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Rag Men
This is what the beginning of the end looks like. They call it the Qilu virus. It came from the East, from somewhere along the Yellow River in China. It swept across the world within weeks, turning normal people into savage lunatics. There is nothing anyone can do to stop it. Former boxer, Colin Ross, is determined to flee the mountain town of Wenatchee, Wa, before it is devastated by the virus, but to do it he must survive trigger-happy police, hordes of the infected, and the brutal winter cold. And in plague-ravaged Seattle, a man called Rooster leaves a path of sadistic violence and murder on his quest for vengeance against a dangerous enemy.
- GenresZombies
222 pages, Paperback
First published November 7, 2013
6 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 27, 2013
I finished “Rag Men” today while I was riding my stationary bicycle. The stationary bike is one of the places I like to read. There are certain times I read (on the subway, on the stationary bike, waiting in the car while my wife is shopping, etc.) When I’m home I have so many dang TV shows to watch and family obligations to handle that I just can’t ever seem to find the time to just chill and read, except for a few moments before I sleep. Anyway, I say this because I had a beer too many last night and I really, really, really did not feel like working out today. But I also was about 87% finished “Rag Men” and I just had to find out what was going to happen. So I got my sweats on and hopped on that bike anyway, book in hand. By the way I must have gotten pretty excited while reading because beat my personal best in the pedaling pace. So I have "Rag Men" to thank for the workout motivation. But back to the novel itself. As I've stated once before in my reviews, I've kind of given up on the whole apocalypse genre, as it’s all too much the same for me. But I gave “Rag Men” a try after having read some of Rocky Alexander’s short stories which I loved. It was fabulous, I couldn’t stop turning the pages and kept thinking about the novel when I wasn’t reading it. Same kind of set up of course, that's pretty much a requirement for these things. A new virus is going around making people crazy and you can only put them down with some kind of head shot. But I found this story was not really about the zombies. They were background noise amidst two deep story lines. The first involves a crazed meth junkie killer, Rooster, who reminded me of Jessie Pinkman mixed with Governor from “The Walking Dead.” Rooster has some vendetta to settle, and while the world is falling apart around him, he remains single purposed. The second story line involves a former boxer and coach, Colin Ross, who is really just trying to get out of town before the virus delivers a more vicious uppercut to him than it already has. I won’t say more, other than the novel marches along these two story lines until the shocking conclusion, which was stunning and took me by complete surprise. I highly recommend this book. Kudos to Mr. Alexander for breathing some life back into the undead genre.
December 18, 2013
I have been obsessed with zombies since way back, so as you can imagine I have read a great number of books on the subject. The thing I loved about this one is that it doesn't start right when the stuff is about to down, nor long after, but somewhere a little while before everything completely collapses, which was refreshing. There were still cops and consequences, which brought a whole different element to it and raised some of the stakes a little higher. Also, this wasn't just another story about the zombies and fighting through them to place after place with a little bit of character interaction. This had very well developed and believable characters that actually had a good, solid plot that made you want to turn the page. The only thing I had an issue with, (and this is just my own issue and probably shouldn't reflect on the book in any way) was that when one of them calls what he's doing smoking methamphetamine. I can see why the author did it, but IMHO he most likely would've called it by some street name, or at least have shortened it to meth. Again, that's just my own issue. The bottom line is, if you're looking for a good book about the zombie apocalypse , this one is worth picking up.
December 22, 2015
Rag Men is the story of two men - one an ex-boxer grieving over the death of his wife. The other is a sociopathic drug addict bent on revenge. All of this against the backdrop of a deadly outbreak of a virus that is killing the world's population.
On the plus side, this story is up to Severed Press' typical high standards. The author knows how to write action, dialogue, and description well, and his pacing of the story is well done. The charaxters' motivations are explained well enough to feel logical and authentic. The attempt at a new style if zombie story is worthy of praise as well, but as I'll explain below, it ultimately doesn't work.
For one, and this is a trend I'm seeing more and more in the genre, is that there's barely any zombies or infected in the story. While I understand that authors are between a rock and a hard place here - write something derivative and get panned for doing the same old same old. Do something new and people feel let down. Unfortunately, the zombies seem completely irrelevant to the story - instead they're just a plot device for the addict to wreak merry havoc across the pushed without having to worry about the consequences.
Secondly, and a major cardinal sin of writing is that you hate one half of the main characters. I felt like I wanted to skip over the sections involving the addict, simply because he's so reprehensible. Some might day that this is effective story telling, but I'd say that anything that takes me out of the story because I so thoroughly dislike a main character is doing a disservice to the reader. Moreover, the boxer seems to get by through largely believable happenstance, but the addict seems to rescue a number of improbable situations solely do that he can continue to commit more atrocities. Everything comes out for him just so that he survive, even though I feel like the boxer would have been dead several times over in similar circumstances.
