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The Zona
Welcome to the Arizona Reformed Theocracy, otherwise called The Zona. Here the Church rules with power absolute. The laws are simple: all sin is punished swiftly. Preachers enforce the Church's words like old West lawmen. But what happens when a Preacher refuses to kill? What happens when men of honor take a stand against their rulers?
252 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 2012
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798 people want to read
About the author
Nathan L. Yocum
11 books61 followersNathan L. Yocum is an author, teacher, and entrepreneur living on the Big Island of Hawai'i. His novels, The Zona, Automatic Woman, and The Strong Brain are available through Curiosity Quills Publishing.
He is also the editor-in-chief of SpecLit Masters Magazine and has short stories featured in Writers on the Wrong Side of the Road, Lamplight Dark Fiction Quarterly (Issue #1), Curiosity Quills Primetime, and Curiosity Quills After Dark.
He is also the editor-in-chief of SpecLit Masters Magazine and has short stories featured in Writers on the Wrong Side of the Road, Lamplight Dark Fiction Quarterly (Issue #1), Curiosity Quills Primetime, and Curiosity Quills After Dark.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
August 21, 2014
Environmental apocalypse is coming! (No, really it is.) THE ZONA is a novel that warns of what could come after. It chilled me, even though it's set in a miserably hot re-desert-ified Southwest. I've posted my fixed-up review on my blog..
High order scariness written by a man not afraid to scare your socks off. 4.25 stars for a debut novel. Now that's goin' some.
When that Hunger Games juvenilia gets bestsellerdom and movie money, this far better dystopia gets too little. Baffles me.
High order scariness written by a man not afraid to scare your socks off. 4.25 stars for a debut novel. Now that's goin' some.
When that Hunger Games juvenilia gets bestsellerdom and movie money, this far better dystopia gets too little. Baffles me.
October 20, 2011
This is an interesting, post apocalyptic story, set in a violent, destroyed future American southwest (Arizona, Utah, etc), which follows a "Preacher" named Lead and warring groups of religious extremists who are trying to control the future, apocalyptic world via their own violent versions of religion.
Gritty and graphic, I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the post apocalyptic genre. And the book ends with the possibility of a sequel, which I would be very interested in reading if it is written.
Gritty and graphic, I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the post apocalyptic genre. And the book ends with the possibility of a sequel, which I would be very interested in reading if it is written.
August 11, 2013
Book Info: Genre: Post-apocalyptic
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: fans of dark post-apocalyptic fantasy
Trigger Warnings: religious persecution (by which I mean the persecution of people by religious dogmatics), torture, murder, killing, violence
My Thoughts: I decided to go ahead and read this book after reading Automatic Woman and liking the writing style. This is a very dark book, but a most engaging one. I was impressed by the author's ability with description; each scene was sharp and distinct in my inner eye. This would make an amazing movie.
A lot of this book is basically about man's inhumanity to man, about what happens when power-hungry dogmatics take control and continue to live by the old memories. The destruction of the peaceful people by religious nuts who remember how things used to be and use those old memories rather than learning if things have changed made me furious.
There's some interesting ideas put forward in this book. Like this one:
A common problem with all Curiosity Quills publications is a problem with editing. I have yet to read a CQ book that is well edited, which is a shame because they put out some really excellent books and stories that some people will refuse to read due to the haphazard editing. In this book there was a lot of problem with homonyms, such as “shown” for “shone”, and missing and extra words. I would recommend CQ find some good freelance editors to supplement their editorial staff, which should improve their overall reputation. If you aren't bothered by editing errors, if you're willing to look beyond that and enjoy a really good story, you really can't go wrong with a CQ book, however. This one I would recommend to anyone interested in post-apocalyptic dark fantasy, especially as relating to how religious zealots can make things that much worse. I really enjoyed the book, but it was a downer. I need to find something light and cheerful to perk myself back up.
Disclosure: I picked this book up for free on Amazon. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: The Storms came, and with them disease and blight like mankind had never experienced. Most died, and those who didn't were quick to scramble for weapons, wealth, and control. Petty lords gave way to new societies, and from the ashes of old came the Reformed Arizona Theocracy, or simply put, the Zona. The laws are simple, all sins are punished swiftly and violently. The enforcers, otherwise known as Preachers, roam the lands hunting disgraced men and women. But what happens when Preachers stop killing? What happens when men of honor take a stand against their rulers?
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: fans of dark post-apocalyptic fantasy
Trigger Warnings: religious persecution (by which I mean the persecution of people by religious dogmatics), torture, murder, killing, violence
My Thoughts: I decided to go ahead and read this book after reading Automatic Woman and liking the writing style. This is a very dark book, but a most engaging one. I was impressed by the author's ability with description; each scene was sharp and distinct in my inner eye. This would make an amazing movie.
