A NIGHT OWL REVIEWS BOOK REVIEW | Reviewed by: Crisgee
Ever since First Night, when the zombies rose and overran human cities, Benny and Tom Imura have lived in relative security in Mountainside. Benny hates his brother Tom, despising Tom for his cowardice when Tom took Benny and ran, abandoning their stricken parents on First Night. Now Tom makes his living as a bounty hunter, one who gives closure to the zombies that can be identified by their living families, but Benny can't believe that cowardly Tom can take on any of the shambling zombies. But Benny may have to join the family business and spend his days with Tom, since Benny can't find any other employment that suits him in Mountainside. When Tom takes his young apprentice out into the Rot and Ruin, Benny discovers that the people he thought he admired, other bounty hunters with more flash, are not the people who he thought they were--and neither is his brother. An apocalyptic adventure with solid world building, including western frontier overtones, some wicked katana skills and two brothers who are trying to find some sort of common ground, Rot & Ruin is a superlative zombie hunting tale. Benny is a complex character who starts out shallow and bitter, but he develops into a compassionate and brave young adult at a believable pace in the novel. When Benny and Tom go out into the Rot and Ruin to find the Lost Girl, a feral teenage girl zombie killer, and to recover a kidnapped girl from cruel bounty hunters who believe that might makes right, Benny shows his mettle, as well as his kindness. Most of the violence is off scene, the author doesn't glorify any zombie digestive habits, and the humans are just as scary as the zombies. There is even some laugh out loud dialogue in the brothers' banter, which adds some levity to the zombie hunting. This is definitely recommended for teen boy readers, though the female readers will also be happy with the competence, courage and strength shown by the novel's female characters.
Dec 09, 2011 | 9781442402331
5 - Rare Top Pick | 4.5 - Top Pick | 4 - I Liked It | 3.5 - Enjoyable | 3 - OK | 2.5 - It just didn't click
Book Blurb for Rot & Ruin
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.
|