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Day by Day Armageddon #1
Day by Day Armageddon
An ongoing journal depicting one man's personal struggle for survival, dealing with the trials of an undead world unfolding around him. An unknown plague sweeps the planet. The dead rise to claim the Earth as the new dominant species. Trapped in the midst of a global tragedy, he must make decisions...choices that that ultimately mean life, or the eternal curse to walk as one of them.
260 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 2004
335 people are currently reading
13958 people want to read
About the author
J.L. Bourne
11 books1,112 followersWelcome to the Official J.L. Bourne Goodreads page.
J.L. Bourne is a retired military officer and national best selling author of the horror series, DAY BY DAY ARMAGEDDON, and dystopian thriller, TOMORROW WAR.
With twenty years of active military and intelligence community service behind him, J.L. brands a realistic and unique style of fiction.
J.L. lives on the Gulf Coast but is sometimes spotted toting a rifle and a knife in the rural hills of Arkansas where he grew up.
J.L. Bourne is a retired military officer and national best selling author of the horror series, DAY BY DAY ARMAGEDDON, and dystopian thriller, TOMORROW WAR.
With twenty years of active military and intelligence community service behind him, J.L. brands a realistic and unique style of fiction.
J.L. lives on the Gulf Coast but is sometimes spotted toting a rifle and a knife in the rural hills of Arkansas where he grew up.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,199 reviews
May 7, 2023
Just your average zombie survival autobiography.
Zombies and a bit too little trouble for the protagonist, but still a creative way to describe everyone´s favorite end of the world.
Not as good as the milestones of the genre, because too focused on one POV
Some people are pretty hard with this one, it certainly is no Zombie Survival guide and has no the living dead or resident evil quality, because it´s extremely focused on just one perspective, but it´s a nice addition for zombie addicts.
Why didn´t Bourne pimp it?
With a second plotline and more action, this could have been much better and I´m honestly wondering why Bourne didn´t prepare more cliffhangers, introduced some more characters, added some conspiracy theory, described large scale military conflicts between the left superpowers (especially that because of his background), etc.
Real life military elements
The military part and its realism are extreme, because Bourne was a real life-soldier and integrated much of his profound knowledge in the novel, giving it a kind of fictional autobiographic touch of how a specialist would deal with the situation, but ignoring some of the laws of storytelling made it much less successful than it could have been.
Preppers, veterans, and survivalists might love it more than the big names of the genre
People interested in anything military might find their obsession with this series and maybe the plot explodes in the other parts, I have at the moment just read the first part and am tinkering with trying the second one or the other series, but I am not sure if it´s my thing if it´s not too technical and too one character-based for me.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
Zombies and a bit too little trouble for the protagonist, but still a creative way to describe everyone´s favorite end of the world.
Not as good as the milestones of the genre, because too focused on one POV
Some people are pretty hard with this one, it certainly is no Zombie Survival guide and has no the living dead or resident evil quality, because it´s extremely focused on just one perspective, but it´s a nice addition for zombie addicts.
Why didn´t Bourne pimp it?
With a second plotline and more action, this could have been much better and I´m honestly wondering why Bourne didn´t prepare more cliffhangers, introduced some more characters, added some conspiracy theory, described large scale military conflicts between the left superpowers (especially that because of his background), etc.
Real life military elements
The military part and its realism are extreme, because Bourne was a real life-soldier and integrated much of his profound knowledge in the novel, giving it a kind of fictional autobiographic touch of how a specialist would deal with the situation, but ignoring some of the laws of storytelling made it much less successful than it could have been.
Preppers, veterans, and survivalists might love it more than the big names of the genre
People interested in anything military might find their obsession with this series and maybe the plot explodes in the other parts, I have at the moment just read the first part and am tinkering with trying the second one or the other series, but I am not sure if it´s my thing if it´s not too technical and too one character-based for me.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
July 2, 2012
If I could give this book negative stars, I would.
It's been a long time since a book has made me as angry as this one did. I don't think I'm the overly critical sort. I have expectations, and I want them to be met, but I think that I'm willing to compromise. If a book isn't the best written but has a good story, or if the writing is gorgeous, but the story is kinda "meh", I can appreciate the book for what it is and move on. But this was just painfully, ridiculously bad.
This book's gimmick is that it's the daily journal entries of a person who is trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. That's it. The journal format is what's supposed to make this book different from all the other zombie lit out there. The book kinda hinges on that aspect, so it's important to do it right.
And right there, that hinge-y part, is where the author failed to tighten the screws, and the whole thing fell apart almost as soon as I opened it up.
Here's why: Writing in the style of journal entries is not the same as 1st person narration. They aren't interchangeable. Similar, sure, but again, NOT the same thing. I feel like I need to make this clear: Journal style ≠ First person.
A journal is where we write our own thoughts, for ourselves, so we don't need to explain things to ourselves that we already know. Writing in journal form is tricky, because the reader DOESN'T know what the journal writer does, so info needs to be conveyed in a subtle, indirect way by context.
Not like these:
At this point, I lost patience and flipped ahead to a random page to see if it got any better, where I read this:
Just for fun, let's re-write this one too... "I slammed the garage door just before the first creature started beating on it and started looking for a way keep it shut. I looked around the room and found a mop and some nylon string. Keeping a foot on the door to hold it closed, I edged over to the mop, jammed it into the door rollers, and tied the string around it to keep it in place. I weighted the door down with a heavy box for good measure. Probably won't last, but better than nothing."
The sentences I quoted are just plain awkward, and would be in ANY piece of writing, in my humble opinion. I get that it's hard to write fiction in journal entries. There's a lot of info that only the person writing the journal would know, like who Bryce is, or Jenny, or that the stepfather isn't the same "Dad" as "Dad", and somehow that information needs to be conveyed realistically to the reader. But that's the challenge you take on when you go for that style. It's NOT the same as epistolary fiction using letters or other correspondence, because those are intended to be read by someone else, and therefore the explanation works, is even necessary.
The fact is that if Bourne had specified that the journal was being kept for posterity, much of my issues would not even exist. If you're purposefully writing a journal for someone else to read at some point, it makes sense to write it with explanations for them. But unless the purpose of the journal changes at some point, that's not the case. (And honestly, even if it DID, it doesn't explain the explanations in the part that came before the decision to explain to future readers.)
What it boils down to is that this book was a huge disappointment, and I couldn't even make it 10% into it. You can be the "[...]king of hardcore zombie action" as the quote by Brad Thor says on the cover, but if you can't write a decent sentence, it doesn't matter at all.
1 Decapitation.
It's been a long time since a book has made me as angry as this one did. I don't think I'm the overly critical sort. I have expectations, and I want them to be met, but I think that I'm willing to compromise. If a book isn't the best written but has a good story, or if the writing is gorgeous, but the story is kinda "meh", I can appreciate the book for what it is and move on. But this was just painfully, ridiculously bad.
This book's gimmick is that it's the daily journal entries of a person who is trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. That's it. The journal format is what's supposed to make this book different from all the other zombie lit out there. The book kinda hinges on that aspect, so it's important to do it right.
And right there, that hinge-y part, is where the author failed to tighten the screws, and the whole thing fell apart almost as soon as I opened it up.
Here's why: Writing in the style of journal entries is not the same as 1st person narration. They aren't interchangeable. Similar, sure, but again, NOT the same thing. I feel like I need to make this clear: Journal style ≠ First person.
A journal is where we write our own thoughts, for ourselves, so we don't need to explain things to ourselves that we already know. Writing in journal form is tricky, because the reader DOESN'T know what the journal writer does, so info needs to be conveyed in a subtle, indirect way by context.
Not like these:
1. "My friend in Groton, CT called today. Bryce is a Navy submarine officer. He really helped me out on a great deal on salvage parts off the old diesel boats when I was installing those panels in my house a few years back." (Pg. 5)Who is he telling? Doesn't he know who Bryce is? Obviously he remembers the help that good ol' Bryce gave him, so why explain it to himself in his own journal? And WHAT panels? If we're all gung-ho about explaining everything to ourselves, let's explain what the hell the panels are. I seem to have forgotten...
2. "I miss my sisters, Jenny and Mandy. [...] I called my dad's house and spoke to Jenny, the youngest." (Pg. 7)Again, doesn't he know who Jenny is? Or that she's the youngest? Why is he telling himself this?
3. "I installed the bars using a tape measure, pencil, 5/32 drill bit, and a square head screwdriver (proprietary screwdriver that came with the bars and it's supposed to be difficult to get the screws out without using a drill.)" (Pg. 10)I would like to point out here that this is the beginning of the fucking inane shit that seems to take over this book. The ONLY reason I can think of to list out the tools used for installation of anything is so that it can be taken back apart later. But this would only really apply to those tools needed later. Why would anyone (including Sir Journalist) need to know that a tape measure and a pencil were used specifically? No really, I want to know. This is not a rhetorical question. Well, yes it is, because nobody needs to ever know that. It's fucking pointless drivel inserted for "authenticity" that needs none. You installed security bars. Bam. Done. I don't need to know if they are black or silver, who manufactured them or what the weather was like as they were being installed unless that has some actual bearing on the story. FFS!!
4. "I finally got through to my Mother and Stepfather (Dad). Mom was hysterical. I had to talk to dad to get any words in. He told me that things were fine and that they were as safe as possible. They hadn't seen any signs of the disease, but told me that there were reports in town of possible outbreak (10 miles away)." (Pg. 16)Really. REALLY?! Again, WHO IS HE RELAYING THIS TO?? Look, here's how you do this: "I finally got through to mom. She was hysterical and I had to talk to my stepdad in order to get any words in edgewise. Thank God they are safe - dad said the nearest reports of outbreak are at least 10 miles away from them."
