Dead: The Ugly Begining
Occasionally, I like to read a gook book. And sometimes, I need something more in depth than scratch n' sniff erotica. So when my friend and author TW Brown from May December Publishing sent me a copy of his new book, Dead: The Ugly Beginning, I had no qualms laying down and giving it a good read.
Now I'll be honest - I was a tad skeptical when I saw the cover art, which is slightly reminiscent of something a high school student trying to get a passing grade in a mandatory art class would make. But don't let the bad cover art deter you - this is actually a damn good book. I actually planned to read it over the course of a week, and ended up staying up most of the night to finish it....and this is a beefy book.
Be forewarned - this is not a rated PG tale of the Apocalypse. This is gritty, raw and contains disturbing descriptions of sexual situations and violence. But unlike many books, these things aren't just thrown in for the hell of it - they realistically describe scenarios that would occur if our world ceased to exist...and nails the point home that not all of surviving humanity will be heroes, or even decent people.
Brown does an amazing job weaving stories from different survivors points of view, and his character development is top notch, making characters deaths and setbacks strike home. The situations are believable, and his writing easily pulls you in and allows you to empathize with the characters. It's obvious the man is a fan of the zombie genre, but this book is so much more than another zombie apocalypse tale: it's a book about human nature, and a desire to survive. It's vivid, it's engaging, and it's not sugar coated.
The only bad thing I have to say is this point ended at a very exiting turning point. But luckily, this book is part of a series that may be as long as ten volumes. I am eagerly awaiting the next one.
