What do you think?
Rate this book
Deathbringer
The small town of Dandridge is a hotbed of the undead, who are determined to control the Earth, until a stranger arrives, armed with the power to destroy them all and return the town to the living. Original.
342 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2006
15 people are currently reading
522 people want to read
About the author
Bryan Smith
103 books759 followersBryan Smith is the Splatterpunk Award-winning author of more than forty horror and crime books, including 68 Kill, the cult classic Depraved and its sequels, as well as The Killing Kind, Slowly We Rot, The Freakshow, and many more. Bestselling horror author Brian Keene called Slowly We Rot, "The best zombie novel I've ever read."
68 Kill was adapted into a motion picture directed by Trent Haaga and starring Matthew Gray Gubler of the long-running CBS series Criminal Minds. 68 Kill won the Midnighters Award at the SXSW film festival in 2017 and was released to wide acclaim, including positive reviews in The New York Times and Bloody Disgusting.
Bryan also co-scripted an original Harley Quinn story for the House of Horrors anthology from DC Comics. He has worked with renowned horror publishers in both the mass market and small press spheres, including Leisure Books, Samhain Publishing, Grindhouse Press, Death’s Head Press, and more. His works are available wherever books are sold, with select titles also available in German and Italian.
68 Kill was adapted into a motion picture directed by Trent Haaga and starring Matthew Gray Gubler of the long-running CBS series Criminal Minds. 68 Kill won the Midnighters Award at the SXSW film festival in 2017 and was released to wide acclaim, including positive reviews in The New York Times and Bloody Disgusting.
Bryan also co-scripted an original Harley Quinn story for the House of Horrors anthology from DC Comics. He has worked with renowned horror publishers in both the mass market and small press spheres, including Leisure Books, Samhain Publishing, Grindhouse Press, Death’s Head Press, and more. His works are available wherever books are sold, with select titles also available in German and Italian.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
January 2, 2012
Imagine a sunny carefree day with things going peachy when suddenly you are dropped in the middle of violence and murder, sprinkle in some zombie like flesh craving victims that don't want to stay down, a creepy hooded guy traveling with a mysterious book, a gang of young people and some bad deceptive characters and you have a crazy romp through the night that doesn't want to leave you in peace... this was a whacky horror book, bit too silly in some parts where magic was concerned but intriguing in character development and in twists and turns, overall I enjoyed it even if I wanted to give up towards the end. If you like older Leisure books and Simon Clark, Sara Pinborough, Brian Keene and Richard Laymon then this is in the similar vein. My favorite Smith book is The Freakshow, now that I can recommend because years after reading it the story still kicks me in the brain once in a while, this was medium on my book love meter but the good parts made it better than worse.
To best parts were the shock, gore and the zany villains. The characters were interesting even if they did stupid stuff half the time but once the stories and connections between all of them start to criss cross in the most in sane ways be prepared for your brain to wraparound itself..it was fun and it's not often that I laugh when I read horror, this was pretty deep and sick in parts but it was good for the horror lovers.I wanted to read about Mike, Avery, Erin and Melinda, the rest felt like filler which was sort of funny but Smith is good with creating people and I cared more about them than all the supernatural stuff around them, they were of course involved in some ways with the supernatural, not everyone stays human/in once piece in this book. The worst parts were the pacing,repetitiveness and length situations where other story lines kept ruining the book for me even if they were the main part, magic was kiddish and the boring parts were all the deaths done by the other bad dude.. no spoilers but they seem to sap life of what I was building up when I read the better parts. This story had one of the craziest villains I have encountered in a while and I'm talking about a certain female, not the death Reaper... Melinda is one sick puppy who wants to dominate pretty much anyone she meets and she gets to do it in some sick almost supernatural fashion. A murder obsessed teen who sounds like a scrawny chick ends up doing half the damage here, pretty good even though she's almost too easy to hate...
Deathbringer was full of death and had some sweaty romp scenes so if you're a fan then there is some meat for you here. Maybe my mistake was trying to read it in one day, might be better as something broken into bits over a week, whatever is it, this isn't bad, which doesn't sound like a compliment but after some atrocious krap I read recently this is at least intelligent and well written and has some wicked twists, that made it an overall decent read.
- Kasia S.
Comment Comment
To best parts were the shock, gore and the zany villains. The characters were interesting even if they did stupid stuff half the time but once the stories and connections between all of them start to criss cross in the most in sane ways be prepared for your brain to wraparound itself..it was fun and it's not often that I laugh when I read horror, this was pretty deep and sick in parts but it was good for the horror lovers.I wanted to read about Mike, Avery, Erin and Melinda, the rest felt like filler which was sort of funny but Smith is good with creating people and I cared more about them than all the supernatural stuff around them, they were of course involved in some ways with the supernatural, not everyone stays human/in once piece in this book. The worst parts were the pacing,repetitiveness and length situations where other story lines kept ruining the book for me even if they were the main part, magic was kiddish and the boring parts were all the deaths done by the other bad dude.. no spoilers but they seem to sap life of what I was building up when I read the better parts. This story had one of the craziest villains I have encountered in a while and I'm talking about a certain female, not the death Reaper... Melinda is one sick puppy who wants to dominate pretty much anyone she meets and she gets to do it in some sick almost supernatural fashion. A murder obsessed teen who sounds like a scrawny chick ends up doing half the damage here, pretty good even though she's almost too easy to hate...
Deathbringer was full of death and had some sweaty romp scenes so if you're a fan then there is some meat for you here. Maybe my mistake was trying to read it in one day, might be better as something broken into bits over a week, whatever is it, this isn't bad, which doesn't sound like a compliment but after some atrocious krap I read recently this is at least intelligent and well written and has some wicked twists, that made it an overall decent read.
- Kasia S.
