Pariah

by Bob Fingerman

A frightening, darkly comedic look at people surviving a zombie onslaught, from award-winning comics sensation and novelist Bob Fingerman.A global plague has nearly vanquished mankind; the citizenry of New York City is no exception. Eight million zombies. Shoulder to shoulder. Walking the streets, looking for their next meal of human flesh. The residents of an Upper East Side walkup have joined forces to keep themselves safe, the pageant of walking rot outside their windows a constant reminder of the their foreseeable fate. Trapped in the safety of their building, the tenants find themselves at each others€™ throats. When they spy a lone teenage girl who walks unharmed among the undead, impervious, their world opens up.

Genres: Zombies, Horror, Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Apocalyptic, Dystopia

368 pages, Hardcover

First published August 3, 2010

About the author

Recent releases are From the Ashes, a satirical "speculative memoir" set in post-apocalyptic New York (IDW, March 2010) of which The Onion wrote, “As a blitz of astringent satire, an unabashed love letter to his wife, and a love-hate manifesto aimed at the whole human race, From The Ashes is a gem; as an addition to the often-staid canon of post-apocalyptic pop culture, it’s a revelation… A“

In August 2010 my second novel, Pariah (Tor Books), a Pinteresque zombie tale, was released. It rec'd a starred review from Publishers Weekly and an A- from Entertainment Weekly and was Fangoria's Book of the Month selection. The mass market pocket edition came out in 2011.

My most recent release is the deluxe oversized hardcover collection Maximum Minimum Wage, from Image Comics (April 2013), which made Entertainment Weekly's Must List and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Reviews

[James Tullos · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book features a character who describes a woman's sexiness by comparing her to prisoners from Buchenwald.

[Nicolai Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Pariah” might seem like another one of those standard post-apocalyptic zombie novels. It might even seem like an unassuming one even based on the blurb alone: There’s been some sort of global plague, and now there are zombies everywhere. We’re just following a group of people trying to survive as they are trapped in an apartment building in the middle of New York City, but we don’t get to see the spread of the plague play out from the start, we won’t get any answers, and they won’t go on a quest to fix everything. They’re simply people trying to survive until some of them don’t. Nothing fancy here!

But as my four-star rating indicates, there’s so much more to it than that. Or rather, Bob Fingerman has managed to draw out much more from a setting and premise like that than I expected. The book was published in 2010, which is what you could call the second half of the zombie renaissance. Which means Fingerman needed to work harder to make his book stand out among the rest. While the blurb and the cover didn’t give me high hopes, it was well worth the read for me. I’d say it’s worth a shot even if you normally don’t like zombie novels. Ironically, it’s due to its fresh take on survival in a zombie-ridden world and a darkly comedic look on that whole post-apocalyptic experience. As it applies to a microcosm of ordinary people. Yet it’s a bouquet of character studies rife with boredom, sex and drama.

The overall mood here is claustrophobic and clammy, yet the thematic implications are broad. I could name for instance frail and toxic masculinity, sexuality, intimacy, isolation, motherhood, beauty, identity, love, insanity, death drive and starvation. Fingerman’s writing style is rough and rude, sassy and saucy, but still level-headed, deep and serious. The diverse set of character’s daily lives, their emotional and physical struggles, their bleak and dreary existence make me feel more alive myself somehow. Make me see too how lack of food and necessities change us, even makes us better, or conversely: how overabundance makes us worse. I also really appreciate his take on rot and decay as it applies to both our bodies and our psyche. It’s all so very engagingly real and human.

in spite of all the terrible things you could say about those sacks of waste out there, they always seem to get along, even if it’s completely mindless. (66)

I and many others have said this before and will continue to say so: Any zombie story will have a greater chance of being good and/or successful if the author makes it more about people than zombies. More about thoughts and feelings than guns and gore. As another reviewer pointed out: “ I think the best zombie fiction are the stories exploring the human nature under the impossible circumstances instead of throwing together yet another blood gore and guts zombie action vehicle”

Bob Fingerman seems to have understood this well.

I’d forgotten how comforting banality can be. (209)

Some use zombies as a way to discuss big topics like philosophy: the meaning of life and death, what it means to be human, our place in the world etc.. Often, then, zombies are normally a kind of vehicle for reflection and deeper understanding. Others use zombies to simply entertain through constant braindead action scenes: high stakes, high risk, high reward, lots of shooting, maiming and twists and turns at every corner and you don’t get a second to breathe or think or feel and until everyone is dead. If you can get the balance just right, though, if you could write about people’s struggles, have them find their own sense of meaning and purpose and connection through their disturbing circumstances while at the same time bash some zombie skulls in – not just because you want to or for fun or because it’s cool, but exactly because you don’t want to, but have to, and because it’s horrible – you get what I appreciate most about reading zombie literature. If you do the zombies justice as a genuinely scary monster, they can make things stir in the bottom of the deep pools of my soul. They make my foundations tremble with fear and disgust. And sometimes, when everything feels overwhelming, there’s not much else you can do but laugh at the tragicomedy of it all.

That’s what “Pariah” is like.

The final reward was finality, period. Except these days it wasn’t, so death had lost some of its appeal. (61)

The humor especially is one of its finest attributes, by the way. Fingerman’s comedic style might be an acquired taste, but I loved it! You get everything from backhanded compliments, ridiculous understatements and plenty of physical humor. The jokes range from clever to dirty to shocking to so-silly-it’s-positively-hilarious. And there’s an impressive array of insults thrown around. Fingerman treats his characters with the same respect as they treat the zombies trying to eat them. He doesn’t take himself, his characters or the subject matters too seriously, but seriously enough for an engaging read. A prime example of using humor as a coping mechanism.

Here are some funny examples:

The wall was scarred beneath the paint, reminding Ellen of her former boss, a woman with an unfortunate complexion who’d applied way too much base in a sad effort to mask what imperfections lay beneath. (28)

“During the day she could really absorb how awful she and everyone else looked. It had gotten so bad that your archetypal Auschwitz inmate would look at the residents of 1620 York Avenue and say,

Damn, those are some unhealthily skinny-looking motherfuckers. (29)

Ellen just stared at Alan, eyes glassy with grief. She plopped herself down on a wooden dining chair and Alan could hear the bones in her ass knock against the hard surface. (38)

Ellen’s areolas and nipples were dusky, almost burgundy, in sharp contrast to her pale skin. Her wasted breasts pooled on her chest, flattened empty sacs, yet he’d sucked on them like they dispensed the antidote. (71)

Tammy, tart-tongued and efficient, was all nipple and not tit, her chest a smooth plane of milky white skin dotted with two pencil eraser-size pink protrusions. (185)

As you can see, Fingerman writing style thrives in that bodily space. No body part is left untouched, and there’s plenty of bodily fluids as well. Piss, blood, cum, gore, skin, bone. You name it. And sex. Lots of dirty sex! His imagery and descriptions encompass all senses in order to evoke pure sensory disgust and despondency.

You’d think it wouldn’t be possible to take all of this seriously, but I did. Fingerman managed to balance the funny with the bleak, making headspace for deep conversations, serious conflicts, engaging drama and high stakes situations. And all the things he writes about our bodies are vital to better understand and realize what and who we are and what we so desperately need.

How long had it been since she’d applied makeup or thought about her body as anything other than a rundown, withering collection of deprived tissue? (117)

One final thing before I wrap this baby up in smelly human skin. I bought physical copy of my book used, and it certainly shows. The edges of the pages are rough and almost in tatters. This condition alongside the highly enjoyable drawings of zombies inside the book made the story feel even more real, as if the drawings were real, post-apocalyptic sketches found in a satchel carried by a zombie walking alone on a field somewhere rural and poetic. I truly appreciated the artistical perspective and experience in all of this.

Ellen’s eyes roved over the dizzying cavalcade of renderings. Beyond their technical excellence, Alan had captured something she hadn’t stopped to consider about the things outside: their innate humanness. Those things weren’t always things. They had been Homo sapiens. Alan’s meticulous artwork, while unsentimental, betrayed an element of latent humanity in the subject matter. The tilt of a head, the softness of a brow, the turn of a mouth, all reminded her that these empty vessels once had inner lives. They’d been friends and neighbors. (102-103)

So yeah, I recommend the book. Thanks for reading my review! :)


New words:

Lachrymose = suggestive of or tending to cause tears

Lackadaisical = without interest, vigor, or determination

Démodé = no longer in fashion; out of date; outmoded.

Odium = intense hatred or dislike, especially toward a person or thing regarded as contemptible, despicable, or repugnant.

Inamorato = a man who loves or is loved; male sweetheart or lover.

Quixotic = extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable.

Insouciant = free from concern, worry, or anxiety; carefree; nonchalant.

[♠ Eze ♠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo primero que me viene a la mente es que prejuzgue este libro. Tanto por su nombre como por su sinopsis. Apostaba que iba a ser un desastre y no lo iba a terminar. Me equivoque.

Este no es un libro sobre zombies. En realidad si lo es, pero no son el tema central. La interaccion entre los humanos, como lidian diferentes personas con los mismos problemas y tantas cosas mas son el nucleo de la historia.
Aunque este lleno de muertos vivientes, esta es una historia sobre los vivos.

Puede llegar a ser denso en un momento. Mas si no nos caen bien los personajes, o algunos de ellos. Pero pasado ese punto todo termina de cerrar. Toma una forma.

Esta novela relata las dificultades de un grupo de vecinos a la hora de mantenerse con vida en el apocalipsis.
Pero ademas de todos los problemas que se pueden encontrar y enfrentar, nos enseña que debemos sobrevivir a nosotros mismos. Y esta puede resultar la tarea mas dificil.

[Yani Daniele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me llevó mi tiempo terminar este libro, sobretodo porque esperaba mucho más del mismo, sangre, vísceras y mucha más participación de zombis.

De terror nada, drama y sexo a tirar para arriba. Sólo en las últimas 10 páginas se puede disfrutar algo de la temática zombi, el resto es verlos por las ventanas de un balcón mientras los sobrevivientes se mueren de hambre dentro de las paredes de su edificio seguro.

[Penpilot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love zombies, so when I read the concept for this book, I was like gimmie-gimmie. I loved the approached the author took. The story is about people still being people even in a Zombie infested world. The writing pulled me through at a brisk pace, and for me, it was a page turner that had me reading past my usual bedtime.

But the story isn't without its flaws. To me, the story started with an interesting enough cast of archetypical characters. (Notice I didn't use the word stereotype?) But as the story moves along, I didn't feel like any of them mad much progress beyond what they were at the beginning of the story. The characters' sort of shifted sideways in their development for the most part, and any forward movement they made, I didn't really feel it emotionally. It's like stepping on a Star Trek transporter pad. You pop from one place to another, but there's no journey to enjoy.

Now in the books defence, not every characters' journey has to be long and not every character has to change. There are perfectly fine stories where characters don't change much, and I'm perfectly content if this story is one of them.

But this brings me to my next point, the ending. It's a workable ending, and has all the elements of a satisfying ending, but didn't quite get there for me. By no means was it bad, but it didn't give me the tingles that really good ending do. It was just an ending that answered questions and tied things up. I was fed and full, but not satisfied with what I got.

The sad thing IMHO is the ending just needed to be tweaked. A few Zigs instead of Zags, and I would have giving this book another star easily.

Overall, definitely worth your time and engaging even with the flaws I mentioned.

[Alisa Kester · Rating 1 out of 5]

The characters were pretty unmemorable (to the point that I kept forgetting who had done what, and several times had to flip back to check). The characters spent way too much time having weird/disturbing/boring internal tangents that didn't go anywhere, and the big mystery surrounding the girl the zombies won't touch? Boring resolution. Seriously, that was it? Not the worst book I've ever read, but definitely the worst zombie book.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite a standout in the overpopulated world of zombie fiction. I think the best zombie fiction are the stories exploring the human nature under the impossible circumstances instead of throwing together yet another blood gore and guts zombie action vehicle, let alone one bound for sequels. This book certainly does the former and well, all the humane and inhumane actions and reactions of a random group of survivors from different socioeconomic walks of life. Fingerman created a nice sampler of various ages/races/genders/faiths in a microcosm of a New York Upper East Side walk up. Locked it down with zombie imposed starvation and isolation. Stirred it up by throwing in a wild card, a teenage girl who repels the undead. Let it play out. And so it made for a very compelling read. Very entertaining one as well. Sure one can consider the characters to be too clichéd, but in real life most humans are walking stereotypes, so art imitates life and all that. This is a stand alone too, which is so unusual and great. The only problem honestly is with the cover, it's ridiculous really. The cover gets the action just right, but the girl is completely wrong. Presumably artists don't read every book they do the cover for, but they ought to at least find out enough to make the art accurate, one would think. And Fingerman as an artist himself, surely he had a chance to notice and/or say something prior to printing. The hair, clothes, bag, footwear are all quite iconic for the character and are all completely wrong on the cover. How much work would it have been to get it right...really...probably not that much at all. Just seems inattentive and lazy. Book is great, though. Very fun read. Not even just fin zombie aficionados either. Recommended.

[Flint · Rating 1 out of 5]

On the back of the book there is a who's who list of gushing zombie authors praising the book like it was the, be all, end all, of all zombie books, but the reality is very different. The premise of the story is basically about a bunch of people holed up inside their apartment building, starving themselves to death because they can't make it across the street to the supermarket, you know, because of all the zombies. Then one day a teenage girl passes by, (page 151) who seems to be completely immune to the zombies and helps them get food and supplies from the supermarket. No one knows why the undead won't touch her, but near the end we find out that it has something to do with being born addicted to drugs, which may have somehow altered her brain chemistry, and explains why she seems so detached and unemotional all the time. Anyway she pretty much decides to stay with these ppl upon her arrival. The end.

That's the whole story in a nutshell, if it even qualifies as one. Obviously some seem to think so, but you can decide for yourself based on my summary. If you thought the plot was uninspired it certainly doesn't improve with the characters, who are just as dull and uninteresting as the rest of the book.

[Hilary Pelletier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. This is more about the impaired psyche of the stranded individuals rather than an "attack zombie" book. The book is grimy, you can almost touch and smell the stink of the creatures on their street. If you like a character study and don't mind the filth of it all then this is a good pick.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most people who are into the zombie genre will likely enjoy this. Non-zombie fans might want to look elsewhere though.

As the blurb goes, the story is about a disparate group of people trapped in an apartment building in a post-apocalyptic New York surrounded by ravenous zombies. In the midst of all this enters a girl who repels the creatures and is allowed to walk freely in the city.

If you're looking for a zombie movie of survival a la the Walking Dead series this isn't it. The characters aren't looking for ways to escape the city, rid the world of undead, build a new life, rescue, or even find other survivors. They are simply trying to survive, and for most of the book that meant avoiding starvation. Although I did enjoy the book I had a few gripes. One, I kept waiting for the girl to show up but that didn't happen until almost halfway through the book. Two, when main characters died, more often than not, they were alive one minute then someone finds them dead the next. No fanfare, no sendoff. Three, author seemed to have a penchant for stereotypes: the stereotypical old Jewish couple, the stereotypical homophobic jock, etc. Four, this book seemed more like an episode of a series in that, apart from the introduction of the girl, nothing really happened. They lived, they died. I finished the book with something of an "eh" feeling. There was no message, I wasn't disappointed to finish it, I wasn't moved by it.

Pariah was simply a decent read that held my attention for the duration of the book.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I avoid most zombie fiction since there’s such a glut of it now, but Pariah is actually a nice addition to the genre. Like Robert Kirkman’s ongoing comic book series, The Walking Dead, Pariah focuses more on the living’s struggle to survive than it does the shuffling corpses trying to eat them. Fingerman’s portrayal of ten sweaty New Yorkers trying to cope with boredom, depression, insanity, starvation and dehydration during the dog days of summer feels very real, but doesn’t have the same level of bleakness as say, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Imagine a less screwball version of the Seinfeld cast trapped in Jerry’s apartment building for six months without utilities. Then imagine them horribly emaciated and miserable while George’s mother wanders around naked and everyone lives in fear of the moment Puddy starts raping the women, and you have the comedic tone of the book. It’s sort of like if John Landis had directed Schindler’s List, but instead of Nazis, it was zombies that kept everyone trapped in the Warsaw Ghetto.

The appearance of a young girl that zombies avoid like the plague is a fresh idea and adds an element of mystery to the story. For a genre that’s quickly being driven into the ground, this was a captivating read and further proof that surviving the apocalypse is not necessarily a good thing.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sigh,

What to say about a zombie story that is more about the people than the zombies. It's hard to write them. Zone One did it, The Reapers Are the Angels did it, and Robert Kirkson's The Walking Dead, Book One did it. Pariah did not. Instead of insight into the nature of human beings once stripped of the last vestiges of familiarity and civilization we are given vignette after vignette of the muddled thinking of probably the worst representations of the human species to be written about.
The writing is slow and plodding. Once I find myself in a book, reading simply to get the secret pay-off, I know the writing is bad. It's like eating just to get full without enjoying any of the flavor of the food. The pay-off by the way comes in a one paragraph explanation that honestly explains nothing and almost without warning, the story ends, happily ever after(?) with all the really bad and despicable characters neatly done away with.

[Dayna Ingram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in one day. I just couldn't put it down; I had to know what was going to happen to this collection of characters. I love zombie stories that zoom in on a pack of "survivors" and just stay solely focused on the individual even while we know this zombie thing is global. It's one of the reasons WORLD WAR Z worked so well for me; sure, it was an account of a complete world war, but the oral histories allowed you to zoom in on one particular experience. And PARIAH does that here, focusing on a single apartment building which has become the world for the handful of folks living inside. It's a strong, character-driven story with enough zombie action to entertain without pandering, and a mid-plot development that is just lovely. I love love LOVE the character and concept/image of Mona, but definitely wanted more explanation for her "ability." I also feel like the ending was rushed, and the fate's of certain characters were summed-up in a couple paragraphs, which could have been done more elegantly, I guess. But yeah, I loved this; great addition to the genre.

[Krysten]

this book sat on my to-read list for like seven years and in a fit of spring cleaning-esque inspiration I requested a copy from the library, despite the fact that in the intervening years I have become thoroughly bored of zombies and equally bored/suspicious/angry at white men.

the dust jacket of this book is laden with praise from white men, of course, not a single review from a woman to be found. now why would that be?

I only made it to page 22, where the phrase 'the flossy hub of Dawn's sex' appeared. men, you're banned from my life.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a sucker for zombie novels these days but other than being a fast and easy read there is not much new here or even much to talk about. I found the characters to fit every stereotype out there when it comes to mainstream post-apoc novels. I did not like the ending and feel that this book just never seemed to grab me in. Pick up The Reapers are the Angels, a truly fantastic zombie novel and skip this one.

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 3 out of 5]

was not as good as i thought it would be,

[Elke · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first sight, the book reminded me of the zombie movie "Rammbock", which I saw on TV recently and enjoyed very much. With a bunch of people barricading themselves against the undead in an apartment block, the story begins very similar, but then they diverge significantly.

As with Bottomfeeder, I expected to get some firsthand information about zombie life from an undead protagonist, but this is not the case with Pariah, which concentrates solely on the living survivors. Regarding the zombies, much is left in the dark - where did they come from etc. Instead, we get very familiar with the residents of apartment complex 1620. Before the girl shows up, everything mostly runs as expected, we have our usual cast of characters - the bully, the nice old couple, a relatively normal guy we immediately sympathize with, and so on. After the girl shows up, of course there is a change in everyone's behaviour, but nothing that happens can surprise us much.

I guess that is my main, and only, criticism: there is no great surprise in the characters' actions and developments, so the general outcome of the story was foreseeable, though not in detail. And that is what makes the story a worthy reading, how these details are filled with sometimes shocking, disgusting (what crazy mind can invent something like flynching!?), but also hopeful and even deeply moving moments. The book was a real page turner and I was still surprised with the ending.

I highly recommend Pariah to any interested readers, whether you are a zombie fan or not - as long as you're not too squeamish.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pariah is a book about zombies. I love zombies. Naturally, I expected to enjoy this book, but I was completely unprepared for how amazing Pariah was.

It's the zombie apocalypse and the government has boarded people up in their apartment buildings. As those few humans struggle to survive, they notice a girl who can walk among the zombies. Mona wanders unharmed through streets filled with shambling undead. The zombies see her, they just don't care. While the survivors try to unravel the mystery as to why Mona is immune, psychological aspects start coming into play. Trapped with neighbors for months, hiding from certain bloody death has caused mental health to deteriorate. Mona's ability pushes some survivors a little closer to the edge.

The thing that made Pariah that much better than other zombie books was the humor. It was biting, very dark and mean at times. It fit with the situation the survivors found themselves in. People are on edge, at their very breaking point and the sarcasm laced dialogue is deep, funny and feels almost too real.

Pariah includes zombie portraits drawn by the author. These were both impressively done and helpful to understanding the state the zombies are in. Pariah is funny and disturbing with terror on many levels both fantastical and realistic. Definitely the cream of the zombie crop.

[Camille · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know how to rate this book. It sounded good and got great reviews from big names in the zombie genre (coincidentally, I don't like any of those big names' books. Should have been a clue.)

If you've read When The Dead, this is very similar. I was not a fan. I read it all in one day simply because I was trapped in the a jury room not getting picked but not getting released. I might have given up on the book if I had had any other entertainment options, which I did not.

Ok, here's the spoiler stuff: this is about survival but more like sanity survival. The people seemed to make ridiculous decisions. I understand it's tough considering the circumstances but I still thought they were stupid. Not realizing dead people become zombies. Watching your husband die and then literally hours later having sex with another man and becoming his girlfriend (or whatever.) Trusting Eddie. Zombie fishing?

All the characters were awful.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pariah is your novel of choice if you are looking for the essential zombie novel. A group of survivors are stuck in an apartment building in New York City when the zombies begin tearing folks up looking for a quick meal. Almost at the point of their immenent deaths a mysterious girl appears walking amongst the shuffling mass of zombies. Could she hold the key to their survival? This is great classical zombie gore at its best. No explanation is given for what the root cause is of the zombification and the ending may burn some folks. However what this is, is a plain book of survival and the group dynamics of folks of different age groups and different walks of life thrown together attempting to cope with their world gone to crap. And as for the ending I feel it fits into the classical zip and punch of this novel perfectly.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob Fingerman draws on the rich tradition of zombie lore, and adds his own particular spin. This quickly paced well-written novel doesn’t skimp on the gore, or gallows humor. The characters in the book are all trapped within a NYC apartment building, and are running low on supplies. Along comes Mona the pariah, who mysteriously seems to be immune to the zombies. In fact, her presence actually repels them. The apartment dwellers beg her to move in with them, so that she may keep them supplied, and therefore alive. Near the end I thought it was turning into Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, but . . . well, I wouldn’t want to give anything away.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

God bless you, Bob Fingerman, in this era of pastiches and rom-zom-coms for bringing the good old postapocalypse back to zombie fiction. Granted, there's not a lot of actual apocalypse here - things have seriously gone to shit before the narrative truly starts, and we get only a very little of the outbreak in flashbacks - but there's plenty of the nitty gritty of survival in the bloody aftermath of Z-Day. Frightfully literary in places for something with so many eviscerations, Pariah delivers both bite and biting satires...and gets an extra thumbs up for staging its climax in a burned out Barnes & Noble.

[Kristal · Rating 3 out of 5]

For reasons never stated, zombies have taken over the city of New York. A small group of apartment dwellers are all that remain and their struggle to leave the apartment building they are trapped in along with the daily struggles of having to live with other people and the close confines are the main story line. There are some exceptional graphic scenes involving zombie gore and the darker side of the human psyche.

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was sooooo good. I took it with me to fry myself an egg for dinner. It was that good. I just did not want to put it down.

Okay, the zombie sequences were wicked, but Fingerman did a great job with the characters as well. The relationships between the various residents of the apartment building kept the story interesting and fresh even when there was no zombie action.

I'm definitely a fan.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating, haunting read. Some parts of it are laugh-out-loud funny, although there are also very somber, sometimes tragic elements. This is not an action zombie novel -- it uses the zombie apocalypse as a vehicle for the exploration of character. This is the first book by Bob Fingerman that I've read, and I definitely want to check out his other work.

[Connietrue Simons · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I would like to believe I would behave more honorably than most of these characters, I really wonder if, in such a dire situation, I would fair any better. Some seriously despicable characters and a fairly dark take one human nature, but definitely sucks you in.

[Jane Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure why I finished this book. More to see who survived than because I "really" liked this.

[Robert burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should win the Stoker Award. One of the most orginal novels that I have read this year.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Zombie books but not a fan of reading about a bunch of morons stuck in a building together.

[Juleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

started off good, the ending sucked unless this is going to be a series. Too much build up, not enough detail in the pay off.