Book Log #27: The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks, by Max Brooks

If you’ve read Max Brooks’ entirely deadpan and therefore entirely chortleworthy The Zombie Survival Guide, then you’ve already pretty much read the content of this graphic novel. If you haven’t, then what you’ve got here is a nice little collection of zombie attacks throughout recorded history, in a setting that assumes that they’ve been going on all this time and that they only seem more recent because we’ve just gotten way better at recording them.

For Max Brooks fans, the main virtue of this volume is the appeal to completists and to those who might like the art. There’s no new content here, so for me, the selling point was seeing the stories I’d already been introduced to in the Guide depicted visually. And there are certainly some arresting visuals to be had herein, such as the fight scene at the beginning between a zombie and a prehistoric African in a jungle setting–or, much later, an initiate in a secret order forced to spend the night alone in a chamber full of severed zombie heads in jars.

Not all of the encounters in the Guide are depicted in the graphic novel, so this volume’s best as a companion to the Guide’s stories, and not as a replacement. Three stars.

Mirrored from annathepiper.org.

This week’s episode of Anna’s New Books

Got some nice crunchy ones on the purchase list this time around, you guys!

First and foremost, in print, the shiny new zombie novel Feed by Mira Grant, a.k.a. seanan_mcguire! I’m already a hundred pages into this and into it way more than I’ve been with her Toby Daye novels–and I certainly liked the first of those. But I love me a good zombie novel, and this one is a cut above even those, so far. I’ve seen someone on Goodreads say that this book contains zombies, but what it’s actually about is politics and journalism and conspiracy. So far, it’s all about the awesome. I will of course be reviewing it in full when I’m done.

Meanwhile, purchased electronically even though I’d already bought a hardcover copy, is Malinda Lo’s excellent Ash! I was waffling on getting it read just because the hardcover edition is a lovely, lovely thing, and I was quite reluctant to take it out of the house and subject it to the usual rigors of being carried around in my backpack on my commute. So I eventually just decided, screw it, I’ll get the ebook and read that instead. I did. It was lovely, and I highly recommend it. Again, a review post is forthcoming!

Last but most certainly not least, and going head to head in the general category of Awesome occupied by the previous two books, is Laurie King’s The God of the Hive. I believe I mentioned before that I’d won an ARC of this on Goodreads, and now that it’s actually released I definitely had to put down for an ebook copy. Just because a story that good deserves my financial support!

Now up to 128 books for the year, and my ebook wish list on Barnes and Noble’s site is growing by the week. Betting-inclined persons may wish to start considering how much space I’ll fill up on my Nook before the year is out, and whether B&N will improve the chances of that by actually rolling out some fixes to the firmware so I can actually better organize said ebooks!

Mirrored from annathepiper.org.

Quite satisfied with this

Chapter 8 of Bone Walker is well and thoroughly underway, and for the first time as I’ve gotten into this chapter, I’ve come to realize that this book’s definitely setting a different tone than Faerie Blood. For one thing, the world’s already established, so I don’t have to spend much time at all on introductory exposition. For another, there’s hopefully going to be more action overall just because this is two months later than Faerie Blood, and Kendis and Christopher both have had some time to practice their new skills under Millie’s tutelage.

For a third, and this is probably the most important difference, I’ve got more characters in play here and therefore more ensemble cast fun going on. Chapter 8’s the second big scene involving most of the cast–and it’s a lot more tense, because I’ve got both Melisanda and Elessir on hand. Tonight, I’m finding this is also an opportunity for Kendis to establish a bit of dominance that she doesn’t normally have around Millicent, given that Millie’s usually the one in charge. But these are the Sidhe Ken’s dealing with–and they’re going to look to her first. Especially Elessir. Of course, Kendis ain’t terribly thrilled about this:

The tension that had vanished from the room ratcheted right back up again, this time with an even more hostile bite to it than Melisanda had provoked–for this time, the Seelie was not only part of the reaction, she was its furious heart. She surged forward from her place by the front door, past both of the Warders and Jake, and only my outthrust hand kept her from going for Elessir’s naked throat. “I pledged to obey my Queen,” she snarled, “and make amends for my trespasses. But that does not include consorting with this treacherous worm!”

Something close to Elessir’s devilish grin slid across his mouth, but there was no mirth in it, and it didn’t reach his eyes. “Ah’m jes’ thrilled to death to see you again too, darlin’,” he rasped. After many hours of sleep he was no longer the deathly white shade he’d been before, but this wasn’t saying much; his voice was weak, and he was still haggard, disheveled, and looking far too pitiful for my comfort.

Which, no doubt, was why I clocked him across the jaw.

Yeah. That’ll do nicely.

Written tonight: 543
Chapter 8 total: 2,058
Bone Walker total (first draft): 23,096

Mirrored from angelakorrati.com.