oh, the engine stopped. You're now stuck in the middle of a lake. And now there seems to be a lightning storm going on. As the waves grow stronger, the boat rocks back and forth and you feel sea sick. Don't go to the edge- you might fall out.

27. Now, you're miserably crouched on the boat trying not to get sick. It's been an awful day, but you're still alive. You're surviving.

28. But then, with a gust of wind a giant shark flops on board and it eats you. #Sharknado

29. You never should have gone to that party in the first place.

30. There is no way not to die a gruesome, painful death. You can prolong your life for as long as you want, but people in horror movies die, and it's absolutely brutal.

31. And with that, Happy Halloween!

-P.E. & Mari