A lot of this book is basically about man's inhumanity to man, about what happens when power-hungry dogmatics take control and continue to live by the old memories. The destruction of the peaceful people by religious nuts who remember how things used to be and use those old memories rather than learning if things have changed made me furious.
There's some interesting ideas put forward in this book. Like this one:
“Church and God ain't the same thing. From what I know, God's perfect. The Church makes mistakes... God's about order, Church is about power, as best as I can figure, to be against one is not to be against the other.”
Then also: “Good people will outlast the rule of the Church. No rule of law lasts for long, and there is nothing that can wholly destroy the good and evil that lives in man. It's ours to own for the duration of time and whatever exists beyond.”
A common problem with all Curiosity Quills publications is a problem with editing. I have yet to read a CQ book that is well edited, which is a shame because they put out some really excellent books and stories that some people will refuse to read due to the haphazard editing. In this book there was a lot of problem with homonyms, such as “shown” for “shone”, and missing and extra words. I would recommend CQ find some good freelance editors to supplement their editorial staff, which should improve their overall reputation. If you aren't bothered by editing errors, if you're willing to look beyond that and enjoy a really good story, you really can't go wrong with a CQ book, however. This one I would recommend to anyone interested in post-apocalyptic dark fantasy, especially as relating to how religious zealots can make things that much worse. I really enjoyed the book, but it was a downer. I need to find something light and cheerful to perk myself back up.
Disclosure: I picked this book up for free on Amazon. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: The Storms came, and with them disease and blight like mankind had never experienced. Most died, and those who didn't were quick to scramble for weapons, wealth, and control. Petty lords gave way to new societies, and from the ashes of old came the Reformed Arizona Theocracy, or simply put, the Zona. The laws are simple, all sins are punished swiftly and violently. The enforcers, otherwise known as Preachers, roam the lands hunting disgraced men and women. But what happens when Preachers stop killing? What happens when men of honor take a stand against their rulers?
May 25, 2012
The Zona was a short, post-apocalyptic story that took me almost two weeks to read. It felt like I had read it before and it was lacking originality. The first half bored me to death, mostly because I couldn't connect with the characters and didn't really care about what happened to them. . I enjoyed the last fourth of the book though and was practically sitting on the edge of my seat, eating my finger nails off! The ending grabbed my attention because it was gruesome and had a shock value... I would have been just as happy to find out the main character died at the end instead of making it to the Pueblo though. This is like one of those really bad action movies where everything in it sucks, but the special effects are really cool so you tell your friends to go and see it anyway.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2011
Why did I let this book sit on my shelf for so long? I'm very impressed with the writing and the story. I'm not going to say that I necessarily enjoy characters ;) suffering, but it is one of the elements of a good dystopian story, and this had plenty of that. Most of the population is wiped out by floods and plagues, and there are only a few survivors left who live in deplorable conditions. I would recommend this to fans of The Passage, and it kind of reminded me of the old Jeremiah TV show. My only complaint...too short! I was just settling in, and now it's over. :(
November 21, 2011
This is a tiny PA slice of life from one small corner of the world....Arizona now called Zona...several years after storms and floods and God knows what else have ended life as we know it. This isn’t a story of the apocalypse itself but what remains of this one part of the world after the waters and storms have somewhat receded. The author doesn't go much into what caused the apocalypse other than to hint that it was brought on by climate change. No matter, in any event, it's now an ugly world. A very ugly world. There are no lucky ones in this story except maybe the people who were lucky enough not to survive the initial storms and disasters.
The main character, Lead, (and we do find out eventually why it is Lead as in "Leed", not Lead as in rhymes with "head"), is a now disgraced ex-preacher on the run from the "Church", a so-called, religious sect that is the authority in the Zona. The Church uses religious indoctrination, food, fear and torture as a way of controlling the few people dumb enough to have survived the apocalypse. The Church’s preachers don’t preach. They are sent out by the Church, without knowledge as to why, to assassinate or apprehend people whom the Church has deemed for one reason or another to be sinners or enemies.
The book starts seemingly without a purpose but slowly unfolds a couple of dozen pages into the 115 page story. It follows Lead as he begins his journey across the harsh and unyielding deserts of the Zona first simply to escape sure death at the hands of the Church and later to what he hopes is a new life away from the influence of the Church in the now almost mythical city of New Pueblo. He runs into all kinds of problems and meets various helpful and interesting characters on his journey and we learn much about his and these other characters’ often poignant back stories. Lead, a young child when the whole end of the world went down, is no superman, no genius and is not possessed with any superior morals or powers. He is just a poor sap who like everyone else, did what he had to do to survive. The horrors he faces aren’t necessarily that different or harsher than the horrors any of the other survivors have had to face. The amazing thing is that even though Lead has survived these horrors, he still has managed to retain even a tiny bit of humanity and morality.
Even though I wouldn’t call this story sweet and easy in anyway, it was a short and enjoyable read. The author is quite a wordsmith. Although his words and sentences were simple, he managed to place these few simple words together in such a way as to describe the scene and place you right there, so that you feel the gravity of the situation and the emotion of the character perfectly as in this example from page 33:
“Lead drifted in and out of dreams. His body radiated heat that refused to cool in early morning air. Dirt coated his chest and arms thick, like a tailored shirt. Terence tipped flat warm water into his mouth. Droplets ran down Lead’s chest, streaking the layers of dirt.” Each word that the author chooses packs a punch, tells a story. And there were dozens of these little gems in the book.
Although there were a few spelling and grammatical errors (these were nothing that a good editor wouldn’t have caught) and the book in its entirety wasn’t perfect (and the author certainly is enamored of the Van Cleef ), it was a joy to read specifically because of the author’s mastery of the written word that included gems like the one above and other pearls of logic such as this from page 35: “Yes, but my sin wasn’t against God. My sin was against the Church. Church and God ain’t the same thing. From what I know, God’s perfect. The Church makes mistakes.” Amen to that.
The main character, Lead, (and we do find out eventually why it is Lead as in "Leed", not Lead as in rhymes with "head"), is a now disgraced ex-preacher on the run from the "Church", a so-called, religious sect that is the authority in the Zona. The Church uses religious indoctrination, food, fear and torture as a way of controlling the few people dumb enough to have survived the apocalypse. The Church’s preachers don’t preach. They are sent out by the Church, without knowledge as to why, to assassinate or apprehend people whom the Church has deemed for one reason or another to be sinners or enemies.
The book starts seemingly without a purpose but slowly unfolds a couple of dozen pages into the 115 page story. It follows Lead as he begins his journey across the harsh and unyielding deserts of the Zona first simply to escape sure death at the hands of the Church and later to what he hopes is a new life away from the influence of the Church in the now almost mythical city of New Pueblo. He runs into all kinds of problems and meets various helpful and interesting characters on his journey and we learn much about his and these other characters’ often poignant back stories. Lead, a young child when the whole end of the world went down, is no superman, no genius and is not possessed with any superior morals or powers. He is just a poor sap who like everyone else, did what he had to do to survive. The horrors he faces aren’t necessarily that different or harsher than the horrors any of the other survivors have had to face. The amazing thing is that even though Lead has survived these horrors, he still has managed to retain even a tiny bit of humanity and morality.
Even though I wouldn’t call this story sweet and easy in anyway, it was a short and enjoyable read. The author is quite a wordsmith. Although his words and sentences were simple, he managed to place these few simple words together in such a way as to describe the scene and place you right there, so that you feel the gravity of the situation and the emotion of the character perfectly as in this example from page 33:
“Lead drifted in and out of dreams. His body radiated heat that refused to cool in early morning air. Dirt coated his chest and arms thick, like a tailored shirt. Terence tipped flat warm water into his mouth. Droplets ran down Lead’s chest, streaking the layers of dirt.” Each word that the author chooses packs a punch, tells a story. And there were dozens of these little gems in the book.
Although there were a few spelling and grammatical errors (these were nothing that a good editor wouldn’t have caught) and the book in its entirety wasn’t perfect (and the author certainly is enamored of the Van Cleef ), it was a joy to read specifically because of the author’s mastery of the written word that included gems like the one above and other pearls of logic such as this from page 35: “Yes, but my sin wasn’t against God. My sin was against the Church. Church and God ain’t the same thing. From what I know, God’s perfect. The Church makes mistakes.” Amen to that.
February 2, 2012
In a post-apocalyptic world razed by natural disaster, war and pestilence, the state formally known as Arizona is governed by The Church. Preachers hunt down those who have sinned and offer two choices. Death or purgatory. Lead is one such preacher. He carries out the will of God without question until one day he is ordered to apprehend another preacher.
The Zona is a short but thought provoking story. At the start, Lead has been bound to a rock in the heat of the barren Zona desert. We don't know if he is being punished for being a preacher or for sinning in the eyes of The Church. The clock is rewound and the story is told from the day Lead started to doubt as well as the use of framed narrative to explain what has happened to the world.
The preachers answer to no one. They say that God speaks to them direct but gives no reasons for punishment. To displease the preachers is to sin and sins must be punished. It's a scary thought and the back-story is believable. One horrific event set the world in chaos and people took advantage. Over time, one bad thing triggers another until the world is unrecognisable.
It highlights that justice and religious belief should be kept separate. That the fear of a god is not the right way to rule and in the hands of the corrupt, religion can be a weapon against those they wish to silence. The people of The Zona are not free to believe in what they wish and the religion forced upon them is not one they wish to follow. I think you only have to look around the world in recent years to find that can happen.
The Zona is a short but thought provoking story. At the start, Lead has been bound to a rock in the heat of the barren Zona desert. We don't know if he is being punished for being a preacher or for sinning in the eyes of The Church. The clock is rewound and the story is told from the day Lead started to doubt as well as the use of framed narrative to explain what has happened to the world.
