Monster Nation: A Zombie Novel by David Wellington Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Monster Nation: A Zombie Novel
Book Review: Decent story, some snags
Summary: 3 Stars
This book was a pleasant quick read, but it did have a few snags in it, which kept me from giving it any higher of a rating.
The premise was interesting, and I actually liked the spin from the normal zombie plauge premise where this was more of a magical effect. I liked the character of Nilla and her struggle to define herself and her role in the changed American landscape.
That being said, there were a few jangling chords in the symphony of story. First off, I had a tough time believing that a 35-year veteran like Bannerman Clark would be a captain, or if he was he would be in such a sensitive post. Usually lifers with little push end up as in the Lt. Col./Col. range. I really had a hard time seeing an active ARNG soldier whose only job was the ARNG being satisfied with train tracks for 35 years.
Second was his friend/subordinate(?) Major Vikram Singh. Singh is portrayed as a Sikh, and is described in passing as wearing a turban and having a beard. Later in the book when things have deteriorated he is described as putting on a hammered metal bracelet and a ceremonial sword which weren't regulation. What about the turban and beard? Religious sensitivity aside, the Army still doesn't allow non-regulation headgear and facial hair last I checked. The fact that Singh was set up as Clark's Man Friday a la Kipling was forced. If he was a major, all personal considerations aside, he shouldn't have been acting in such a deferent role. It just felt as if Wellington wanted Clark to have a right hand man straight out of the Raj era of British/Indian politics. It kind of put me off.
Besides these small nagging parts, I found it a breezy and interesting read. Wellington has an interesting take on the zombie premise and I am certainly going to check out his other novel in the series as well.
Book Review: From a zombies point of view
Summary: 3 Stars
My facsinstion with zombie 'literature' kept me from rating this 3 stars.
This zombie has a mind and a heart. The story line involving Nilla is well written and captivates the reader for some fascinating reading. I found Dave Wellingtons first novel,Monster Island, a definate must have in their Zombie Lit shelf. Part two of the trilogy involves a military officer suddenly found in the command of a civilian who may inadvertently started the epidemic. Not as captivating as part one but enjoyable still the same.
Book Review: A Lot Of Promise But Little Delivery
Summary: 2 Stars
This novel had a lot of potential but the haphazzard writing style seriously diminished the narative's flow. What appear to be chapters are seperated by quotations from fictious characters, which would be fine except that the quotes have nothing to do with anything that followed or preceeded the statement.
There is no rythm to the writing. You are bounced from scene to scene randomly and with no explination or reason.
There were points where certain characters were killed, but it turned out that they were witnessing an attack. It was just poor writing that led to this confusion.
David Wellington has a great imagination (which warrented the second star) but his ability to communicate this vision is in need of fine tuning. His use of language toggled between cliche and clumsy.
The only way this book is worth reading is if you are a die hard zombie fan and in a deep need of fresh material. Just be forwarned, you'll probably be more tempted to put "Monster Nation" down than pick it up
Book Review: Monster[pretty good]Nation
Summary: 4 Stars
Thought the first book, Monster Island, was a better story. If you read the first you'll probably like this one. 3 1/2 stars might be a better ratingBook Review: Not as good as Monster Island
Summary: 3 Stars
Like some of the other reviewers I really enjoyed Monster Island. (If you live in New York City it is interesting to read about the city post-zombification!) I was disappointed with Monster Nation.
The whole idea of the Nilla character being able to become invisible at will was never explained at all and just seemed at odds with the rest of the story. Without giving too much away, the ending was pretty weak and seemed to have no basis in reality. Fine if the whole book was a great big fantasy but most of the time Wellington bases the action very firmly in reality. Some of the characters were well written but most were two-dimensional and didn't really ring true.
This is probably worth reading only if you are interested in learning more about the world Wellington is trying to create. Hopefully the third installment will be better.