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Searching... McMinnville Public Library | Maberry, J. | Searching... Unknown |
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Searching... Monmouth Public Library | YA Fic Maberry, J. 2010 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.
Author Notes
Jonathan Maberry was born on May 18, 1958. His early books dealt mainly with martial arts and self defense. He then wrote a number of books on the folklore and beliefs of the occult and paranormal including Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us and Hunger for Us, Zombie CSU, and They Bite. His first novel, Ghost Road Blues, won the 2007 Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel. His other works include The Pine Deep Trilogy, the Joe Ledger series, and the Rot and Ruin series. He is also a freelance comic book writer.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-Fourteen years after First Night, when America was overrun with the dead who reanimated, 15-year-old Benny Imura joins his half-brother, Tom, in the family business of "closure" or zombie bounty hunting in Jonathan Maberry's novel (S & S, 2010). Benny thinks Tom is a coward and greatly admires the much flashier Charlie Matthias, but his opinions begin to change once out in the Rot & Ruin where he sees what Tom really does. His maturation and growing respect for his brother dovetail with a deep yet unacknowledged affection for his friend, Nix, and his fascination with a near mythical Lost Girl who is said to be living out in the Rot & Ruin on her own. Plenty of action and gore balance a delicate love story, and finely drawn, three-dimensional secondary characters make the tale sing. Brian Hutchinson capably handles the narration, expressing Benny's fear, determination, and dawning realizations. The ending is a bit predictable but satisfying, leaving plenty of room for a sequel. The setting, circumstances, and character development will be enjoyed by all who relish vivid storytelling, not just horror aficionados.-Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, Oxford, MI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The delineation between man and monster, survivor and victim is fiercely debated in Maberry's (Patient Zero) thoughtful, postapocalyptic coming-of-age tale. In Mountainside, an oasis of civilization in a world ravaged by zombies, residents must find work at age 15 or have their rations halved. With every other option exhausted, Benny Imura reluctantly apprentices with his older brother, Tom, as a zombie killer, despite blaming Tom for their parents' deaths. As Benny accompanies Tom into the hostile wilderness, he learns how wrong he was about many things, from the supposed "coolness" of larger-than-life bounty hunter Charlie Matthias to the inhuman nature of "zoms" and the true purpose of Tom's work. The eye-opening experiences continue when Charlie kidnaps Benny's potential girlfriend, Nix, as part of his efforts to track down the fabled Lost Girl, who holds the key to a deadly secret. In turns mythic and down-to-earth, this intense novel combines adventure and philosophy to tell a truly memorable zombie story, one that forces readers to consider them not just as flesh-eating monsters or things to be splattered, but as people. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In the post-zombie apocalypse, teenagers must take up an occupation at age fifteen in order to continue to receive food rations. Reluctantly, Benny agrees to apprentice with his legendary older brother as a zombie killer; along the way he learns what it means to be human and how to respect the undead. An entertaining, emotional take on the zombie theme. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
It's been 14 years since First Night, when a zombie apocalypse turned America into the Rot and Ruin wasteland and war-torn survivors formed a new community behind a protective fence and away from "Godless behaviors." Rescued at the age of two on First Night by his older stepbrother Tom, Benny Imura, a reticent bounty hunter, must now take a job. The teen begrudgingly accompanies his seemingly cowardly brother into the Rot and Ruin, where he discovers an Old West lawlessness, a gang of renegade bounty hunters kidnapping children to pit against zoms for sport, a mysterious Lost Girl who's lived in the Ruin all her life and Tom's true character. In his first YA novel, prolific zombie writer Maberry (Patient Zero, 2009, etc.) blends a community structure and terrifying zombie chase scenes reminiscent of Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth (2009) with the ethical dilemmas (e.g., the power of fear and the nature of evil) of Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking series. The result is an action-packed, thought-provoking look at lifeand deathas readers determine the true enemy. (Science fiction. 13 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
It's been 14 years since First Night, when the dead came back to life. Six billion people have died (and reanimated) since then, and America has collapsed into isolated communities living within the great Rot and Ruin. Benny is 15, which means it's time to get a job or face cut rations, but his general laziness leaves him with only one employment option: join his stuffy, sword-swinging, Japanese half-brother, Tom, as an apprentice bounty hunter. This means heading beyond the gates to slice and dice zoms, but Benny quickly begins to see the undead in a new light as well as realizing that Tom is much more than he ever let on. The plot is driven by an evil bounty-hunter rival and the cruel games he plays, but Maberry has more than gore on his mind. The chief emotion here is sadness, and the book plays out like an extended elegy for a lost world. Tom's a bit too perfect and his pontification too extended, but this is nevertheless an impressive mix of meaning and mayhem.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist