skiracechick's review
4.0
Yes this book was about an apocalypse. Yes it was about zombies. And death. And mayhem. But I actually really liked this book. The main character, a highly functional, intelligent zombie is really likeable, and it was exciting to read about his adventures as a zombie.
kerilynnxo's review
3.0
Pretty funny and disturbing at times, but what zombie book isn't? It dragged at times, but i still enjoyed it for the most part.
enoerdahl's review
1.0
I don't normally read zombie books. In fact, never in my entire life has it struck me to pick up a zombie book until I saw this book sitting in the public library of my small college town in Ohio. Zombie, Ohio? A book about a zombie outbreak in small town college ville Ohio? With that blurb? Puh-lease. I had to read it.
I was not expecting it to be good, but I saw some positive reviews and thought I might as well branch out, and that even if it wasn't the greatest, I might at least enjoy it.
Mistake. Big, fat, fiery mistake.
As previously mentioned, I would not call myself a zombie lit connoisseur. I have very little experience with the genre. However, I do know that most zombie media is written from the perspective of someone fighting the zombies instead of an actual zombie. While this could mean that Zombie, Ohio is a fresh take on a tired genre, I think it rather signifies that maybe there is a reason books aren't told from the perspective of zombies. They are dead and have no brains. Kenemore tried to remedy this by making the protagonist Peter somehow miraculously retain the ability of speech and moral thinking while a majority of his memories are completely gone, but it just didn't make sense. Even though he retains his morals, he still spends 1/3 of the book murdering people and eating brains because it's something he wants to do. The only thing that helps him keep his humanity is his girlfriend Vanessa, who he loses contact with for a third of the book. Even if I was someone who regularly enjoyed zombie lit, I find it very difficult to believe this would satisfy me. Most of the book is just introspection, and all of the actual drama/violence is extremely repetitive and arguably dull. He speaks (which all other zombies can't do) to make the humans question his humanity and while they are off guard and pondering, BAM! he and his squad of zombies eat their brains. But wait! If it's a child, his morality kicks in because how could Peter ever kill a child? They are innocent unlike the other people he murdered and consumed.
And when he does manage to connect with his former colleagues or his girlfriend, he just tells them he's a zombie and they are okay with it? I mean, sure I guess I understand that people who have an emotional connection to him would give him the benefit of the doubt, but he tells multiple strangers that he is "kinda a zombie" and they all react the same way (that is to say they are fine with it). In a zombie apocalypse, why are these people even waiting long enough for him to get a word out? You just saw him eat brains, kill or be killed, bucko.
Most zombie stuff also takes place in big cities, so it's nice and unique that it happens in a college town, right? At first it was cool to see it play out in the middle of nowhere and gave it a little bit of an ominous feel, but it quickly went downhill. The whole reason they generally take place in big cities (or at least start there) is because there are actually people there. