Penny's Reviews > Rot & Ruin
Rot & Ruin (Rot & Ruin, #1)
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![679025](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1323234939p2/679025.jpg)
This is what I learned from reading Rot & Ruin:
1. Zombies iz people too. So they should be treated with respect, yo. (more about this later)
2. Books containing zombies can be really irritating and boring.
You see, I didn't know this was a possibility. I mean, it's zombies we're talking about here. How could zombies be boring? Turns out all you need to do is add a lame teenage romance and BAM! What really matters (ZOMBIES!) gets shoved onto the backburner in favor of the not-so-important (love story??? Who invited that guy? Alright, I'm out!).
It needs to be said: if I wanted a romance novel I'd waste my time reading the likes of Nicholas Sparks. And that would never happen. Ever. Besides, I picked up a zombie book because I wanted to read a zombie story. Horror, Violence, Decapitations--oh my!
Maberry's story has these things, but not enough to hold my interest. Most of the time we're being preached to by Tom Imura, Benny's older brother. See Tom Imura is a zombie slayer for hire. One of the best. You'd think a katana-wielding slayer extraordinaire would liven things up a bit. But no. No, he doesn't. He just waxes philosophical about how zombies are people too.
The treating-zombies-with-respect-by-not-killing-them-unless-you-have-to thing? Ruined this book. Basically the argument defending this school of thought goes a little like this:
Tom Imura: Pretend you're at a loved one's funeral and suddenly someone you don't know shows up and like defecates on your loved one's corpse. Wouldn't that anger you? Wouldn't that be disrespectful to your loved one and everyone who ever cared about them?
Me: HECK YEAH! Let me at that disgusting jerk!
Tom Imura: These zombies are other people's loved ones.
Me: I totally agree. So sad. :(
Go on.
Tom Imura: Okay, so when you go around decapitating random zombies who are in no way bothering you you're pretty much doing the same thing as that filthy stranger that took a massive dump on your love one's corpse.
Me:...
Tom Imura: So basically you should just leave all those walking corpses--you know, the ones that totally want to eat your face and make you a zombie--alone. Because if you don't that's the same is defecating on a dead body. Or something.
Me: *laughing hysterically* er...what??? I fail to see the connection. Your analogy is shoddy at best.
Tom Imura: No really, think about it. Zombies have feelings too, as do their loved ones who may or may not be alive after the zombie apocalypse happens. Just leave all those innocent flesh-eating zombies alone, k. Promise? Unless, of course, a family member of a specific zombie hires you to hunt down said zombie for the sole purpose of decapitating them.
Me: Uhhhh...no. If a zombie apocalypse happens I'm going to decapitate EVERY ZOMBIE I SEE. Wanna know why? Because I'm thoughtful. See, if I'm ever unfortunate enough to become a zombie I hope someone would be thoughtful enough to decapitate me and burn my remains to ash. As far as I'm concerned it would be incredibly disrespectful to do otherwise.
I certainly don't want to walk the earth for an indefinite amount of time, rotting away and eating other people. What if I end up being one of those naked zombies? No one wants to be a naked zombie. I'd rather be dead dead then be a naked zombie, or a zombie of any sort for that matter.
Also? Zombies carry disease. A freaking plague. Why wouldn't I want to stop that from spreading?
I have zero desire to finish Rot & Ruin despite the fact I've got only 25 pages to go. Like I said earlier, there is a laaaaaame teenage romance that pretty much hijacks the plot. I probably would just bite the bullet and finish the book if I hadn't had to force myself to get this far. So no, I can't do it Cap'n.
Jonathan Maberry is totally going be among the first to die when zombies attack. Mark my words.
1. Zombies iz people too. So they should be treated with respect, yo. (more about this later)
2. Books containing zombies can be really irritating and boring.
You see, I didn't know this was a possibility. I mean, it's zombies we're talking about here. How could zombies be boring? Turns out all you need to do is add a lame teenage romance and BAM! What really matters (ZOMBIES!) gets shoved onto the backburner in favor of the not-so-important (love story??? Who invited that guy? Alright, I'm out!).
It needs to be said: if I wanted a romance novel I'd waste my time reading the likes of Nicholas Sparks. And that would never happen. Ever. Besides, I picked up a zombie book because I wanted to read a zombie story. Horror, Violence, Decapitations--oh my!
Maberry's story has these things, but not enough to hold my interest. Most of the time we're being preached to by Tom Imura, Benny's older brother. See Tom Imura is a zombie slayer for hire. One of the best. You'd think a katana-wielding slayer extraordinaire would liven things up a bit. But no. No, he doesn't. He just waxes philosophical about how zombies are people too.
The treating-zombies-with-respect-by-not-killing-them-unless-you-have-to thing? Ruined this book. Basically the argument defending this school of thought goes a little like this:
Tom Imura: Pretend you're at a loved one's funeral and suddenly someone you don't know shows up and like defecates on your loved one's corpse. Wouldn't that anger you? Wouldn't that be disrespectful to your loved one and everyone who ever cared about them?
Me: HECK YEAH! Let me at that disgusting jerk!
Tom Imura: These zombies are other people's loved ones.
Me: I totally agree. So sad. :(
Go on.
Tom Imura: Okay, so when you go around decapitating random zombies who are in no way bothering you you're pretty much doing the same thing as that filthy stranger that took a massive dump on your love one's corpse.
Me:...
Tom Imura: So basically you should just leave all those walking corpses--you know, the ones that totally want to eat your face and make you a zombie--alone. Because if you don't that's the same is defecating on a dead body. Or something.
Me: *laughing hysterically* er...what??? I fail to see the connection. Your analogy is shoddy at best.
Tom Imura: No really, think about it. Zombies have feelings too, as do their loved ones who may or may not be alive after the zombie apocalypse happens. Just leave all those innocent flesh-eating zombies alone, k. Promise? Unless, of course, a family member of a specific zombie hires you to hunt down said zombie for the sole purpose of decapitating them.
Me: Uhhhh...no. If a zombie apocalypse happens I'm going to decapitate EVERY ZOMBIE I SEE. Wanna know why? Because I'm thoughtful. See, if I'm ever unfortunate enough to become a zombie I hope someone would be thoughtful enough to decapitate me and burn my remains to ash. As far as I'm concerned it would be incredibly disrespectful to do otherwise.
I certainly don't want to walk the earth for an indefinite amount of time, rotting away and eating other people. What if I end up being one of those naked zombies? No one wants to be a naked zombie. I'd rather be dead dead then be a naked zombie, or a zombie of any sort for that matter.
Also? Zombies carry disease. A freaking plague. Why wouldn't I want to stop that from spreading?
I have zero desire to finish Rot & Ruin despite the fact I've got only 25 pages to go. Like I said earlier, there is a laaaaaame teenage romance that pretty much hijacks the plot. I probably would just bite the bullet and finish the book if I hadn't had to force myself to get this far. So no, I can't do it Cap'n.
Jonathan Maberry is totally going be among the first to die when zombies attack. Mark my words.
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Reading Progress
June 11, 2010
– Shelved
October 2, 2010
–
Started Reading
October 2, 2010
–
5.46%
"The local walmart is already selling this little gem. Enjoying it so far."
page
25
October 3, 2010
–
17.25%
"Benny's way too emotional [for a guy]. I know, that's pretty sexist of me. But I come from a family that isn't overly emotional, for the most part. And we're not touchy-feely either, so all this brotherly love and the non-stop hug-fests are weirding me out. But because I've never been through a zombie apocalypse I'm willing to give Benny, and his brother Tom, a break. For the time being."
page
79
November 30, 2010
–
90.83%
"Not caring about the characters. Might just abandon this book completely even though I'm so close to finishing. Like I said: couldn't care less."
page
416
March 2, 2011
–
Finished Reading
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by
Kat Kennedy
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rated it 4 stars
Jun 11, 2010 11:50PM
![Kat Kennedy](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1537750381p1/3270188.jpg)
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This is weirding me out. I feel like I've read this, but it was a short story. Hold on....
Aha! It was "Family Business" in the anthology The New Dead: A Zombie Anthology. That whole anthology was really uneven. I see I didn't even bother to review.
Aha! It was "Family Business" in the anthology The New Dead: A Zombie Anthology. That whole anthology was really uneven. I see I didn't even bother to review.
![AH](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1275413869p1/3255548.jpg)
Normally, I don't go looking for zombie books to read. I get grossed out by all that chewing on peoples' brains. I actually liked this book perhaps because of Tommy's stand on zombies. It was just had a different feel to it and I could see my 14 year old son reading it.
But that's me. I like my zombies in the background.
![Lucy](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1307662921p1/3813315.jpg)
![Mir](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1275489063p1/237469.jpg)
![Carrie](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1292100877p1/2623300.jpg)
![Mathias Söderberg](https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_25x33-ccd24e68f4773d33a41ce08c3a34892e.png)
![Megan](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1334791106p1/1233686.jpg)
![Nathan](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1199587454p1/744042.jpg)
I would agree with you, though, that people looking for a stereotypical shallow blood-n-guts zombie book just like the thousands of others out there will likely find this book disappointing. It actually has substance and nuance, not to mention that dreaded element, philosophy. (This was intended with a smile) =)
I prefer zombie stories where the zombies aren't the main feature. It's been done a billion times, it's shallow and weak. Like the GN version of The Walking Dead, just read that and loved how the focus was on the people, the societies, the moralities, the changes wrought in culture and psyche -- not just the frekking zombies.
I didn't think they made nearly as much of a big deal about the "romance" element as you say it did, in fact it seemed to me a pretty minor element even toward the end where it was present. And the degree to which it was present makes sense -- how many 15-year-olds have you known who weren't mopey in love or pining after someone? And for sure, I don't recall any love-fest between the brothers... in fact, your saying this on top of everything else makes me wonder if you read some alternate version of the book than what I got. Benny loathed and despised Tom through most of the book!
I think your near miss of the main foundation of the book -- your mistakenly thinking that Tom's philosophy was that the zombies should not be killed -- skewed your perception of the book. I could see how, if you thought that, the book would be irritating and decreasingly interesting. But your review, while well-written overall, is therefore as flawed and mistaken as your understanding of Tom's philosophy. I'd suggest re-reading it, though really this might just be the time to give up, given your long struggle with it.
![Mir](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1275489063p1/237469.jpg)
I dunno, Nathan. I have only read the opening to this book, which was published as a short story, and I have some issues with the way Tom's philosophy was presented. His altruism is bolstered by some of the rankest caricatures I've seen in zombie fiction, and his affect was far too superior for a survivalist story. I get the push against the latent nihilism in all end of the world stories, but this pushed in the wrong direction for me. Hence, I didn't read the full novel. I'm glad you enjoyed this, but snarking that others should find what you did here is unfortunate.
![Nathan](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1199587454p1/744042.jpg)
I didn't get a superior affectation from Tom, really -- or rather, I didn't get any such affectation that wasn't so justified it was basically a given. Tom disliked the brutal abusive tyranny of Charlie and the other bounty hunters, their rapist mentality, sure... but it's hard to think of any healthy or even slightly normal outlook that wouldn't present as superior to that kind of human grime. And even that deeply negative element in the bounty hunters was ameliorated and moderated some by Charlie's speech in the rain.
Miriam, I'm not even sure how to respond to your post... unless you were merely being sarcastic, it seems you're taking it not only to the other extreme, but so far to the other extreme that you're coming back around to the first extreme again. Doesn't seem like it needs to be anywhere near that complicated; sure, a teenfic book doesn't have to be shallow and dumb, but it probably doesn't need deep academic analysis, either.
Once again, sorry for the snark.
![Penny](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1323234939p1/679025.jpg)
While I do own this book and I could reread it, I probably won't. I'm sure I understood Tom's philosophy just fine. Like I said in my review he made it clear that he didn't think it was okay to kill zombies unless a member of his/her family asked you to do so. And, yeah, I'll admit that he was willing/able to kill zombies if a life was in danger, but that was his only exception.
Before anyone tries to accuse me of agreeing with Charlie's mentality, I just want to make myself clear: I didn't think the way Charlie went about doing things was fine. The chopping off of zombie limbs, the zombie games, all of that was despicable.
There is a middle ground, though, and that's where I stand. Like I said, were I ever to turn into a zombie I'd love it if someone was considerate enough to put me out of my misery, whether I was actively attacking them or not, whether my family asked them to or not. Also, zombies carry a plague, why wouldn't anyone want to rid the earth of them?
And yeah, maybe I do like my zombie books to be a bit more disgusting and action-packed, but that doesn't mean I love mindless violence. Zombie books should have substance otherwise there's just no point to reading them. Most zombie stories are littered with symbolism, have an underlying theme, serve as a vehicle to make a social or political point--death, the unknown familiar, overpopulation, fear of the unwashed masses, consumerism, exploitation of a lower class, and so on.
Rot & Ruin is not lacking in this area--it does have a theme--I just don't happen to agree with Jonathan Maberry's ideology, the point he's trying to make. Maberry failed to successfully sell me on the concept, the analogy is flawed to begin with. This book, this story, didn't work for me.
And it's not just my disappointment in the underlying theme that bothers me. Character development was pretty flimsy, at best. The only character I felt was fully fleshed out was The Lost Girl (or whatever her name is). Tom was also more complex, but was still lacking something. Benny was a cardboard cut-out stereotype of a 15-year-old boy. The red-head girl he liked? Had even less going for her. Neither character was interesting. And last but not least, the villains were laughably evil.
The romance was lame. I can't stand love stories wherein one character knows another character loves them before said character even figures it out for him/herself. It's even more obnoxious when the character is smug about it. I honestly wanted Benny to tell whats-her-face he didn't like her because she was so smug.
I have more I could complain about but I have better things to do, like read.
Nathan, like I said earlier, I do appreciate your opinion. I do understand where you're coming from and I wish I could agree with you. I did try to like Rot & Ruin, wanted to like it as it was recommend by a friend.
That said, Rot & Ruin bored me out of my ever-lovin' mind.
![Affably](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1339422536p1/6996919.jpg)
![Gilliam](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1338859857p1/6395861.jpg)
![Nathan](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1199587454p1/744042.jpg)
My mother died a few years ago. I don't mention it to gain sympathy points, but to use a personal situation to give an example of what I'm saying. These dead (undead) people in the book are just that -- people. Someone's mother, someone's brother, someone's grandpa, etc. Just treating them pragmatically, as contaminated objects to be dealt with, leaves something to be desired. I can understand someone, knowing their mother's body is out there somewhere -- even animated by some horrific plague -- might want their mother's body to be dealt with in a respectful, loving manner if at all possible, rather than simply and methodically bashed and smashed on a hunting tour.
Even so, I don't recall Tom ever saying that the hunters who did their job in that way, the middle ground, were bad people, or that they shouldn't do that -- he even said that he understood where they were coming from. But he strove to act in an OTHER capacity, almost a sort of priest, performing last rites for the dead, for the benefit of the dead person and for their surviving families as well. He takes on extra danger because he knows how important it can be to surviving family to know that their goodbyes were read to the person, just in case there's some part of them still in there able to listen. Like finally getting a funeral, closure, resolution.
He still killed them. He still supported other hunters killing them. He just went a little further, provided a specialty service, because he knew it could be important. It's easy to dismiss all that, because it doesn't feed into the stereotypical zombie-action-thriller format, but really that's exactly what I liked about it: that consideration was given to something more human than just pragmatics and cold survival.
![Flamestar/Landon](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1389087483p1/4225899.jpg)
![Zinge](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1647745886p1/5309769.jpg)
![B.L. Gilleon](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1668639534p1/5353479.jpg)
That's exactly where I gave up on this book, when the jerk brother is on about defecating on dead people. And like "look Benny I'm a better zombie killer, because I hug zombies, watch and learn". I was laughing and "wtf?".
![DJ Burton](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1352256280p1/14092911.jpg)
![Jim Lee](https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_25x33-8a3530ed95c3dbef8bf215b080559b09.png)
![নিটোল](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1642005237p1/9268500.jpg)
![Aaron](https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_25x33-8a3530ed95c3dbef8bf215b080559b09.png)
![Morgan](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1713186549p1/5839610.jpg)
![Weston](https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_25x33-ccd24e68f4773d33a41ce08c3a34892e.png)
I think it's kinda funny that everybody's getting heated over it.... Oh....... I just realized this was from 4 years ago....
![Z Dobbin](https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_25x33-ccd24e68f4773d33a41ce08c3a34892e.png)
![Valerie McEnroe](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1505838734p1/4294664.jpg)
![Jimmy James](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1466522610p1/57008370.jpg)
![Melody](https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_25x33-d79c46f9428d2aea1444d67c091766a6.png)
![S](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1469862555p1/28186100.jpg)
![✨faith✨trust✨pixiedust✨](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1653108545p1/29390149.jpg)
![Kyle](https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_25x33-ccd24e68f4773d33a41ce08c3a34892e.png)
![Molly Kate](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1498112750p1/68812892.jpg)