Published: December 15th 2010 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Source: Library
Grade rate: A+
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.
My Review
I absolutely loved Rot and Ruin. This is the first zombie book that I read and I have to say that I found it very interesting.
The book takes place is a ‘post apocalyptic’ world where a suspected virus starts spreading like wildfire and turning everyone into flesh eating zombies. You can turn zombie by being bitten by one or if you die and your spine is not severed you can wake up as one. Since there was a lot of unknowns at the beginning of the epidemic, the government made a series of fatal decisions that more of less cornered the survivors into little fenced-in towns throughout (in this case) California. Can you imagine a life without electricity? Without TV, radio, movies, your cell phone? Internet, microwave, cars, traffic, travel, etc? Fourteen years after the terrible attack started adults live in fear and teenagers live questioning why they live the way they do.
Benny, like all teenagers must find a job at age fifteen and he becomes his brother Tom’s apprentice in the family business. The characters are well developed and most seem very mysterious, with hidden agendas and secret pasts. It seems incredible to me how the whole population can give up so easily.
Benny, like all teenagers must find a job at age fifteen and he becomes his brother Tom’s apprentice in the family business. The characters are well developed and most seem very mysterious, with hidden agendas and secret pasts. It seems incredible to me how the whole population can give up so easily.
Rot & Ruin is long, but it doesn’t seem like it, it has to be this way in order to set up the scene and background information of life before and the contrast to the life after. The writing is flawless, easy to read, and addictive.
This is a trip of discovery for Benny. Discovery about the Rot and Ruin, about Tom, about family, about love and friendship, and that evil exists everywhere, human or zombie. I am looking forward to the sequel 'Dust & Decay' that comes out at the end of this month.
About the cover: It is freaky, isn't it? That big green eye makes you scared somehow, but don't be intimidated by it because Rot & Ruin is so good!
The eye on the cover is freaking me out. LOL
ReplyDeleteGood review! Zombie books can be hit or miss with me, this looks like a good one. Will check it out.
The Forest of Hands & Teeth is another great zombie story, with a twist.