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Land of the Dead
In a not-so-distant future, the world has devolved and most of the population has become the animated dead. Those few that are living are called zombies. They are feared and must be hunted down and destroyed.
Conrad is one of the animated dead. A devoted husband, a loving father, he is the best zombie Hunter in the world. But when he hesitates one night in killing a living adult, his job is put in jeopardy. Instead of being outright dismissed, he is transferred to a program so secretive even the Government would deny its existence — and where Conrad soon learns a startling truth about how his own son might be in danger of becoming a zombie.
As living extremists become more emboldened and blow up a Hunter Headquarters, as a power-hungry Hunter becomes more enraged and will stop at nothing to gain absolute power, Conrad begins to question not just his profession, but his own existence. And before he knows it he is on a journey of self-discovery, remembering a past he was forced to forget, and soon finding himself not only a hunted man, but a man who must now save both his son and the entire world.
THE DISHONORED DEAD is a 100,000-word zombie thriller that includes the 3,000-word short story "In the Land of the Blind," which won 10th Annual Chiaroscuro Short Story Contest and was the inspiration for the novel, plus the 3,000-word story "The Hunter" and a bonus interview with the author.
Praise for THE DISHONORED DEAD:
"THE DISHONORED DEAD is one of the most original and gripping zombie novels I have ever read, offering a glimpse into the life of a zombie in a world turned backwards, where zombies live and humans are feared. Highly recommended!"
-- Jeremy Robinson, author of INSTINCT and THRESHOLD
"THE DISHONORED DEAD is simply brilliant, and its telling a superb achievement. Robert Swartwood has given us a wonderful twist, not only on the zombie novel, but on the dystopian tale as well. It's like BRAVE NEW WORLD meets LOGAN'S RUN, but with a bite all its own. Strongly recommended!"
-- Joe McKinney, author of APOCALYPSE OF THE DEAD and FLESH EATERS
"One of the most unique zombie novels I've ever read ... a must-read."
-- wezombie.com
"A definite page turner with lots of action, tension and suspense."
-- buyzombie.com
Conrad is one of the animated dead. A devoted husband, a loving father, he is the best zombie Hunter in the world. But when he hesitates one night in killing a living adult, his job is put in jeopardy. Instead of being outright dismissed, he is transferred to a program so secretive even the Government would deny its existence — and where Conrad soon learns a startling truth about how his own son might be in danger of becoming a zombie.
As living extremists become more emboldened and blow up a Hunter Headquarters, as a power-hungry Hunter becomes more enraged and will stop at nothing to gain absolute power, Conrad begins to question not just his profession, but his own existence. And before he knows it he is on a journey of self-discovery, remembering a past he was forced to forget, and soon finding himself not only a hunted man, but a man who must now save both his son and the entire world.
THE DISHONORED DEAD is a 100,000-word zombie thriller that includes the 3,000-word short story "In the Land of the Blind," which won 10th Annual Chiaroscuro Short Story Contest and was the inspiration for the novel, plus the 3,000-word story "The Hunter" and a bonus interview with the author.
Praise for THE DISHONORED DEAD:
"THE DISHONORED DEAD is one of the most original and gripping zombie novels I have ever read, offering a glimpse into the life of a zombie in a world turned backwards, where zombies live and humans are feared. Highly recommended!"
-- Jeremy Robinson, author of INSTINCT and THRESHOLD
"THE DISHONORED DEAD is simply brilliant, and its telling a superb achievement. Robert Swartwood has given us a wonderful twist, not only on the zombie novel, but on the dystopian tale as well. It's like BRAVE NEW WORLD meets LOGAN'S RUN, but with a bite all its own. Strongly recommended!"
-- Joe McKinney, author of APOCALYPSE OF THE DEAD and FLESH EATERS
"One of the most unique zombie novels I've ever read ... a must-read."
-- wezombie.com
"A definite page turner with lots of action, tension and suspense."
-- buyzombie.com
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 11, 2011
212 people are currently reading
908 people want to read
About the author
Robert Swartwood
62 books308 followersUSA Today bestselling and ITW Thriller Award–winning author of The Serial Killer's Wife, The Killing Room, Man of Wax, and several other novels. He created the term "hint fiction" and edited Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 30, 2013
like the idea behind this book, as it is done from the perspective of a zombie world where the living humans are the outcasts and monsters. Did find it a bit odd that the living humans are known in the dead world as "zombies" when it is clearly the dead that are such! I suppose this is because of the alternative viewpoint of the novel but this means that the author has to come up with a different name for the dead themselves i.e. the animated dead (in other words zombies!?!) It reminded me of the film called Daybreakers where vampires are the norm and humans are hunted.
I did read all of the story and found it fairly gripping. It was adequately well written. However, there are too many failings for me and i just wish it had all been done better. For example, there is too little explanation for the whole animated dead existence - apparently, it has just happened!? They have no beating heart or working lungs etc so shouldn't have ANY of the living bodily functions and yet they eat and reproduce as normal!?
When children reach the age of 10 they are called by an energy giving cube called a Pandora, which has the ability to bring them to life but this is not desirable in the dead world (in fact newly-made 10 year old "zombies" are hunted down and killed). Conrad knows that his son is starting to hear the call of his own Pandora and it occurs to him to have his son monitored but why, when he ends up working with "zombies" (living humans) who collect the Pandoras, does it not occur to him to just have one of them find his son's nearby Pandora and confiscate it?!!
The animated dead are not supposed to have imagination or emotions but are not convincingly portrayed as not possessing these. All the "dead" characters act like ordinary human beings and the only way the author reminds you that they are not is through awkward phrases such as "animation day" instead of "birthday", rather than in an effective portrayal of their difference. Strangely, the character who seems the most "dead" is Conrad himself and I found him unsympathetic, especially as he seems to fall in with the "zombie" cause by accident (because of his new job). I expected him to gradually accept the living as equals but he is always scathing towards Gabriel and his arguments. You feel that if his son hadn't become a "zombie", he wouldn't have gone along with them at all!
To my mind, the author has relied too much on the originality of his idea and hasn't backed it up with the strength and depth that it really deserved.
I did read all of the story and found it fairly gripping. It was adequately well written. However, there are too many failings for me and i just wish it had all been done better. For example, there is too little explanation for the whole animated dead existence - apparently, it has just happened!? They have no beating heart or working lungs etc so shouldn't have ANY of the living bodily functions and yet they eat and reproduce as normal!?
When children reach the age of 10 they are called by an energy giving cube called a Pandora, which has the ability to bring them to life but this is not desirable in the dead world (in fact newly-made 10 year old "zombies" are hunted down and killed). Conrad knows that his son is starting to hear the call of his own Pandora and it occurs to him to have his son monitored but why, when he ends up working with "zombies" (living humans) who collect the Pandoras, does it not occur to him to just have one of them find his son's nearby Pandora and confiscate it?!!
The animated dead are not supposed to have imagination or emotions but are not convincingly portrayed as not possessing these. All the "dead" characters act like ordinary human beings and the only way the author reminds you that they are not is through awkward phrases such as "animation day" instead of "birthday", rather than in an effective portrayal of their difference. Strangely, the character who seems the most "dead" is Conrad himself and I found him unsympathetic, especially as he seems to fall in with the "zombie" cause by accident (because of his new job). I expected him to gradually accept the living as equals but he is always scathing towards Gabriel and his arguments. You feel that if his son hadn't become a "zombie", he wouldn't have gone along with them at all!
To my mind, the author has relied too much on the originality of his idea and hasn't backed it up with the strength and depth that it really deserved.
March 18, 2017
If you love zombie books but are tired of the same old thing, then get this book. Swartwood did an excellent job with providing us with a "different" zombie. There were a few things that bothered me but overall I really enjoyed this book.
October 2, 2011
Attention people these are NOT your ordinary zombies!!! And for once they are NOT after your brains!!! But please don't make the mistake that this means they are any less likely to kill you.
The dead in Swartwood's new novel are just like us. They have jobs, kids, families. The main difference is they simply aren't alive. Instead of dying, they expire. Basically they rot away. The are other differences too. For example they don't see color. Their world is black, white and various shades of grey. They are also taught from a young age to fear the living, or zombies, as they call them. They even play video games where the main objective is to kill impossibly deadly living. Why are the living so scary? Mainly because they have imagination. A dangerous and destructive force, that is believed to be the reason why the living lost the wars in the first place.It's such a dangerous force any dead person actually showing imagination is to be 'expired' immediately.
Conrad is no different than any other Hunter. Until one night he hesitates to kill a living. That sets into motion a series of events that slowly unravel every truth he has ever learned. Did the 'zombies' really lose the war? If so why is everything in the dead world named after the living? What else is the government hiding? What are the Pandora's cubes? Who keeps creating them and why?
I love what Swartwood has done with Dishonored Dead. It's truly from the dead's perspective. Despite the rotting andfalling apart and the whole 'dead' thing, they really are just like us. They love and hate. They keep dark secrets.And they just want to live out their dreams and be happy like any other human being. Their point of view is just a little...well a little off. The way that Swartwood brings that perspective to life, or should I say death, is unique and quite entertaining. There are some dark parts to this book. For example the torture of a 'zombie' child in an effort to get it's parents to reveal critical information. It is definitely not a kids book. Not just from the blood and gore scenes, there are also a few deep themes running through the book. For example the idea of the living and the dead being able to coexist versus the idea of complete genocide of the living in favor of the dead. These themes do not detract from the story itself though, and if you are looking for a 'fresh' zombie read I would definitely recommend this one!
In compliance with FTC guidelines, I'm disclosing that I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
(I may I recomend everybody should go check out all the awesome first read giveaways they have!)
The dead in Swartwood's new novel are just like us. They have jobs, kids, families. The main difference is they simply aren't alive. Instead of dying, they expire. Basically they rot away. The are other differences too. For example they don't see color. Their world is black, white and various shades of grey. They are also taught from a young age to fear the living, or zombies, as they call them. They even play video games where the main objective is to kill impossibly deadly living. Why are the living so scary? Mainly because they have imagination. A dangerous and destructive force, that is believed to be the reason why the living lost the wars in the first place.It's such a dangerous force any dead person actually showing imagination is to be 'expired' immediately.
Conrad is no different than any other Hunter. Until one night he hesitates to kill a living. That sets into motion a series of events that slowly unravel every truth he has ever learned. Did the 'zombies' really lose the war? If so why is everything in the dead world named after the living? What else is the government hiding? What are the Pandora's cubes? Who keeps creating them and why?
I love what Swartwood has done with Dishonored Dead. It's truly from the dead's perspective. Despite the rotting andfalling apart and the whole 'dead' thing, they really are just like us. They love and hate. They keep dark secrets.And they just want to live out their dreams and be happy like any other human being. Their point of view is just a little...well a little off. The way that Swartwood brings that perspective to life, or should I say death, is unique and quite entertaining. There are some dark parts to this book. For example the torture of a 'zombie' child in an effort to get it's parents to reveal critical information. It is definitely not a kids book. Not just from the blood and gore scenes, there are also a few deep themes running through the book. For example the idea of the living and the dead being able to coexist versus the idea of complete genocide of the living in favor of the dead. These themes do not detract from the story itself though, and if you are looking for a 'fresh' zombie read I would definitely recommend this one!
In compliance with FTC guidelines, I'm disclosing that I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
(I may I recomend everybody should go check out all the awesome first read giveaways they have!)
December 3, 2015
This is by far one of the most original concepts for a zombie novel I've read. The dead rule the world, hunting the living which are referred to as "zombies," while existing with families, jobs, maybe even a Starbucks, though I don't recall reading about one.
Unfortunately the concept trumped the plotting of the novel, and while I was intrigued and impressed to begin with, the story started stalling for me around the mid-way point. Villains were introduced with completely unbelievable motives, giving the classic "villain explanations" regarding their sinister plots, the dialogue became an explanation of what the characters were going to do, each character spoke exactly the same (even minor characters), and the story crawled toward an ending that was just too easy to predict.
5 stars for the concept and first half of the novel. With a little trimming and some extra attention this could have been a real gem.
Unfortunately the concept trumped the plotting of the novel, and while I was intrigued and impressed to begin with, the story started stalling for me around the mid-way point. Villains were introduced with completely unbelievable motives, giving the classic "villain explanations" regarding their sinister plots, the dialogue became an explanation of what the characters were going to do, each character spoke exactly the same (even minor characters), and the story crawled toward an ending that was just too easy to predict.