Comment Comment
July 1, 2015
A rogue Deathbringer (as members of the global society of reapers are known) initiates an apocalyptic plot in order to gain ultimate power. As a night of terror and blood unfolds in Dandridge, TN, an unstoppable army of sentient living dead rises to destroy the living for the rogue reaper, who seeks to wipe out all of humanity.
The Dead just won't stay dead.
They want to add to their ranks by killing and consuming the living.
So what we have is a book containing a relationship gone sadly wrong. Gore, Guts, Blood and lots of be-headings. These are not your ordinary zombies, they can't just be killed by shooting them in the head. They must be sliced and diced into lots of little pieces to stop them.
This was Bryan Smith's second book which was released in 2006 as a paperback original. Then in 2012 Mr. Smith re-worked and re-wrote the book to sell as one of his Bitter Ale releases. And now Thunderstorm books has released it in a quite limited hardcover fashion.
Some of the questions about zombies that may have been plaguing your is: Can zombies get high ? Do they listen to the Grateful Dead ? - questions not even posed by most zombie narratives, but answered in this fascinating book.
Not for the squeamish, but recommended.
This is copy 14 of 60 signed numbered hardcover copies.
The Dead just won't stay dead.
They want to add to their ranks by killing and consuming the living.
So what we have is a book containing a relationship gone sadly wrong. Gore, Guts, Blood and lots of be-headings. These are not your ordinary zombies, they can't just be killed by shooting them in the head. They must be sliced and diced into lots of little pieces to stop them.
This was Bryan Smith's second book which was released in 2006 as a paperback original. Then in 2012 Mr. Smith re-worked and re-wrote the book to sell as one of his Bitter Ale releases. And now Thunderstorm books has released it in a quite limited hardcover fashion.
Some of the questions about zombies that may have been plaguing your is: Can zombies get high ? Do they listen to the Grateful Dead ? - questions not even posed by most zombie narratives, but answered in this fascinating book.
Not for the squeamish, but recommended.
This is copy 14 of 60 signed numbered hardcover copies.
June 25, 2018
Surprise, surprise. Early Bryan Smith is pretty much like current day Bryan Smith. Lots of psychopathic women doing unspeakable things to weak men. Though, to be fair, Deathbringer does have a couple of stronger male protagonists, and it mixes strong supernatural themes with the homicidal impulses of deranged women.
So if that sounds like your cup of tea, get to pouring. Because early Bryan Smith might be a little rougher round the edges in terms of simplistic characterisations, but there's plenty of death, dismemberment, and bloodshed to more than make up for it.
3 Rick James' Songs for Deathbringer.
So if that sounds like your cup of tea, get to pouring. Because early Bryan Smith might be a little rougher round the edges in terms of simplistic characterisations, but there's plenty of death, dismemberment, and bloodshed to more than make up for it.
3 Rick James' Songs for Deathbringer.
January 27, 2016
First, the positive stuff. The book was easy to get into. Writing is simple and easily adapted to as the reader is dragged through the messy, gory ride. The super-quick pace makes it fly by. Action is always happening, even if you don't necessarily care about all of it.
The story is a zombie tale with an unusual plot overshadowing it with different twists added to the genre. Instead of people just randomly rising from the dead for some bizarre reason, a deathbringer (kind of a like a reaper) has decided to go rogue and unleash his special brand of magic beginning with a small town. He unlocks it with the murder of a sweet girl at the beginning and from then all hell breaks loose. There are two types of zombies - some more intelligent than others, designed for a divine purpose, and the rest mindless flesh eaters who ramble along.
The deathbringer has the goal of converting many into mindless zombies for a brutal type of army, but needs elements in order to achieve his purpose. There is an organization fighting against him, as well as the grieved folks of the first deceased woman which started it all.
Now, for the negatives: the characters are completely unlikeable. Their personalities, the way they're written, their actions, everything. I'm a big character focused person so this dampered the book for me quite a bit. The two main characters are amazingly detestable in almost everything they do. They dominate the page time with cheesy lines and vicious acts. The others, even if I didn't hate them, were written with bare minimum characteristics to where I cared nothing about what happened to them. I couldn't take any of the dialogue and emotions as convincing.
The violence was heavy, which isn't a turn off in itself if the rest of the book is working, but without other substance I found the constant use of it unpleasant. Frankly most of the death and torture parts just bored me as they were there for a shock story and little else. I think the book could have been improved upon if some of the action was gotten rid of, believe it or not, and more of the characters or the fascinating uniqueness about the story had been fleshed out. The basic plot was a very good one, more details (whether behind the scenes leading up to it, or more in the mind of the villain and what drove him, etc.) would have enhanced it.
The story is a zombie tale with an unusual plot overshadowing it with different twists added to the genre. Instead of people just randomly rising from the dead for some bizarre reason, a deathbringer (kind of a like a reaper) has decided to go rogue and unleash his special brand of magic beginning with a small town. He unlocks it with the murder of a sweet girl at the beginning and from then all hell breaks loose. There are two types of zombies - some more intelligent than others, designed for a divine purpose, and the rest mindless flesh eaters who ramble along.
The deathbringer has the goal of converting many into mindless zombies for a brutal type of army, but needs elements in order to achieve his purpose. There is an organization fighting against him, as well as the grieved folks of the first deceased woman which started it all.
Now, for the negatives: the characters are completely unlikeable. Their personalities, the way they're written, their actions, everything. I'm a big character focused person so this dampered the book for me quite a bit. The two main characters are amazingly detestable in almost everything they do. They dominate the page time with cheesy lines and vicious acts. The others, even if I didn't hate them, were written with bare minimum characteristics to where I cared nothing about what happened to them. I couldn't take any of the dialogue and emotions as convincing.
The violence was heavy, which isn't a turn off in itself if the rest of the book is working, but without other substance I found the constant use of it unpleasant. Frankly most of the death and torture parts just bored me as they were there for a shock story and little else. I think the book could have been improved upon if some of the action was gotten rid of, believe it or not, and more of the characters or the fascinating uniqueness about the story had been fleshed out. The basic plot was a very good one, more details (whether behind the scenes leading up to it, or more in the mind of the villain and what drove him, etc.) would have enhanced it.
February 11, 2009
The swift pacing and interesting telling gave this zombie invasion a fresh take. I like the Deathbringer and how it affected the inhabitants of Dandridge. Even bloodthirsty and crazed with homicidal violence, the characters were likable. If you understood their single-minded mission that is.
June 28, 2011
This is my first Bryan Smith book and it might very well be my last. The quality of the writing was average, but the story was where he lost me. It was definitely lacking. Smith is just not in the same league as the other Leisure authors such as Gary Braunbeck, T.M. Wright, Tom Piccirilli, Richard Laymon, Tim Lebbon, and Simon Clark.
The mythology he created felt forced and unoriginal. This might have made a good 90 page screenplay, but not a 342 page novel. The Hawthorne character was annoying and took away from the heroism of the main protagonist, Mike. I would have liked to see the characters in Dandridge fend for themselves instead of having an outside character help them out -- it was too easy. The dialogue, also, at times, was quite bad. Try reading some of the lines out loud and you'll see what I mean. And speaking of dialogue, I could have done without the talking zombies. (a hint for Mr. Smith -- talking zombies are not scary!)
I don't want to sound too negative, because there are a few things here and there that I enjoyed. However, with the predictability of most of the scenes and everything else I mentioned, I cannot recommend this book.
The mythology he created felt forced and unoriginal. This might have made a good 90 page screenplay, but not a 342 page novel. The Hawthorne character was annoying and took away from the heroism of the main protagonist, Mike. I would have liked to see the characters in Dandridge fend for themselves instead of having an outside character help them out -- it was too easy. The dialogue, also, at times, was quite bad. Try reading some of the lines out loud and you'll see what I mean. And speaking of dialogue, I could have done without the talking zombies. (a hint for Mr. Smith -- talking zombies are not scary!)
I don't want to sound too negative, because there are a few things here and there that I enjoyed. However, with the predictability of most of the scenes and everything else I mentioned, I cannot recommend this book.
December 28, 2019
Another solid outing from Smith, in my mind taking some inspiration from the Evil Dead and The Return of the Living Dead films. As with all of his work, you'll need to send more paramedics with this one.
May 30, 2016
This is my second reading of Deathbringer, the first Bryan Smith novel I ever read. This is the new revised version. I don't remember the original version well enough to cite specific differences, but the new version felt like a faster, smoother read. I remember feeling like the original version bogged down in the second half. Truthfully, this could be just a different perspective from me years later as I have since become a major fan of Mr. Smith. This isn't as over the top as some of the later, more well known novels, but is good fun and a nice twist on the typical "zombie apocalypse" tale. Highly recommended.
April 1, 2015
A rogue reaper attempts to bring about the destruction of humankind in this revision of Bryan Smith's second published work('06). Enjoyable read complete with zombies with a purpose. Definitely recommended.
October 29, 2019
Good, well written certainly. I though it a little disjointed especially in the first half. I wish there had been some real characters to focus the story around at the beginning so it took a long while to really get into. Enjoyable just not great.
November 5, 2010
Deathbringer is an ok zombie book. I got through it fairly quickly and so I can say that the author knows how to keep things moving along at a fairly good pace. As mentioned in other reviews, he is a bit heavy handed on the metaphors but I could tolerate that for the most part because even though the book was thick with them, they didn't necessarily distract me too terribly much for the flow of the story.
Bryan Smith attempts to create a variation on the Grim Reaper here that I really didn't buy into fully. A secret organization more powerful and ancient "than the Illuminati" kind of deflated it for me: the Reapers and the Guardians; even "God" is the "ruling power" which brings to mind a bunch of behind the scenes corporations, politicians, and guilds running things rather than any sort of demons/angels/god-like beings. As potent as the Grim Reaper/Deathbringer is in this story, he and the rest of these behind the scenes power brokers did not inspire any awe or amazement in me.
A bunch of disgruntled Reapers created a book with the power to destroy "god" that they never dared use. Now it has fallen into the hands of this maverick, who decides to use it to bring the dead back to life which will destroy mankind so he can in turn confront "god" and destroy him/her/it...or them? I am not really sure what his truly desired end result is except for perhaps sweet oblivion after centuries upon centuries of immortality. Revenge for tricking him into becoming immortal? Given that he has the options to commit "suicide" at his finger tips the entire time so he can be removed from immortality, I must admit I am not too clear on his real motivation. Revenge I suppose is enough, but it just does not come across as too compelling. Especially when this guy seems to get so much of a thrill from killing people-he is doing a job he apparently loves, so why be so unhappy with management?
The story itself is entertaining enough and the characters mostly plausible, especially as things come together towards the end. Even so, there were some things that I had some issues with. I thought the Melinda character a bit over the top, but she makes more sense as the story came to its conclusion-you come to understand why she is what she is. I question a statement made towards the beginning of the book indicating that one of the main characters essentially has the last bits of his sanity "crumbled to ash" and yet he seems just fine after a short seizure and is one of the more rational characters throughout the story. Hawthorne was a character that needed to be either much more mysterious so we never know too much about him or he needed to be fleshed out with greater detail so that there would be more empathy and understanding for what he must do, where he has come from, etc. As it stands, he is just someone who moves the plot along-necessary, but not very compelling or intriguing. Even with these minor criticisms, I was clear on character motivations and why and how they reacted the way they did. They carry the story to the very end with relative ease.
The zombies in the book did not really scare me. Since I read zombie tales to be scared and most do just that, it made it harder for me to appreciate this story. The unrelenting craving for flesh and their implacable nature just disturbs me. Knowing that for all your efforts to fend them off, you are likely going to become one of them soon enough is extremely ominous. Somehow these zombies were just not as awe inspiring. Perhaps it all seemed like parlor tricks and magic instead of real wrath of god kind of stuff that has animated them in this tale. Another reason might just be that it seems from the beginning of the book the solution to stopping them is totally obvious and apparent rather than shrouded in mystery, which can add quite a bit of tension to things as well.
