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Book Review: Rotter Nation (Rotter World Saga Book 2) by Scott M. Baker

Rotter Nation (Rotter World Saga Book 2) by Scott M. Baker

Schattensette Books, 2015

ISBN: 978-0996312103

Available: New Paperback, ebook

 

It’s nine months into an apocalypse  that was caused by a zombie virus, unleashed by vampires. Mike Robson and his team have successfully retrieved the vaccine from Site R, though they have suffered many losses. Upon returning to their camp, they find it completely destroyed and most of the residents dead—victims of a vicious rape gang that Robson’s team had a previous run-in with on the way to Site R. Now, they must pick up the pieces and find someplace new to start over. They must also get the vaccine safely to the government-in-exile in Omaha and try to rescue a survivor from the slaughter.

Baker has continued his post-apocalyptic world in a seamless fashion, introducing new characters while giving even more depth to returning ones. Robson is a real person, struggling with the conflict of choosing between doing the right thing for the world and risking losing his love, Natalie by sending her and the Angels to Omaha with the vaccine. Robson, Natalie, and other characters are all well-rounded, three-dimensional people (and vampires) and it is easy to relate to them through their emotions and how they deal with the situations they find themselves in. They will draw real and visceral reactions from readers.

The world has gone to hell and it is highly apparent in the vivid descriptions of the areas traveled through by the now separate groups headed by Robson and Natalie, and the very bad people that have survived. Away from the relative safety of the camp, the now divided group find themselves facing increasingly worse scenarios and dangers. Baker’s story is compelling and suspenseful, holding the reader’s attention from beginning to end, and the climax will leave the reader wanting more. Recommended.

Contains: violence, gore, adult language, adult situations

Reviewed by Colleen Wanglund

Posted on July 15, 2015 by , Reply

Book List: Zombies Can’t Swim (Or Can They?)

        

Apparently, much discussion has been devoted to this topic. Honestly, I don’t see how there can be any right answer. Dylan, the original Monster Librarian, was a huge fan of zombies in movies and books, and he observed that there were many, many variations on a theme.  Zombies have been portrayed as fast, slow, smart, brainless (haha), almost human and about as far from human as possible. Given the many ways they’ve been written and imagined, there’s no reason they couldn’t be expected to swim… is there?

Well, I guess there is that issue of gross motor coordination, but we can’t let details get in the way of imagination. And there is at least one book with an author imaginative enough to create swimming zombies: Sadie Walker is Stranded by Madeline Roux.

There seems to be more evidence that zombies can travel underwater, though. In theory, the undead wouldn’t need to breathe, so there’s no reason they couldn’t just stroll along the ocean floor.  Underwater zombies appear in Max Brooks’ World War Z, and also in Brian Keene’s Dead Sea. In popular cinema, there’s evidence of this in Pirates of the Caribbean. And in not-so-popular cinema, but probably familiar to zombie lovers is this scene from the Italian zombie movie Zombi 2, which Dylan described to me over and over again.

 

To conclude this brief overview of the deep and meaningful topic of whether zombies can swim, I submit that if you would like to offer me your thoughts on the topic, along with your recommendations, you might just get someone new hooked on the zombie genre. Next up, we will try to address the question: is there such a thing as a “good” zombie?

 

Posted on July 12, 2015 by , Reply

So You Want To Write About Horror Fiction

 

Stephen King

Never read horror fiction? That’s no reason you can’t write about it. Surely you have a fresh new perspective on a genre that 99% of the population has already decided is lowbrow trash read only by maladjusted teenage boys. Except for Stephen King. You probably know perfectly normal individuals who read Stephen King.

Especially if it’s around Halloween, you should have no shortage of opportunities to pitch your idea to someone in the mainstream media who is only familiar with horror from reading articles by experts like you. Although that person has probably read Stephen King, too, and maybe once saw an episode of The Walking Dead with their teenager.

The first thing your article/blog post/whatever needs is a photo that will grab the viewer (not literally, of course) and add some kind of legitimacy to your article. A photo of Stephen King, or of popular titles next to images of their cover art, is probably the ticket. Or, you could use movie or television stills from popular media. The faces of movie stars and monsters will always draw the eye.

Make sure your article title mentions vampires, zombies, and/or the apocalypse. That’s really all there is to the horror genre anyway. Don’t worry about doing actual research– just read a couple of past articles from the mainstream media. You can make up future trends yourself (who will know?) or talk about how literary authors are finally starting to write about the supernatural and make horror a legitimate genre with actual good books. If you want to take a historical angle, make sure to mention Frankenstein and Dracula. If you want to include details like the authors’ names, there’s always Wikipedia, which is a completely accurate and unbiased source of information.

Another great topic to write on is the harmful effects of horror fiction. You don’t actually need to consult studies to do some good old-fashioned fearmongering about how horror fiction is causing the degeneration of society, promoting abusive behaviors towards women and girls, or damaging our fragile youth. You’re writing out of genuine concern for the youth of today; they need to be sheltered from the gratuitous, misogynistic violence of the horror genre, which is much more of a concern than the gratuitous, misogynistic violence found anywhere else throughout popular culture. Certainly, actual readers and writers of horror fiction don’t have anything to say about the problematic nature of their preferred genre, a literary form intended to zero in on the worst fears in a tremendously flawed world.  It’s much easier to ask protective parents and cultural critics like your next door neighbor leading questions to get the quotes you need and generate public outrage.

Once you’re done with your piece, you should immediately post a link to it on Twitter so everyone who follows you can instantly access it and express their appreciation for your fresh take on the state of horror fiction today. Congratulations, you’ve published your piece and made the world a better place with your insightful views on a genre of fiction you’ve never read. Except for that one book by Stephen King.

 

—With thanks for the inspiration to Jessica Tripler at BookRiot

Posted on July 7, 2015 by , 10 comments
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