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: An Epic Continues
Summary: 5 Stars
David Wellington can tell a frickin' zombie story! Monster Island was terrific, but Monster Nation goes a shambling step further to provide a deeper, more passionate story that possesses a strangely lyrical quality while at the same time managing to send shivers right up the spine. That takes talent.
If you've read Monster Island...then read this right now. If you haven't read Monster Island (and...what's the matter with you?) then get that one and this one. This is the Grand Epic of the Zombie mythology.
Book Review: Good continuation of the story
Summary: 4 Stars
I read Monster Island and this is a good side by side story along with that. It is a flashback to the beginning of things, providing a clearer idea of why the undead have started walking and a little more detail on our ancient scottish undead chap that was in the first novel.
Unlike the first book, this one really cannot stand on its own as I am sure the series of events will be completed in Monster Planet, the third and final (I assume) installment in this series.
Mr. Wellington does a good job of creating a realm where the supernatural is the cause of the dead rising as opposed to a virus or a more scientific reasoning. We are slowly given an idea of how this threat developed and where it came from. Even thought it came from human actions, ancient gods are behind the desire to see the human race wiped clean off the planets surface.
This book is even more focused on a specific undead character than Zombie Island-Nilla, who chose her own name after becoming undead because she cannot remember her name, nor anything of her own past before being bitten by a zombie herself and dying. She continued to take in oxygen while dying and thus her brain did not deteriorate. The story pretty much follows her storyline as well as Clark Bannerman, a Captain with the National Guard who is forced to become the lead in the military battle against the undead in the western states. He pursues Nilla after realizing that she is the only undead person that can still speak. He knows that she is a key to resolving this issue, even though he does not know why.
Overall, the story flows quite well and is definitely entertaining. I liked how the author put a small blurb on nearly every page that blasts out a news report/personal commentary that interupts the ongoing story with information on what is occuring to people all over the country. Pleas for help, reports of mysterious killings, etc.
I feel the author did a better job of explaining the undead relationship with animals-how they become undead, etc. than in the first book. It seemed then that it was just a minor point. It is not fleshed out completely here, but seems much more natural as a part of the story.
Given that this series of books takes a supernatural slant, I am much more accepting of the ancient scottish zombie here than I was in the first book. I was a little taken aback by Nilla's "special ability" which seems out of place and makes little to no sense-how does she have that particular talent and why? Perhaps it will be further explained in the final book.
Overall, the details of this book made the me understand the first book even more and appreciate it better now that things seem to be coming together more clearly. I look forward to reading the third book and seeing everything resolved (or at least resolved...for now).
Book Review: A hit for zombie fiction!
Summary: 5 Stars
I found Monster Island first and really enjoyed the dark desolate overtones that novel put out. So reading the next book in the series was a must.
While Monster Island takes place after the world has been overrun, this novel takes place before and during. The book starts with a bang and just keeps on going at a pretty good pace. There's not too much talking nor is there excessive action. It's a well balanced novel in my opinion.
The author does put his own spin on the rise of the zombies which jives with his first novel. I thought it worked out pretty well given that every zombie novel wants to always deal with "why did this happen?"
I would definitely recommend this novel. And you don't have to start with Monster Island either.
Book Review: A new take on the Zombie Uprising
Summary: 4 Stars
David Wellington's online novels (Zombie Island, Zombie Nation and Zombie Planet) have received excellent responses from his readers on the internet and it seems as if the printed books will do equally well.
For those that read and enjoyed "Zombie Island", this is a "must". This is a prequel to the events of that book. Some of the events and history that effected characters in "Zombie Island" are developed in this prequel.
And for those who didn't read the first book yet, I would think that you could easily read this book first and then pick up "Zombie Island" after that. Even so, if you can read them in the order intended by the author I do believe it works well. Any fan of Zombie horror will enjoy these books. I mean, how often have you read anything with undead sheep that want to eat people?
The concept of the zombie uprising has been popularized since the advent of movies like "Night of the Living Dead" and "Dawn of the Living Dead". However, David Wellington has given us a nice twist in this with a fairly clear (albeit fantastical) reason for how this horrific event was begun. He also presents us with a very unique and interesting character in Nilla who is one of the few victims who managed to die and still come back as one of the undead with fully functioning minds. Nilla's plight is very interesting as she learns what exactly has happened to her and as she tries to make sense of what is going on. Her "situation" came about by accident versus the character of Gary who was more or less self-created as one of the consciously undead in "Monster Island".
This book has plenty of action tied to Nilla as she treks over the countryside and interacts with humans, zombies and animal life (dead and undead). The reader also get insight into the overall response of the government and the general public as they begin to react to the crisis. For me, reading about characters in the process of trying to find or establish a safe place is one of the more appealing aspects of zombie novels and this story definitely has that element although it's not as prevalent as it is in some other stories. Even so, I greatly enjoyed the story that is told as the charaters who make up the government team assigned to the problem attempt to ascertain what is happening and then as they try to deal with it.
From a slightly negative standpoint, the story becomes a little mystical towards the end, and there are some aspects of it that don't quite jibe with the details of "Zombie Island" although they aren't signicant enough to matter. This book is definitely a good prequel to "Zombie Island" and it is a definite must for anyone who plans to read the third book in the series, "Zombie Planet"
Book Review: Great read!
Summary: 5 Stars
I found this book by accident online. After reading the first chapter I was hooked. Read the entire story in a 2 day period. It was THAT good. I would recommend this book to any and all Zombie lovers. Thanks Mr.Wellington, I am loving Frostbite!