Fnally, the author series a considerable ain't of time to a surprise ending that most readers will arrive at on their own halfway through the book. This is not s deal breaker mind you, but it didn't really add much suspense either.
Ultimately the book suffers from the Rob Zombie fixation on depravity and the triumph of evil against all odds. If this is your cup of tea, pick out up, but I see enough of that in real life to feel the need to pay for it.
On the plus side, this story is up to Severed Press' typical high standards. The author knows how to write action, dialogue, and description well, and his pacing of the story is well done. The charaxters' motivations are explained well enough to feel logical and authentic. The attempt at a new style if zombie story is worthy of praise as well, but as I'll explain below, it ultimately doesn't work.
For one, and this is a trend I'm seeing more and more in the genre, is that there's barely any zombies or infected in the story. While I understand that authors are between a rock and a hard place here - write something derivative and get panned for doing the same old same old. Do something new and people feel let down. Unfortunately, the zombies seem completely irrelevant to the story - instead they're just a plot device for the addict to wreak merry havoc across the pushed without having to worry about the consequences.
Secondly, and a major cardinal sin of writing is that you hate one half of the main characters. I felt like I wanted to skip over the sections involving the addict, simply because he's so reprehensible. Some might day that this is effective story telling, but I'd say that anything that takes me out of the story because I so thoroughly dislike a main character is doing a disservice to the reader. Moreover, the boxer seems to get by through largely believable happenstance, but the addict seems to rescue a number of improbable situations solely do that he can continue to commit more atrocities. Everything comes out for him just so that he survive, even though I feel like the boxer would have been dead several times over in similar circumstances.
Fnally, the author series a considerable ain't of time to a surprise ending that most readers will arrive at on their own halfway through the book. This is not s deal breaker mind you, but it didn't really add much suspense either.
Ultimately the book suffers from the Rob Zombie fixation on depravity and the triumph of evil against all odds. If this is your cup of tea, pick out up, but I see enough of that in real life to feel the need to pay for it.
March 23, 2019
Positive
This one of the best books I’ve read this year. The ending was magical. Please continue with this story. Great book.
This one of the best books I’ve read this year. The ending was magical. Please continue with this story. Great book.
December 1, 2023
Nichts wirklich Neues, aber gut geschrieben und recht unterhaltsam. Das Ende hat einiges wett gemacht.
January 24, 2014
An apocalyptic thriller that is revolves around change and catharsis, Rag Men develops like a blizzard; the snow falls slowly at first, but its intensity ratchets up engulfs those who stand witness.
Rag Men revolves around the development of two men, Rooster and Ross, who are polar opposites; their stories parallel each other, and the craftsmanship involved in this component is indicative of Rocky Alexander’s ability to write a compelling story; the characters’ actions and attitudes are presented in stark contrast. We have two different stories in the same timeline, and these stories ultimately converge, as the reader would expect.
The zombie scenario serves as the catalyst behind character development. We have your disaster scenario and the coping mechanisms of a population, though it’s reduced to a microcosm through the perspectives of two characters. Ross represents the moral dissolution that may be required to survive in such a scenario, while Rooster represents the chaos itself. There is a lot of depth in these characters, and further discussing their metamorphosis would spoil the novel.
There are plenty of scenes that include graphic violence and some disgusting truths. Rocky Alexander provided several moments were survival skills and a degree of common sense betrayed an amount of painstaking care that was applied to this story. Fans of apocalyptic-survival scenarios will find plenty to love here. The zombies themselves are a serious threat; the amount of detail used to describe them heightens the tension, especially when Alexander uses the plague/germ idea to indicate that everything and anything can be dangerous.
Ross’s iron will and determination made him a compelling character, especially during the unforgettable trek through a wintry land. We have the symbolic battle against nature in addition to an unnatural phenomenon, which nicely fits the two personalities that define this book.
An excellent tale of survival horror that that will stick with you long after the story has ended.
Rag Men revolves around the development of two men, Rooster and Ross, who are polar opposites; their stories parallel each other, and the craftsmanship involved in this component is indicative of Rocky Alexander’s ability to write a compelling story; the characters’ actions and attitudes are presented in stark contrast. We have two different stories in the same timeline, and these stories ultimately converge, as the reader would expect.
