Review: A morbid take on a zombie outbreak...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 16, 2014
Matt Shaw is relatively new on my reading radar. After reading SB, his previous novel, I was morbidly impressed. Here's an author who pushes the boundaries of taste and violence, and seems to enjoy doing it. With passion comes great writing and this is one of the most obvious things I get from Shaw's books. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but there's no doubt the man can write a great horror novel.When I read RDF, I wasn't disappointed either.SB took some normal, everyday taboos and utilised them to great, disgusting effect. Did he offend people? Probably, but he warned them about the content. But surely any horror writer can scribble about incest and cannibalism, right? I mean, some people can jump on the exploitation band wagon just for the sake of it, to cash in on the topic itself. See, with Matt Shaw, I don't think this is the case. True, he uses topics that garner interest for possibly the wrong reasons but they never seem forced or shoved in just for the sake of it. They have a purpose in the story.The reason I say this is simple: RDF has content that people will find offensive. Even I winced at one particular scene which borders on extremely indecent and taboo, particularly in today's society where Facebook and Twitter expose our children to all kinds of terrible people. Incest and cannibalism are out - if you discount the zombies - and racism and human/zombie sex (yep, you heard that right) are in. As well as a few other topics best discovered for yourself. But none of them are forced, all have a place in this story about a particularly nasty zombie outbreak enveloping a town. We get swept up into the utter chaos along with the characters.Now, sure, you're thinking: Zombies? Urgh, not again. Right? It's an easy decision to make since they've been saturated in books and movies in modern times, but Shaw tackles it from a new angle...or multiple angles. After an explosive beginning that has you begging to read more, five characters weave effortlessly as they traverse the new-born apocalypse. All are flawed - Ted in particular, an amazing character, hate-filled and all too real - and just want nothing but to get back to their normal lives (except Ted, a psychotic who revels in the chaos). It's been done before but Shaw writes the characters with mature conviction and social commentary that seems...well, relatable. At times I wanted to punch one character and cheer for another. If this isn't evidence of solid, interesting writing, I don't know what is.Some of the material will have your eyes widening. Some of the content is offensive - and in the UK, these particularly taboos rule the headlines on a daily basis - but it suits the tone of the horror expertly. In a zombie outbreak, nothing would be out of bounds. There would be no law, no justice. Matt ushers in some issues that other films and shows are just to nervous to introduce. It's refreshing to see the rules shattered and the result paints a stark, scary picture of a scenario all too familiar to horror readers.5* - Bold, brazen, gory, boundary pushing - come on, it's Matt Shaw - and quite original considering the concept, RDF is a breath of fresh air. A zombie story with a bit of everything, this book deserves to be read. Shaw has a knack for writing about crumbling societies - as he did with SB - and this lives up to the hype. If the name doesn't hook you, well, you must be dead inside. Great stuff!