koirankarva's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
shan198025's review
1.0
I couldn't get through this book. I'm sure it's a good book but not what I was looking for. I was looking for zombies not just reanimated dead bodies.
amanda_sjstrm's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
thatonewhoreads's review against another edition
1.0
Probably one of the worst books I have read in a LONG TIME! well, this book should be a guide on how not to write a book because it’s god awful. The characters, are bland have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever, are the living definition of one dimensional. I couldn’t care about any of them because they all seem generic. The premise sucks! Honestly after reading his first book “Let the Right One In” I thought this author is maybe talented but sadly no. The first chapter really made me want to be a zombie myself because it was like sitting on a couch and then the author gives you an adrenaline shot for no reason. The pacing of the book is so so bad. Please don’t buy this book!!!!
mtmdays's review
4.0
I like all of Lindqvist's books, but I think that Let The Right One In (Let Me In) and Little Star are my favorites. All his books are totally unique, but these two are just much creepier. I can see what he's trying to do with Handling the Undead, but it's not as much to my taste. I would rather a further exploration of the relationship between the undead (or reliving) and living society instead of the spiritual overtones this book has. Not for me, but ultimately really interesting and fun to read.
myzanm's review against another edition
4.0
Can't make up my mind if this was a brilliant read, or a very disturbing one.
First let me say that if you are looking for a "Walking dead"-kind of story don't read this because the only thing they have in common is living dead. Yes, there are gory details, but not to the extent that there is in most zombie stories. This book mostly deals with the psychological effect of the living still in mourning and how they are coping with the loss and later the return of their loved ones.
Even if the theme is somewhat disturbing it makes you think about life after death. Is faith important? Or is faith in death what matters?
First let me say that if you are looking for a "Walking dead"-kind of story don't read this because the only thing they have in common is living dead. Yes, there are gory details, but not to the extent that there is in most zombie stories. This book mostly deals with the psychological effect of the living still in mourning and how they are coping with the loss and later the return of their loved ones.
Even if the theme is somewhat disturbing it makes you think about life after death. Is faith important? Or is faith in death what matters?
royalbott's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cait_henry56's review
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
More of a character study than horror, like the rest of the author's books, which is probably why it is my least favorite of his. The most horrorific sections were at the end and a little rushed.
daveypeppers's review
3.0
I find it odd when any work holds off on what it is actually about until the final moments. Not as a twist or a subversion, but a revelation, peeling back what is said to bring it all so clearer into the light. Lindqvist’s previous novel, Let the Right One In, is my favorite book. I read it when I was far too young. I was 13. I always meant to read his other works, as I was expecting the same level of thoughtful, subversive, and darkly life-affirming horror. Maybe I was too naive to realize that what is subversive for a first novel becomes rote in a second, and the true mark of growth comes from a quieter, more confident work. Not to say that Handling the Undead is a better or even as good a book, I don’t believe it is, there is a new, frightened energy to the vampire book that is replaced with a calculation in the zombie book, a calculation that doesn’t wow me in the same way. But it is a much more mature book, a book of possibility and acceptance instead of the grim scraps of survival. I’m glad I didn’t read Handling the Undead when I was a teenager. I would have been extremely disappointed and unwilling to meet the novel on its terms. Now, in my 20s, I can do that. The world here is less about survival, and more about living, much like in the world outside of these pages. Maybe when I’m in my 30s I won’t long for the simpler ethos of survival.