Book Review: The Rising
So, you know, the fact that I actually kind of hate this book A LOT makes the possibility of those other things happening pretty slim.
Lemmie see, a book with a construction worker, a old priest, and a ex junkie ex hooker team up to save the construction workers son from the zombie hoard? Where the hell do I sign up? I usually hate the synopsis on the back of the books. In this case, I actually wish the book fit its back cover. Alas, not so much.
The Good: Erm. Well. You know, um. Okay, thats not fair. To be fair, this book has a lot going for it. Keenes got a real gift with sensory detail, which is important in a zombie novel. There are things in the book that are really truly gross in an enjoyable way, and I think that was the writers intention. At one point he describes the smell of a mans infected leg not unlike a microwaved hotdog. I dont know if this is completely true, but it sure was vivid. Ill also note that this is a first novel, and maybe some of the problems I had with it had more to do with Keene exorcising some demons then any actual defect in his personality. Who knows, right? Also, there are some KILLER ideas in there. Sentient zombies? Check. The host of Hell? Check. The military going crazy and trying to take over? Check. A heartfelt search to save a mans estranged son? Well, most of a check.
The Bad: The problem is, none of those good ideas got followed completely, while Keene instead chose to focus on a strange rape fixation and this weird all people are bad, or if not, theyre dead philosophy that seemed forced. Time and time again, the characters run into people who have gone from normal to people to mustache twirling evil in the few months since the dead started to walk. I understand that without civilization, people are likely to get WAY more selfish and blah blah, but Keenes focus seems to all but ignore the zombies and focus on the evil that men do in such cartoonish fashion that I imagined the demonic zombies sitting on the side lines going hey, were over here yanno. Well rape, pillage and eat you too if youd just give us a little attention.
When I was talking to my husband about this book I had a long, feminist rant about how disgusted I was by much of the stories fascination with taking sexual advantage of the main heroine, but I think Ill spare you. Suffice to say, when Keene decided to describe in detail a gang-bang followed by urination on the woman I assume Im supposed to identify with, I threw the book across the room. And dont even ask me about the Meat Wagon, a brothel on wheels that the National Guardsman build to turn every woman they run across into a sex slave. Im sure a busy man like Brian Keene isnt going to read this, and if he is, Im sure hell dismiss it because its a bad review, but really, Brain, man, lighten up on the women, huh? We want to be your audience too. If you really think this is the way men would behave when society falls, I weep for your outlook on life.
So why did I finish reading it? I guess I kept hoping the last few pages would be some kind of pay off. That Id get some reward for the disgusting cartoon I had read that far, but alas, I was never satisfied. The book brings you right up to the point where you find out if the construction workers son is alive or not, (you know, the reason Im reading the book in the first place? The story?) And thats it. To the door, no further.
The damn thing didnt end.
I dont know if I was expected to make up my own ending, or if I was expected to read the sequel as a result, but I can tell you one thing, I LIKE open endings and cliff hangers. I did not feel like this was either a cliff hanger or open ended. To be perfectly honest, I feel like the ending was a cop-out. Like Keene had lost his real story some where along the sadistic-rape-happy way and couldnt bring himself back to it in time to end the book. But what the fuck do I know, right? This guy has had a dozen novels published, and Im still 0 for 0.
Who Will Like This Book: I want to say something snide like, not anyone I want to be alone in a room with, but thats probably unfair. I know hes got a hell of a following, Ive checked out his fan community, but wasnt terribly surprised to see a lot of military or ex military men in the forums. Im sure they saw things in this and other books by Keene Im just not seeing, or maybe they just didnt see the degradation and humiliation I found so appalling. Thats not really for me to say, so Ill just say this; true to the back cover, this book is not for the squeamish.
Who Wont Like This Book: Other than me? Again, hard to say. I read some unnecessarily scathing comments on Amazon, but that wasnt a big surprise. I know my husband would hate it. I figure if you want a deep psychological look at humanity and their responses to chaos and damnation, this probably isnt the book for you.
Next Up: And in all together more thrilling news, I got my first ARC in the mail yesterday. I am SQUEALING with joy over that. Its Patricia C. Wrede Thirteenth Child. While I dont normally read YA, this was free and Im enjoying it so far. Sort of a young persons introduction to Steampunk or Weird West. Ill have a formal review in April, so keep your eyes peeled.
Originally published at In Other Words.
Lemmie see, a book with a construction worker, a old priest, and a ex junkie ex hooker team up to save the construction workers son from the zombie hoard? Where the hell do I sign up? I usually hate the synopsis on the back of the books. In this case, I actually wish the book fit its back cover. Alas, not so much.
The Good: Erm. Well. You know, um. Okay, thats not fair. To be fair, this book has a lot going for it. Keenes got a real gift with sensory detail, which is important in a zombie novel. There are things in the book that are really truly gross in an enjoyable way, and I think that was the writers intention. At one point he describes the smell of a mans infected leg not unlike a microwaved hotdog. I dont know if this is completely true, but it sure was vivid. Ill also note that this is a first novel, and maybe some of the problems I had with it had more to do with Keene exorcising some demons then any actual defect in his personality. Who knows, right? Also, there are some KILLER ideas in there. Sentient zombies? Check. The host of Hell? Check. The military going crazy and trying to take over? Check. A heartfelt search to save a mans estranged son? Well, most of a check.
The Bad: The problem is, none of those good ideas got followed completely, while Keene instead chose to focus on a strange rape fixation and this weird all people are bad, or if not, theyre dead philosophy that seemed forced. Time and time again, the characters run into people who have gone from normal to people to mustache twirling evil in the few months since the dead started to walk. I understand that without civilization, people are likely to get WAY more selfish and blah blah, but Keenes focus seems to all but ignore the zombies and focus on the evil that men do in such cartoonish fashion that I imagined the demonic zombies sitting on the side lines going hey, were over here yanno. Well rape, pillage and eat you too if youd just give us a little attention.
When I was talking to my husband about this book I had a long, feminist rant about how disgusted I was by much of the stories fascination with taking sexual advantage of the main heroine, but I think Ill spare you. Suffice to say, when Keene decided to describe in detail a gang-bang followed by urination on the woman I assume Im supposed to identify with, I threw the book across the room. And dont even ask me about the Meat Wagon, a brothel on wheels that the National Guardsman build to turn every woman they run across into a sex slave. Im sure a busy man like Brian Keene isnt going to read this, and if he is, Im sure hell dismiss it because its a bad review, but really, Brain, man, lighten up on the women, huh? We want to be your audience too. If you really think this is the way men would behave when society falls, I weep for your outlook on life.
So why did I finish reading it? I guess I kept hoping the last few pages would be some kind of pay off. That Id get some reward for the disgusting cartoon I had read that far, but alas, I was never satisfied. The book brings you right up to the point where you find out if the construction workers son is alive or not, (you know, the reason Im reading the book in the first place? The story?) And thats it. To the door, no further.
The damn thing didnt end.
I dont know if I was expected to make up my own ending, or if I was expected to read the sequel as a result, but I can tell you one thing, I LIKE open endings and cliff hangers. I did not feel like this was either a cliff hanger or open ended. To be perfectly honest, I feel like the ending was a cop-out. Like Keene had lost his real story some where along the sadistic-rape-happy way and couldnt bring himself back to it in time to end the book. But what the fuck do I know, right? This guy has had a dozen novels published, and Im still 0 for 0.
Who Will Like This Book: I want to say something snide like, not anyone I want to be alone in a room with, but thats probably unfair. I know hes got a hell of a following, Ive checked out his fan community, but wasnt terribly surprised to see a lot of military or ex military men in the forums. Im sure they saw things in this and other books by Keene Im just not seeing, or maybe they just didnt see the degradation and humiliation I found so appalling. Thats not really for me to say, so Ill just say this; true to the back cover, this book is not for the squeamish.
Who Wont Like This Book: Other than me? Again, hard to say. I read some unnecessarily scathing comments on Amazon, but that wasnt a big surprise. I know my husband would hate it. I figure if you want a deep psychological look at humanity and their responses to chaos and damnation, this probably isnt the book for you.
Next Up: And in all together more thrilling news, I got my first ARC in the mail yesterday. I am SQUEALING with joy over that. Its Patricia C. Wrede Thirteenth Child. While I dont normally read YA, this was free and Im enjoying it so far. Sort of a young persons introduction to Steampunk or Weird West. Ill have a formal review in April, so keep your eyes peeled.
Originally published at In Other Words.