Some other reviewers were critical of the ending but for me it was the best part of the book. Without giving anything away, the book redeemed itself in the last few pages from some of my stronger criticisms when some twists and surprises happen that I appreciated. While I did not buy into all the concepts the author created througout the story, he worked within them to create a good ending that satisfied me.
I consider this book ok-not great, but certainly not bad either. To me, a zombie tale can be populated with traditional or newer variations of the undead and can work either way. Zombies can be fast, slow, intelligent, dumb, can speak, be mute...whatever. But as with all stories, in this genre or any other, the story needs to be interesting, compelling and the characters must generate strong emotions, be it anger, happiness, love, hate, etc. This story had some of that, but just not enough to make it memorable or anything more than an entertaining and quick read soon forgotten after the last page is turned.
Bryan Smith attempts to create a variation on the Grim Reaper here that I really didn't buy into fully. A secret organization more powerful and ancient "than the Illuminati" kind of deflated it for me: the Reapers and the Guardians; even "God" is the "ruling power" which brings to mind a bunch of behind the scenes corporations, politicians, and guilds running things rather than any sort of demons/angels/god-like beings. As potent as the Grim Reaper/Deathbringer is in this story, he and the rest of these behind the scenes power brokers did not inspire any awe or amazement in me.
A bunch of disgruntled Reapers created a book with the power to destroy "god" that they never dared use. Now it has fallen into the hands of this maverick, who decides to use it to bring the dead back to life which will destroy mankind so he can in turn confront "god" and destroy him/her/it...or them? I am not really sure what his truly desired end result is except for perhaps sweet oblivion after centuries upon centuries of immortality. Revenge for tricking him into becoming immortal? Given that he has the options to commit "suicide" at his finger tips the entire time so he can be removed from immortality, I must admit I am not too clear on his real motivation. Revenge I suppose is enough, but it just does not come across as too compelling. Especially when this guy seems to get so much of a thrill from killing people-he is doing a job he apparently loves, so why be so unhappy with management?
The story itself is entertaining enough and the characters mostly plausible, especially as things come together towards the end. Even so, there were some things that I had some issues with. I thought the Melinda character a bit over the top, but she makes more sense as the story came to its conclusion-you come to understand why she is what she is. I question a statement made towards the beginning of the book indicating that one of the main characters essentially has the last bits of his sanity "crumbled to ash" and yet he seems just fine after a short seizure and is one of the more rational characters throughout the story. Hawthorne was a character that needed to be either much more mysterious so we never know too much about him or he needed to be fleshed out with greater detail so that there would be more empathy and understanding for what he must do, where he has come from, etc. As it stands, he is just someone who moves the plot along-necessary, but not very compelling or intriguing. Even with these minor criticisms, I was clear on character motivations and why and how they reacted the way they did. They carry the story to the very end with relative ease.
The zombies in the book did not really scare me. Since I read zombie tales to be scared and most do just that, it made it harder for me to appreciate this story. The unrelenting craving for flesh and their implacable nature just disturbs me. Knowing that for all your efforts to fend them off, you are likely going to become one of them soon enough is extremely ominous. Somehow these zombies were just not as awe inspiring. Perhaps it all seemed like parlor tricks and magic instead of real wrath of god kind of stuff that has animated them in this tale. Another reason might just be that it seems from the beginning of the book the solution to stopping them is totally obvious and apparent rather than shrouded in mystery, which can add quite a bit of tension to things as well.
Some other reviewers were critical of the ending but for me it was the best part of the book. Without giving anything away, the book redeemed itself in the last few pages from some of my stronger criticisms when some twists and surprises happen that I appreciated. While I did not buy into all the concepts the author created througout the story, he worked within them to create a good ending that satisfied me.
I consider this book ok-not great, but certainly not bad either. To me, a zombie tale can be populated with traditional or newer variations of the undead and can work either way. Zombies can be fast, slow, intelligent, dumb, can speak, be mute...whatever. But as with all stories, in this genre or any other, the story needs to be interesting, compelling and the characters must generate strong emotions, be it anger, happiness, love, hate, etc. This story had some of that, but just not enough to make it memorable or anything more than an entertaining and quick read soon forgotten after the last page is turned.
November 3, 2016
I've got to say, Smith doesn't waste any time in this book. The action starts right away, and it keeps plowing forward. There is no getting-to-know-the-characters exposition. He just plunges them all into madness. I love that. I also love that he's ruthless with these characters. Very unpleasant things happen to people you don't expect it to happen to. Melinda is also a great villain. There are a lot of crazy things rolling around in her head, and she lets them all play out. The only problem is, I'm sick and tired of a big bad guy trying to destroy humanity and the good guys send one dude to take care of the problem. It's in scenes involving this sort of thing that the story takes itself waaaaaay too seriously, pompous dialogue and inner quandaries and all. (But there is an interesting twist in all of that which makes it all worthwhile). But all in all, this one's a lot of fun.
February 18, 2011
Admittingly, the title could use a little help. But if you like zombie tales, this book will satisfy your craving. These zombies are not your typical slow, brain-eating variety; they are a new kind of breed: they talk; they think; and they even feel emotion. George Romero might have a few qualms about this (as will zombie purists), but the story keeps you turning the pages. The action is intense, and some scenes will make you squirm. Do not approach this book with hopes of learning some new element of zombie-lore, this book is definitley for the brain-dead.
Go ahead, you know you want to.
Go ahead, you know you want to.
January 30, 2016
Dandrige Tennessee was your average almost small town. Muggy in the southern humidity and lethargic, nothing much ever happens in Dandridge. That is until a young girl selling magazines snaps Dandrige out of its lethargy and into reality.
Unbeknownst to this young girl, she has become a pawn in the struggle between light and dark. The first move in an intricate game that could mean the extinction of the human race.
Bryan Smith has a self-taught rawness that gives this story charm, but at the same time gets so caught up in telling his own story that there is rushing when time should be taken that detracts from the overall work.
However, it was a quick read and I did enjoy the ride.
Unbeknownst to this young girl, she has become a pawn in the struggle between light and dark. The first move in an intricate game that could mean the extinction of the human race.
Bryan Smith has a self-taught rawness that gives this story charm, but at the same time gets so caught up in telling his own story that there is rushing when time should be taken that detracts from the overall work.
However, it was a quick read and I did enjoy the ride.
January 14, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. It was a good old fashioned horror romp, dealing with one of my favorite monsters: zombies. Very quick read, the plot progressed at a very fast pace. I would recommend this book to any Laymon or Keene fans.
February 21, 2020
This is only the second book by Bryan Smith I have read - both have been zombie novels - and I still don't have a handle on whether or not I really like is work. It doesn't help that this was a reprint of Smith's second novel with an afterword explaining that he actually rewrote some of it prior to the reprint, so I can't tell if the aspects of the book I didn't care for are the product of a writer's earlier work, or indicative of his overall style.
Deathbringer is not a bad book overall; it is entertaining and well written, and far from the worst zombie book I've ever read. However, there are some narrative choices that worked against my enjoyment of the story. Smith is very adept at painting a colorful picture of the escalating violence and terror - he knows how to use his words - and yet he often reverts to the cliche of a character either sensing something is wrong before anything "wrong" presents itself, or of one character seeing or sensing something in another character's eyes. Halfway through it starts to feel like someone's Spidey-sense is tingling every five pages. with this much psychic premonition and eyeball reading taking place, it's a wonder that anything needs to be communicated through dialogue. Which would be preferable in some spots, considering the occasional exposition-heavy info-dumps on either simple stuff that doesn't need a detailed conversation (Fight or Flight? Let's discuss the benefits of each...), overly-complicated stuff that doesn't need to be (Great, Grim Reapers have a labor union.), or background information that serves little if any purpose (Do we really need to keep rehashing the origin story of a teen thrill killer?). This is especially frustrating with the dialogue, which feels organic and natural in some spots, then downright clunky in others. There are other minor narrative choices that irked me as well, such as the mysterious weapon that is alluded to vaguely through most of the story; if you are going purposely and obviously conceal the nature of the hero's secret weapon every time it is mentioned in the first and second act, the big reveal in the third act should illicit more than a shrug from the reader. It's like when a movie pulls the slow head-turn from behind reveal of a character and nobody recognizes the actor. A wasted flourish.
I'll also admit some of my dissatisfaction with Deathbringer is due to personal bias, or preference, if you will. While I am a hugs fan of zombie fiction, I am not what you would call a strong advocate of fantasy elements like sorcery or witchcraft in my horror, especially when it is on a level of Dawn of the Dead meets Harry Potter with Necronomicon bootlegs and a Grim Reaper organization that is accessible via a Google search (not an exaggeration). A good third of these fantasy elements might have worked if played for humor (like the website), but there's too much hokey hocus pocus played with a straight face without actually earning it. Also, being a long-time fan of the Splatterpunk genre that emerged in the nineties, much of the violence and gore in Deathbringer felt like it was reaching for Splatterpunk without actually achieving it, leaving some of the more prolonged sequences feeling forced. And there's nothing that explains why most of the resurrected living-dead fiends are magically imbued with a snarky sense of humor, which also ends up feeling forced most of the time.
If it seems like I'm nitpicking too much, it is only because there is enough in Smith's writing to like that the flaws stand out like festering boils on an otherwise pretty face. So take the criticism however you want. As far as zombie bools go, it's a decent read. Just don't expect too much.
Deathbringer is not a bad book overall; it is entertaining and well written, and far from the worst zombie book I've ever read. However, there are some narrative choices that worked against my enjoyment of the story. Smith is very adept at painting a colorful picture of the escalating violence and terror - he knows how to use his words - and yet he often reverts to the cliche of a character either sensing something is wrong before anything "wrong" presents itself, or of one character seeing or sensing something in another character's eyes. Halfway through it starts to feel like someone's Spidey-sense is tingling every five pages. with this much psychic premonition and eyeball reading taking place, it's a wonder that anything needs to be communicated through dialogue. Which would be preferable in some spots, considering the occasional exposition-heavy info-dumps on either simple stuff that doesn't need a detailed conversation (Fight or Flight? Let's discuss the benefits of each...), overly-complicated stuff that doesn't need to be (Great, Grim Reapers have a labor union.), or background information that serves little if any purpose (Do we really need to keep rehashing the origin story of a teen thrill killer?). This is especially frustrating with the dialogue, which feels organic and natural in some spots, then downright clunky in others. There are other minor narrative choices that irked me as well, such as the mysterious weapon that is alluded to vaguely through most of the story; if you are going purposely and obviously conceal the nature of the hero's secret weapon every time it is mentioned in the first and second act, the big reveal in the third act should illicit more than a shrug from the reader. It's like when a movie pulls the slow head-turn from behind reveal of a character and nobody recognizes the actor. A wasted flourish.
I'll also admit some of my dissatisfaction with Deathbringer is due to personal bias, or preference, if you will. While I am a hugs fan of zombie fiction, I am not what you would call a strong advocate of fantasy elements like sorcery or witchcraft in my horror, especially when it is on a level of Dawn of the Dead meets Harry Potter with Necronomicon bootlegs and a Grim Reaper organization that is accessible via a Google search (not an exaggeration). A good third of these fantasy elements might have worked if played for humor (like the website), but there's too much hokey hocus pocus played with a straight face without actually earning it. Also, being a long-time fan of the Splatterpunk genre that emerged in the nineties, much of the violence and gore in Deathbringer felt like it was reaching for Splatterpunk without actually achieving it, leaving some of the more prolonged sequences feeling forced. And there's nothing that explains why most of the resurrected living-dead fiends are magically imbued with a snarky sense of humor, which also ends up feeling forced most of the time.
