Book Review: Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

I absolutely love reading Jonathan Maberry, but I kind of have a beef with him right now. The guy writes so damn fast that I can't keep up with his releases! It's been a while since I finished his excellent Pine Deep Trilogy and his first Joe Ledger book, Patient Zero, but since then, he's put out two more Joe Ledger books with a third one dropping any time now, Rot & Ruin AND its sequel, Dust & Decay AND a stand alone zombie novel, Dead of Night! The guy's fingers must be smoking! But, how can I complain? Once you've read Maberry, you just can't get enough!

Anyway, on to the review. I finally got a chance to read Rot & Ruin and I've got to tell you - in a genre that has been blasted with every kind of zombie story there is, Maberry has written what I might consider to be the best one yet and the funny thing is, it's a YA title. But, just because Rot & Ruin is a YA title, don't let that dispel you from reading it. This is hands-down one of the most realistic takes on how the world carries on after the zombie apocalypse. Maberry doesn't dumb things down for the teen audience and his world is dreary, gritty and filled with challenges both physical and emotional.

Rot & Ruin follows Benny Imura, who was just an infant when the zombie apocalypse occurred. Now a teen, Benny must find a job or else his food rations will be reduced. After trying and failing at several, he decides he wants to become a zombie killer like his older brother Tom. What Benny doesn't understand is that killing zombies isn't all its cracked up to be and his brother Tom isn't exactly the person Benny thought he was and that sometimes, the living can be more dangerous than the walking dead.

Rot & Ruin has been the recipient of too many awards to list here, but I can tell you this - it deserves every one of them. This is a beautifully told story that just leaps off the page. The characters and the environment feel real and the emotional aspect of life after the zombie apocalypse is equally as intense. I absolutely loved this book and look forward to discovering what happens next in Dust & Decay and thanks to Jonathan's smoking fingers, I can jump right in. Rot & Ruin gets ***** out of *****.

Order Rot & Ruin for your Kindle today. You won't be disappointed!

Revisiting Old Friends

Ahhh,Spring is in the air! It's that special time of year when the mornings are crisp but comfortable, the trees and plants are slowly sprouting back to life and the afternoons are rife with pollen particles that turn your red car yellow and your nose red with sneezing fits.

Yes, Spring is all about renewal and reawakening, so to that I say, what better time to catch up with some old friends? Now, I am usually not one to re-read books that I have already read. It's just not something I do. With so many new stories waiting to be discovered, why would I want to re-read a book that I already finished? It just never made sense to me. But, lately I have been in a reminiscing type of mood. I find myself wanting to re-read some of my all-time favorites.

Thus far, I have traveled back to Zephyr, Alabama, where a boy named Cory Mackenson had to deal with a wonderful array of problems, including solving a particularly nasty murder. Currently, I'm spending some time in a little town in Maine where a group of kids are about to be confronted by a sinister clown.

I'm also taking a cross-country trip through Armageddon with a huge wrestler named Black Frankenstein and a little girl with the nickname, Swan.

These three books, Boy's Life, IT and Swan Song, easily rank among my top three favorite novels of all time and it's been a while since I've read them. The interesting thing is that while reading them for a second time, it does feel like I am discovering them all over again. There are many scenes that fit comfortably within my memory, while other scenes seem bright and new, as if the authors somehow added new information since the last time I read them. It's funny how re-reading a story you've already read can be just as rewarding as it was your first time through.

Well, like I said, my time in Zephyr is already done and that was indeed quite a wonderful visit, and I'm finding Derry and Armageddon to be just as exciting as ever. These latter two books are hefty, so I'll probably be revisiting them for a while, but that's OK. Once these two tomes are complete, I think I'll pass by Oxrun Station and from there maybe pay a visit to Erl King Hill, who knows? Or, maybe by that time summer will be in full swing and it will be time to find some new friends.

What about you? Have you revisited any old friends lately? Tell me about them, maybe I know them too.

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Today's Hot Read for Feb. 18: The Elements of Style (2011 Edition) by William Strunk

From Amazon:

THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE (UPDATED 2011 EDITION)

The All-Time Bestselling Book on Writing English Newly Edited (Special Kindle Edition) BY WILLIAM STRUNK, JUNIOR

The Elements of Style OVER 10 MILLION COPIES SOLD! (Kindle Edition)

Revised and Updated for 2011 by
Chris Hong, Formerly of Harvard University


OVERVIEW

This book is intended for use in English courses in which the practice of composition is combined with the study of literature. It aims to give in brief space the principal requirements of plain English style. It aims to lighten the task of instructor and student by concentrating attention (in Chapters II and III) on a few essentials, the rules of usage and principles of composition most commonly violated. The numbers of the sections may be used as references in correcting manuscript.

The book covers only a small portion of the field of English style, but the experience of its writer has been that once past the essentials, students profit most by individual instruction based on the problems of their own work, and that each instructor has his own body of theory, which he prefers to that offered by any textbook.

It is an old observation that the best writers sometimes disregard the rules of rhetoric. When they do so, however, the reader will usually find in the sentence some compensating merit, attained at the cost of the violation. Unless he is certain of doing as well, he will probably do best to follow the rules. After he has learned, by their guidance, to write plain English adequate for everyday uses, let him look, for the secrets of style, to the study of the masters of literature.

This is the grandaddy of them all, The Elements of Style, newly revised for 2011 and now available for the Kindle. Pick up a copy of this indispensable book today!

Meet the Author: R.L. Stine

Today's Hot Read for Feb. 17: Writer's Digest University: Everything You Need to Write and Sell Your Work

From Amazon:

Everything You Need to Write and Sell Your Work - This is the ultimate crash course in writing and publishing! Inside you'll find comprehensive instruction and up-to-date market listings. Writer's Digest University is the perfect resource for you, no matter your experience level.This one-stop resource contains:

• Quick and comprehensive answers to common questions including: "How do I write a successful novel?" and "How do I know if self-publishing is right for me?"
• Instruction and examples for formatting and submitting fiction, nonfiction, articles, children's writing, scripts, and verse.
• Advanced instruction on business-related issues like marketing and publicity, using social media, freelancing for corporations, keeping finances in order, and setting the right price for your work.
• A detailed look at what agents want and how to get one that best fits your needs.
• Market listings for publishers and agents open to unsolicited work and new writers, contests and awards, and conferences and workshops.

Get started now with everything you need to build a thriving writing career. Whether you're starting from scratch or have a bit of experience, you'll find the tools you need for success.

Writer's Digest University is currently FREE for Amazon Prime members, otherwise it is priced at $9.99 (which is still a great deal considering the paper version is $30!). Just be sure to always check the price before checking out as prices do change.