The zombie scenario serves as the catalyst behind character development. We have your disaster scenario and the coping mechanisms of a population, though it’s reduced to a microcosm through the perspectives of two characters. Ross represents the moral dissolution that may be required to survive in such a scenario, while Rooster represents the chaos itself. There is a lot of depth in these characters, and further discussing their metamorphosis would spoil the novel.
There are plenty of scenes that include graphic violence and some disgusting truths. Rocky Alexander provided several moments were survival skills and a degree of common sense betrayed an amount of painstaking care that was applied to this story. Fans of apocalyptic-survival scenarios will find plenty to love here. The zombies themselves are a serious threat; the amount of detail used to describe them heightens the tension, especially when Alexander uses the plague/germ idea to indicate that everything and anything can be dangerous.
Ross’s iron will and determination made him a compelling character, especially during the unforgettable trek through a wintry land. We have the symbolic battle against nature in addition to an unnatural phenomenon, which nicely fits the two personalities that define this book.
An excellent tale of survival horror that that will stick with you long after the story has ended.
February 10, 2014
I listened to the audio version of this book.
The mix of a revenge tale in the midst of a zombie outbreak aspect was the most interesting part of the book. The main character and plotline just seemed to be missing much development though. The urgency implied by the violence Rooster, the main character, was willing to do to find who he wanted was enough to keep me reading, I just found the explanation at the end to be kind of meh. And there wasn't much development beyond that. Rooster simply killed, hurt and tortured people until he found who he wanted. That lack of development just seemed disappointing. He could have encountered people who had been in similar situations as he had but handled them differently. He could have even maybe helped people a long way. There could have been any number of things that could have happened to develop his character beyond a single minded for an unknown reason killing machine.
That said, I enjoyed the read (or listen), and if you like this kind of thing you will too. Just don't expect too much from the end.
The mix of a revenge tale in the midst of a zombie outbreak aspect was the most interesting part of the book. The main character and plotline just seemed to be missing much development though. The urgency implied by the violence Rooster, the main character, was willing to do to find who he wanted was enough to keep me reading, I just found the explanation at the end to be kind of meh. And there wasn't much development beyond that. Rooster simply killed, hurt and tortured people until he found who he wanted. That lack of development just seemed disappointing. He could have encountered people who had been in similar situations as he had but handled them differently. He could have even maybe helped people a long way. There could have been any number of things that could have happened to develop his character beyond a single minded for an unknown reason killing machine.
That said, I enjoyed the read (or listen), and if you like this kind of thing you will too. Just don't expect too much from the end.
May 16, 2014
Okayish book about the early says of a viral based apocalypse but really it's aimed as a more personal story of two characters. The problem is there really wasn't a lot of depth to either of them and the payoff at the end was unsatisfying for the buildup to get there. It's not a long book, but it felt like it still would have been more suited as a shorter novella. The setting felt empty as the writing was far too hyper-focused on the pro/antagonists to the exclusion of everything around them. I've read worse, but ultimately it's just forgettable.
March 14, 2014
3 and a half stars from me. It started really well, really action packed, heart thumping terror and then the end was so rushed that I literally had to read through the last few pages twice to see if I'd missed anything. Ultimately began excellently and then tapered off. Was actually quite disappointed with the ending.
April 6, 2014
I would say the zombies are secondary in this terrific character driven novel, the real horror comes from the people who are `alive` this is not your run of the mill zombie novel so dont pass it up if you are not a zombie fan. Its a fantastic story in itself
May 3, 2014
This is neither post apocalyptic nor a zombie book. It's a standard revenge story that for no real reason happens during a zombie outbreak. I would have given it 2 stars if the title and description weren't a complete deception.
August 13, 2016
Memorable
I read this book, I believe when it first came out. I always wondered what happened next. Rooster, Dre. Rooster stuck out in my mind of how evil and mad he was. I wonder if after his enemy was gone that was enough or was the evil way to engrained. Would read a second.
I read this book, I believe when it first came out. I always wondered what happened next. Rooster, Dre. Rooster stuck out in my mind of how evil and mad he was. I wonder if after his enemy was gone that was enough or was the evil way to engrained. Would read a second.
December 19, 2013
This was a fast read with loads of violence. I liked how the story was woven together and I enjoyed the twisty ending. It was okay overall.
February 1, 2014
Thoroughly unpleasant. Not for me.
July 14, 2016
Typical zombie outbreak book. It was ok and a very fast read, but not interested in more of the story.
January 4, 2015
4,5 Sterne
Rezi: folgt
Rezi: folgt
February 2, 2015
Yup, still not a fan of zombie apocalypse literature.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews