Review: A Game of Two Halves
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 2, 2014
TUWN2 picks up from Book One...and that of course is why I bought it.My reading experience worked with two gears.  The first part of the book stood out in a good way by introducing Jillybean and Ipes who then connect with Ram who then connect with the rest of the characters from Book One...and, sadly, that's the point when this book clanked into Reverse.  Because ultimately the story bogs down into an implausible string of highly derivative Perils of Pauline-style escapades which wouldn't be out of place in a straight-to-video low-budget action movie.Pros:1. Jillybean and Ipes...until they too become clagged into an excruciating psychobabble expose at the end of the book.2. Plenty of popcorn action.  Plenty.  Plenty.  Plenty.3. Stereotypical baddies...even down to a neo-Jim Jones sect leader and rapacious Russian emigres.4. It's a zombie novel!  :PCons:1. Ragged story line that's about two editorial drafts away from its potential and which lacks that "Magic 5 Per Cent" to lift it from the ordinary into a positively memorable read.  This is particularly true of the second half of the book...which I confess I tended to cruise through because whilst the action scenes are well-described, they're not especially riveting.2. Production values generally.  As per (1) above.  Dialog is generally flat and environmental/scene descriptions lack grip and ambiance after the mid-point.  Before that they're just fine...for example, Ram and Jillybean in the carpet store is an excellent wee stanza.3. Central characters don't lift themselves and develop above Book 1. If anything they plateau and (like Neil and Sarah's) maybe go backwards.  For me this is huge disappointment.  I can forgive most things, but not the unrelatable and cyphers.  (I think perhaps this is due to the surfeit of personalities the author has to work with...in a total re-write, it'd be best to tell this entire yarn from one person's perspective.  Just sayin'....)4. The ending is flat and suggests the author decided: "Enough's enough, lemme end this thing."  Okay, there's a hint that special things are in store for Sarah...but by gosh, it limped like a sparked-out zombie.Should you buy this book?Yes.  Provided you got hooked by Book One.Yes.  If you like straight forward yarns to read on the bus or train.Yes.  As long as you don't pitch your expectations too high and are prepared to take it all at face-value.