The preachers answer to no one. They say that God speaks to them direct but gives no reasons for punishment. To displease the preachers is to sin and sins must be punished. It's a scary thought and the back-story is believable. One horrific event set the world in chaos and people took advantage. Over time, one bad thing triggers another until the world is unrecognisable.
It highlights that justice and religious belief should be kept separate. That the fear of a god is not the right way to rule and in the hands of the corrupt, religion can be a weapon against those they wish to silence. The people of The Zona are not free to believe in what they wish and the religion forced upon them is not one they wish to follow. I think you only have to look around the world in recent years to find that can happen.
February 20, 2012
It did not surprise me to learn that Nathan Yocum, author of The Zona, is an award-winning screenwriter. As I was reading this, his debut novel, I could not stop picturing it as a movie. (I will honestly be very surprised if it isn’t optioned, especially with the popularity of dystopias generally and the upcoming Hunger Games specifically!)
Imagine: After being devastated by rains, floods, and drought, the United States as we know it collapses. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, are killed by the disasters, while rugees are rounded up and left in camps to die from one of many rampaging new illnesses. In the west, the Church rises up and established a theocracy to rule over what’s left of Arizona (aka Zona), Utah, New Mexico, and California. Their mission is to wipe out sin–by sending out Preachers and Crusaders to kill anyone the Church decrees to be a “sinner.” We follow Lead, a Preacher who begins to question the Church’s methods after meeting, and being saved by, a sinner.
Now I’ll be damned if that’s not a movie I’d go see! Luckily, the story works very well as a book, too, thanks to several factors: the atmosphere, the environment, and the journey.
Read the rest of this review at Bookwanderer!
Imagine: After being devastated by rains, floods, and drought, the United States as we know it collapses. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, are killed by the disasters, while rugees are rounded up and left in camps to die from one of many rampaging new illnesses. In the west, the Church rises up and established a theocracy to rule over what’s left of Arizona (aka Zona), Utah, New Mexico, and California. Their mission is to wipe out sin–by sending out Preachers and Crusaders to kill anyone the Church decrees to be a “sinner.” We follow Lead, a Preacher who begins to question the Church’s methods after meeting, and being saved by, a sinner.
Now I’ll be damned if that’s not a movie I’d go see! Luckily, the story works very well as a book, too, thanks to several factors: the atmosphere, the environment, and the journey.
Read the rest of this review at Bookwanderer!
April 17, 2012
A very atmospheric novel set in the years after mankind has almost been wiped out by natural disasters piled on one after another. You can almost feel the scorching heat and spit out the dust from your parched mouth. A very descriptive evocative book makes you wonder whether it's worth keeping going and give up. The Zona of the title is a religious state set in what was once Arizona. Wandering men called Preachers dispense justice on behalf of their so called Church.... Then one day a man Lead finds all he knows called into question and so starts a journey almost chased into the mouth of Hell itself to free himself. An easy read but very good.. Looking forward to reading another in this vein, can recommend it.
September 11, 2012
Overall Feedback: This is what we all fear will happen if we continue to abuse the Earth. Nathan does a phenomenal job of painting the bleakest environment we could face and showing us the path we are on. He can use words to paint such a grand picture and leave you astonished at the final act.
Point of View: You spend the majority of the movie behind the lead character's eyes (funny enough we call him Lead).
Voice: I dare you to find a spot in this book that the voice of the author is not begging us to see the way he does.
Character Development: You begin the book indifferent to Lead but by the end he is a friend worth saving.
Plot:Fast paced, page turning and interesting. Believable as an effect from our current struggles with climate and religious fanatics. No one should be disappointed in the plot.
Dialogue: Sometimes hairy but fitting.
Pacing: As you get further into the story and we have the back story behind us the stories races to the end like a car towards a cliff.
Setting: Arizona = The Zona...Who knew
Continuity: Nathan is excellent at moving the story along and helping the reader understand what it is he sees in his mind's eye.
Point of View: You spend the majority of the movie behind the lead character's eyes (funny enough we call him Lead).
Voice: I dare you to find a spot in this book that the voice of the author is not begging us to see the way he does.
Character Development: You begin the book indifferent to Lead but by the end he is a friend worth saving.
Plot:Fast paced, page turning and interesting. Believable as an effect from our current struggles with climate and religious fanatics. No one should be disappointed in the plot.
Dialogue: Sometimes hairy but fitting.
Pacing: As you get further into the story and we have the back story behind us the stories races to the end like a car towards a cliff.
Setting: Arizona = The Zona...Who knew
Continuity: Nathan is excellent at moving the story along and helping the reader understand what it is he sees in his mind's eye.
June 5, 2012
Vividly desolate, brutal, riveting, and f*cked up. I really liked this book. It was very firmly set in a particular southwest setting, and Yocum did a great job worldbuilding this bleak post-apocalyptic landscape. I stayed up late a couple of nights in a row reading this. You can get a good idea of the tone from these excerpts:
"My soul is rolled up so there ain't a way out of it. If I had another fifty years of saving men I couldn't break even with the destruction I've wrought."
"You're like me, a man with a hole, but not all the way empty. You're a man who's starting to figure that killing doesn't fill that hole."
"Yucca contained nothing but abandoned fugee trailers, empty save scorpions and Gila monsters and dust."
"The sun was for dealing with butcher merchants in Havasu, or tending his javelinas, or hunting coyote dens, or any of the other myriad tasks God burden men of farms and ranches with."
"My soul is rolled up so there ain't a way out of it. If I had another fifty years of saving men I couldn't break even with the destruction I've wrought."
"You're like me, a man with a hole, but not all the way empty. You're a man who's starting to figure that killing doesn't fill that hole."
"Yucca contained nothing but abandoned fugee trailers, empty save scorpions and Gila monsters and dust."
"The sun was for dealing with butcher merchants in Havasu, or tending his javelinas, or hunting coyote dens, or any of the other myriad tasks God burden men of farms and ranches with."
November 19, 2011
This was a very good book for anyone interested in the Apocalyptic genre. The author did a wonderful job illustrating the specific struggles of an ex-preacher following the destruction of the West Coast. I would recommend it.
October 11, 2012
2.5/5
Ambientazione post-apocalittica, Arizona. Del vecchio mondo non resta più nulla se non cadaveri di auto e sacchetti di plastica (ma proprio una marea di sacchetti, sono ovunque), il nuovo mondo è governato dalla follia religiosa in cui i predicatori convertono sostanzialmente uccidendo il peccatore ma sono a loro volta giudicati dal corpo dei Crociati, ancora più cattivo e spietato.
Il romanzo segue il predicatore Lead e il suo incontro con Terence che gli farà mettere in dubbio tutti i valori in cui credeva.
Ora passiamo a cosa non funziona in questo romanzo.
Innanzitutto l'ambientazione post-apocalittica sa di già visto, è un misto tra il famosissimo The Road e altri romanzi post-apocalittici come The Old Man and the Wasteland; la componente religiosa ricorda invece A Canticle for Leibowitz.
La storia non è particolarmente coinvolgente, anche perchè Lead è un protagonista dalle poche decisioni.
Purtroppo quando si scrive in un genere così specifico come quello di sf post apocalittico bisogna tenere conto degli altri romanzi del genere per creare qualcosa di nuovo.
---
2.5/5
Post-apocalyptic setting, Arizona. The world is changed and nothing remains of the past excepts car shells and plastic bags (a lot of plastic bags actually, they are everywhere). The new world is ruled by the religious madness and the preachers convert (more or less by killing) sinners; however they are judged by the Crusaders, a merciless force.
The novel follows the preacher Lead in his encounter with Terence that will bring doubts and lack of faith.
Now I have to explain what does not work (in my opinion).
Overall this post-apocalyptic setting is similar to the one presented in other novels like the uber-famous The Road or like The Old Man and the Wasteland, while the religious component made me think about A Canticle for Leibowitz.
The plot is not entirely involving, especially because Lead is not quite a leader himself but he kind of follows more strong ideas/people.
Unfortunately a so specific science fiction genre like this one requires to take into consideration what was written before in order to build up something original, in this specific case this was not fulfilled.
Ambientazione post-apocalittica, Arizona. Del vecchio mondo non resta più nulla se non cadaveri di auto e sacchetti di plastica (ma proprio una marea di sacchetti, sono ovunque), il nuovo mondo è governato dalla follia religiosa in cui i predicatori convertono sostanzialmente uccidendo il peccatore ma sono a loro volta giudicati dal corpo dei Crociati, ancora più cattivo e spietato.
Il romanzo segue il predicatore Lead e il suo incontro con Terence che gli farà mettere in dubbio tutti i valori in cui credeva.
Ora passiamo a cosa non funziona in questo romanzo.
Innanzitutto l'ambientazione post-apocalittica sa di già visto, è un misto tra il famosissimo The Road e altri romanzi post-apocalittici come The Old Man and the Wasteland; la componente religiosa ricorda invece A Canticle for Leibowitz.
La storia non è particolarmente coinvolgente, anche perchè Lead è un protagonista dalle poche decisioni.
Purtroppo quando si scrive in un genere così specifico come quello di sf post apocalittico bisogna tenere conto degli altri romanzi del genere per creare qualcosa di nuovo.
---
2.5/5
Post-apocalyptic setting, Arizona. The world is changed and nothing remains of the past excepts car shells and plastic bags (a lot of plastic bags actually, they are everywhere). The new world is ruled by the religious madness and the preachers convert (more or less by killing) sinners; however they are judged by the Crusaders, a merciless force.
The novel follows the preacher Lead in his encounter with Terence that will bring doubts and lack of faith.
Now I have to explain what does not work (in my opinion).
Overall this post-apocalyptic setting is similar to the one presented in other novels like the uber-famous The Road or like The Old Man and the Wasteland, while the religious component made me think about A Canticle for Leibowitz.
The plot is not entirely involving, especially because Lead is not quite a leader himself but he kind of follows more strong ideas/people.
Unfortunately a so specific science fiction genre like this one requires to take into consideration what was written before in order to build up something original, in this specific case this was not fulfilled.
March 20, 2012
The Zona is set in a dystopic society in a post-apocalyptic Arizona. The story is about a preacher named Lead who is sent by the Church (denomination not clear) to hunt down individuals that have been deemed sinners and heathens to purge them of their wicked ways through either submission or death. The story takes a turn when Lead is sent to hunt down a former preacher who abandoned the Church.
It is not hard to believe that if society as we know it today was wiped out by war, plague, famine, natural disasters, or all of the above, out of the chaos and confusion and search for hope we could fall back to a time similar to that when the Catholic Church had substantial power and influence over governments. In The Zona, agents of the Church are sent out to hunt those who have fallen out of favor with the Church and the Zona is governed by religious law. At least, “civilized” society is.
The religious figures in The Zona, which include preachers and a more deadly force called the Crusaders speak with thees and thous and similar Old English vernacular. So, the reader is given the impression that the only bibles that survived the apocalypse and used in the Zona are King James bibles.
The Zona starts off a little slow despite the action in it. It does pick up once Lead makes his choice regarding the ex-preacher, Terrance, and they go on the run. The story is fresh. It is not the first time the post-apocalyptic theocracy idea has been used, but you don't read such stories too often so it provides readers with something different.
The story really picks up when they discuss the actual events of the apocalypse and each character has their story to tell. The imagery is something that helps the The Zona substantially. In some parts of the story the imagery is too good, but there is no need to spoil anything. There are some grammatical issues, but it isn't too bad.
Overall, I would give The Zona 3 out of 5 stars. I think the most I could give it is 3 stars. It is surprisingly short, but for the size and cost I would say readers who like post-apocalyptic stories should consider giving it a chance. Especially, if you like a Western element in your books. The story is different enough to arouse interest.
It is not hard to believe that if society as we know it today was wiped out by war, plague, famine, natural disasters, or all of the above, out of the chaos and confusion and search for hope we could fall back to a time similar to that when the Catholic Church had substantial power and influence over governments. In The Zona, agents of the Church are sent out to hunt those who have fallen out of favor with the Church and the Zona is governed by religious law. At least, “civilized” society is.
The religious figures in The Zona, which include preachers and a more deadly force called the Crusaders speak with thees and thous and similar Old English vernacular. So, the reader is given the impression that the only bibles that survived the apocalypse and used in the Zona are King James bibles.
The Zona starts off a little slow despite the action in it. It does pick up once Lead makes his choice regarding the ex-preacher, Terrance, and they go on the run. The story is fresh. It is not the first time the post-apocalyptic theocracy idea has been used, but you don't read such stories too often so it provides readers with something different.
The story really picks up when they discuss the actual events of the apocalypse and each character has their story to tell. The imagery is something that helps the The Zona substantially. In some parts of the story the imagery is too good, but there is no need to spoil anything. There are some grammatical issues, but it isn't too bad.
Overall, I would give The Zona 3 out of 5 stars. I think the most I could give it is 3 stars. It is surprisingly short, but for the size and cost I would say readers who like post-apocalyptic stories should consider giving it a chance. Especially, if you like a Western element in your books. The story is different enough to arouse interest.
April 7, 2012
The Zona is the story of Lead, a Preacher in what was once Arizona - before the storms that changed the world forever. Floods, tornadoes and plagues have resulted in the US being torn apart and remade by warring factions, and in Arizona the ruling class are the Preachers.
This is an intense post-apocalyptic book with vivid imagery and rough, tough characters - which aren't exactly likeable but either had me sympathising with their battles or appalled by their lack of humanity.
It did take me a while to work out exactly what was happening, and why, but once I had that down, I literally tore through this book - the story is controversial and grotesque, the world-building is amazing and the writing is captivating. As the histories of the main characters are gradually revealed, their actions and feelings are, in a way, justified and understandable - in particular I came to appreciate the suffering and conflicts of Lead as the story progressed.
The Zona is the type of book that is easily, if somewhat uncomfortably, consumed in one sitting. If you are looking for an intense read, with a unique story and some shocking revelations about how humans adapt, try The Zona - it's now one of my favourite post-apocalyptic reads of 2012!
Read more of my reviews at The Aussie Zombie
This is an intense post-apocalyptic book with vivid imagery and rough, tough characters - which aren't exactly likeable but either had me sympathising with their battles or appalled by their lack of humanity.
It did take me a while to work out exactly what was happening, and why, but once I had that down, I literally tore through this book - the story is controversial and grotesque, the world-building is amazing and the writing is captivating. As the histories of the main characters are gradually revealed, their actions and feelings are, in a way, justified and understandable - in particular I came to appreciate the suffering and conflicts of Lead as the story progressed.
The Zona is the type of book that is easily, if somewhat uncomfortably, consumed in one sitting. If you are looking for an intense read, with a unique story and some shocking revelations about how humans adapt, try The Zona - it's now one of my favourite post-apocalyptic reads of 2012!
Read more of my reviews at The Aussie Zombie
November 25, 2013
I had originally bought a different dystopic novel and Goodreads had told me that based on that purchase that I would probably like The Zona. I was born and raised in Az so I *had* to buy the book. The first paragraph of the summary intrigued me. The Tea Party has taken a pretty strong hold in Az these past few years and I was interested to see how the author would view a dystopic Az...I believe he's not far from the truth.
It was interesting for me to read a book about the areas that I've been. It's one thing to read a book or watch a movie about a place that you've seen on a map but it's completely different to read a book or watch a movie about a place that you know intimiately. The streets, deserts, roads, highways, parks; I've been to all of the places mentioned in the book.
I felt that this book was very well written. The descriptions of the settings were clear, concise, and disgusting. The internal dialogue of the main character was heart-wrenching. The conversations between the characters were poignant. The book was more heartbreaking to me than scary; more sad than jovial; more self reflectant than action packed. Even though it had a dystopic setting it was still that was geared toward a reader like me.
It was interesting for me to read a book about the areas that I've been. It's one thing to read a book or watch a movie about a place that you've seen on a map but it's completely different to read a book or watch a movie about a place that you know intimiately. The streets, deserts, roads, highways, parks; I've been to all of the places mentioned in the book.
I felt that this book was very well written. The descriptions of the settings were clear, concise, and disgusting. The internal dialogue of the main character was heart-wrenching. The conversations between the characters were poignant. The book was more heartbreaking to me than scary; more sad than jovial; more self reflectant than action packed. Even though it had a dystopic setting it was still that was geared toward a reader like me.
August 8, 2015
This book leaves me kind of indifferent. The post-apocalytic setting in the Zona, the idea of The Church, the Priests and Crusaders were all compelling and kept my interest. The prose sometimes seems a little awkward, and there were some distracting typos (not many, but above average). What bothered me were the fate of one of the protagonists and some scenes that were too gruesome and gross for my taste. Also, the ending came a little too sudden. All in all a short and entertaining read, but not an outstanding one.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
April 6, 2012
There has been an environmental disaster. Sea level has risen dramatically. Everything from before is remember as the Broken Times and the survivors of the human race have split between people just wanting to scrape what living they can and those who have born a super-fundamentalist religion, one imposed forcefully and rigorously on everyone.
The Zona is creative and vivid. The language is just the way I like it, overwrought. But within the dystopian waste of a burning hot Arizona the overcooked language works most of the time. The lead character is known as Lead (cheeky, huh?) He starts off as self-righteous and somewhat hard to like, but the setting drags you into the story. And the pacing keeps you reading. A great read for fans of dystopia. Read it! Review it! Share it!
The Zona is creative and vivid. The language is just the way I like it, overwrought. But within the dystopian waste of a burning hot Arizona the overcooked language works most of the time. The lead character is known as Lead (cheeky, huh?) He starts off as self-righteous and somewhat hard to like, but the setting drags you into the story. And the pacing keeps you reading. A great read for fans of dystopia. Read it! Review it! Share it!
September 4, 2011
Throughout the book, each page held a certain charm. Each word drew you in. The author's beautifully written novel contained characters you felt emotions for. This book creates a realistic world you never wanted to leave. In the pages you find the beauty of destruction. I enjoyed this book a terrific amount.
April 18, 2012
A satisfying read. A future that reminds you, if remotely, of a distant past and the meting of religious authority between 1100 and 1600 AD during the Crusades. While the scenario of what man does in the name of his God or Gods is familiar, the setting and back-story make the story feel all too plausible.
Read
February 13, 2016I read the book from the Kindle in the my laptop and I noticed the page say 115 but there 248 pages. Strange. Seem good read. Lead arrived New Pueblo and Terrace Wood dead by Ehapzi ( I can't spell) LOL
March 9, 2012
One of the best!
Otmane EL RHAZI.
Otmane EL RHAZI.
May 16, 2012
Reminded me very much of 'The Road' but with more back story on what happened. I liked it.
April 14, 2012
Good dystopian adventure. Well written, well edited. The story built slowly but came to a quick action packed ending.
November 16, 2013
If you have a particularly gritty and vicious post-apocalyptic itch, this book will scratch it!
November 29, 2013
Interesting book, I liked it. It make you wonder if that is what places look like after they collapse.
March 29, 2012
Short and sweet
November 26, 2017
I liked the middle of the book and it got interesting at the end but ended abruptly (or sooner than I would have liked). 4 stars if it would have shown 1 more day in Leak’s life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2018
Unfortunately the plot nor the character really engaged me and I found myself skimming after I reached about 15% of the book. Love the post apocalyptic but this one wasn’t for me.
Read
December 26, 2013***Just a note on my review. I posted it here first before cross-posting over at Amazon and it wasn't until I was over there about to post that I realized something may have been wrong with my copy. Amazon has the page count for this title at 252 pages; Goodreads is coming in at 115 and my copy had 145. My copy was direct from the publisher's marketing team. Since I believe I've only ever received finished copies from them I'm lead to believe what I read was a finished copy. Now I don't know what I read. One of the Amazon reviews even mentions their book being more than 250 pages. So I have no idea what I missed, from what I can tell there are two different editions (not including the serialization that, I assume, is the same story based on the reviews and blurbs) and I did get the latest since I received my copy in November of 2012. Looking at the editions of the books the first edition eBook was published in September 2011, a second edition was published in Kindle and paperback in February of 2012 with that coming in at 254 pages and then a first edition Kindle version also in February 2012 with 115 pages. I have no idea. This is the review based on the 145 page copy I received from CQ marketing. I have no idea what I'm missing at this point.
How did we end up here?
This was another title in the CQ book dump I received last year for their sale. It has kind of a dystopian flare to it plus it’s set in the state I currently live in so that was kind of hard to pass up. Let’s see where this one goes . . .
DNF
It went roughly nowhere. It started out intriguing enough, with a character all bleary-eyed and on the verge of death and normally I like it when a story jumps right into the plot but this . . . what’s in the blurb up there is all that you’re getting for background information. I have no idea why society broke down, I don’t know what these storms were like, I don’t know why religion is all up in people’s faces. I got nothing. I stopped reading around the 50 page mark and coming in at just about 150 pages in all I wasn’t going to hold my breath to get the exposition that would ground out this plot at all for me.
It had potential. I think with that necessary backstory it would have lent the required weight to the work that would let me get to know the characters I’m reading about, like Lead (who’s mentioned far too often by his name for my liking, pronouns were apparently verboten in this world) who came from somewhere, and I got a slight glimpse at that from the beginning, but spent half of my reading time floating in and out of consciousness thanks to some LSD soup. His mark, whose name escapes me at the moment, the man he was sent to bring in, has a little more meat on him but not much but at least he has more situational backstory building based on their interactions with people.
But there is roughly goose egg to this world. It’s not built at all and it feels like these people are walking around in an overheated sand void just trying to get from point A to point B. Yes, I like the action in my stories to start right away but I also need to be oriented in the world I’m being inserted to. ’That’s just the way it is’ is a phrase I grew out of when I was six. I need more. There was a moment when I thought I might be able to get by on the plot alone but that faded quickly. I had too may moments were I was questioning the point of the story to care about carrying on. So I didn’t.
How did we end up here?
This was another title in the CQ book dump I received last year for their sale. It has kind of a dystopian flare to it plus it’s set in the state I currently live in so that was kind of hard to pass up. Let’s see where this one goes . . .
DNF
It went roughly nowhere. It started out intriguing enough, with a character all bleary-eyed and on the verge of death and normally I like it when a story jumps right into the plot but this . . . what’s in the blurb up there is all that you’re getting for background information. I have no idea why society broke down, I don’t know what these storms were like, I don’t know why religion is all up in people’s faces. I got nothing. I stopped reading around the 50 page mark and coming in at just about 150 pages in all I wasn’t going to hold my breath to get the exposition that would ground out this plot at all for me.
It had potential. I think with that necessary backstory it would have lent the required weight to the work that would let me get to know the characters I’m reading about, like Lead (who’s mentioned far too often by his name for my liking, pronouns were apparently verboten in this world) who came from somewhere, and I got a slight glimpse at that from the beginning, but spent half of my reading time floating in and out of consciousness thanks to some LSD soup. His mark, whose name escapes me at the moment, the man he was sent to bring in, has a little more meat on him but not much but at least he has more situational backstory building based on their interactions with people.
But there is roughly goose egg to this world. It’s not built at all and it feels like these people are walking around in an overheated sand void just trying to get from point A to point B. Yes, I like the action in my stories to start right away but I also need to be oriented in the world I’m being inserted to. ’That’s just the way it is’ is a phrase I grew out of when I was six. I need more. There was a moment when I thought I might be able to get by on the plot alone but that faded quickly. I had too may moments were I was questioning the point of the story to care about carrying on. So I didn’t.
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