Review: Solid story, but offers very little new and needs major editing
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 12 30, 2013
This read was such a mixed bag for me. I almost gave up on it about 25% through as it took so long to feel like the story actually began instead of just spending page upon page setting up the characters and their situations with no actual zombie action. If I recall correctly, there was no actual zombie interaction until roughly 1/4 into it and it lacked any real action until that point.The plot was just okay- there's nothing really new in terms of the infected, or the survivors. I grew to mildly like some of the characters, but most I just couldn't care about one way or another.There was sometimes a major disconnect between the characters and what a reasonable person would do in their situation, making it very unrealistic at points. Even in a zombie novel, people's actions should be fathomable. For example, in one scene, a pair of prison guards well set-up to survive takes in a group of prisoners- even though the male guard is aware that one is a convicted rapist, and his traveling companion is female. The pair doesn't need assistance from the prisoners, but he's just kind of like, "Hey, the more the merrier! Sure, he's a convicted rapist and my buddy's a woman, but I'm sure he's learned his lesson and won't pull such a stunt in this horrible, new world."  In at least two points in the book, the characters don't flush the toilet to keep the noise to a minimum in case it might attract the zombies outside, yet in both cases they were JUST shouting throughout the place. But they're worried a toilet flush is too much noise? Ridiculous. There were only a handful of unreal bits like these, but enough to put me off of the story a bit.In some parts, the lack of pronouns was maddening. For instance, Jamie and Janine are one pair of survivors. Instead of using he/she, the author insists on repeating their names over and over. It became ridiculously redundant and difficult to read as the names are so similar and they tend to blur together after reading them repeatedly paragraph after paragraph. In a paragraph in a different part of the story, the noun 'window' is used 3 times in one sentence instead of simply using the word 'it'. Again, redundant, and awkward, and just one example of many similar instances.The character's ages are reiterated again and again, for no particular reason, at strange points in the book. Instead of, "Karen approached the road", it became, "The twenty three year old approached the road". Odd and stiff, to say the least (that's not a direct quote, but something I made up similar to what you'll find in there).The author was obsessed with the characters using the bathroom. It wasn't graphic or anything, and I know folks have 'to go' even during a life-threatening zombie outbreak, but enough already. There were easily 7-10 'bathroom' mentions in the book...why, I don't know, but they were a bit off-putting when so over-used. They generally felt like filler and added nothing but a growing sense of concern about why everyone's bathroom habits needed such a spotlight on them.The author does address one part of an outbreak that most books rarely do, and I was very pleased with that. I won't spoil it, but I believe it's what one reviewer claims caused them to stop reading because 'you just don't write about some things'. While it was hard to read and it tugged at my heartstrings, it's not that offensive and it's a bit of the overall picture of such events that authors often overlook. Kudos to the author for including two scenes dealing with that part of it.I would have given this 3 stars if not for the serious lack of editing. I'm not one to complain about every little error I find, especially in an indie book, but this one is riddled with errors. From dropped words to incorrect words to commas placed willy-nilly, it's all there, and prevalent throughout the story. There's also an odd assortment of strange word choice/usage. It made it difficult to sludge through it at times. Some examples of such things (and these are direct quotes from the book):"...her emotions were being refused by the young woman to surface.""...abhorrence image that played in her mind.""They pulled up at the house, and both walked up the drive with perturbation forcing them to twist their neck left and right..."Serious points lost for the lack of editing in this one, because it's a major problem that detracts from the story. I see some crowing over how 'well written' it is, and I wonder- did they read the same book I did? Did I get an erroneously uploaded rough draft or something? Seeing many complaints similar to mine- I doubt it.Overall, it wasn't a favorite and is not one I'll read again, but I'm glad I soldiered on and made it through it to be sure I didn't miss anything spectacular. I'm undecided as to picking up the second in the series. I certainly wouldn't pay for it, unless there was evidence it had been thoroughly edited.There are far worse zombie reads out there, but there are far better ones, too. This one would simply be in the middle, IF it was edited correctly. As it stands, not recommended. There are plenty of 'ok' zombie books that have been edited far better than this one. Good for those who enjoy a challenge, because you'll spend a lot of time trying to figure out what the author was trying to say.