5 stars for the concept and first half of the novel. With a little trimming and some extra attention this could have been a real gem.
June 30, 2013
This is a book about race and class, politics and terrorism, family and love. It is social commentary and environmental commentary.
In the most trite of phrases on these reviews, "it is not your typical zombie story". It is, however, most awesome.
Set in a world where zombies are the norm and the remnants of the living are exterminated like vermin, "The Dishonored Dead" follows Conrad, an undead Hunter of humans who refuses to kill a human one day and gets caught up in terrorist plots, government uprisings, human conspiracies. He becomes embroiled in a secret governmental group called Living Intelligence, who seek to better understand humans in order to prolong their own zombie existences. They seek out Pandoras, which are buried, quartz-like structures that call to 10-year-old zombie children with a heart-beat sound, each to its own zombie child, and turn them into human beings upon touch.
Conrad is one of the world's most famous Hunters. And his son is about to turn 10.
The writing in this story is superb. I was immediately sucked in and couldn't put the book down once I got started. The little details of zombie life - they don't have living rooms in their house, they have existence rooms. Birthdays are animation days. Everything is grey. Only humans see color and experience emotions - maybe.
Want a great read? Pick this up.
In the most trite of phrases on these reviews, "it is not your typical zombie story". It is, however, most awesome.
Set in a world where zombies are the norm and the remnants of the living are exterminated like vermin, "The Dishonored Dead" follows Conrad, an undead Hunter of humans who refuses to kill a human one day and gets caught up in terrorist plots, government uprisings, human conspiracies. He becomes embroiled in a secret governmental group called Living Intelligence, who seek to better understand humans in order to prolong their own zombie existences. They seek out Pandoras, which are buried, quartz-like structures that call to 10-year-old zombie children with a heart-beat sound, each to its own zombie child, and turn them into human beings upon touch.
Conrad is one of the world's most famous Hunters. And his son is about to turn 10.
The writing in this story is superb. I was immediately sucked in and couldn't put the book down once I got started. The little details of zombie life - they don't have living rooms in their house, they have existence rooms. Birthdays are animation days. Everything is grey. Only humans see color and experience emotions - maybe.
Want a great read? Pick this up.
April 24, 2011
A punch in the gut. A family history, with a secret. A marriage disolving, when it can be saved, a father protecting his wife and children while trying to save the world from the monsters. A truth revealed, traitors and a society that fears any differences. Add into this mix a world that doesn't know it's own history. Great job by Robert. He doesn't make the mistake of explaining how the world got to this point, sticking to a strong story and the people involved. I would love to rave about it more, but then this will have so many spoilers, it would ruin the story for you.
April 23, 2015
I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaways.
This is probably the best zombie novel I've ever read, and I very much would like to read a sequel.
Wonderfully written, very original, consistent, didn't want to put it down.
This is probably the best zombie novel I've ever read, and I very much would like to read a sequel.
Wonderfully written, very original, consistent, didn't want to put it down.
July 10, 2021
Subverts the Zombie genre completely.
Another fantastic piece of writing in terms of imagination and twists and turns. However, it ends too suddenly, a habit with Swartwood, taking away from the genius.
What frustrates most is the writer refuses to use imagery and other linguistic techniques which would elevant the work from being good to excellent. He needs to read Dean Koontz. While Koontz can take it too far, Swartwood doesn't even attempt imagery. It makes the writing lack-lustre at times.
Another fantastic piece of writing in terms of imagination and twists and turns. However, it ends too suddenly, a habit with Swartwood, taking away from the genius.
What frustrates most is the writer refuses to use imagery and other linguistic techniques which would elevant the work from being good to excellent. He needs to read Dean Koontz. While Koontz can take it too far, Swartwood doesn't even attempt imagery. It makes the writing lack-lustre at times.
August 28, 2017
I got a hundred pages into this before I bailed. Usually I don't review/react to books I don't finish, but it seemed worth an exception. I wanted to like this. The base idea, about a world where the zombies have won the zombie war, held promise. The execution just did nothing for me. Clunky, full of poorly examined ideas, awkward prose, flat characters, poor world building: name a problem, this book had it.
July 27, 2021
Talk about about a book that's got a twist to the plot,the whole storyline is TWISTED!! The book is a psychological gory mindf**k!! The author is a dystopian,apocalyptic genius!! I despised Conrad's character,there's nothing he could've done to make me like him(NOTHING!) I truly believe Denise and Kyle will be the Sarah and John O'Connor of the Land of the Living Dead.
June 28, 2023
A Must Read Book
A different take for a zombie novel. Well written, keeps your attention. A totally engrossing story with many twists and turns. The editing is excellent. I especially like the fact that is a complete story. The main character is a complex individual as is the storyline and keeps you turning page after page. You will not be disappointed.
A different take for a zombie novel. Well written, keeps your attention. A totally engrossing story with many twists and turns. The editing is excellent. I especially like the fact that is a complete story. The main character is a complex individual as is the storyline and keeps you turning page after page. You will not be disappointed.
January 16, 2025
I'm a walking dead fan but his tale is nothing like the zombies that we know and love. The dead rule the cities, the people, and the world. The living are the creatures scheduled for annihilation. A very interesting concept. A twist.
July 17, 2017
Great twist of a story
I've read also of zombie books but this one has managed to turn the tables. A really good book with a nice writing style. Very much enjoyed.
I've read also of zombie books but this one has managed to turn the tables. A really good book with a nice writing style. Very much enjoyed.
January 14, 2018
Just couldn't get into it. The premise was interesting for about 5 minutes and then got worn.
January 9, 2022
Sorry to say that I have to DNF this one. The premise was good, but the story has nowhere to go from here.
Read
June 6, 2022DNF
July 24, 2018
The concept for this novel is 5 stars. It's an interesting premise but the execution is absolutely terrible. If you write a book about zombies where the dead are the ruling class and the living are the "zombies" then why would you make the zombies EXACTLY like living people??? There are references to the dead not having imagination, not having feelings, etc and yet the dead in this book cry out in pain when they're hurt, they fall in love, they have BABIES, and they act in every way like normal people do.
The only notable differences are the parts about zombies decaying and having to use special lotions. The author could have done so much more to make the animated dead different from the living. It was such a waste of a good concept.
There was a short story at the end of the book that the author wrote a long time ago which was later expanded into what this novel became. That short story was SO much better than the book! It was an entertaining read and it shows that the author had a cool concept but he didn't have the skills to expand it into a full book. Once he tried to develop it into a full book everything fell apart.
Even going past the poor execution of a great concept the book still fails. The characters are terrible. The main character is stupid and we're told he's a great hunter but it's never shown. The villain is absurd and straight out of a comic book. The supporting characters are weak, people randomly decide to act out of character and "turn bad". It's like the author was just polling plot twists out of a hat. What a waste of time.
The only notable differences are the parts about zombies decaying and having to use special lotions. The author could have done so much more to make the animated dead different from the living. It was such a waste of a good concept.
There was a short story at the end of the book that the author wrote a long time ago which was later expanded into what this novel became. That short story was SO much better than the book! It was an entertaining read and it shows that the author had a cool concept but he didn't have the skills to expand it into a full book. Once he tried to develop it into a full book everything fell apart.
Even going past the poor execution of a great concept the book still fails. The characters are terrible. The main character is stupid and we're told he's a great hunter but it's never shown. The villain is absurd and straight out of a comic book. The supporting characters are weak, people randomly decide to act out of character and "turn bad". It's like the author was just polling plot twists out of a hat. What a waste of time.
May 25, 2015
I like the idea of the self-aware undead. I've never read a zombie novel quite like this one; Robert Swartwood's animated dead are intelligent. They talk. They live in houses and drive cars. They go to work, get married, have kids. They have a government, and they aren't "zombies." The zombies are the living. The animated dead rule the world--they think they are the next step in human evolution. The tables are turned from the traditional zombie lore: the living are feared and hunted, and the animated dead can turn into the living.
The book is well written and is definitely a page turner... It was one of those "just one more chapter" books that take you into the wee hours of the morning. But entertaining factor aside, I felt the plot was loose and there wasn't much depth to the story.
There's not much of a link between the antagonist (Philip) and the protagonist (Conrad). Apparently Philip basically stalks Conrad and does all these horrible things to him because he doesn't like him. And why doesn't he like him? Just because. There's obviously some jealousy there but that component of the story is weak, too (not to mention Philip has a rather rapid rise from Conrad's coworker to evil leader of the dead world).
The "evolution" of the animated dead is never explained except for "one day everyone in the world was living and...the next day half of the world was the animated dead." The origin of the Pandoras (the presumably naturally occurring cubes that turn the dead into the living) also lacks any explanation. They just ARE.
There were moments where I didn't fully follow the significance of whatever was happening (and which ultimately ended up being largely unimportant in the aggregate), not to mention a couple "well, that escalated quickly" comments to myself (I admit it, I talk to myself when I read...).
In short: super entertaining and gripping (in the "oh my god what happens next" sense) but not much substance.
The book is well written and is definitely a page turner... It was one of those "just one more chapter" books that take you into the wee hours of the morning. But entertaining factor aside, I felt the plot was loose and there wasn't much depth to the story.
There's not much of a link between the antagonist (Philip) and the protagonist (Conrad). Apparently Philip basically stalks Conrad and does all these horrible things to him because he doesn't like him. And why doesn't he like him? Just because. There's obviously some jealousy there but that component of the story is weak, too (not to mention Philip has a rather rapid rise from Conrad's coworker to evil leader of the dead world).
The "evolution" of the animated dead is never explained except for "one day everyone in the world was living and...the next day half of the world was the animated dead." The origin of the Pandoras (the presumably naturally occurring cubes that turn the dead into the living) also lacks any explanation. They just ARE.
There were moments where I didn't fully follow the significance of whatever was happening (and which ultimately ended up being largely unimportant in the aggregate), not to mention a couple "well, that escalated quickly" comments to myself (I admit it, I talk to myself when I read...).
In short: super entertaining and gripping (in the "oh my god what happens next" sense) but not much substance.
October 5, 2011
It was such a twist on the typical zombie stories.
In this book the "zombies" are actually us the living! We are hunted down, killed, or captured and used as lab rats, by the dead. There is an elite group of men called the "hunters" and their mission in life is to kill as many zombies as they can.
One day Conrad, leader of the hunters fails to kill a zombie and suddenly his whole life is changed. He finds out that the government has a top secret agency that they wont even acknowledge exist. Conrad is thrown into this world and he slowly starts questioning his existence, he questions everything. He eventually realizes that he had a deep dark secret from his childhood. One that if he wants to believe could change everything.
AND thats all your getting from me about the story line lol
Anyways, I loved this book. Its not just a book where the living and the dead have a war and blah blah...Its a really good story, and it evokes emotion aswell. I cant count how many times I actually felt anger reading this book, there were parts where it made me smile, and the ending made me want to cry.
I will be reading more of Robert's books.
July 25, 2015
A zombie novel with a twist. Where the earth is populated by the dead,who live and act as though they are alive. They have families, lives, jobs. The "zombies" are the living who are almost extinct and who are constantly being hunter to eradicate them. Children are in danger of turning into a "zombie" when they turn 10. They hear a beating heart noise, go looking and digging, they find a cube called a Pandora Box and this is what changes them to a "zombie" if they get to hold it. Often Hunters come along and stop them from holding it, but when they do hold it they become a living zombie. If Hunters find them, they are killed. Sometimes their family will try to hide them. This is the story of one Hunter who works for a special government department who investigates the "zombies" he finds himself working with zombies to track down buried pandora boxes to put into storage. He eventually finds out that he almost turned into a "zombie" when he was 10, and finding his original pandora box is what causes a ripple effect, where all the boxes explode across the world and change the dead into living "zombies". A good read written from a totally different viewpoint of zombies.
April 24, 2013
The "usual" zombie book is zombies uprising/a hero survivor/ hero joins up with group/group treks across country for some reason/ dissention fractures group/lots of people die/ continued in sequel. If you've read a lot of these, like me, they are probably a big zombie blur in your mind; and you can't quite remember one from another. This book is not that. It's a thoughtful look at a world 1000 years after the zombie apocolypse, after the undead have evolved and created a new, dead world. The "living" are now the "zombies" who are hunted and destroyed. If you are a fan of zombie books, you NEED to read this one...it will haunt you.
October 31, 2016
Really enjoyed this one - couldn't put it down. Read it at work, at home, everywhere.
Plotwise? It's Planet of the Apes with zombies.
However, the storytelling is masterful. Each character voice is distinct, I hate all the right people and care about the same. There's a few unlikely heroes and a couple of unlikely villains as well. The tension was kept up throughout without needless amounts of action or gore, but the gore and action there was was well done. The thing with the Pandora's felt kind of out of place, but fair play, the author made it work.
Based on this book, I would read other works by this author.
Plotwise? It's Planet of the Apes with zombies.
However, the storytelling is masterful. Each character voice is distinct, I hate all the right people and care about the same. There's a few unlikely heroes and a couple of unlikely villains as well. The tension was kept up throughout without needless amounts of action or gore, but the gore and action there was was well done. The thing with the Pandora's felt kind of out of place, but fair play, the author made it work.
Based on this book, I would read other works by this author.
September 9, 2016
An interesting twist to the classic zombie tale, where the zombie is actually the living minority after an apocalypse.
Although not a new concept, switching the tables on the majority in the future, this one is thoroughly fleshed out in the book.
Some stuff is still unexplainable, like how a dead mother can give birth to dead babies, and how the dead can mature from infant to grown up, but 'whatever', go with it and pay attention to the plot.
Not a bad story, if you don't mind a too convenient plot device that saves the world in the end.
Although not a new concept, switching the tables on the majority in the future, this one is thoroughly fleshed out in the book.
Some stuff is still unexplainable, like how a dead mother can give birth to dead babies, and how the dead can mature from infant to grown up, but 'whatever', go with it and pay attention to the plot.
Not a bad story, if you don't mind a too convenient plot device that saves the world in the end.
March 1, 2013
The twist is kind of intriguing: The book is about the dead. But the dead see the few remaining living as zombies.
The dead have a society, they live (exist) just like the living did. Only they are dead, and stuff.
However, the main character is a feeble ass, most of the plot is based on him not doing shit, and on his wife and him not communicating.
The book could easily have been edited to half the length and profited from it.
This is a good idea turned into a very tedious read. Sadly enough.
Not for me.
The dead have a society, they live (exist) just like the living did. Only they are dead, and stuff.
However, the main character is a feeble ass, most of the plot is based on him not doing shit, and on his wife and him not communicating.
The book could easily have been edited to half the length and profited from it.
This is a good idea turned into a very tedious read. Sadly enough.
Not for me.
November 10, 2011
Zombies are everywhere, and they're just like us! No, really, they are. In this future, the "zombies" are the living, and the "animated dead" are the protagonists. It's an interesting twist in an interesting tale; one in which the reader may not be quite sure whose side to root for.
For me, this novel got better once it got rolling. The setup was a little long for my taste, but it turned out to be a fun and satisfying read.
"What if...?"
For me, this novel got better once it got rolling. The setup was a little long for my taste, but it turned out to be a fun and satisfying read.
"What if...?"
May 22, 2016
This was an excellent read! I didn't want to put it down. It is a different take on the zombie universe and provides a different story to an outcome on a zombie war. The version I read included two additional short stories by Robert Swartwood which gave a futher glimpse into his zombie universe. I would love to see more stories from him in this world. Or to see something interpreted for the screen or graphic novels. If you are a fan of zombies, I believe you will thoroughly enjoy this read.
May 16, 2013
On the positive side this story has an interesting and unique look about the living dead and what we percieve as zombies. I did not enjoy the carnage and sadistic torture of children in great detail. The ending left me dissapointed because of the lack of closure to the characters. It left too many questions and I'm not sure if I really care enough to want the answers.
April 24, 2012
A great twist on the zombie genre. I would have preferred a more scientific approach to the "solution" for dealing with the dead but once you accept the fantasy notion of the cubes the story really moves along. Predictable ending but still very satisfying.
January 8, 2012
An interesting new look at zombies and humans
November 2, 2013
LOVED this book & all others that I have read by Robert Swartwood!! Can't wait to read more by him, great author with great books that are impossible to put down once you start reading
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