loslibros's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
scostner's review against another edition
3.0
This could work as a companion to World War Z, telling the story from a vampire's point of view, or it could simply be a stand-alone series on its own merits. For those who have read Max Brooks, you will recognize his particular brand of social commentary underlying the story. Where the rapid infection rate of marginalized groups caused governments to see the outbreak as a third world problem in World War Z, here it is the vampires who are myopically unaware of the impact it will have on their existence. Believing the zombies are no threat because they don't attack vampires shows a clear lack of understanding in how food chains work. And that kind of shortsightedness leads very quickly to extinction.
Whether you are already a Brooks fan, or your interest is in the zombie sub-genre of horror, The Extinction Parade is excellent storytelling.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
Whether you are already a Brooks fan, or your interest is in the zombie sub-genre of horror, The Extinction Parade is excellent storytelling.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
melaniefiction's review against another edition
3.0
So. Many. Intestines. So. Much. Blood! Be warned.
My impression of this collection - before I actually read it - was that it would be pretty straight forward zombie fiction. Little did I know that the plot would run deeper and become more interesting and, dare I say, RELEVANT (I saw a lot of parallels between the zombie apocalypse and climate change), than I had expected.
Sure, there are zombies and they are EVERYWHERE and they are coming for YOU. But this story is told from the perspective of the VAMPIRES, who - after a really long, stupid time - realize that zombies changing humans into zombies means there will be no more people to munch on. I enjoyed watching this truth sink in for the vamps, and I think you will too.
I give this collection 3.5 stars - a little bit preachy and the protagonists are pretty much impossible to like because they are big stupidheads who call humans stupid but hey... look in the mirror gluttonous vampires! It took you WAY too long to figure out that human extinction means you die too, fools! Ahem, but the story is engaging and meaningful, and the art is beautiful (if gory). Well worth a read.
My impression of this collection - before I actually read it - was that it would be pretty straight forward zombie fiction. Little did I know that the plot would run deeper and become more interesting and, dare I say, RELEVANT (I saw a lot of parallels between the zombie apocalypse and climate change), than I had expected.
Sure, there are zombies and they are EVERYWHERE and they are coming for YOU. But this story is told from the perspective of the VAMPIRES, who - after a really long, stupid time - realize that zombies changing humans into zombies means there will be no more people to munch on. I enjoyed watching this truth sink in for the vamps, and I think you will too.
I give this collection 3.5 stars - a little bit preachy and the protagonists are pretty much impossible to like because they are big stupidheads who call humans stupid but hey... look in the mirror gluttonous vampires! It took you WAY too long to figure out that human extinction means you die too, fools! Ahem, but the story is engaging and meaningful, and the art is beautiful (if gory). Well worth a read.
john_opalenik's review against another edition
4.0
It was a little strange to see Max Brooks writing something that wasn't a comedy, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. The dialogue is cleanly written and the art is great (although it isn't for the squeamish).
If you're a horror fan looking for an interesting graphic novel, give it a try.
If you're a horror fan looking for an interesting graphic novel, give it a try.
altea_charisma's review against another edition
4.0
I would give the book some props. It was not the usually romance novel in fact quite the opposite. I enjoyed the artwork, and the story itself seemed great. However there is a lot of narration and I personally wished it had a bit less. There were a few other issues but overall I liked it a lot.
booksandbosox's review against another edition
3.0
I was excited to see this available to read pre-publication but it ended up being a disappointment for me. There's little to no backstory given, so I found it a bit of a jumbled mess. Additionally, while I appreciate the full-color galley, it made it incredibly frustrating to read as it took forever to scroll. Not sure if I'll be back for volume two; I didn't find much of interest here.
robk's review against another edition
4.0
[Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book as part of a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.]
What a delicious seasoning is chaos
I was very pleasantly surprised by this graphic novel. My first impressions upon flipping through its pages were low, but that's because I didn't (and still don't) care for Raulo Caceres' artwork. It is far too titillating and gory for my (perhaps prudish?) sensibilities, and this graphic novel contains some, well, graphic artwork. Perhaps it is foolish for me to complain about a zombie novel's gory content. After all, zombies need to consume human brains, and they harvest those brains by brute force, so... yeah. It's gory, bloody, nasty stuff. Nevertheless, I didn't care for the style in which this goriness was portrayed. And frankly, the sophomoric and clearly sexist representation of female bodies in the artwork offended me far more than the carnage, but comic book art has a long history of objectifying women. Not that that makes it ok. It doesn't.
However, there's more to this novel than semi-erotic zombie gore. There's also sexy vampire gore. Yes, Brooks' imagination takes the hedonistic world of vampires and throws it right into the middle of a world-wide zombie apocalypse. Despite their immortality, the Vampires in Brooks' comics live only for the moment and watch in delight as the zombie plague virtually annihilates the human race. The vampires don't take any action to stop the flood of zombies until one Kierkegaard-quoting vampire proclaims the impending extinction of, not only humanity, but the vampires that feed on the poor humans.
This is where the story gets good, but, unfortunately, this is also where the story ends. At least for now. Max Brooks' The Extinction Parade, Volume 1 functions almost exclusively as exposition to what should be an exciting plot in the volumes to come.
What a delicious seasoning is chaos
I was very pleasantly surprised by this graphic novel. My first impressions upon flipping through its pages were low, but that's because I didn't (and still don't) care for Raulo Caceres' artwork. It is far too titillating and gory for my (perhaps prudish?) sensibilities, and this graphic novel contains some, well, graphic artwork. Perhaps it is foolish for me to complain about a zombie novel's gory content. After all, zombies need to consume human brains, and they harvest those brains by brute force, so... yeah. It's gory, bloody, nasty stuff. Nevertheless, I didn't care for the style in which this goriness was portrayed. And frankly, the sophomoric and clearly sexist representation of female bodies in the artwork offended me far more than the carnage, but comic book art has a long history of objectifying women. Not that that makes it ok. It doesn't.
However, there's more to this novel than semi-erotic zombie gore. There's also sexy vampire gore. Yes, Brooks' imagination takes the hedonistic world of vampires and throws it right into the middle of a world-wide zombie apocalypse. Despite their immortality, the Vampires in Brooks' comics live only for the moment and watch in delight as the zombie plague virtually annihilates the human race. The vampires don't take any action to stop the flood of zombies until one Kierkegaard-quoting vampire proclaims the impending extinction of, not only humanity, but the vampires that feed on the poor humans.
This is where the story gets good, but, unfortunately, this is also where the story ends. At least for now. Max Brooks' The Extinction Parade, Volume 1 functions almost exclusively as exposition to what should be an exciting plot in the volumes to come.
moreadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this was a bit of a hoot just because I didn't know what it was about - won't someone please think of the poor vampires, with no humans to feast on because of all the damn zombies? Can't mankind just get it together so the vamps can continue with their indulgent existences? This has some nice stuff about the mortals who take care of the vampires, since apparently they're all too busy going around all careless & lazy & gore-streaked to handle their income portfolios or short duration funds so they need "solbreeders" to do this for them. I'm not sure I quite get the point of killing zombies to save the humans but then killing the humans who saw you kill the zombies - you know? Since you're trying to keep the humans alive? But maybe this will be expanded on in volume two. If anyone can tell me what "vrauwe" means in this context, I'll shake your hand, because google is giving me nothing.
hdbblog's review against another edition
3.0
Full disclosure, I totally picked this up because it's a new story from Max Brooks. I've read The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z cover to cover numerous times, and I'm always impressed with the way he writes. This man knows his zombies, and he shows it. So when I saw his name on the cover of this graphic novel? I had to read it. It wasn't even a choice, it was a necessity.
True to form, Brooks has once again changed up the zombie apocalypse story line. This time the "subdead" are front and center, but there are no human survivors. No small packs of people fighting for their lives. Instead, our main characters are two female vampires who are used to a life of luxury. They've seen the world change, they've gotten comfortable with the way things work, and then suddenly there's a wrench in their lives. What does a vampire do when there are no more victims? When zombies are the new rulers of the Earth?
I loved the story line concept, but sadly I wasn't a fan of the execution. I say this a lot, but illustrations have a ton to do with my interest in a graphic novel. In order to draw me in, a graphic novel has to marry the writing and the illustrations together in perfect harmony. That being said, my biggest complaint about The Extinction Parade: Vol 1 was actually the illustrations. They were so stylized, so glitzy. As much as I think that absolutely relates to the vampires who were front and center, it didn't translate so much to their zombie counterparts. There's a line where zombies stop looking cool, and start looking odd.
My other issue was that this first story arc for Volume 1 is so short. It introduces the concept, and then ends before anything actually happens. I felt so disappointed when I reached the end and realized... well, that it was the ending. The whole novel builds anticipation, teasing you with the chance to see what the world would be like when it's vampires vs. zombies, and then it just ends. Leaving me, the reader, rather upset. I'll admit that, yes, I did pout. I was so looking forward to something that just never came.
That does mean, however, that I'll probably give Volume 2 a shot. My interest has been piqued enough that I'll likely come back for more. For now, Volume 1 of The Extinction Parade gets three stars.
True to form, Brooks has once again changed up the zombie apocalypse story line. This time the "subdead" are front and center, but there are no human survivors. No small packs of people fighting for their lives. Instead, our main characters are two female vampires who are used to a life of luxury. They've seen the world change, they've gotten comfortable with the way things work, and then suddenly there's a wrench in their lives. What does a vampire do when there are no more victims? When zombies are the new rulers of the Earth?
I loved the story line concept, but sadly I wasn't a fan of the execution. I say this a lot, but illustrations have a ton to do with my interest in a graphic novel. In order to draw me in, a graphic novel has to marry the writing and the illustrations together in perfect harmony. That being said, my biggest complaint about The Extinction Parade: Vol 1 was actually the illustrations. They were so stylized, so glitzy. As much as I think that absolutely relates to the vampires who were front and center, it didn't translate so much to their zombie counterparts. There's a line where zombies stop looking cool, and start looking odd.
My other issue was that this first story arc for Volume 1 is so short. It introduces the concept, and then ends before anything actually happens. I felt so disappointed when I reached the end and realized... well, that it was the ending. The whole novel builds anticipation, teasing you with the chance to see what the world would be like when it's vampires vs. zombies, and then it just ends. Leaving me, the reader, rather upset. I'll admit that, yes, I did pout. I was so looking forward to something that just never came.
That does mean, however, that I'll probably give Volume 2 a shot. My interest has been piqued enough that I'll likely come back for more. For now, Volume 1 of The Extinction Parade gets three stars.