At this point, I lost patience and flipped ahead to a random page to see if it got any better, where I read this:
5. "I slammed the garage door type shutter down and immediately thought of a way to secure it. I held the shutter down with the bottom of my boot just as the first creature started beating on the metal. They would attract more. The plastic zip ties in my pocket would do no good, as I had nothing on the ground to secure the door to. I glanced over to the corner of the room where I found a mop and some nylon string. Walking over to the corner, I kept my right foot along the lip of the door, and my left for balance. Grabbing the mop, I wedged it between the rollers that made the door slide up smoothly. Using the twine I secured it in place. There was a heavy box on the shelf full of plastic bottles of mouthwash. I sat the box on the lip of the door where my foot was. This wouldn't work forever, but it would have to work for now." (Pg. 126-127)So, not only has the writing not improved 110 pages later, but there's even more of it now! The guy is fighting for his life against an undead horde... Exactly when does he have time to take notes on his daily activities? When does he find the time to put them in essay form?
Just for fun, let's re-write this one too... "I slammed the garage door just before the first creature started beating on it and started looking for a way keep it shut. I looked around the room and found a mop and some nylon string. Keeping a foot on the door to hold it closed, I edged over to the mop, jammed it into the door rollers, and tied the string around it to keep it in place. I weighted the door down with a heavy box for good measure. Probably won't last, but better than nothing."
The sentences I quoted are just plain awkward, and would be in ANY piece of writing, in my humble opinion. I get that it's hard to write fiction in journal entries. There's a lot of info that only the person writing the journal would know, like who Bryce is, or Jenny, or that the stepfather isn't the same "Dad" as "Dad", and somehow that information needs to be conveyed realistically to the reader. But that's the challenge you take on when you go for that style. It's NOT the same as epistolary fiction using letters or other correspondence, because those are intended to be read by someone else, and therefore the explanation works, is even necessary.
The fact is that if Bourne had specified that the journal was being kept for posterity, much of my issues would not even exist. If you're purposefully writing a journal for someone else to read at some point, it makes sense to write it with explanations for them. But unless the purpose of the journal changes at some point, that's not the case. (And honestly, even if it DID, it doesn't explain the explanations in the part that came before the decision to explain to future readers.)
What it boils down to is that this book was a huge disappointment, and I couldn't even make it 10% into it. You can be the "[...]king of hardcore zombie action" as the quote by Brad Thor says on the cover, but if you can't write a decent sentence, it doesn't matter at all.
1 Decapitation.
December 14, 2024
This shit right here is the bombdiggity. The author is a major fucking asshole who tried to shame me on his website, but please. There's no shame in my game. Nice try, ass hat!
Still, if you love the zombie stuff, this is the best.
Say that Lisa Noell sent you......and do it with a raised middle finger!
Honestly? These books are addictive!
Still, if you love the zombie stuff, this is the best.
Say that Lisa Noell sent you......and do it with a raised middle finger!
Honestly? These books are addictive!
November 7, 2011
Opening Line: "January 1st 0358 hrs. Happy New Year to me"
Wow, this was a surprise! Before I begin I should tell you that I’ve never read a Zombie book in my life and I’m not a fan of the genre (although I did think Shawn Of The Dead was hilarious.) I generally read romance novels with the occasional biography thrown in. So you can imagine my surprise when I became absolutely engrossed in a book about surviving a plague of walking dead.
Day By Day Armageddon was unputdownable and had me alternating between being really freaked out,(checking doors and windows) despairing for the future of mankind (also afraid of the dark) and getting my personal survival kit (weapons, food, Band-Aids, Gin) ready for “that day” -Could I really kill my undead friends and neighbours?
Simply put this is more then just a zombie novel and this romance reader loved every minute of it.
DBDA has been written from the first person and in the form of a journal which for me increased the suspense factor. Because our unnamed hero sometimes starts out an entry with things like “0430 hrs- I’m still weak from blood loss” before going back and explaining. As the reader you’re like, holy shit what happened last night?
The narrator is a US Navel officer who begins his journal as a New Years resolution. It all starts out rather mundanely with day to day life stuff and a few ominous mentions like this one "It seems that something is going on in China; the local news reported some type of influenza virus sweeping them over there.”
The flu is of course the Zombie virus and it spreads to apocalyptic proportions within months. I found these parts really interesting; how the author saw the realistic(?) breakdown of society, media blackouts and the extents the US government ultimately took to eradicate the disease. In the early entries our hero spends a great deal of time describing (in a very calm manner) how he safe guards his home; locating and stockpiling weapons and ammunition, collecting food and water and having an alternate power/communication plan in action. He’s a super smart guy and although the military jargon and descriptions of guns got to be a bit much I’d definitely want him on my side.
With swarms of undead now parading through the streets our barricaded hero eventually teams up with his neighbour John and with no options left the pair flees the city, picking up other survivors along the way and dealing with a multitude of post apocalyptic problems. The futility of it all really got to me here as they struggle to stay alive under ridiculous odds. I had a hard time seeing a point to it all. (Good bet I wouldn’t survive)
This book is full of action and also a ton of well written suspense although it wasn’t as gory as I was I expecting. Don’t get me wrong though, it has its moments but its not gore for gores sake, all the kills are warranted. (Can’t believe I just said that) As silly as this sounds this book really made me think; what would I do? How could I prepare myself? Could I survive? I should also warn you that this is addictive reading and that the ending is well… more than a cliff-hanger. Just make sure you have book 2 Beyond Exile: Day by Day Armageddon on hand because the war on Zombies isn’t over yet.
Highly Recommended for lovers of apocalyptic fiction, Zombie fiction, horror, adventure, disaster stories, military buffs, survivalist fiction and the occasional romance reader. Cheers!
Wow, this was a surprise! Before I begin I should tell you that I’ve never read a Zombie book in my life and I’m not a fan of the genre (although I did think Shawn Of The Dead was hilarious.) I generally read romance novels with the occasional biography thrown in. So you can imagine my surprise when I became absolutely engrossed in a book about surviving a plague of walking dead.
Day By Day Armageddon was unputdownable and had me alternating between being really freaked out,(checking doors and windows) despairing for the future of mankind (also afraid of the dark) and getting my personal survival kit (weapons, food, Band-Aids, Gin) ready for “that day” -Could I really kill my undead friends and neighbours?
Simply put this is more then just a zombie novel and this romance reader loved every minute of it.
DBDA has been written from the first person and in the form of a journal which for me increased the suspense factor. Because our unnamed hero sometimes starts out an entry with things like “0430 hrs- I’m still weak from blood loss” before going back and explaining. As the reader you’re like, holy shit what happened last night?
The narrator is a US Navel officer who begins his journal as a New Years resolution. It all starts out rather mundanely with day to day life stuff and a few ominous mentions like this one "It seems that something is going on in China; the local news reported some type of influenza virus sweeping them over there.”
The flu is of course the Zombie virus and it spreads to apocalyptic proportions within months. I found these parts really interesting; how the author saw the realistic(?) breakdown of society, media blackouts and the extents the US government ultimately took to eradicate the disease. In the early entries our hero spends a great deal of time describing (in a very calm manner) how he safe guards his home; locating and stockpiling weapons and ammunition, collecting food and water and having an alternate power/communication plan in action. He’s a super smart guy and although the military jargon and descriptions of guns got to be a bit much I’d definitely want him on my side.
With swarms of undead now parading through the streets our barricaded hero eventually teams up with his neighbour John and with no options left the pair flees the city, picking up other survivors along the way and dealing with a multitude of post apocalyptic problems. The futility of it all really got to me here as they struggle to stay alive under ridiculous odds. I had a hard time seeing a point to it all. (Good bet I wouldn’t survive)
This book is full of action and also a ton of well written suspense although it wasn’t as gory as I was I expecting. Don’t get me wrong though, it has its moments but its not gore for gores sake, all the kills are warranted. (Can’t believe I just said that) As silly as this sounds this book really made me think; what would I do? How could I prepare myself? Could I survive? I should also warn you that this is addictive reading and that the ending is well… more than a cliff-hanger. Just make sure you have book 2 Beyond Exile: Day by Day Armageddon on hand because the war on Zombies isn’t over yet.
Highly Recommended for lovers of apocalyptic fiction, Zombie fiction, horror, adventure, disaster stories, military buffs, survivalist fiction and the occasional romance reader. Cheers!
February 6, 2017
I guess I can only explain the majority of Amazon users' glowing appraisals with the fact that Bourne has some interesting ideas. It's like he thought of the most interesting places someone could hole-up during a zombie apocalypse and then wrote a book around them. That combined with the fleeting bits of action throughout the story encouraged me to continue reading despite my overwhelming objections to much of the rest of the book.
Some users have tried to explain the main character's overreaction, and thereby preparedness, for a zombie fallout with the fact that he is a military man and therefore preparation is in his nature, but I just don't buy it. There's a viral outbreak in China and this guy starts putting bars on his windows in case Texans begin looting? Come on. I could maybe see stocking up on food and bottled water, but not on ammo and materials for fortification. And on the flip side, let's say I did agree with the explanation and I that thought his reaction was appropriate for a disciplined member of the military. But let me ask this: If this guy is such a stoic military purist, then why would he ignore his commanding officer's orders to join his squad on base? It wasn't because he looked out and saw an unassailable horde of zombies outside his conveniently pre-constructed high rock wall. It was because he simply thought he'd be better off in his home than on a MILITARY BASE. This doesn't sound like the conditioned thinking of a man who has spent the majority of his adult life serving the military.
The lack of and/or unexplainable character development is another one of my gripes. Each character seems to be in the story to serve the utility of the moment and that's it: There's the military tactician/pilot, the mechanical engineer, the medical nurse, the chemist (I'm sure he'll come in handy in the next book), the love interest, and the zombie-sensing dog--a varied and useful combination of people/dog indeed. They're all very emotionless and hard to sympathize with, i.e. I was hoping they'd get eaten.
I also can't stand how the main character regards the zombies. He often refers to them in bombastic terms like `demonic creatures', `putrid devils', `pure evil', etc.... Wrong. They're zombies, which means they're not after humans because they're cruel or because they enjoy maiming people. They're after them because of a singular primordial instinct in the back of their decomposing brains to feed. I might have even forgiven his ill-tempered attitude towards them if something happened to make him a voracious zombist (I just coined that), like he knew for a fact that they killed his parents or his friend was killed right in front of him or something, but nothing even happens to the character to birth such unfounded animosity towards them. Not to mention that toward the end he describes a couple of bound zombies as being `poor creatures' or something to that effect. Well, which is it? You irrationally hate them or you realize that it's not their fault for being undead? Get consistent as well as logical.
My last complaint is the poor writing and editing. The journal-style is an unnecessary and detracting novelty, and Bourne's writing style is so magniloquent and yet so often bad that at times it becomes hard to stomach. I think he has potential though, especially if he takes his criticism seriously. The editing is also terrible with many glaring mistakes, and I feel that if there was a good editor at the helm, many of Bourne's problems could have been cleaned up before the book even went to print.
Some users have tried to explain the main character's overreaction, and thereby preparedness, for a zombie fallout with the fact that he is a military man and therefore preparation is in his nature, but I just don't buy it. There's a viral outbreak in China and this guy starts putting bars on his windows in case Texans begin looting? Come on. I could maybe see stocking up on food and bottled water, but not on ammo and materials for fortification. And on the flip side, let's say I did agree with the explanation and I that thought his reaction was appropriate for a disciplined member of the military. But let me ask this: If this guy is such a stoic military purist, then why would he ignore his commanding officer's orders to join his squad on base? It wasn't because he looked out and saw an unassailable horde of zombies outside his conveniently pre-constructed high rock wall. It was because he simply thought he'd be better off in his home than on a MILITARY BASE. This doesn't sound like the conditioned thinking of a man who has spent the majority of his adult life serving the military.
The lack of and/or unexplainable character development is another one of my gripes. Each character seems to be in the story to serve the utility of the moment and that's it: There's the military tactician/pilot, the mechanical engineer, the medical nurse, the chemist (I'm sure he'll come in handy in the next book), the love interest, and the zombie-sensing dog--a varied and useful combination of people/dog indeed. They're all very emotionless and hard to sympathize with, i.e. I was hoping they'd get eaten.
I also can't stand how the main character regards the zombies. He often refers to them in bombastic terms like `demonic creatures', `putrid devils', `pure evil', etc.... Wrong. They're zombies, which means they're not after humans because they're cruel or because they enjoy maiming people. They're after them because of a singular primordial instinct in the back of their decomposing brains to feed. I might have even forgiven his ill-tempered attitude towards them if something happened to make him a voracious zombist (I just coined that), like he knew for a fact that they killed his parents or his friend was killed right in front of him or something, but nothing even happens to the character to birth such unfounded animosity towards them. Not to mention that toward the end he describes a couple of bound zombies as being `poor creatures' or something to that effect. Well, which is it? You irrationally hate them or you realize that it's not their fault for being undead? Get consistent as well as logical.
My last complaint is the poor writing and editing. The journal-style is an unnecessary and detracting novelty, and Bourne's writing style is so magniloquent and yet so often bad that at times it becomes hard to stomach. I think he has potential though, especially if he takes his criticism seriously. The editing is also terrible with many glaring mistakes, and I feel that if there was a good editor at the helm, many of Bourne's problems could have been cleaned up before the book even went to print.
August 22, 2012
Rating: 3* of five
The Book Report: The book description says:
An ongoing journal depicting one man's personal struggle for survival, dealing with the trials of an undead world unfolding around him. An unknown plague sweeps the planet. The dead rise to claim the Earth as the new dominant species. Trapped in the midst of a global tragedy, he must make decisions...choices that that ultimately mean life, or the eternal curse to walk as one of them.
My Review: I really, really wish the narrative frame of “journal” was gone. This novel is just fine without that explanation, in fact a good deal better without it, because no one on the surface of the earth describes their little sister as their little sister in a journal. (Among other details that don't fit in the journal frame.)
A book to be enjoyed without one's awf'ly awwwgust self-imposed “this is not good enough because it is not good enough” filters on; note to snobbish readers: Yes, I rated it higher than Gone Girl and all works of, oh say Dickens, because reading it was a great deal more pleasant than reading those books.
IN. MY. OPINION.
Now. Perfect it isn't, and as annoying as the self-published novel with all the usual faults (wrong words used, punctuation eccentricities) can be, this one's got something going for it: Energy. This story's getting told by someone who really really likes the storytelling. I found that infectious (pardon pun) because, AGAIN IN MY OPINION (and how tired I am of having to defend my utterances by stating something that the absurdly over-sensitive or over-critical need to get a damn grip and assume is the case in a review), it takes this zombie novel out of the cash-in herd where Colson Whitehead et alii live. Bourne loves this story and can't not tell it, and that came through to me loud and clear.
Would I recommend it? No, not really, because zombie novels aren't in need of recommendations to the fan base, and the non-fans don't need to bother themselves with the genre. In my ongoing quest not to turn back into a dismissive, annoying book-snob, I read this because Stephen-from-Ohio (a zombie-book aficionado) gave it a good review. It's not a genre I'm going to adopt as regular diet, but there are some good stories being told in it. This being my fourth zombie novel, though, I don't want to go any deeper into the swamp. Go out on the highest note yet, I say, scraping zombie off my shoe.
The Book Report: The book description says:
An ongoing journal depicting one man's personal struggle for survival, dealing with the trials of an undead world unfolding around him. An unknown plague sweeps the planet. The dead rise to claim the Earth as the new dominant species. Trapped in the midst of a global tragedy, he must make decisions...choices that that ultimately mean life, or the eternal curse to walk as one of them.
My Review: I really, really wish the narrative frame of “journal” was gone. This novel is just fine without that explanation, in fact a good deal better without it, because no one on the surface of the earth describes their little sister as their little sister in a journal. (Among other details that don't fit in the journal frame.)
A book to be enjoyed without one's awf'ly awwwgust self-imposed “this is not good enough because it is not good enough” filters on; note to snobbish readers: Yes, I rated it higher than Gone Girl and all works of, oh say Dickens, because reading it was a great deal more pleasant than reading those books.
IN. MY. OPINION.
Now. Perfect it isn't, and as annoying as the self-published novel with all the usual faults (wrong words used, punctuation eccentricities) can be, this one's got something going for it: Energy. This story's getting told by someone who really really likes the storytelling. I found that infectious (pardon pun) because, AGAIN IN MY OPINION (and how tired I am of having to defend my utterances by stating something that the absurdly over-sensitive or over-critical need to get a damn grip and assume is the case in a review), it takes this zombie novel out of the cash-in herd where Colson Whitehead et alii live. Bourne loves this story and can't not tell it, and that came through to me loud and clear.
Would I recommend it? No, not really, because zombie novels aren't in need of recommendations to the fan base, and the non-fans don't need to bother themselves with the genre. In my ongoing quest not to turn back into a dismissive, annoying book-snob, I read this because Stephen-from-Ohio (a zombie-book aficionado) gave it a good review. It's not a genre I'm going to adopt as regular diet, but there are some good stories being told in it. This being my fourth zombie novel, though, I don't want to go any deeper into the swamp. Go out on the highest note yet, I say, scraping zombie off my shoe.
October 5, 2010
3.5 stars. While not up to the quality or enjoyment of World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War which is on my list of "All Time Favorite" novels, this book can hold its decaying head up high and proudly moan that it is the SECOND BEST ZOMBIE BOOK I HAVE EVER READ.
Written in "authentic" journal style (complete with misspelled words), this book has a gritty, realistic feel to it and a tight plot that keeps the tension up at a good clip. Short, fast and enjoyable.
Written in "authentic" journal style (complete with misspelled words), this book has a gritty, realistic feel to it and a tight plot that keeps the tension up at a good clip. Short, fast and enjoyable.
February 9, 2012
I am a great fan of zombie fiction and post-apocalyptic fiction in general. I absolutely loved Max Brook's World War Z so I was really excited to pick up this book. The journalistic style intrigued me and I had hoped to get a realistic, first person view of a survivor in a world ruled by the undead.
How easy would it be to survive in a world full of flesh eating zombies? Really easy - especially considering that the protagonist is apparently McGyver! Our hero can fly a plane, hotwire a car, is a dead shot and can fashion a weapon out of anything. And he is extremely, ridiculously well-prepared. He already has solar panels installed from a long time ago and has rechargable submarine batteries lying around his house for some reason. A wardrobe full of (fireproof and maybe biteproof?) full body nomex flight suits is also a nice touch, among other things. Even before there were hints of the undead epidemic, he goes to great lengths to fortify his house because he is worried about potential looters. Yes, looters.
Finding weapons and food in this post-apocalyptic world also seems to be almost effortless - when the protagonist and his companions travel around zombie-infested Texas, they frequently stumble onto things like guns and ammo and night vision goggles. It puts me to mind of a first person shooter video game where these things are just lying around waiting to be taken.
There is no real sense of danger at all - not from zombies and other human survivors. The main character escapes scrapes all too easily and seems to be equipped with all the skills and tools necessary to survive in a world filled with the living dead - in short, he is just too perfect. Even the people he meets along the way have conveniently useful skills. The people he ends up rescuing are not web designers or middle managers - oh no - he meets a mechanical engineer, a chemist and a nurse. There is one woman with no obvious 'useful' skills but the hero does mention that she is very attractive OK, the attractive one - check. And lets not forget the cute dog that alerts them to the presence of the undead. And the icing on the cake - they are all good-natured, well-adjusted and helpful people. Not a nutter or even slightly obnoxious one among them.
The biggest problem in this book are the 2-dimensional characters. You would think that the first person style viewpoint would flesh out the main character better, but no, he is so bland and colourless, so much that when he drops the occasional F-bomb, it is very jarring - almost like the author is trying to artificially inject some 'character' into him. Our hero would occasionally bring up the fact that he is scared and fearful - but somehow this doesn't ring true at all. As they say - show, don't tell.
At the end of the day, I felt more sympathy for the zombies.
It's not completely without its merits which is why I gave it 2 starts instead of 1- I found it entertaining enough to pass a rainy afternoon. For me at least, zombies are like pizza - there is no such thing as bad pizza!
October 15, 2008
Ok. Zombie come and zombies go. But as raw as it is...I LOVED this book! It's a diary format tale of a military guy stuck in the burbs of the living dead. What a guilty pleasure. Or maybe it's the voyeuristic me dancing behind the overturned car with a high-powered rifle and only enough SPAM to last me another two days!
DIE ZOMBIE BASTARDS!
;-)
DIE ZOMBIE BASTARDS!
;-)
August 3, 2016
Take The Martian, add zombies and subtract the humor and you get Day by Day Armageddon. So ... I guess that means it's just like journal-style narrative, which is what this is. Each day in the journal of the life of an unnamed protagonist.
I was in the mood for a good zombie book and Day by Day scratched that itch. It's nothing that really breaks any mold. They're still a hoard of zombies that suddenly sneak up on you even though they're loud, moaning creatures. The survivors are the ones to worry about.
As typical for zombie books, the plot is the focus and characters, especially with the journal-style, are less important. It's definitely a weakness, but it's hard to get out of that with the style of the book. The main protagonist is a military-type, so it was a slight change of your typical everyman who's dealing with the world crumbling down around him.
Of course, the protagonist goes from one problem to the next. That's the beauty of a zombie apocalypse, it's all believable and nothing contrived when there are monsters everywhere. He runs into other people with similar issues ... okay, the exact same. Everyone's screwed.
There are odd typos, but after doing some research I guess they're intentional to add realism. Note to self, typos are the last way to add realism to anything. Just write grammatically correct or it takes me out of the story. That's less real when I'm out of the story.
Another benefit is this book is relatively short. It's an easy, short, plot-driven zombie book. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.
4 out of 5 stars (highly recommended)
I was in the mood for a good zombie book and Day by Day scratched that itch. It's nothing that really breaks any mold. They're still a hoard of zombies that suddenly sneak up on you even though they're loud, moaning creatures. The survivors are the ones to worry about.
As typical for zombie books, the plot is the focus and characters, especially with the journal-style, are less important. It's definitely a weakness, but it's hard to get out of that with the style of the book. The main protagonist is a military-type, so it was a slight change of your typical everyman who's dealing with the world crumbling down around him.
Of course, the protagonist goes from one problem to the next. That's the beauty of a zombie apocalypse, it's all believable and nothing contrived when there are monsters everywhere. He runs into other people with similar issues ... okay, the exact same. Everyone's screwed.
There are odd typos, but after doing some research I guess they're intentional to add realism. Note to self, typos are the last way to add realism to anything. Just write grammatically correct or it takes me out of the story. That's less real when I'm out of the story.
Another benefit is this book is relatively short. It's an easy, short, plot-driven zombie book. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.
4 out of 5 stars (highly recommended)
February 14, 2012
3.5 Stars
This is an interesting take on the post apocalyptic zombie story. I am a die hard zombie-phile and love all the different takes on the genre. This story done by J.L.Bourne takes the zombie story and gives it to us at the point of view of a modern day soldier who's name we never get to know. The name, Day by Day Armageddon, is perfect as this is a journal type story that is told by a soldier. It is a daily written account telling our heroes trials and tribulations from the first day of the end of the world.
The journal style gave this book an interesting feel and a bit of reality to it. The pacing is fast, and there is a great deal of action and zombie killing. Not much original in the backstory or in the zombies themselves. (there are fast zombies and normal slow shufflers)
The good and the bad about this book are both the same thing. Our hero is a soldier, and this book is told from his point of view. Cold, calculated, planned, and executed. Our hero is in his prime which makes him almost robotic in nature. He even makes several journal entries that comments on his disciplined nature, and his robotic state. His background and his story makes this book original and fresh. Unfortunately, he is cold, without emotion or feelings, and therefore so too is this story. We never feel any emotional investment in him or his companions. If not for the adorable Italian Greyhoud named Annabelle, I would not have had any character to care about.
There is not much backstory, nor is there much world building as they are portraying our world today. I enjoyed this book and overall feel that the fresh aspect of the book outweighed that of the lack of feelings. I will read the next and I am sure that fans of the genre will find things to like about this book.
This is an interesting take on the post apocalyptic zombie story. I am a die hard zombie-phile and love all the different takes on the genre. This story done by J.L.Bourne takes the zombie story and gives it to us at the point of view of a modern day soldier who's name we never get to know. The name, Day by Day Armageddon, is perfect as this is a journal type story that is told by a soldier. It is a daily written account telling our heroes trials and tribulations from the first day of the end of the world.
The journal style gave this book an interesting feel and a bit of reality to it. The pacing is fast, and there is a great deal of action and zombie killing. Not much original in the backstory or in the zombies themselves. (there are fast zombies and normal slow shufflers)
The good and the bad about this book are both the same thing. Our hero is a soldier, and this book is told from his point of view. Cold, calculated, planned, and executed. Our hero is in his prime which makes him almost robotic in nature. He even makes several journal entries that comments on his disciplined nature, and his robotic state. His background and his story makes this book original and fresh. Unfortunately, he is cold, without emotion or feelings, and therefore so too is this story. We never feel any emotional investment in him or his companions. If not for the adorable Italian Greyhoud named Annabelle, I would not have had any character to care about.
There is not much backstory, nor is there much world building as they are portraying our world today. I enjoyed this book and overall feel that the fresh aspect of the book outweighed that of the lack of feelings. I will read the next and I am sure that fans of the genre will find things to like about this book.
June 24, 2024
3.5 Stars.
I loved the title, which drew me initially, and I missed the fact that it is book one of a series. It's a decent post-apocalyptic story, although I didn't really get to know the characters because of the way the story is told. It’s not a page-turner it’s more of a steady pace with some tense moments scattered throughout.
I loved the title, which drew me initially, and I missed the fact that it is book one of a series. It's a decent post-apocalyptic story, although I didn't really get to know the characters because of the way the story is told. It’s not a page-turner it’s more of a steady pace with some tense moments scattered throughout.
February 16, 2021
Misógino, xenófobo, mal escrito y peor traducido.
May 23, 2018
2.5 out of 5 stars
May 23 0700 hours
I’m in the middle of a zombie fight but do not worry. I have the time to take a minute and write about my day. It started out alright, coffee, dog snuggles, I ate an MRE. But then I made the mistake of going outside. In the big city I live in, there were about three undead walking down the street. I don’t know how I survived checking the mail.
That’s sarcasm, not a quote. There were some good tactical ideas for surviving the zombie apocalypse from a soldier who gets a heads up that shit is about to go down and holes up in his convenient fortress of a house. It’s written journal style like above, which isn’t a bad style IF you have a very interesting personality. Which unfortunately, our protagonist does not. Luckily for him, he seems to have practically zero problems handling every zombie encounter. In fact, all the characters are fairly one dimensional.
It wasn’t a bad book but it certainly didn’t grip the reader. If you want some ideas for how to survive zombies, you can probably pick up a thing or two. But of course, the part about medications was absolutely wrong so you can disregard it. The actual names of antibiotics do not all end in -biotic, like the author seems to think. Making it much harder to snag what you’re looking for if you come across a pharmacy to loot when the world goes to Hell in a hand basket. Penicillin, amoxicillin, cephalexin, clindamycin, clarithromycin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, to name a few. Now I have contributed to your knowledge to survive the end game. You’re welcome.
May 23 0700 hours
I’m in the middle of a zombie fight but do not worry. I have the time to take a minute and write about my day. It started out alright, coffee, dog snuggles, I ate an MRE. But then I made the mistake of going outside. In the big city I live in, there were about three undead walking down the street. I don’t know how I survived checking the mail.
That’s sarcasm, not a quote. There were some good tactical ideas for surviving the zombie apocalypse from a soldier who gets a heads up that shit is about to go down and holes up in his convenient fortress of a house. It’s written journal style like above, which isn’t a bad style IF you have a very interesting personality. Which unfortunately, our protagonist does not. Luckily for him, he seems to have practically zero problems handling every zombie encounter. In fact, all the characters are fairly one dimensional.
It wasn’t a bad book but it certainly didn’t grip the reader. If you want some ideas for how to survive zombies, you can probably pick up a thing or two. But of course, the part about medications was absolutely wrong so you can disregard it. The actual names of antibiotics do not all end in -biotic, like the author seems to think. Making it much harder to snag what you’re looking for if you come across a pharmacy to loot when the world goes to Hell in a hand basket. Penicillin, amoxicillin, cephalexin, clindamycin, clarithromycin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, to name a few. Now I have contributed to your knowledge to survive the end game. You’re welcome.
February 20, 2017
This was, in general, a fairly good zombie tale, with plenty of suspense.
One thing I found distracting was the editing. In particular, the error that kept popping up was this:
Zombies should be wandering around. In this book, the zombies wondered around. It's a spelling error that changes the meaning of the word. Every time the author meant to use the word wander, he used wonder instead. This is not the fault of J.L. Bourne. I do not expect authors to be good spellers. The responsibility of the author is to craft a good story. Bourne does this just fine. My beef is with Bourne's editor. The responsibility of the editor is to CATCH THE SPELLING ERRORS!
This was not the only editing error, but it was certainly the most distracting. Any error in any book causes me to stop reading, lose the flow of the story, and fixate on the fact that an error exists in a professionally edited book. Most books have zero errors. Some books have one tiny one (like a misplaced apostrophe). Any more than the one tiny one and I start to get irrationally frustrated with a book.
This is unfortunate; I read this book a few years ago, and the part I remember most about it is the image I have in my head of zombies, shambling around, deep in thought...
One thing I found distracting was the editing. In particular, the error that kept popping up was this:
Zombies should be wandering around. In this book, the zombies wondered around. It's a spelling error that changes the meaning of the word. Every time the author meant to use the word wander, he used wonder instead. This is not the fault of J.L. Bourne. I do not expect authors to be good spellers. The responsibility of the author is to craft a good story. Bourne does this just fine. My beef is with Bourne's editor. The responsibility of the editor is to CATCH THE SPELLING ERRORS!
This was not the only editing error, but it was certainly the most distracting. Any error in any book causes me to stop reading, lose the flow of the story, and fixate on the fact that an error exists in a professionally edited book. Most books have zero errors. Some books have one tiny one (like a misplaced apostrophe). Any more than the one tiny one and I start to get irrationally frustrated with a book.
This is unfortunate; I read this book a few years ago, and the part I remember most about it is the image I have in my head of zombies, shambling around, deep in thought...
May 11, 2020
DNF 23%
I just can't. I want some realistic fiction about zombies with a kickass protagonist, is that too much to ask?
You can't begin put up defenses all around your house only because you heard about something that is happening in China. WTH do you have the power to predict what is going to happen?
Plus this journal thing doesn't work: a zombie book must be full of action, not full of description. I didn't give a shit about what the protagonist was blabbing about half the time. I have read zombie parody books that were more action-packed that this one.
When you only read 20% of a book and you already wish for the main character to die it's never a good sign.
I just can't. I want some realistic fiction about zombies with a kickass protagonist, is that too much to ask?
You can't begin put up defenses all around your house only because you heard about something that is happening in China. WTH do you have the power to predict what is going to happen?
Plus this journal thing doesn't work: a zombie book must be full of action, not full of description. I didn't give a shit about what the protagonist was blabbing about half the time. I have read zombie parody books that were more action-packed that this one.
When you only read 20% of a book and you already wish for the main character to die it's never a good sign.
December 19, 2008
Ok to start off this book is freaking amazing. I have my reasons why i think this book is amazing. (1.) It has zombies, how is that not cool?(unless you don't like zombie) (2.) It is done in a diary format, in military time, in first person perspective. (3.) and finally this book is probably the most intense and scary book I have read for a long time, but don't take my word for it here is an example from “Day by Day Armageddon”
“I shut the door again. My instincts told me, @* the plane cover; it's not that important. For some reason, I ignored that. I took out my LED light and tightened it on the light mount of my rifle, I switched the light on and opened the door again. Put the muzzle of my weapon in so that I could light up the dark garage. The smell was almost unbearable.
The source of the noise became immediately apparent. A dead mechanic, crushed by a hydraulic lift was lying there on his back, re-animated, and banging a torque wrench on the ground. A low grunt came from his badly mutilated body as he tried to look up at me. He was reaching for me. It was then, in the span of a second, that the following happened:
I saw the bite marks of the flesh that had been torn away from his face and neck. I knew that he didn't do it himself, and deduced that there was another dead @* in the room. Last, but not least, the door flew open and I was tackled by one of them (Best guess, the same one that had the mechanic for lunch).
The only thing that was keeping this stick ridden $#!& ball from biting my nose off was the fact that I had my weapon wedged between us. I pushed it off, and it (couldn't tell male of female) grabbed my wrist. I gave it a nice rifle but to the head and it fell back. I immediately got to my feet and popped a round in it's head. I wanted to @#^&ing mow it in half, but the reasonable half of me said, don't waste ammunition.
The door to the garage was shut, it and was going to %&*#ing stay that way. I could hear the sound of fists on the door, and I knew that there were more inside. I went back on the side of the garage where I saw some oil drums and rolled one of them back around to the front, to put it in the doorway and prevent whatever was behind that door from opening it and ruining my day.”
So intense huh? Now there are a few reasons that I decided to read this book. One it has fecking zombies, how are zombies not cool, especially when there are lots of them. Two it involves the military. Third and finally it is done in a diary format, books like that only heighten the mood. If I could recommend this to anyone, it would probably be people who are into fantasy and/or horror. This was not a difficult book to read, the large print helped. I would love to read more books in the series, hopefully he will right more.
“I shut the door again. My instincts told me, @* the plane cover; it's not that important. For some reason, I ignored that. I took out my LED light and tightened it on the light mount of my rifle, I switched the light on and opened the door again. Put the muzzle of my weapon in so that I could light up the dark garage. The smell was almost unbearable.
The source of the noise became immediately apparent. A dead mechanic, crushed by a hydraulic lift was lying there on his back, re-animated, and banging a torque wrench on the ground. A low grunt came from his badly mutilated body as he tried to look up at me. He was reaching for me. It was then, in the span of a second, that the following happened:
I saw the bite marks of the flesh that had been torn away from his face and neck. I knew that he didn't do it himself, and deduced that there was another dead @* in the room. Last, but not least, the door flew open and I was tackled by one of them (Best guess, the same one that had the mechanic for lunch).
The only thing that was keeping this stick ridden $#!& ball from biting my nose off was the fact that I had my weapon wedged between us. I pushed it off, and it (couldn't tell male of female) grabbed my wrist. I gave it a nice rifle but to the head and it fell back. I immediately got to my feet and popped a round in it's head. I wanted to @#^&ing mow it in half, but the reasonable half of me said, don't waste ammunition.
The door to the garage was shut, it and was going to %&*#ing stay that way. I could hear the sound of fists on the door, and I knew that there were more inside. I went back on the side of the garage where I saw some oil drums and rolled one of them back around to the front, to put it in the doorway and prevent whatever was behind that door from opening it and ruining my day.”
So intense huh? Now there are a few reasons that I decided to read this book. One it has fecking zombies, how are zombies not cool, especially when there are lots of them. Two it involves the military. Third and finally it is done in a diary format, books like that only heighten the mood. If I could recommend this to anyone, it would probably be people who are into fantasy and/or horror. This was not a difficult book to read, the large print helped. I would love to read more books in the series, hopefully he will right more.
March 25, 2017
Damn, I've only just noticed that this says #1. It had better not end on a cliff hanger. I'm 80% in and loving every minute. In some ways it reminds of one of my favourite books World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War in that it's sparse and written in journal form rather than trying to be a literary piece--a novel in the traditional sense. I mean, zombies are daft, right? The whole concept of reading zombie novels immediately puts you in the loony zone. It's not something I care to admit in public. "Oh, yes, I'm reading Kafka this month", not, "hey, I'm reading this cool book about the undead." But zombies are merely a metaphor for the ultimate enemy: one you can kill with abandon; one that never gives up; one that revolts the human soul. So a well written novel about the psychological stresses involved in the ultimate war attracts me.
This book, like WWZ, is the manual for the apocalypse. Read it and prep. The MC is a navy pilot, ready and willing to make the choices that need to made for his own survival. Initially attempting to hole up at his well readied house, he discovers the government plans to nuke the major cities.
I'll update when done, which won't be long, as I'm inhaling this rather than reading it.
Finished. Excellent. It did end on a cliff hanger, unfortunately, so now I'll have to get the next. This probably isn't for those who like descriptive, thoughtful stories. There are five characters in the novel and not one of them is given any description at all; not their height, hair colour...anything. Which is realistic for a military guy recording things in his journal but frustrating if you want a more novel-like format.
I'm off to find book 2.
This book, like WWZ, is the manual for the apocalypse. Read it and prep. The MC is a navy pilot, ready and willing to make the choices that need to made for his own survival. Initially attempting to hole up at his well readied house, he discovers the government plans to nuke the major cities.
I'll update when done, which won't be long, as I'm inhaling this rather than reading it.
Finished. Excellent. It did end on a cliff hanger, unfortunately, so now I'll have to get the next. This probably isn't for those who like descriptive, thoughtful stories. There are five characters in the novel and not one of them is given any description at all; not their height, hair colour...anything. Which is realistic for a military guy recording things in his journal but frustrating if you want a more novel-like format.
I'm off to find book 2.
March 21, 2013
I am a huge fan of post-apocalyptic fiction, especially zombie novels.
I came to JL Bourne's books only a few months ago, but within a few pages of this his writing style had me hooked.
The story initially comes from the perspective of one military man immediately before, during, and after the viral outbreak that brings around the inevitable zombie apocalypse. The pragmatism of the main character brings to mind the way Max Brook's characters operated in World War Z, but he is realistic, fallible, and likeable. As a range of characters are introduced, there is a (gratefully) noticeable lack of genre stereotypes, which makes this novel feel fresh against some of the alternatives available (such as Plague of the Dead: The Morningstar Strain which is a good novel, but has a lack of originality).
The story moves at a great pace, and keeps you wanting to turn the page - the details where the writer has obvious knowledge (such as military actions and equipment) are thorough, but not overbearingly so.
I'd bought the sequel, Beyond Exile: Day By Day Armageddon, before I even finished this, and devoured that when it arrived too.
I came to JL Bourne's books only a few months ago, but within a few pages of this his writing style had me hooked.
The story initially comes from the perspective of one military man immediately before, during, and after the viral outbreak that brings around the inevitable zombie apocalypse. The pragmatism of the main character brings to mind the way Max Brook's characters operated in World War Z, but he is realistic, fallible, and likeable. As a range of characters are introduced, there is a (gratefully) noticeable lack of genre stereotypes, which makes this novel feel fresh against some of the alternatives available (such as Plague of the Dead: The Morningstar Strain which is a good novel, but has a lack of originality).
The story moves at a great pace, and keeps you wanting to turn the page - the details where the writer has obvious knowledge (such as military actions and equipment) are thorough, but not overbearingly so.
I'd bought the sequel, Beyond Exile: Day By Day Armageddon, before I even finished this, and devoured that when it arrived too.
June 29, 2018
Devo dire che questo libro mi ha lasciata un po’ interdetta. È uno di quei libri, e ultimamente ahimè ne sto leggendo davvero tanti, dei quali a fine lettura non sono riuscita ad avere un’idea chiara alla semplicissima, ma tutt’altro che banale, domanda: questo romanzo mi è piaciuto?
Partiamo dal presupposto che odio abbastanza i romanzi epistolari o comunque scritti sotto forma di diario. Non so perché, ma non riesco mai ad apprezzarli pienamente, trovo sempre che siano carenti di qualcosa, un po’ a causa della mancanza di dialoghi, un po’ a causa del fatto che mi sembrano fin troppo soggettivi, molto più di quanto non faccia un romanzo scritto in prima persona, perché in questo caso trovo sempre che i personaggi secondari siano troppo poco rappresentati. Devo dire che ad inizio romanzo ero quasi stupita da questa scelta stilistica, ma questo è decisamente un errore mio, dato il titolo stesso del romanzo.
Per quel che riguarda la trama, un po’ mi è sembrata già vista, ma anche qua è un problema mio, che trovo che le storie degli zombie siano più o meno sempre le stesse e non ne ho ancora trovata una, sotto forma di libro, film o serie tv, che si distingua dalle altre.
Devo quindi dire che i due grandi problemi che ho trovato in questo libro, lo stile che non mi ha convinto del tutto e la trama non innovativa, sono principalmente legati a dei miei preconcetti dei quali però non sono proprio in grado di liberarmi. Perché per il resto, invece, il libro mi è piaciuto.
In particolare ho apprezzato molto il protagonista, dopo un primo odio iniziale in quanto lo consideravo decisamente troppo catastrofico (cioè, dalla parte opposta del mondo c’è un’epidemia di una malattia di cui nemmeno ti parlano al Tg fra un po’ e tu inizi già a fare scorte come se ci fosse la fine del mondo, ma dai!), però andando avanti con la lettura l’ho trovato sempre più un personaggio ingegnoso, coraggioso e decisamente altruista, pronto a tutto per salvare la propria pelle e quella di chiunque altro riesca ad incontrare sul suo cammino. Certo, tra lui e gli altri hanno un fondoschiena (per non essere volgare) che non passa nemmeno per una porta doppia, dato tutte le volte che si salvano come se niente fosse nelle situazioni più disparate, ma questi sono solo dettagli…
Non so se leggerò i volumi successivi, anche perché me ne hanno parlato meno bene. Però il finale ha questo cliffhanger che mi fa dire che devo sapere come continua la storia, per cui ammetto che ci sto facendo un pensierino…
Partiamo dal presupposto che odio abbastanza i romanzi epistolari o comunque scritti sotto forma di diario. Non so perché, ma non riesco mai ad apprezzarli pienamente, trovo sempre che siano carenti di qualcosa, un po’ a causa della mancanza di dialoghi, un po’ a causa del fatto che mi sembrano fin troppo soggettivi, molto più di quanto non faccia un romanzo scritto in prima persona, perché in questo caso trovo sempre che i personaggi secondari siano troppo poco rappresentati. Devo dire che ad inizio romanzo ero quasi stupita da questa scelta stilistica, ma questo è decisamente un errore mio, dato il titolo stesso del romanzo.
Per quel che riguarda la trama, un po’ mi è sembrata già vista, ma anche qua è un problema mio, che trovo che le storie degli zombie siano più o meno sempre le stesse e non ne ho ancora trovata una, sotto forma di libro, film o serie tv, che si distingua dalle altre.
Devo quindi dire che i due grandi problemi che ho trovato in questo libro, lo stile che non mi ha convinto del tutto e la trama non innovativa, sono principalmente legati a dei miei preconcetti dei quali però non sono proprio in grado di liberarmi. Perché per il resto, invece, il libro mi è piaciuto.
In particolare ho apprezzato molto il protagonista, dopo un primo odio iniziale in quanto lo consideravo decisamente troppo catastrofico (cioè, dalla parte opposta del mondo c’è un’epidemia di una malattia di cui nemmeno ti parlano al Tg fra un po’ e tu inizi già a fare scorte come se ci fosse la fine del mondo, ma dai!), però andando avanti con la lettura l’ho trovato sempre più un personaggio ingegnoso, coraggioso e decisamente altruista, pronto a tutto per salvare la propria pelle e quella di chiunque altro riesca ad incontrare sul suo cammino. Certo, tra lui e gli altri hanno un fondoschiena (per non essere volgare) che non passa nemmeno per una porta doppia, dato tutte le volte che si salvano come se niente fosse nelle situazioni più disparate, ma questi sono solo dettagli…
Non so se leggerò i volumi successivi, anche perché me ne hanno parlato meno bene. Però il finale ha questo cliffhanger che mi fa dire che devo sapere come continua la storia, per cui ammetto che ci sto facendo un pensierino…
September 3, 2017
Diario de una invasión Zombie es mi primera experiencia leyendo del tema. Si había visto unas cuantas películas (No, series no. No, no he visto The walking dead. Mátenme) así que mi nivel de familiaridad es escaso. Si agregamos que de pequeña veía a mis hermanos jugar Resident evil en el PlayStation, cosa que yo hallaba entretenidísimo, aunque me aterraba el sonido y vibrar del control. Es un argumento que siempre me ha causado curiosidad, ya sea por la popularidad de los últimos años, el alto rango de fans o, porque, curiosamente siempre me topo con otro tipo de lecturas que, nada tienen que ver, pero las autoras (hay un alto de nivel de féminas de la escritura. Leo a más mujeres. ¡Not judge me!) buscan la manera de introducir sus famosos apocalipsis zombies en los que se verían inmersos sus protagonistas (acá Jennifer L. Armentrout, Jamie McGuire [que ya decidí no leer más], etc.). Asimismo creo que hay tramas en cuestión que parece me persiguen… Tampoco he sido tan ignorante o pesimista como para creer que sea un tema del cual deba negarme a leer. Y llego mi momento. ERA MI MOMENTO. Todo como resultado de tener aún más tiempo libre, ningún deseo de leer romance, curiosidad y, a la mano, justamente
eso
: Zombies. En forma de libro, claro está.
Contiene estas tres cosasademás de zombies que podría destacar:
Aclarado esto, prosigo a reseñar.
No sé cómo se las ideo J. L. Bourne para darnos una historia sencillamente fascinante con un protagonista sin nombre. No entiendo el motivo para tal enigma pero espero que me lo explique más adelante.
Primero, la reseña dice marine desertor, y quiero explicar que sí, es efectivamente desertor, pero no es sino hasta que se ve amenazado por la situación que nuestro interprete deserta realmente . En las primeras notas en el diario es un marine en toda facultad.
Voy a recalcar que tiene una de las mejores introducciones que haya leído en años. De mano de Z.A. Recht quien es todo un fan acérrimo de los no muertos. Nos cuenta un poquito de sus primeros años como zombiefan, su descubrimiento de Diario de una invasión zombie, la creación de su primera novela Plague of the Dead y experiencia de lectura. Y lo cuenta tan bien que dan ganas de seguir leyendo, y me aportó expectativas de que me voy a conseguir más adelante.
Diario de una invasion zombie 1 es, efectivamente, LA MEJOR NOVELA DE ZOMBIES QUE HAYA LEIDO ALGUNA VEZ. Y sé que para la nula experiencia —como ya venía contando— esto habla muy poco o hipócrita o mal de mí, pero me atrevo a declarar que aunque es la primera, es la mejor primera experiencia.Que ojala todas fuesen así. No sé si es que es porque sencillamente combina acción, desarrollo, escenas bien logradas y no excesivamente, personajes y tiempo tan perfectamente que yo, simplemente, no conseguí fallas. Y sus personajes que son tan exquisitos de leer: mí apreciado marine junto a otros que se van uniendo en el camino tan humanos e inmersamente centrados que lograron transmitirme sus sentimientos: miedo, desamparado, desesperación, tristeza, impotencia.
¿Qué pasa cuando la supervivencia lo es todo? ¿Cuándo sobrevives y luchas no solo por el bienestar físico, sino también suministros, un lugar “seguro” y, para que la naturaleza humana no se vea afectada? ¿Y cuándo al final de todo no es solo un muerto viviente la amenaza? Es una lucha constante, ¿Por qué? Porque como van las cosas ni el futuro es seguro y parece lejano.
Las lealtades y creencias serán puestas a prueba. Por la supervivencia. Nuestros compañeros se verán rodeados de tanta desolación, devastación y muerte, que no solo el instinto de resistencia se activara, sino también la lógica, de modo que no se vean llevados por emociones que les hagan perder las riendas ante tales situaciones.
Si unes a todo esto un alto conocimiento sobre protecciones, armas, aviones y transporte terrestre , muerte y suspenso. Te aseguro que esto es un entretenimiento seguro.
Y, por último, yo también me pregunte si estaba bien que desertara, llegue a considerar que era un acto cobarde y egoísta, ¿Pero con qué fin cuida y qué? ¿Para quién? “Prefiero ser una aguja en un pajar que un gilipollas en una fortaleza. Siempre tendré que vivir con mi decisión, pero al menos estoy vivo para hacerlo.” Y entendí de una vez por todas esto: situaciones extremas. Comprendí las acciones y decisiones que tomamos como seres humanos ante condiciones inimaginables. Me imagino y pienso como marine: no solamente es ser catalogado de algo. Es vivir con tales consecuencias. Pero vivir.
P.D: no tengo absoluta idea que se traerá entre manos J. L Bourne en la continuación. No me imagino solución a esto pero internamente quiero creer que si la hay. Lo del nombre todavía no encaja. El por qué no lo devela es lo que no entiendo.
P.D.D: es triste porque si nos llegara un apocalipsis zombie no estamos preparados ni con la coreografía de Thriller de Michael Jackson. :(
P.D.D.D: voy a arriesgarme a hacer tal declaración: Si no has leído sobre zombies como yo estaba y quieres hacerlo, Diario de una invasión zombie es tu libro. Es una introducción al tema nada complicado. Cualquiera que no esté de acuerdo es libre de opinar. Y hacer recomendaciones…
Contiene estas tres cosas
1. Ficción epistolar (que amo, por cierto)
2. Línea temporal
3. Protagonista sin nombre
Aclarado esto, prosigo a reseñar.
No sé cómo se las ideo J. L. Bourne para darnos una historia sencillamente fascinante con un protagonista sin nombre. No entiendo el motivo para tal enigma pero espero que me lo explique más adelante.
Primero, la reseña dice marine desertor, y quiero explicar que sí, es efectivamente desertor, pero no es sino hasta que se ve amenazado por la situación que nuestro interprete deserta realmente . En las primeras notas en el diario es un marine en toda facultad.
Voy a recalcar que tiene una de las mejores introducciones que haya leído en años. De mano de Z.A. Recht quien es todo un fan acérrimo de los no muertos. Nos cuenta un poquito de sus primeros años como zombiefan, su descubrimiento de Diario de una invasión zombie, la creación de su primera novela Plague of the Dead y experiencia de lectura. Y lo cuenta tan bien que dan ganas de seguir leyendo, y me aportó expectativas de que me voy a conseguir más adelante.
Diario de una invasion zombie 1 es, efectivamente, LA MEJOR NOVELA DE ZOMBIES QUE HAYA LEIDO ALGUNA VEZ. Y sé que para la nula experiencia —como ya venía contando— esto habla muy poco o hipócrita o mal de mí, pero me atrevo a declarar que aunque es la primera, es la mejor primera experiencia.
¿Qué pasa cuando la supervivencia lo es todo? ¿Cuándo sobrevives y luchas no solo por el bienestar físico, sino también suministros, un lugar “seguro” y, para que la naturaleza humana no se vea afectada? ¿Y cuándo al final de todo no es solo un muerto viviente la amenaza? Es una lucha constante, ¿Por qué? Porque como van las cosas ni el futuro es seguro y parece lejano.
Las lealtades y creencias serán puestas a prueba. Por la supervivencia. Nuestros compañeros se verán rodeados de tanta desolación, devastación y muerte, que no solo el instinto de resistencia se activara, sino también la lógica, de modo que no se vean llevados por emociones que les hagan perder las riendas ante tales situaciones.
Si unes a todo esto un alto conocimiento sobre protecciones, armas, aviones y transporte terrestre , muerte y suspenso. Te aseguro que esto es un entretenimiento seguro.
Y, por último, yo también me pregunte si estaba bien que desertara, llegue a considerar que era un acto cobarde y egoísta, ¿Pero con qué fin cuida y qué? ¿Para quién? “Prefiero ser una aguja en un pajar que un gilipollas en una fortaleza. Siempre tendré que vivir con mi decisión, pero al menos estoy vivo para hacerlo.” Y entendí de una vez por todas esto: situaciones extremas. Comprendí las acciones y decisiones que tomamos como seres humanos ante condiciones inimaginables. Me imagino y pienso como marine: no solamente es ser catalogado de algo. Es vivir con tales consecuencias. Pero vivir.
P.D: no tengo absoluta idea que se traerá entre manos J. L Bourne en la continuación. No me imagino solución a esto pero internamente quiero creer que si la hay. Lo del nombre todavía no encaja. El por qué no lo devela es lo que no entiendo.
P.D.D: es triste porque si nos llegara un apocalipsis zombie no estamos preparados ni con la coreografía de Thriller de Michael Jackson. :(
P.D.D.D: voy a arriesgarme a hacer tal declaración: Si no has leído sobre zombies como yo estaba y quieres hacerlo, Diario de una invasión zombie es tu libro. Es una introducción al tema nada complicado. Cualquiera que no esté de acuerdo es libre de opinar. Y hacer recomendaciones…
May 11, 2020
Day by Day Armageddon is a unique zombie apocalypse tale told in journal entries.
If you're looking for something horrific yet totally thrilling and intriguing, this book is for you. It's written in such a unique format, that it's hard not to be intrigued by the story. We follow our lead on a scary adventure when the world has been thrust into a zombie apocalypse. He writes journal entries of his journey, finding new friends, surviving day by day and trying to figure out what in the world is going on.
I like this take on thrills and action. It's fast paced, keeps you hooked and leaves enough to the imagination. The army side of things is explained thoroughly and it's super interesting. Knowing J.L. Bourne's background, it only makes it way more intriguing. Following a member of the military through the zombie apocalypse (and with legitimate phrasing and knowledge) it way more interesting than the average day person.
The worst part about this story is the darn cliffhanger! I'm glad I have the second book ready to go, or else I'd be livid. How could he end it like that?! In the middle of the action?! Ack!
Overall, this book is cool! It's not my typical read, but I think that's why I like it. It's spicing up my shelf. If you like horror, zombies, apocalypse or just different stylized books then I'd highly recommend this book!
Four out of five stars.
If you're looking for something horrific yet totally thrilling and intriguing, this book is for you. It's written in such a unique format, that it's hard not to be intrigued by the story. We follow our lead on a scary adventure when the world has been thrust into a zombie apocalypse. He writes journal entries of his journey, finding new friends, surviving day by day and trying to figure out what in the world is going on.
I like this take on thrills and action. It's fast paced, keeps you hooked and leaves enough to the imagination. The army side of things is explained thoroughly and it's super interesting. Knowing J.L. Bourne's background, it only makes it way more intriguing. Following a member of the military through the zombie apocalypse (and with legitimate phrasing and knowledge) it way more interesting than the average day person.
The worst part about this story is the darn cliffhanger! I'm glad I have the second book ready to go, or else I'd be livid. How could he end it like that?! In the middle of the action?! Ack!
Overall, this book is cool! It's not my typical read, but I think that's why I like it. It's spicing up my shelf. If you like horror, zombies, apocalypse or just different stylized books then I'd highly recommend this book!
Four out of five stars.
June 16, 2025
Este tipo de historias siempre me han llamado la atención por su dosis de acción y le llego la hora a esta trilogía que algunos me habían dicho que no la recomendaban porque todo es repetitivo y que no tenía nada nuevo en cuanto a las cosas de zombies se refiere.
Bueno igual le quise dar su oportunidad y trate de entrar a la historia con la mente en blanco de comentarios y la verdad a mi no me ha gustado. ¡ Me ha encantado !.
Digo es cierto que no es la lumbrera con los datos de como se forman los zombies, pero si es sumamente entretenido y te mantiene pegado a sus páginas sin duda.
Aunque la historia comienza un poco rápida y toda la situación de los zombies se desarrolla en un ¡zas!, pero luego baja la velocidad pero sin llegar a aburrirte en lo más mínimo, te encariñas con los personajes que vas conociendo por medio de Kill.
El modo de escritura que lleva es genial porque solo te describe lo esencial y no te satura con detalles que son irrelevantes y llegan a saturar.
Si es un libro que recomendaría leer sin duda alguna.
Bueno igual le quise dar su oportunidad y trate de entrar a la historia con la mente en blanco de comentarios y la verdad a mi no me ha gustado. ¡ Me ha encantado !.
Digo es cierto que no es la lumbrera con los datos de como se forman los zombies, pero si es sumamente entretenido y te mantiene pegado a sus páginas sin duda.
Aunque la historia comienza un poco rápida y toda la situación de los zombies se desarrolla en un ¡zas!, pero luego baja la velocidad pero sin llegar a aburrirte en lo más mínimo, te encariñas con los personajes que vas conociendo por medio de Kill.
El modo de escritura que lleva es genial porque solo te describe lo esencial y no te satura con detalles que son irrelevantes y llegan a saturar.
Si es un libro que recomendaría leer sin duda alguna.
October 11, 2022
Darum geht’s:
Eine tödliche Seuche überfällt die Menschen. Doch die Toten bleiben nicht tot, sondern sie wandern als instinktgesteuerte Zombies in Massen übers Land. Ein US-Militärpilot hält die Entwicklung in seinem Tagebuch fest.
Meine Meinung dazu gibt’s hier
Eine tödliche Seuche überfällt die Menschen. Doch die Toten bleiben nicht tot, sondern sie wandern als instinktgesteuerte Zombies in Massen übers Land. Ein US-Militärpilot hält die Entwicklung in seinem Tagebuch fest.
Meine Meinung dazu gibt’s hier
January 5, 2016
This was a simple story, told in the style of a soldier's journal as he deals with surviving in the zombie apocalypse. Many post-apocalyptic book deal with the threat of people, but this one really was more about one man vs the zombie horde. Later on a few other characters are picked up; but they're given a very brief surface treatment, we never really get to know them in depth, as the story is told through a very narrow view. The writing is extremely simple, and I can't quite tell whether this is because the author isn't a good writer, or if it's the opposite, the author is a great writer who is trying to make it feel like authentic diary entries from a fairly simple-minded soldier. Either way, it ends up working, as it really places you day to day in the viscera of the action and events.
I thought it was a decent, fast paced action novel with some interesting detail in the way of information about weapons and military details. An easy, fast read that kept me on the edge of my seat, despite the fairly shallow character development, because the way the diary is written always keeps you in the very heat of the moment. I will give this one a four stars, although realistically it's probably closer to a 3.5, and I don't think I'll be checking out the next in the series right now, but should I need another dose of zombie action, I'd definitely consider coming back to it.
I thought it was a decent, fast paced action novel with some interesting detail in the way of information about weapons and military details. An easy, fast read that kept me on the edge of my seat, despite the fairly shallow character development, because the way the diary is written always keeps you in the very heat of the moment. I will give this one a four stars, although realistically it's probably closer to a 3.5, and I don't think I'll be checking out the next in the series right now, but should I need another dose of zombie action, I'd definitely consider coming back to it.
November 13, 2012
I had no idea that a zombie apocalypse could be so boring! I had a hard time swallowing the "realistic" journal entry format. I think the author could have more easily drawn me into the story if I wasn't constantly rolling my eyes at his writing style. No one writes in a diary like that. There was a lot of detail put into describing flight procedures, guns, ammo, and boat engines that included lots of numbers and acronyms that meant nothing to me. Parts of the story were so dry it was like reading a directions manual. Bourne needed to spend more time developing his characters so the reader could be invested in their survival and the plot could have kept us interested. I really could have cared less if he survived or not. It wasn't the worse I've ever read, but two stars is generous of me in my opinion.
Character Casting:
Main Character: (not sure what his name even was!)
Jack Nicholson
Character Casting:
Main Character: (not sure what his name even was!)
Jack Nicholson
July 16, 2022
Have you ever been waiting in the DMV, watching paint dry, eating unsalted crackers, drinking distilled water, talking with an accountant who's on about he's stamps and thinking this is too thrilling well...have I got a book for you! The characters act like bad DND players who don't roleplay, with a pushover DM who allows everything. There is no emotion in the entire book and every attempt is a single sentence long, such as: John's wife died so he is sad now, and then they carry on like that event doesn't actually matter. No one makes mistakes; the MC hears that there is a disease going around, so he buys enough food and water to live on for three months. He boards up all his windows --keep in mind this all happens in ten days-- and he just so happens to have a solar panel and a submarine batteries. It's like the author let him in on it! Another example of how fake it feels, that the US government nukes all the major cities-- this happens after a month of fighting-- and the ghouls can't run, climb, or think and aren't very infectious. If you want to read a book about people with all the characters and weaknesses of a tungsten block and that I can't stand--even with my low standard and love of ghouls-- go ahead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2010
This book was fun to read. Moreso than many of the other zombie books I have read recently as I have gotten more and more into this genre. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed most of the stories I have read, but this one just hit me the right way I guess. I like the narative approach. It is certainly not something I want with all my books-a "Dear Diary" route, but it works quite well here. It gives the author a lot of latitude with how the story flows and even the grammar, etc. After all, this is a story that is being told by someone in a very high pressure and terrifying situation. I wouldn't expect him to be a master literary artist in telling his tale.
Using this device is perhaps limiting in that you get no other perspective, no real sense of some of the other characters and what they are going through outside of the eyes of the correspondent, but we all live our lives seeing things exlusively through our own eyes. We can attempt to "empathize" with others but in the end, it is all shaded by our own experiences and biases. So we see what this character sees and only that, shaded by his experiences and biases alone. It is one persons view and one person's reality. It keeps it clean and concise, which I felt worked really well for this story.
I guess I also like the fact that the book is so personal and is not overly grand in scale. Just a guy who hooks up with some other folks trying to survive and is doing the best he can. It seems to be comparable to Walking Dead series in that regard. Given that there is to be a sequel, I am looking forward to it as much as I am Volume 5 of the other series.
I like the common sense of this character. So many stories about zombies center around the arrogance of mankind; how foolish we are. We watch a tale unfold and we end up siding with the zombies because so many of the characters in a movie or book are just plain dumb, clueless, or show how evil they really are. The stories usually can claim that we deserve a grizzly fate due to our failings and our general lack of concern for the terrible things we do as a society and as a race. I am not opposed to morality tales, in fact I think that zombies serve that purpose tremendously well. Romero has done a wonderful job of making each of his movies a very inciteful social commentary on our culture and what he believes is wrong with it. But sometimes, you just like to see the humans actually behave with a bit of sense and succeed in avoiding becoming lunch meat for the undead. Go humans!!!
A fun and quick read that I recommend for anyone wanting a enjoyable story in the zombiverse.
Using this device is perhaps limiting in that you get no other perspective, no real sense of some of the other characters and what they are going through outside of the eyes of the correspondent, but we all live our lives seeing things exlusively through our own eyes. We can attempt to "empathize" with others but in the end, it is all shaded by our own experiences and biases. So we see what this character sees and only that, shaded by his experiences and biases alone. It is one persons view and one person's reality. It keeps it clean and concise, which I felt worked really well for this story.
I guess I also like the fact that the book is so personal and is not overly grand in scale. Just a guy who hooks up with some other folks trying to survive and is doing the best he can. It seems to be comparable to Walking Dead series in that regard. Given that there is to be a sequel, I am looking forward to it as much as I am Volume 5 of the other series.
I like the common sense of this character. So many stories about zombies center around the arrogance of mankind; how foolish we are. We watch a tale unfold and we end up siding with the zombies because so many of the characters in a movie or book are just plain dumb, clueless, or show how evil they really are. The stories usually can claim that we deserve a grizzly fate due to our failings and our general lack of concern for the terrible things we do as a society and as a race. I am not opposed to morality tales, in fact I think that zombies serve that purpose tremendously well. Romero has done a wonderful job of making each of his movies a very inciteful social commentary on our culture and what he believes is wrong with it. But sometimes, you just like to see the humans actually behave with a bit of sense and succeed in avoiding becoming lunch meat for the undead. Go humans!!!
A fun and quick read that I recommend for anyone wanting a enjoyable story in the zombiverse.
January 6, 2014
If you're a hardcore, and I mean hardcore zombie fan, you will love this book. When I said hardcore zombie fan, I'm talking about daydreaming for hours on end about end of the world survival scenarios, reading up on every piece of zombie literature you could get your hands on, devouring every single zombie movie ever made and stockpile on food and ammunition to prepare for an event that will most likely never, ever happen. That is the kind of obsession this book will appeal to, because if you're already in love with the subject, you will be able to forgive a lot of glaring flaws Day by Day: Armageddon presents.
They say one should write the kind of story one wants to read. Interpret it however you want, but no writer had failed at selling books with this philosophy. If you want to get others to read your story, you need to write your story the way you would want to read it even if someone else wrote it. That story would concern twists, characters, plots, intrigues, things that would draw both you and the readers in, and this is the story you need to craft. At least that's not I interpret it. The author, whether intentional or not, didn't just write a book he wants to read, he wrote one he wanted to live in, to be a hero in. This approach had proved profitable for him, as it did when Stephenie Meyer wrote down her wet dream and E L James penned her masturbation fantasy; they wrote the story they wanted to be in. This kind of wish fulfillment, when it worked, it would work really well, but when it fails, as it did for me in this case, it became a drawling, ponderous retard with little plot and too much of the author trying to live out his daydreams.
But with that said, I had once been a zombie fan, which was why I picked up this book, and that is where I could not overcome the flaws. It was horribly written. Explaining this would be me trying to overstep myself as the author is a published novelist, and I have zero credential, but I'll let this quote show you:
The last wounded ghoul got back on its feet and raised its arms like a deranged Frankenstein as it came at me.
I mean, c'mon man!!
The writing takes away most of the tension, and without that, a zombie novel is pointless.
As most of the novel is filled with the author's wish fulfillment, there isn't much in the plot department either. Things happened here and there, but it isn't something you haven't seen before. I honestly was very disappointed with this novel, even as a ex-zombie-fan. If you want to read some really good zombie, post-apocalyptic novels, find Craig Dilouie's Tooth and Nail, The Infection, D. J. Molles' the Remaining.
4/10
They say one should write the kind of story one wants to read. Interpret it however you want, but no writer had failed at selling books with this philosophy. If you want to get others to read your story, you need to write your story the way you would want to read it even if someone else wrote it. That story would concern twists, characters, plots, intrigues, things that would draw both you and the readers in, and this is the story you need to craft. At least that's not I interpret it. The author, whether intentional or not, didn't just write a book he wants to read, he wrote one he wanted to live in, to be a hero in. This approach had proved profitable for him, as it did when Stephenie Meyer wrote down her wet dream and E L James penned her masturbation fantasy; they wrote the story they wanted to be in. This kind of wish fulfillment, when it worked, it would work really well, but when it fails, as it did for me in this case, it became a drawling, ponderous retard with little plot and too much of the author trying to live out his daydreams.
But with that said, I had once been a zombie fan, which was why I picked up this book, and that is where I could not overcome the flaws. It was horribly written. Explaining this would be me trying to overstep myself as the author is a published novelist, and I have zero credential, but I'll let this quote show you:
The last wounded ghoul got back on its feet and raised its arms like a deranged Frankenstein as it came at me.
I mean, c'mon man!!
The writing takes away most of the tension, and without that, a zombie novel is pointless.
As most of the novel is filled with the author's wish fulfillment, there isn't much in the plot department either. Things happened here and there, but it isn't something you haven't seen before. I honestly was very disappointed with this novel, even as a ex-zombie-fan. If you want to read some really good zombie, post-apocalyptic novels, find Craig Dilouie's Tooth and Nail, The Infection, D. J. Molles' the Remaining.
4/10
February 24, 2011
J.L. Bourne writes my kind of zombie book, not too heavy on gore, language or nudity, and focuses on the survival aspect in a post apocalyptic world. He has an interesting 1st person point of view in journal format, which makes for a quick read and insight into the main character that makes him likable. The only drawback to this style is knowing that he survived the scene he is documenting. Despite this he manages to build great suspense and I often was so caught up in the action that I forgot it was past tense. I like that he picked a naval aviation officer because he is able to utilize some daring survival tactics. His world building sets this up for a great series if he keeps up the suspense and keeps making life harder on his characters. The only reason this is not a five star is that I felt things could have been harder for his main character, but then again the solution at the end is only temporary, so I can't wait to read the next book. If there was a 4.5 rating, I would give it. The book was a fast read that I thoroughly enjoyed, but I was left with a feeling that it could have been better if he made life a little harder for his protagonist.
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