Day by Day Armageddon (A Zombie Novel)
by J. L. Bourne
|
Our Price: $21.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $3.39 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Day by Day Armageddon (A Zombie Novel)
Book Review: Fans of Max Brooks' work should love this
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an intense and very addictive book. Like Max Brooks' "World War Z", it depicts a worldwide outbreak of the walking dead. Unlike WWZ, it is only from the perspective of one man's journal entries as he survives the ordeal, "day by day" as it were. You might think that compared to Brooks' epic of dozens of accounts, this point of view would be limiting, but to the contrary I find it a much more engrossing and realistic experience.
The book begins with one man on on military leave (the reader never gets to learn his name, which makes sense since it's his own journal) and writing how the world is going to hell one day at a time. This hell begins with reports on the news of plague in China and escalates to undead walking outside his very home. The "author" describes each day how he takes measures to avoid detection, contact other survivors, find food, find transportation and everything else to stay alive. And even though this type of writing doesn't allow for a lot of character build-up, I became emotionally involved with the main character and the other survivors he meets.
Being a military man, you could call the main POV a bit convenient, as there were few skills he didn't have that helped him in his tasks. One thought I had as I was reading the book was what it might be like from the perspective of someone less experienced in arms and survival (someone like myself perhaps?) Perhaps it would be a bit more terrifying, but in this book, probably a lot shorter as well. The undead world here is harsh and realistic. Lack of food, water and shelter are as big of enemies as the undead themselves. It's the human experience of it that makes the book so addicting. While I love a good zombie story, the subject matter could have been any number of things and this format of human survival would've been just as intense and addicing.
Don't let this deter zombie fans however. Although the word zombie isn't used in the book, it IS a zombie book and as far as zombie fiction goes, this is probably my favorite. If the movies were made like this the genre would be much more entertaining. Why only four stars? It's not a full book. It ends is a pretty reasonable cliffhanger and I'll have to aquire the second book (as yet unreleased) to figure out what happens. I don't mind this so much, but that's the only thing keeping "Day by Day Armageddon" from 5 stars.
In any case, if you're a fan of Max Brooks or of zombies in general, treat yourself to this book.
Book Review: Among the very best books in zombie lore... A must read
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great book as the vast majority of reviews for this book state. My review here says the same thing but I just wanted to add in my two cents worth among these great reviews.
I've read this book twice in the last three years. Only a few books can be placed at the pinnacle of it's genre. This is one of them. This is one of the must read books in post-apocalyptic fiction. All due respect to Brian Keene whose a very talented author, but I've read many references to how he had resurrected this genre for the book world. I have to disagree... J. L. Bourne is more deserving of that credit. Keen's books were great and well written but they are more like cousins to the classic zombie genre.
J. L. Bourne's Day By Day is unique in its mode of story telling and faithful to the classic Romero universe which is what I prefer to anything else. I appreciate all the variations and forms of zombie stories that have cropped up in recent years but there's nothing like the standard set by Romero. Day By Day came out more than a few years ago when there weren't many books to choose from. Since then, there are scores of good books out there. And I bet most of these new writers were inspired at least in part by this book.
J. L. Bourne showed us that a "true" zombie book can be written and enjoy success. More than that it was self-published. Since then, many others have followed in his foot steps and the result is a lot of good books to choose from... most of them being as faithful to the Romero universe or having clever refinements while not breaking the original spirit of the rules. I think Bourne is really the one who kicked off this "post-apocalyptic renaissance" we're all now enjoying.
With more than 200 reviews, there's not much I can add to how good this book is. It just is... and I think it will always remain the must-read of this genre.
The journal-type story telling of this book was masterfully done and is so seamless, though I would think it would be hard to pull that off as a believable method since most won't keep journals during an apocalypse. Here, its naturally done and believable. The author is a Naval Officer on active duty. How he brings his experience into the main character of this book is what I think makes this book so unique and believable.
As Dawn of the Dead is a must see for zombie movies, Day By Day is a must read for the book world!
Book Review: Unique approach, but possibly harmed as a result
Summary: 3 Stars
The biggest difference between this book and any other in the zombie apocalypse genre is that it's written as the survivor's journal. I could see how if we were being fed these entries daily or every couple of days over a blog, the reader would be at the edge of their seat waiting for an update on the status of our hero and the others that join him. Collected into a book, the suspense is somewhat lost, but it was a page turner nonetheless. The journal feel is carried further by the cover layout and jotted notes and other scribbled effects on some pages.
If you're a zombie fanatic, this book does quite the job of skipping over the typical introductory bits where the main character(s) learn first hand about the nature of what's happening to the populace. There's no first encounter where the protagonist wonders what's wrong with his neighbor. There's no pesky son to rescue across town, no lack of weapons or defenses. Our guy is a military man, a pilot, and his survivalist instincts are fully in place before we read the first entry in his journal. He has solar powered submarine batteries charging in his house, he has a stone wall lined with glass shards around his property. When something fishy begins, he's bought a brick of ammo, stocked up on rations and barred his windows against looters.
He's ready for anything and quite able to live on his own. Heck, he conserves ammo and goes McGyver on his first kill, but none of the undead have a name or face. Was this zombie a neighbor?
This perfect setup for survival (the character's skills, defenses, supplies and weapons), for the reader, comes off as an exciting test of how a near perfect scenario would go down. This is no unprepared schlep here. Our hero does have a heart underneath all the training and he eventually risks himself to help others and that's when the story gets good.
It's a different take, interesting but a little impersonal. The ending is abrupt, so much so that "part one" should have been included in the title. The author has a good understanding of military equipment and the soldier's mindset, that's for certain.
Book Review: One of the best titles in the Zombie genre
Summary: 5 Stars
A Plague of unknown origins is sweeping across the planet. A virus is reanimating the dead and when they rise the only thing they seek is warm human flesh. They hunt their prey tirelessly and without any remorse. All that made them human in life no longer exists in death. They are now nothing more than mindless killing machines. Governments have lost all measure of control and billions are either dead or dying. Civilization is crumbling and it is every man for himself. Come enter this nightmarish world through the journals of an unnamed U.S. Naval officer. Bare witness to his daily struggle for survival in this dark and twisted new landscape ruled by the Dead.
I have said it time and time before, but one more time wont hurt, I am a sucker for a good zombie story. I have also come to expect nothing but the best from Permuted Press releases. They publish the best Zombie Fiction on the market today so when I got my copy of Day By Day Armageddon I was expecting nothing but the best. Once again Permuted Press has come through in a big way. Day by Day Armageddon starts fast and never slows. Mr. Bourne serves up a story full of blood and guts along with nonstop action. I was also very pleased with the character development. Often times zombie stories lack well develop characters focusing solely on the gore and action. Mr Bourne did not make that mistake.. The characters are not wooden in the least and I actually found myself caring about the fate of the protagonist. I have rarely ever had that happen in a zombie story. The story flows smoothly and when I finished I was left feeling satisfied but a little disappointed. The story itself was wonderful, but I wish it had been longer. Maybe Mr. Bourne will give us one day. I will be one of the first to snatch up a copy if he does.
I will end by saying that I highly recommend Day by Day Armageddon to all Zombie Fiction fans and fans of Horror Fiction in general. It is one heck of a story that will leave even the most jaded readers feeling satisfied. Permuted Press has published another great story and they have become the premier name in Zombie fiction.
Book Review: Shuffling, directionless, flat and boring
Summary: 2 Stars
This book is quite terrible. As a blog, it was probably a great idea. The sloppiness of writing, poor/flat characters and inexcusable spelling errors (the window's steel "shudders") could be forgiven. But as a book, one demanding payment of actual hard currency, Day by Day Armageddon is a complete failure.
First, we are not invited to identify in the least with the main character. He is merely a walking talking survival checklist, reading the entries is only slightly more exciting than reading a shopping list for the Home Depot. When he does venture to give this character some depth, it is through the vehicle of trite aphorism, the same bloated "i pity the dead" utterances that were tired several decades ago.
Second, the book uses its journal format as excuse to avoid any kind of story arch, deeper message or journey for the reader. It's written by a military guy obviously enjoying his male power fantasy. It's a romp through a world of gadgets and tools, little else. Chest thumping bravado can be read behind every line.
The one redeeming feature of this book is it's interest to the military or survivalist set. It is filled with enough insider jargon and interesting facts to make it a decent read to this niche audience. But there are other books which are much better suited to this audience. Starship Troopers if full of military insider fun, and it's actually a great read with an excellent story besides. Hard Tack and Coffee is written by a soldier of the Northern armies during the American Civil War. It's about what this book is essentially about, survival and soldiering, but it's real, and it reads as real.
Day by Day Armageddon reads like the notebook of a 14 year old boy, satisfied that he can create a "universe" out of such tired popular culture materials and the tiniest smidge of imagination. Don't buy this book! Go to the library if you're still curious and save yourself the money!