If it seems like I'm nitpicking too much, it is only because there is enough in Smith's writing to like that the flaws stand out like festering boils on an otherwise pretty face. So take the criticism however you want. As far as zombie bools go, it's a decent read. Just don't expect too much.
May 26, 2024
Despite not having enjoyed his debut novel Bryan Smith is an author whose work I actually really enjoy and find a lot of fun reading. His books feel like horror films but written for the page, they are ugly, brutal, unforgiving, violent but fun all the same. Depraved is considered to be his most popular novel and it's not a wonder why because it's brilliant. But I wanted to go back in time and give his second novel Deathbringer a go!
An act of violence has shaken the town of Dandridge and for Mike O'Bannon life will never be the same again. But nobody knows that this is only the beginning of a far more terrifying catastrophe that could be the start of the end of the world. The Deathbringer has arrived and with an army of zombies, he hopes to bring about an uprising against god. It's up to Mike O'Bannon and his friends to prevent a worldwide calamity.
Bryan Smith's second novel is bloody good fun, it's graphic, violent, and insane but with a terrific cast of characters. This novel has a great first half that is wonderfully creepy and horrifying, but I wasn't so keen on the second half. It wasn't bad by any means, it just went a bit too crazy at points for my liking, but I still enjoyed it. House of Blood was a misfire in my personal opinion, so this is definitely a massive improvement and I had a lot of fun with it.
Overall: It's not an amazing novel, but it is insane, gory, violent and incredibly fun. It's a story with a great cast of characters and some particularly repulsive villains. 8/10
An act of violence has shaken the town of Dandridge and for Mike O'Bannon life will never be the same again. But nobody knows that this is only the beginning of a far more terrifying catastrophe that could be the start of the end of the world. The Deathbringer has arrived and with an army of zombies, he hopes to bring about an uprising against god. It's up to Mike O'Bannon and his friends to prevent a worldwide calamity.
Bryan Smith's second novel is bloody good fun, it's graphic, violent, and insane but with a terrific cast of characters. This novel has a great first half that is wonderfully creepy and horrifying, but I wasn't so keen on the second half. It wasn't bad by any means, it just went a bit too crazy at points for my liking, but I still enjoyed it. House of Blood was a misfire in my personal opinion, so this is definitely a massive improvement and I had a lot of fun with it.
Overall: It's not an amazing novel, but it is insane, gory, violent and incredibly fun. It's a story with a great cast of characters and some particularly repulsive villains. 8/10
January 26, 2008
In the small town of Dandridge an ancient hatred is rekindled. A blinding desire for revenge, for freedom, for the ultimate power is born from the blackest heart filled with darkness and centuries old despair caused by a bleak existence devoid of humanity and compassion. An existence whose sole remaining purpose is to destroy everything that was once beautiful in the world. To create a necropolis; a vile circle ultimately leading into the spiraling chasm of living death where all life is consumed in the chaotic dance of power and vengeance, sorrow and confusion, and a mind altering evil so foul in its origins and ultimate desire as to be unthinkable. A world of despair, a world dominated and ruled by the feared Reaper and his fellow companions of darkness. The merciless cycle begins as formerly innocent citizens of the sleepy town of Dandridge claw themselves from their graves preying upon loved ones, upon neighbors and friends. As their ravenous craving for living flesh is sated, their former companions join the legion of the dead spreading more woe and suffering. At the centre of this bizarre tale are the few remaining citizens of an ever deteriorating world. Will these woebegone individuals be able to assuage their fear and grief as the tide of destruction consumes their lives and engulfs everything they ever believed in? Will they be able to defeat the powerful and ultimately evil Deathbringer and his necromantic schemes or will they soon be added to his growing legion of the dead? Will they forever be his blood thirsty minions prowling throughout their bleak existences satisfying their all consuming hunger and bitterness upon a world they once cherished or will they be able to end this reign of terror? Can the necropolis that has been created be ended and the world returned to its former orderliness or have the events that have transpired on this fateful night destroyed everything forever? Where will the destruction begun by one so vile, so long removed from any semblance of humanity, end? Shall darkness forever rule this world? The terrifying epic of a world gone awry has begun. . .
I was impressed by all aspects of this novel but was particularly enthralled by one such aspect to the point of being deeply drawn into the story. Instead of reading due to a general feeling of curiosity, I was drawn into the earth shattering events begun in Dandridge, and soon to spread worldwide by the characters' perceptions of the deterioration of all they ever held dear. As the merciless dead began to rise from their graves imbued with an abnormal strength never experienced in life added to an all-consuming desire to prey upon the living, they begin to torture and devour those they once loved in many graphic sequences. As the few remaining citizens of Dandridge namely Mike, Erin, Avery, and Melinda begin to discover the dire events that have mysteriously transpired on this seemingly innocuous night they are subjected to encountering the decayed parody of people they once loved returning from deep beneath their graves to consume those hapless individuals roaming the night, unaware of the circumstances that have re-animated the dead. Unlike many novels concentrated on zombies and their gruesome acts of gratuitous violence, the full horror of the situation and the strong emotional reactions of the people trapped within this hapless town was portrayed in a realistic fashion thus transforming what appears to be a fun novel of little substance into a disturbing realistic nightmare of shattering emotions and graphic gore completely enshrouded by an impenetrable aura of sadness. This having been stated, this novel is obviously not for the weak of heart and might prove so disturbing as to eliminate any enjoyment for those who are deeply effected by such raw emotions and so many vividly described dark concepts.
The characterization was expertly implemented allowing me to fully understand and appreciate each character. The raw pain of certain characters was so palpable as to prove contagious and the extreme evil and vileness of other characters, namely Melinda, was so well executed as to cause me to dream of vengeance. However, despite the extremely evil aspects inherent in some characters, the author was able to cause me to feel sympathy and sorrow for those I had previously abhorred by adding a simple statement or an overtly painful death. Even the zombies were fully characterized and I appreciated the unique twist on the zombie theme by allowing the living dead to retain their memories and desires from their previous life thus causing them to feel sorrow and loathing for their actions while still being unable to resist their ceaseless hunger which impels them to enact the vilest of deeds.
The conclusion of this novel was slightly confusing but still proved to be most satisfactory. I was unable to deduce any of the ending sequences until they transpired and was shocked by the poignant heartbreak and ceaseless sadness showcased throughout this novel.
The writing style employed throughout this melancholy work was exceedingly well executed and effortlessly conveyed the atmosphere of infinite sadness through the use of numerous evocative words and vivid metaphors. As many have already noted, the writing style is not relaxed, rather it is extremely erudite thus revealing the morbid atmosphere of the novel through weighty phrases and melancholy musings enshrouding the entirety of the story in a heavy pall of sorrow.
The doom laden atmosphere, bilious concepts, detailed sequences of death and torture, and general disturbing aura inherent in this novel cause me to advocate caution when approaching this story. This is not a fun zombie novel fraught with ludicrous sequences that often prove more amusing than horrifying, rather, the realistic portrayal and accurate descriptions of the characters' conflicting emotions might prove too heavy for the general reader. If you feel confidant that this novel will not prove too disturbing, its phenomenal plot, memorable characters, - - -both living and undead - - -, and fast pace will prove most entertaining and although I hesitate to label this novel as enjoyable, it never failed to maintain my interest and has caused me to develop an interest in the further works of this author.
Ravenova
I was impressed by all aspects of this novel but was particularly enthralled by one such aspect to the point of being deeply drawn into the story. Instead of reading due to a general feeling of curiosity, I was drawn into the earth shattering events begun in Dandridge, and soon to spread worldwide by the characters' perceptions of the deterioration of all they ever held dear. As the merciless dead began to rise from their graves imbued with an abnormal strength never experienced in life added to an all-consuming desire to prey upon the living, they begin to torture and devour those they once loved in many graphic sequences. As the few remaining citizens of Dandridge namely Mike, Erin, Avery, and Melinda begin to discover the dire events that have mysteriously transpired on this seemingly innocuous night they are subjected to encountering the decayed parody of people they once loved returning from deep beneath their graves to consume those hapless individuals roaming the night, unaware of the circumstances that have re-animated the dead. Unlike many novels concentrated on zombies and their gruesome acts of gratuitous violence, the full horror of the situation and the strong emotional reactions of the people trapped within this hapless town was portrayed in a realistic fashion thus transforming what appears to be a fun novel of little substance into a disturbing realistic nightmare of shattering emotions and graphic gore completely enshrouded by an impenetrable aura of sadness. This having been stated, this novel is obviously not for the weak of heart and might prove so disturbing as to eliminate any enjoyment for those who are deeply effected by such raw emotions and so many vividly described dark concepts.
The characterization was expertly implemented allowing me to fully understand and appreciate each character. The raw pain of certain characters was so palpable as to prove contagious and the extreme evil and vileness of other characters, namely Melinda, was so well executed as to cause me to dream of vengeance. However, despite the extremely evil aspects inherent in some characters, the author was able to cause me to feel sympathy and sorrow for those I had previously abhorred by adding a simple statement or an overtly painful death. Even the zombies were fully characterized and I appreciated the unique twist on the zombie theme by allowing the living dead to retain their memories and desires from their previous life thus causing them to feel sorrow and loathing for their actions while still being unable to resist their ceaseless hunger which impels them to enact the vilest of deeds.
The conclusion of this novel was slightly confusing but still proved to be most satisfactory. I was unable to deduce any of the ending sequences until they transpired and was shocked by the poignant heartbreak and ceaseless sadness showcased throughout this novel.
The writing style employed throughout this melancholy work was exceedingly well executed and effortlessly conveyed the atmosphere of infinite sadness through the use of numerous evocative words and vivid metaphors. As many have already noted, the writing style is not relaxed, rather it is extremely erudite thus revealing the morbid atmosphere of the novel through weighty phrases and melancholy musings enshrouding the entirety of the story in a heavy pall of sorrow.
The doom laden atmosphere, bilious concepts, detailed sequences of death and torture, and general disturbing aura inherent in this novel cause me to advocate caution when approaching this story. This is not a fun zombie novel fraught with ludicrous sequences that often prove more amusing than horrifying, rather, the realistic portrayal and accurate descriptions of the characters' conflicting emotions might prove too heavy for the general reader. If you feel confidant that this novel will not prove too disturbing, its phenomenal plot, memorable characters, - - -both living and undead - - -, and fast pace will prove most entertaining and although I hesitate to label this novel as enjoyable, it never failed to maintain my interest and has caused me to develop an interest in the further works of this author.
Ravenova
March 6, 2023
Знам за поне две поредици от типа вагинално фентъзи, които включват Ангел на смъртта, или Косач, или както там са решили да го кръстят, който се е разбунтувал срещу системата и обикновено хваща някоя мома и обръща новооткрехнатата ѝ женственост на терлък. Е това е версията на Браян Смит и хе, хе, хе, няма да намерите тук романтични садизми, а само брутални такива.
В едно малко градче е извършено зверско убийство, ей така от скука. Някой подхвърля стара книга на съкрушения съпруг и адът се отприщва на земята. Десетки трупове плъзват по улиците, гладни за плът, а шансовете на оцелелите стават все по-малко. А между тях броди Смъртоносеца, който е решил да отхвърли вековно иго и да направи Земята царство на живите мъртви. Включете в рецептата и чисто човешка психопатия в лицето на разочарована от обществото тийнейджърка с афинитет към секс и насилие и получавате перфектен Смит със, за разнообразие, чудесен паранормален елемент.
Доволно четиво за събота следобед, нищо феноменално.
В едно малко градче е извършено зверско убийство, ей така от скука. Някой подхвърля стара книга на съкрушения съпруг и адът се отприщва на земята. Десетки трупове плъзват по улиците, гладни за плът, а шансовете на оцелелите стават все по-малко. А между тях броди Смъртоносеца, който е решил да отхвърли вековно иго и да направи Земята царство на живите мъртви. Включете в рецептата и чисто човешка психопатия в лицето на разочарована от обществото тийнейджърка с афинитет към секс и насилие и получавате перфектен Смит със, за разнообразие, чудесен паранормален елемент.
Доволно четиво за събота следобед, нищо феноменално.
September 27, 2023
Only 21 years late to the party, as I devour my way through Bryan Smith's library I finally got to this fantastic and very different zombie tale. Cosmic forces, scary as hell zombies and a psychotic teen crash headlong into a grieving lover and his family. True to form for Smith, Deathbringer races out the gates at a sprint and never lets up as the terror and violence escalates up to a kickass ending that I really didn't see coming.
One note, there's a chapter involving a brutal murder and character that are never mentioned again and feel like they dropped by from another book. Possibly an ebook error or maybe Smith weaving something together that will pay off in later books? Anyway, Deathbringer is classic Smith. Fast paced, savage and absolutely thrilling. Nobody writes depraved psychos like he does, and this time get two for the price of one.
One note, there's a chapter involving a brutal murder and character that are never mentioned again and feel like they dropped by from another book. Possibly an ebook error or maybe Smith weaving something together that will pay off in later books? Anyway, Deathbringer is classic Smith. Fast paced, savage and absolutely thrilling. Nobody writes depraved psychos like he does, and this time get two for the price of one.
September 5, 2020
I don't read much in the zombie genre so I wasn't sure if I would like this book, but I did. I think what made this book a little different was that the zombies retained some of their memories and were aware of what they had become.
January 1, 2020
3.7 stars
Insane, wild gore fest. Smith writes original monstrous evil things.
Insane, wild gore fest. Smith writes original monstrous evil things.
October 22, 2022
Reminded me very much of Richard Laymon but mid tier Laymon which is still pretty damn good
April 11, 2024
A decent take on zombies and the grim reaper. A nice little twist at the end as well. Great debut book!
August 20, 2025
awesome fucking book. first Bryan Smith book i ever read and it made me wanna read every single thing he's ever written
January 28, 2020
Bryan Smith ("The Killing Kind") has a talent for writing young, homicidal women. He's got a real mean one at the center of "Deathbringer." She kills a nice young lady about to be married, and this sets off a chain of events wherein the dead come back to life and kill anyone they come across, creating a big old army of dead.
"Deathbringer" is a fast-paced book with a lot going on. There's the homicidal adventures of the young woman who unwittingly creates the first of the undead. And there's the story of the murdered woman's fiance and how crappy things get for him.
And a couple of shadowy, spooky figures we don't know much about until closer to the book's third act. An overseer, who smiles on the bloody adventures of the young killer; and another, a man trying to stop all the small-town craziness recently set into motion.
"Deathbringer" is a fun, guts-ripping adventure that, really, I wouldn't have minded a bit more of. Maybe get a little more of the fiancee and his friends before the shit went down. And more of the psycho girl. So far, "The Killing Kind" is still my favorite Smith book, but "Deathbringer" is also a good time, if you like this sort of sick, fast-paced action.
"Deathbringer" is a fast-paced book with a lot going on. There's the homicidal adventures of the young woman who unwittingly creates the first of the undead. And there's the story of the murdered woman's fiance and how crappy things get for him.
And a couple of shadowy, spooky figures we don't know much about until closer to the book's third act. An overseer, who smiles on the bloody adventures of the young killer; and another, a man trying to stop all the small-town craziness recently set into motion.
"Deathbringer" is a fun, guts-ripping adventure that, really, I wouldn't have minded a bit more of. Maybe get a little more of the fiancee and his friends before the shit went down. And more of the psycho girl. So far, "The Killing Kind" is still my favorite Smith book, but "Deathbringer" is also a good time, if you like this sort of sick, fast-paced action.
March 19, 2020
It's basically the novelization to a Z-grade zombie flick, but it's fun enough if you massively lower your expectations. At any rate, it's better than the other two Smith books I've read, if only because he seems to be thinking less with his penis on where the story should go.
June 21, 2010
This is Bryan Smith's highly original and imaginative take on a zombie apocalypse. I repeat, highly original and imaginative. For that fact alone, I give it 4 stars. I was leaning towards three and a half, but when I wrote my first sentence of this review, I realized, damn, this book really was a different take on zombies. Which is saying something these days, as the zombie, once the proud mascot of the hardcore horror elite, has become as played out as the sexy vampire. As far as Bryan Smith, goes, and fans know this already, dude keeps it REAL. Smith writes with a zeal that you don't find too often in horror fiction. You can tell he really loves the genre, and he keeps even hardened fans like myself guessing. This book would make an excellent movie in the hands of the right people. An original zombie story, brimming with cool new ideas? Hollywood, stop making endless clones of the same 10 horror movies a year and look into adapting cool fiction like Bryan Smith's! You heard it here first.
November 16, 2011
I saw this book in the store and thought, "Awesome! A zombie novel!" I'm not saying this book was bad but the "zombies" were able to talk, breathe, and think. I just don't understand how they are zombies if they are able to do the things living beings do. The story was good, overall. The author put too much detail into the main living villain, Melinda. He should have given more background to the others in the story so that we would care if they lived or died. The Reaper aka The Deathbringer, The Guardians, The Prime... these are all characters you will encounter in this novel and that is about it, character history is extremely scarce in this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews