Review: An Everyman's End Of The World
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 27, 2011
Thought this was a good read and I liked the slow build up as things gradually begin to take a turn for the worse. It's similar in that respect to The Jakarta Pandemic (which I also liked), but it gets there slightly quicker, which is not necessarily a good thing. For me this time span could have been increased, so you felt the heavy burden, looming dread and gradual panic of what's coming for far longer (and this I feel would have been of no detriment to the length of story).Also similarly to The Jakarta Pandemic it could have done with slightly more time spent in each household as they prepare for the arrival of Wormwood rather than just Rudy's (the main protagonist) POV, so when the 'proverbial hits the fan' you can recognise each couple easier and of course you care more for what happens to them when things begin to unravel.With an increased length it would have been possible to include the above, but also to make it seem less rushed when society breaks down as this part in particular I felt was most awkward somehow and perhaps a touch unbelievable.It made a change for this to have been told about normal everyday folk with and without families (like you and me) and refreshing that I didn't see a single ninja, Special Forces, kick ass survivalist ex-marine anywhere.A couple of issues I had were (and I don't want to spoil it for people so.............)**********Possible Spoilers******One of the characters, Shane, heads out to look for supplies and at this point the main story thread (Quail Street)with Rudy et al is dropped only to be revisited at the end. It would have perhaps been nice if Shane's story were intertwined with what was happening back with Rudy, in a similar fashion to how the back story of Marie, someone Shane meets en-route is done (Marie's story is done in flashback sections whilst the two of them head back to Quail Street).Without this you miss a great chunk of what took place on Quail Street and you feel somehow a little cheated when it is narrated to you upon Shane's return.Also felt a few of the plot devices were fumbled slightly.Examples -Should have bedded down in the pharmacy as this was far more secure with it's metal shutter, rather than an office they needed to both find and then break in. They also should have shot the dead through the holes in the shutter as the gun fumble just seemed too clumsy a way to get things to go the way the author wanted them to. Finally TOO MANY women characters became emotional and irrational, running to loved ones/friends who have died or been bitten etc...... once.. OK....... twice.. hmmm....... three times.. AWW, come on man.******Spoilers Over**********That said I cannot say I didn't enjoy this, because I did (particularly since it featured no glaring spelling nor grammar problems throughout, which the majority of these zombie/apocalypse novels tend to suffer from) and was exciting enough to keep me up reading late into the night to finish it, so will give it 4 stars and a big thumbs up.