Zom-B by Darren Shan

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Roy Runnels

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Check out details on how to win a copy of this book at the end of this review. What better than a zombie book to review & giveaway during Halloween month!

Zom-B is something unusual for it’s genre, it’s different. Zombie stories are almost always the same song and dance with little to show for it in the end. It’s one of the many reasons why I stay away from most zombie movies and why I was hesitant to read Zom-B.

The first thing the book does right is not start in survival mode. The story doesn’t start a month into the zombie apocalypse, but instead asks the question what would happen if the world was infected one at a time. It’s something we don’t normally see. After a small town in Ireland gets infected, the news of the outbreak is broadcasted worldwide. Doubt immediately settles in for our main character, B, who doesn’t believe that such could exist. That it’s all a promotional scandal for an upcoming movie.

Image source: Little, Brown Books

The first three-quarters of the book are incredibly strong and brilliant. You struggle to root for B because of the internal struggle B has. You want to believe that B is a good person and can break away from the model left by the father. It’s different and adds something to the genre that is much needed, mystery. I breezed through the book in a night because it hooked me quickly and I needed to know what would happen. The last quarter of the book, however, is where the story falters.

I loved the mystery of the book, the problem I have with it is that it isn’t resolved. The book is meant to be the first in a series, but instead of resolving anything in this book, it just ends. Once the next book releases I’m sure my complaints will be answered, but as of the time of this writing, there are many questions I have that have not been addressed. The one reveal that is in the book felt a little forced and unnecessary. It certainly was shocking, but just not in the way it was intended to be.

Looking past the abrupt end, Zom-B is a great intro to what I’m sure will be a fantastic series. Be sure to check out Zom-B—it was just released on October 16—and stick around for the rest of the series.

To enter to win a copy of Zom-B, simply email KRL at life@kingsriverlife[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “B”, or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 27, 2012. U.S. residents only.

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Zom-B

Roy Runnels is a 21 year old aspiring writer currently working on becoming an English teacher. He has a great deal of interest in television as well as video games, when he is not busy writing. Roy was born in Lake Jackson, Texas and moved to Reedley, California in late 2012.