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Floaters
London 1890.
Out of the Thames’ fetid depths the undead rise to feast upon the living. While floaters seek blood, another army takes advantage of the chaos. Boiling out of their rookeries of crime, marauders swarm through London’s affluent neighborhoods looting and burning.
While the beleaguered police and the Queen’s army battle twin plagues—human and inhuman—London’s criminal youth gangs join forces to save their city. Will Tagget, leader of the Lambeth Lads, together with his enemies Bill Drummond of the Drury Lane Gang, bull-necked George Fish of the Elephant and Castle Gang, shillelagh-wielding Dirk Bogart of the New Cut Gang, Quincy Bird of City Road, along with their female counterparts—Lambeth Kate, Queen Jane, New Cut Beth, Razor Lil and Dirty Deidre—set out on an adventure the telling of which might earn a man a lifetime of free drinks. If he lives to tell it.
The gangs in Floaters are historical, the characters are not.
Out of the Thames’ fetid depths the undead rise to feast upon the living. While floaters seek blood, another army takes advantage of the chaos. Boiling out of their rookeries of crime, marauders swarm through London’s affluent neighborhoods looting and burning.
While the beleaguered police and the Queen’s army battle twin plagues—human and inhuman—London’s criminal youth gangs join forces to save their city. Will Tagget, leader of the Lambeth Lads, together with his enemies Bill Drummond of the Drury Lane Gang, bull-necked George Fish of the Elephant and Castle Gang, shillelagh-wielding Dirk Bogart of the New Cut Gang, Quincy Bird of City Road, along with their female counterparts—Lambeth Kate, Queen Jane, New Cut Beth, Razor Lil and Dirty Deidre—set out on an adventure the telling of which might earn a man a lifetime of free drinks. If he lives to tell it.
The gangs in Floaters are historical, the characters are not.
91 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 10, 2021
4 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 26, 2022
The other books I have in my Horror Aficionados 2022 Aquatic Horror books are going to have a hard time topping this book. Violent, descriptive kills, a quick moving plot, this book has everything a person could want in their summer read.
And I found out that "wobbler" was Victorian British slang for an egg. I have decided to make it a thing here in the US. That's right "wobbler" is the new "fetch." Make it so!!!!!
And I found out that "wobbler" was Victorian British slang for an egg. I have decided to make it a thing here in the US. That's right "wobbler" is the new "fetch." Make it so!!!!!
November 22, 2021
Floaters!!
I enjoyed it. There was obviously a ton of research done while writing this and it shows in the detail. It was more focused on the gangs then on the zombies I thought but it still kept my attention so yeah thumbs up.
I enjoyed it. There was obviously a ton of research done while writing this and it shows in the detail. It was more focused on the gangs then on the zombies I thought but it still kept my attention so yeah thumbs up.
September 29, 2021
Oh look at that. Usually I love being the first person to rate and review a book, even if it does involve creating a listing for it. But it’s nicer when there are nicer things to say. Still…one must maintain reviewing integrity at all times, so here it is…
It takes guts to go with a title like Floaters. And I mean sure, you can make an argument that this really is about zombie like creatures rising out of Thames to eat some Victorians, so technically the title is accurate, but that’s like titling a novel about a furniture maker Stool Samples. Technically accurate only gets you so far.
It would have been another story if this this was a…well, another story. But having read this, it’s difficult to get away from certain fecal connotations.
Not that it’s terrible…it isn’t. It’s fairly competently written. There’s just nothing there beyond the original premise of zombies and gangs in Victorian age. Seriously. Nothing.
If I had to guess, I’d say the author in his retirement has found time to translate his passionate interest for British gangs into genre fiction. It definitely reads as such, long lists of gang names included. The book’s official description demonstrates it too. So maybe this would be fun for a like minded connoisseur?
Or maybe you just always wanted your zombies soggy?
Or maybe you watched (or read) Gangs of New York and thought…you know what would be fun? If this was London and there were zombies in it.
But otherwise this doesn’t have much to recommend itself, the writing is about as inspired as a completion of names and the book covers that up with over the top gore (oh, the guts, the guts are rumbling, it’s going to be a…well, you get the idea), though at least it’s brief. Not quite the quality I’ve come to expect from this publisher, but there’s always that one off. That…floater.
Many thanks to the publisher for floating this freebie my way for review purposes. Didn’t work for me, but is a world of people out there who love the things I don’t, so who knows. One man's turd might turn out to be another's treasure.
It takes guts to go with a title like Floaters. And I mean sure, you can make an argument that this really is about zombie like creatures rising out of Thames to eat some Victorians, so technically the title is accurate, but that’s like titling a novel about a furniture maker Stool Samples. Technically accurate only gets you so far.
It would have been another story if this this was a…well, another story. But having read this, it’s difficult to get away from certain fecal connotations.
Not that it’s terrible…it isn’t. It’s fairly competently written. There’s just nothing there beyond the original premise of zombies and gangs in Victorian age. Seriously. Nothing.
If I had to guess, I’d say the author in his retirement has found time to translate his passionate interest for British gangs into genre fiction. It definitely reads as such, long lists of gang names included. The book’s official description demonstrates it too. So maybe this would be fun for a like minded connoisseur?
Or maybe you just always wanted your zombies soggy?
Or maybe you watched (or read) Gangs of New York and thought…you know what would be fun? If this was London and there were zombies in it.
But otherwise this doesn’t have much to recommend itself, the writing is about as inspired as a completion of names and the book covers that up with over the top gore (oh, the guts, the guts are rumbling, it’s going to be a…well, you get the idea), though at least it’s brief. Not quite the quality I’ve come to expect from this publisher, but there’s always that one off. That…floater.
Many thanks to the publisher for floating this freebie my way for review purposes. Didn’t work for me, but is a world of people out there who love the things I don’t, so who knows. One man's turd might turn out to be another's treasure.
September 9, 2021
Garrett Boatman’s Floaters is a bit of swashbuckling fun! From the get-go, it is full of action and gory deaths, (my kinda fun) and it continues this fast pace all the way through.
Set in Victorian times we are introduced to the gangs that roamed the East End streets of London. Will and his gang of Lambeth Walk Lads are getting ready to do battle with Bill Drummond and his gang, the Drury Lane Monkeys. When suddenly, a scream pierces the night! The fight forgotten; the guys see what can only be described as a nightmare. Shadowy figures are emerging from the riverbanks, and one is now eating one of the Lambeth Lads alive!
Soon realizing these are the undead they are dealing with the two gangs join forces and call upon the other gangs of the city to rid their stomping grounds of these creatures.
I found this to be an entertaining read. The story ends with a possibility of continuation which I would most certainly welcome.
Set in Victorian times we are introduced to the gangs that roamed the East End streets of London. Will and his gang of Lambeth Walk Lads are getting ready to do battle with Bill Drummond and his gang, the Drury Lane Monkeys. When suddenly, a scream pierces the night! The fight forgotten; the guys see what can only be described as a nightmare. Shadowy figures are emerging from the riverbanks, and one is now eating one of the Lambeth Lads alive!
Soon realizing these are the undead they are dealing with the two gangs join forces and call upon the other gangs of the city to rid their stomping grounds of these creatures.
I found this to be an entertaining read. The story ends with a possibility of continuation which I would most certainly welcome.
August 16, 2021
A fast paced read that pits the undead against rival gangs in 19th century London.
Heavily researched so London and the gangs are nicely coloured. The action and violence leap off the page to make Floaters a decent page turner.
I'd possibly like this to have been a bit longer, maybe have more flesh on the bones. Build up the gangs rivalry more, possibly add a subplot or two but maybe I'm just being greedy.
I'd certainly like to see the gangs return taking on the freaks and ghouls that stumble around the streets and sewers of old London Town.
---
The scum of the Earth are brought face to face with the spawn of Hell in this fast-paced historical horror.
A visceral, action packed page-turner.
Heavily researched so London and the gangs are nicely coloured. The action and violence leap off the page to make Floaters a decent page turner.
I'd possibly like this to have been a bit longer, maybe have more flesh on the bones. Build up the gangs rivalry more, possibly add a subplot or two but maybe I'm just being greedy.
I'd certainly like to see the gangs return taking on the freaks and ghouls that stumble around the streets and sewers of old London Town.
---
The scum of the Earth are brought face to face with the spawn of Hell in this fast-paced historical horror.
A visceral, action packed page-turner.
February 16, 2022
Enjoyable..... Nice little romp
September 27, 2021
Sometimes there’s nothing like a good piece of zombie horror fiction to get me back into the mood for reviewing after real life gets a bit too much and I find myself lacking the time to read very much at all, let alone write up a review. So it was fortuitous indeed that I saw a promotional email from Crystal Lake Publishing to announce the publication of one of their latest titles – the zombie horror novella Floaters by Garrett Boatman. Crystal Lake has always been one of my favourite publishers, releasing some incredible anthologies and novels, so I had absolutely no doubt that Floaters was going to be a high-quality title, and the cover art immediately caught my eye with its vicious, water-logged zombies emerging from the dirty waters of the Thames. In addition, the back-cover blurb seems to promise something different to the usual generic, tired and stale titles bloating out the zombie horror genre at the moment, with its focus on Victorian London (an under-used location and period) and street gangs against hordes of the titular Floaters. So I decided to jump right in and see what Garrett Boatman had in store for me.
After weeks of people from all walks of life – ‘swells’ and ‘toughs’ alike – mysteriously disappearing throughout London, generally in and around rivers and sewers, it suddenly becomes clear that an army of waterlogged, undead corpses are to blame as they suddenly begin surging out of the waterways and into London itself. As the authorities struggle to first understand the scale of the problem, and then how to fend off the horde of zombies now rampaging through the city, possible salvation comes from an unlikely source: the vicious, heavily-armed and amoral gangs that populate the capital’s dark corners and slums. Protagonist Will Tagget is the leader of the Lambeth Walk Lads, one of the numerous gangs in the city, and until very recently only concerned with exacting revenge on his rivals in the Drury Lane Monkeys. But when corpses begin climbing out of the Thames and interrupt a scheduled duel by devouring some of the participants, Will finds himself with no choice but to try and somehow unite the disparate rival gangs scattered across London into a unified force that can fight back against the undead – assuming that he can stop them trying to kill each other in the chaos consuming the capital, and prevent the increasingly-desperate authorities from turning on them as well.
Floaters clocks in at a mere 91 pages, somewhere in the middle of average page-counts for a novella, and that means that there’s absolutely no padding or superfluous detail here; instead, Boatman gives us a stripped-down, lightning-fast and deftly paced slice of cinematic horror with a superb sense of atmosphere threaded through the entire plot. Boatman really brings late-Victorian London and its inhabitants to life, and especially the various rivers and waterways that criss-cross the city. There were frequently times when reading the novella that I could all but smell the vivid stench of fetid rivers and waterlogged corpses returning to (un)life as they crawled out of the water and after living flesh, an even more impressive achievement given the relatively short wordcount. The same level of skill is applied to the characters in the novella, who have a surprising amount of depth despite the fast pace of events and the focus on the undead invasion of the city.
Will makes for a formidable protagonist, Boatman demonstrating the irony of a violent criminal, and a member of the lowest class possible in Victorian society, demonstrating more intelligence and greater aptitude for leadership than the monied and aristocratic classes sheltering away from the undead rampaging through London. His comrade Foley, a policeman and therefore also supposedly on the opposite side of Will in terms of law and order, is another great character; from the same sort of background as Will, and yet having taken another path in life, the arrival of the watery corpses forces him into an uneasy alliance with the gang leader. Space and time preclude me from going though the other characters that appear in the story, but even minor characters have a sufficient depth to ensure they are not just two-dimensional cardboard cutouts. I was also greatly impressed by the deeply evocative descriptions Boatman used for the undead, written in a specific manner I haven’t seen for a long while, and nuanced in a way that reminds me of other talented authors published by Crystal Lake Publishing – Aaron Dries and Mark Allan Gunnells’ sublime classic Where The Dead Go To Die. In many zombie titles, the undead have little to no personality and act merely as an anonymous mass to threaten the cast of characters- but Boatman deftly avoids this common genre pitfall and manages to make the Floaters both distinctive and highly menacing at the same time.
All of this combines together with the gory, Splatterpunk-esque action sequences that litter the novella; the fascinating depiction of Late-Victorian London that anchors the entire plot; and the hugely imaginative narrative set-pieces, particularly the stomach-churning and strikingly original usage of a horse-slaughtering depot to create something utterly brilliant. Taken all together, Floaters is nothing less than an immensely enjoyable, innovative and blood-spattered take on the zombie horror genre, pumping fresh blood into the veins of a stale and moribund corpse in order to bring it back to life so it may consume more living flesh. Floaters is clear evidence that Boatman has a distinctive talent for horror stories, and I look forward to seeing what he produces in the future, hopefully in partnership with Crystal Lake Publications.
After weeks of people from all walks of life – ‘swells’ and ‘toughs’ alike – mysteriously disappearing throughout London, generally in and around rivers and sewers, it suddenly becomes clear that an army of waterlogged, undead corpses are to blame as they suddenly begin surging out of the waterways and into London itself. As the authorities struggle to first understand the scale of the problem, and then how to fend off the horde of zombies now rampaging through the city, possible salvation comes from an unlikely source: the vicious, heavily-armed and amoral gangs that populate the capital’s dark corners and slums. Protagonist Will Tagget is the leader of the Lambeth Walk Lads, one of the numerous gangs in the city, and until very recently only concerned with exacting revenge on his rivals in the Drury Lane Monkeys. But when corpses begin climbing out of the Thames and interrupt a scheduled duel by devouring some of the participants, Will finds himself with no choice but to try and somehow unite the disparate rival gangs scattered across London into a unified force that can fight back against the undead – assuming that he can stop them trying to kill each other in the chaos consuming the capital, and prevent the increasingly-desperate authorities from turning on them as well.
Floaters clocks in at a mere 91 pages, somewhere in the middle of average page-counts for a novella, and that means that there’s absolutely no padding or superfluous detail here; instead, Boatman gives us a stripped-down, lightning-fast and deftly paced slice of cinematic horror with a superb sense of atmosphere threaded through the entire plot. Boatman really brings late-Victorian London and its inhabitants to life, and especially the various rivers and waterways that criss-cross the city. There were frequently times when reading the novella that I could all but smell the vivid stench of fetid rivers and waterlogged corpses returning to (un)life as they crawled out of the water and after living flesh, an even more impressive achievement given the relatively short wordcount. The same level of skill is applied to the characters in the novella, who have a surprising amount of depth despite the fast pace of events and the focus on the undead invasion of the city.
Will makes for a formidable protagonist, Boatman demonstrating the irony of a violent criminal, and a member of the lowest class possible in Victorian society, demonstrating more intelligence and greater aptitude for leadership than the monied and aristocratic classes sheltering away from the undead rampaging through London. His comrade Foley, a policeman and therefore also supposedly on the opposite side of Will in terms of law and order, is another great character; from the same sort of background as Will, and yet having taken another path in life, the arrival of the watery corpses forces him into an uneasy alliance with the gang leader. Space and time preclude me from going though the other characters that appear in the story, but even minor characters have a sufficient depth to ensure they are not just two-dimensional cardboard cutouts. I was also greatly impressed by the deeply evocative descriptions Boatman used for the undead, written in a specific manner I haven’t seen for a long while, and nuanced in a way that reminds me of other talented authors published by Crystal Lake Publishing – Aaron Dries and Mark Allan Gunnells’ sublime classic Where The Dead Go To Die. In many zombie titles, the undead have little to no personality and act merely as an anonymous mass to threaten the cast of characters- but Boatman deftly avoids this common genre pitfall and manages to make the Floaters both distinctive and highly menacing at the same time.
All of this combines together with the gory, Splatterpunk-esque action sequences that litter the novella; the fascinating depiction of Late-Victorian London that anchors the entire plot; and the hugely imaginative narrative set-pieces, particularly the stomach-churning and strikingly original usage of a horse-slaughtering depot to create something utterly brilliant. Taken all together, Floaters is nothing less than an immensely enjoyable, innovative and blood-spattered take on the zombie horror genre, pumping fresh blood into the veins of a stale and moribund corpse in order to bring it back to life so it may consume more living flesh. Floaters is clear evidence that Boatman has a distinctive talent for horror stories, and I look forward to seeing what he produces in the future, hopefully in partnership with Crystal Lake Publications.
August 4, 2021
What peaked my interest for this book was its historical setting. Usually, zombie plagues take place sometime near the present, but one that breaks out in 1890's London, where gangs rule the streets, looting and fighting each other?! The summary sounded like Peaky Blinders meeting the Walking Dead, which are both favorites of mine, so of course I had to get my eyes on 'Floaters', though I'm not an avid zombie horror reader.
Sadly, the book promised more than it could hold. The basic idea - zombies rising out of the rivers, which in past times served as giant fetid sewers for every kind of waste, even dead bodies. At one time, someone mentions the river might get back for its abuse by humankind by spilling out the (un)dead. While that explanation sounded fascinating, it was not explored any further, which could have added an interesting angle to the story. So here we have a zombie outbreak, and the street gangs, which usually fight each other, have to team up to fight the undead. So far, so good - or not. First, there were no distinct characters to team up with - while one or two names repeatedly surfaced, I could not relate to them in any way. The author seemed to enjoy throwing in names but without giving them any faces. It felt like in movies where each newly added unknown character is introduced only to be served as zombie fodder in the next scene. Also, the author seems to have a fondness for listings, be it names or old weapons or machines or other details about life at the end of the 19th century. So yeah, he seems to know a bit about that time, but throwing in random pieces of knowledge doesn't create an interesting historical background for a story. Furthermore, the whole book consisted mostly of close-up fights against zombies - nothing against some bloody action, but after the umpteenth scene of gang member X against zombie Y with weapon Z it got boring. While I appreciated the short novella format of this story, I wished the author would have taken more time to give more flesh and color to a handful of main characters instead of throwing around random information. I'm sorry to say that this book did not work for me. Or rather: 'Das war leider ein Griff ins Klo' (there doesn't seem to be a good translation for this phrase that keeps the pun).
Sadly, the book promised more than it could hold. The basic idea - zombies rising out of the rivers, which in past times served as giant fetid sewers for every kind of waste, even dead bodies. At one time, someone mentions the river might get back for its abuse by humankind by spilling out the (un)dead. While that explanation sounded fascinating, it was not explored any further, which could have added an interesting angle to the story. So here we have a zombie outbreak, and the street gangs, which usually fight each other, have to team up to fight the undead. So far, so good - or not. First, there were no distinct characters to team up with - while one or two names repeatedly surfaced, I could not relate to them in any way. The author seemed to enjoy throwing in names but without giving them any faces. It felt like in movies where each newly added unknown character is introduced only to be served as zombie fodder in the next scene. Also, the author seems to have a fondness for listings, be it names or old weapons or machines or other details about life at the end of the 19th century. So yeah, he seems to know a bit about that time, but throwing in random pieces of knowledge doesn't create an interesting historical background for a story. Furthermore, the whole book consisted mostly of close-up fights against zombies - nothing against some bloody action, but after the umpteenth scene of gang member X against zombie Y with weapon Z it got boring. While I appreciated the short novella format of this story, I wished the author would have taken more time to give more flesh and color to a handful of main characters instead of throwing around random information. I'm sorry to say that this book did not work for me. Or rather: 'Das war leider ein Griff ins Klo' (there doesn't seem to be a good translation for this phrase that keeps the pun).
May 5, 2022
Victorian London has survived fires, plagues, wars, but it’s about to face its worst nightmare. As zombies rise from the Thames, their hunger knows no bounds. Most of London flees while they can. Meanwhile, male and female street urchin gangs will band together to fight a threat that only adds to their numbers with each bite of flesh they take.
It’s a book about zombies, so the gore factor is what you’d expect from this genre. The metaphors and mindsets are firmly grounded in the historical period. The author utilizes the senses like a cinematic movie director as zombies begin to devour the city. Boatman’s main characters have a depth not often accomplished in novellas, and I had a few favorites I was rooting for. As the street gangs come together to formulate a plan, they take to the rivers running throughout London of which the author clearly has a vast knowledge.
The adventure churns between locks, pours through tunnels, and swells past wharves. This novella doesn’t work to explain the supernatural; it simply presents a fast-paced, atmospheric, visceral battle of living versus the living dead. It even tugs a bit at the heart by the end. A quick satisfying read, especially for the spookier months of the year. Recommended!
Review originally posted via the Historical Novel Society at: https://historicalnovelsociety.org/re...
It’s a book about zombies, so the gore factor is what you’d expect from this genre. The metaphors and mindsets are firmly grounded in the historical period. The author utilizes the senses like a cinematic movie director as zombies begin to devour the city. Boatman’s main characters have a depth not often accomplished in novellas, and I had a few favorites I was rooting for. As the street gangs come together to formulate a plan, they take to the rivers running throughout London of which the author clearly has a vast knowledge.
The adventure churns between locks, pours through tunnels, and swells past wharves. This novella doesn’t work to explain the supernatural; it simply presents a fast-paced, atmospheric, visceral battle of living versus the living dead. It even tugs a bit at the heart by the end. A quick satisfying read, especially for the spookier months of the year. Recommended!
Review originally posted via the Historical Novel Society at: https://historicalnovelsociety.org/re...
September 7, 2021
The new Horror novella FLOATERS capably combines a quite keen eye for Victorian London's subculture (the poor and working classes, and the gangs and criminal element) with a visceral awareness of the environment of the fabled Thames River and it surrounds, stirring in an Implacable Horror called "floaters" or "deaders:" deceased but incredibly mobile corpses existing in quantity below the surface of the muddy, well-polluted, Thames as it courses through London. The law is helpless, citizenry flees; only the street gangs mobilize to defend what remains of London against the onslaught of the floaters.
October 20, 2021
A real ripping yarn! Short, punchy and gripping, this is a short novel that really showcases the writer’s interest in Victoriana with great details on London, its gangs and daily life combined with the horror of a zombie plague and the fight to survive. A fun read, this could also make a great movie!
October 28, 2021
This is a zombie novel with a difference! Loved the plot. The idea of London's street gangs uniting to fight off the zombie invasion was brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and was rather disappointed when I finished it. I hope there will be a follow up.
August 9, 2021
Review at The Horror Tree: https://horrortree.com/epeolatry-book...
August 29, 2025
Z hlubin Temže začnou vylézat mrtví lačnící po krvi. Nemilosrdně zabíjejí všechny, kteří jim přijdou do cesty. Do záchrany města se pustí ta nejméně očekávaná skupina. Londýnské gangy se spojí a z nepřátel se stávají bratři a sestry v boji. Podaří se jim zlo z Temže zničit?
Začíst se a zorientovat se ve všech jménech a událostech prvních stran bylo náročné. Až na druhé rozečtení jsem se začala trochu chytat a prvních 50 stran byl boj. Poté však nastal zlom a mě konečně začalo zajímat co se na stránkách Naplavenin děje a jak se bude nezáviděníhodná situace, do které se Londýn dostal, vyvíjet dál.
S knihami, kdy se hlavní premisa točí kolem zombie to se mnou asi nebude jednoduché. Po Wroclawských krysách jsem byla opatrná s očekáváním a počítala jsem s tím, že mi to nemusí sednout - ale světe div se, Naplaveniny mi nakonec sedly víc.
Líbil se mi nápad s oživlými mrtvými, zde pojmenovanými naplaveniny, kteří vylézají z vody a útočí na lidi právě z ní. Voda je zkrátka jejich teritorium. I zapojení členů londýnského podsvětí bylo skvělým tahem, ovšem s vyjmenováváním všech jmen gangů a celých jmen jejich členů by si autor nemusel dávat takovou práci. Pro čtenáře je to zbytečně zahlcující a při tolika postavách na tak malém rozsahu navíc těžce zapamatovatelné.
Výraznějšími postavami jsou tu Will a Kate, členové gangů, kteří mi v jednu chvíli i spolu s celým dějem začali připomínat ústřední dvojici z Pirátů z Karibiku a neptejte se mě proč, ale jakmile mi tento postřeh přišel na mysl, už jsem v celé zápletce viděla jen závěrečnou bitvu na Černé Perle, kdy se dvě zneprátelené skupiny spojí proti společnému nepříteli.
Konec to celé hodně vylepšil a závěr jsem si užila. Tohle Zrnko nebude patřit mezi mé nejoblíbenější, ale nakonec jsem si na něm přeci jen našla nějaká pozitiva a vyšel z toho fajn průměr.
Začíst se a zorientovat se ve všech jménech a událostech prvních stran bylo náročné. Až na druhé rozečtení jsem se začala trochu chytat a prvních 50 stran byl boj. Poté však nastal zlom a mě konečně začalo zajímat co se na stránkách Naplavenin děje a jak se bude nezáviděníhodná situace, do které se Londýn dostal, vyvíjet dál.
S knihami, kdy se hlavní premisa točí kolem zombie to se mnou asi nebude jednoduché. Po Wroclawských krysách jsem byla opatrná s očekáváním a počítala jsem s tím, že mi to nemusí sednout - ale světe div se, Naplaveniny mi nakonec sedly víc.
Líbil se mi nápad s oživlými mrtvými, zde pojmenovanými naplaveniny, kteří vylézají z vody a útočí na lidi právě z ní. Voda je zkrátka jejich teritorium. I zapojení členů londýnského podsvětí bylo skvělým tahem, ovšem s vyjmenováváním všech jmen gangů a celých jmen jejich členů by si autor nemusel dávat takovou práci. Pro čtenáře je to zbytečně zahlcující a při tolika postavách na tak malém rozsahu navíc těžce zapamatovatelné.
Výraznějšími postavami jsou tu Will a Kate, členové gangů, kteří mi v jednu chvíli i spolu s celým dějem začali připomínat ústřední dvojici z Pirátů z Karibiku a neptejte se mě proč, ale jakmile mi tento postřeh přišel na mysl, už jsem v celé zápletce viděla jen závěrečnou bitvu na Černé Perle, kdy se dvě zneprátelené skupiny spojí proti společnému nepříteli.
Konec to celé hodně vylepšil a závěr jsem si užila. Tohle Zrnko nebude patřit mezi mé nejoblíbenější, ale nakonec jsem si na něm přeci jen našla nějaká pozitiva a vyšel z toho fajn průměr.
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October 7, 2021DNF - 23%
November 10, 2025
V Londýne nie je bezpečno. Temža v sebe skrýva niečo, čo malo zostať pochované. Keď sa z jej kalných hlbín začnú vynárať telá, Londýn sa mení na mesto hrôzy. Mŕtvi ožívajú, ulice pohlcuje chaos, gangy rabujú a horor sa stáva realitou. Ako sa s touto desivou situáciou ľudia vysporiadajú?
„... přicházeli od řeky a on neslyšel žádné plácání blížících se vesel... pohybovali se šouravou chůzí, nejasné siluety skloněné, hlavy vystrčené dopředu, paže natažené.“
Autor v tejto knižke spája postapokalyptický zombie horor s gangsterským svetom, čo pôsobí zaujímavo, ale nefunguje to úplne bez problémov. Na malom priestore sa objavuje množstvo postáv, gangov a názvov, v ktorých sa dá ľahko stratiť. Postavy sú načrtnuté len zľahka, takže si k nim čitateľ nestihne vytvoriť vzťah.
Niektoré časti (napr. technické pasáže o plavebných komorách) brzdia tempo a oslabujú napätie, pričom mi chýbala postava, ktorej by som skutočne fandil. Chvíľu mi trvalo, kým som sa zorientoval, v akom období sa príbeh vlastne odohráva, a aj keď je dej vystavaný svižne, vysvetlenie pôvodu naplavenín by potešilo, keďže sme okamžite hodení do chaosu.
Zaujímavým motívom je, že aj nepriatelia sa dokážu spojiť pre spoločný cieľ, keď ide o prežitie. Na druhej strane, atmosféra funguje výborne – je temná, hustá, nepríjemná a zo stránok cítiť smrad Temže. Boatman dokáže navodiť pocit hnusu, beznádeje a všadeprítomného nebezpečenstva. Boje s naplaveninami sú nechutné, ale pôsobivé.
Záver knihu mierne pozdvihne, no celkovo ide o slabší príspevok do inak kvalitnej série Zrnka temnoty. Ak však máte radi horory, kde voda páchne smrťou a Londýn sa mení na nočnú moru, Naplaveniny by vás mohli zaujať.
Za knihu ďakujem: Golden Dog.
„... přicházeli od řeky a on neslyšel žádné plácání blížících se vesel... pohybovali se šouravou chůzí, nejasné siluety skloněné, hlavy vystrčené dopředu, paže natažené.“
Autor v tejto knižke spája postapokalyptický zombie horor s gangsterským svetom, čo pôsobí zaujímavo, ale nefunguje to úplne bez problémov. Na malom priestore sa objavuje množstvo postáv, gangov a názvov, v ktorých sa dá ľahko stratiť. Postavy sú načrtnuté len zľahka, takže si k nim čitateľ nestihne vytvoriť vzťah.
Niektoré časti (napr. technické pasáže o plavebných komorách) brzdia tempo a oslabujú napätie, pričom mi chýbala postava, ktorej by som skutočne fandil. Chvíľu mi trvalo, kým som sa zorientoval, v akom období sa príbeh vlastne odohráva, a aj keď je dej vystavaný svižne, vysvetlenie pôvodu naplavenín by potešilo, keďže sme okamžite hodení do chaosu.
Zaujímavým motívom je, že aj nepriatelia sa dokážu spojiť pre spoločný cieľ, keď ide o prežitie. Na druhej strane, atmosféra funguje výborne – je temná, hustá, nepríjemná a zo stránok cítiť smrad Temže. Boatman dokáže navodiť pocit hnusu, beznádeje a všadeprítomného nebezpečenstva. Boje s naplaveninami sú nechutné, ale pôsobivé.
Záver knihu mierne pozdvihne, no celkovo ide o slabší príspevok do inak kvalitnej série Zrnka temnoty. Ak však máte radi horory, kde voda páchne smrťou a Londýn sa mení na nočnú moru, Naplaveniny by vás mohli zaujať.
Za knihu ďakujem: Golden Dog.
June 17, 2025
Peaky Blinders vs Walking Dead? Anotace zní fakt slibně a já byla připravená na to, že se mi to bude sakra líbit. Ale bohužel, nestalo se. Začátek byl slibný, ale pak se to zvrtlo a měla jsem problém udržet pozornost a číst dál. Přehršel postav, jmen, jejich příslušnosti k tomu a tomu gangu, byť se objeví jen na jedné stránce. Zdymadla zmiňovaná 4x na jedné stránce. Tohle mi nesedlo a měla jsem problém to dočíst a byla jsem ráda, že je to v edici Zrnek, která jsou krátká. Paradoxně konec se trochu zlepšil, to už bohužel nezachránilo nezáživný střed. Je mi líto, ale každý den není posvícení :)
October 6, 2025
Loved it.
Yes, it’s cheesy, but in a gloriously spooky way. If you enjoy horror, you will probably enjoy this tale.
Yes, it’s cheesy, but in a gloriously spooky way. If you enjoy horror, you will probably enjoy this tale.
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