okramsey's review
5.0
I don't know how to start this review so I will just give it a go. This is my fifth attempt to articulate what I feel. If someone had told me a book about zombies would affect me on such a level I would have never believed them.
This is not just a book about zombies but is also a book about faith. It, like the others in the series, is based on Biblical text. I have never read a non-religious fiction book that was so realistic. I think of all the cliches used to describe things and although they do describe this series they aren't strong enough to explain how this book affected me and how amazingly wonderful it is.
All my English teachers would be appalled at this review but it is hard to explain in a clear and concise manner. To be honest I feel like I should be using exclamation marks for all the sentences.
I won this in a GoodRead's drawing and immediately bought the other 3 in the series thinking I would need to read them in order of release. Not necessary it turns out but I would have bought them after reading this one anyway. It is a unique idea. Amazingly unique. And it makes so much sense.
Ok....I'm done. This a ridiculous review I know. This is one of the 10 best books/series I have ever read. Honestly.
This is not just a book about zombies but is also a book about faith. It, like the others in the series, is based on Biblical text. I have never read a non-religious fiction book that was so realistic. I think of all the cliches used to describe things and although they do describe this series they aren't strong enough to explain how this book affected me and how amazingly wonderful it is.
All my English teachers would be appalled at this review but it is hard to explain in a clear and concise manner. To be honest I feel like I should be using exclamation marks for all the sentences.
I won this in a GoodRead's drawing and immediately bought the other 3 in the series thinking I would need to read them in order of release. Not necessary it turns out but I would have bought them after reading this one anyway. It is a unique idea. Amazingly unique. And it makes so much sense.
Ok....I'm done. This a ridiculous review I know. This is one of the 10 best books/series I have ever read. Honestly.
evakristin's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
o far I've loved the Zombie Bible, so I was excited when I found out that this book would feature Jesus Christ himself! Litore's Yeshua is a believable character, and a refreshing new spin on the Jesus myth. I particularly liked his version of "turn the other cheek".
Now as for the story it self, well, I liked it. It's still my least favourite of the Zombie Bible. For some reason the zombies didn't move me like in the earlier books, and I couldn't manage to quite connect with the main characters. Maybe the concept is wearing out for me.
Though the dead rising out of the sea, particularly in the last scene, is still heart chilling!
Now as for the story it self, well, I liked it. It's still my least favourite of the Zombie Bible. For some reason the zombies didn't move me like in the earlier books, and I couldn't manage to quite connect with the main characters. Maybe the concept is wearing out for me.
Though the dead rising out of the sea, particularly in the last scene, is still heart chilling!
jennaelf's review
5.0
(This review was originally posted on Amazon.)
This will be one of the more difficult book reviews I've endeavored to write. The book touched me that personally, and that is not something I can say of many books - not even of the many books that have shaped my reading tastes since childhood.
Stant Litore's Zombie Bible series doesn't do what you might think it does. We've seen zombie-insertion fiction before. This is not that. "No Lasting Burial" is a Biblical story about struggle, suffering, pain, hopelessness, need, and hunger - not just on the part of the Dead, but especially on the part of the Living. It's also a story about hope, healing, and forgiveness.
As someone who long ago had a split with religion and faith, this story was not at all "preachy", but there was definitely a message. What that message may be is certain to vary based on the needs of the reader, but the message I saw was the reflection of the Dead in the Living and the ways in which pain and loss work in our lives. There is no need for a belief in the Christian faith to see the pain and beauty that Litore so carefully crafts into this very human story.
Stepping back from the emotional examination; this is a very well crafted tale. As I read, I had questions that came up and each of them were answered through the telling of the story. Everything was pretty neatly tied up without feeling contrived toward that end. The characters are well-developed and I found myself easily relating to many of them. The PoV shifts, and this change of character perspective helps fill out the narrative all the more.
All in all, this was a wonderful reading experience. Technically, the story was well executed and rendered, and emotionally, it reached down into places I'd forgot could be touched by words.
Additional, Good Reads Only Bonus section: I have, since reading the book and writing this review, seen other reviews with questions about why the Dead were necessary and what was going on with the character of Yeshua. Reader experience will heavily influence - as with any text - whether these are questions every reader has. For me, it was easy to see the Dead as an external execution of the internal conflicts of the Living characters. In addition, it was not a far stretch for me to imagine the burden of being a prophet (of being exposed to the voice of a deity, of bearing the expectations of that role from so many people) creating a person who is a little bit off-kilter from our expectations. It certainly humanized Yeshua for me in a way that never quite happened for me otherwise. Each of these aspects, however, are influenced by my own life experience and academic orientation.
I encourage anyone on the fence to give this book a try. Litore's prose is beautiful to read without being overwhelming or pretentious, and the story is very deeply human.
This will be one of the more difficult book reviews I've endeavored to write. The book touched me that personally, and that is not something I can say of many books - not even of the many books that have shaped my reading tastes since childhood.
Stant Litore's Zombie Bible series doesn't do what you might think it does. We've seen zombie-insertion fiction before. This is not that. "No Lasting Burial" is a Biblical story about struggle, suffering, pain, hopelessness, need, and hunger - not just on the part of the Dead, but especially on the part of the Living. It's also a story about hope, healing, and forgiveness.
As someone who long ago had a split with religion and faith, this story was not at all "preachy", but there was definitely a message. What that message may be is certain to vary based on the needs of the reader, but the message I saw was the reflection of the Dead in the Living and the ways in which pain and loss work in our lives. There is no need for a belief in the Christian faith to see the pain and beauty that Litore so carefully crafts into this very human story.
Stepping back from the emotional examination; this is a very well crafted tale. As I read, I had questions that came up and each of them were answered through the telling of the story. Everything was pretty neatly tied up without feeling contrived toward that end. The characters are well-developed and I found myself easily relating to many of them. The PoV shifts, and this change of character perspective helps fill out the narrative all the more.
All in all, this was a wonderful reading experience. Technically, the story was well executed and rendered, and emotionally, it reached down into places I'd forgot could be touched by words.
Additional, Good Reads Only Bonus section: I have, since reading the book and writing this review, seen other reviews with questions about why the Dead were necessary and what was going on with the character of Yeshua. Reader experience will heavily influence - as with any text - whether these are questions every reader has. For me, it was easy to see the Dead as an external execution of the internal conflicts of the Living characters. In addition, it was not a far stretch for me to imagine the burden of being a prophet (of being exposed to the voice of a deity, of bearing the expectations of that role from so many people) creating a person who is a little bit off-kilter from our expectations. It certainly humanized Yeshua for me in a way that never quite happened for me otherwise. Each of these aspects, however, are influenced by my own life experience and academic orientation.
I encourage anyone on the fence to give this book a try. Litore's prose is beautiful to read without being overwhelming or pretentious, and the story is very deeply human.
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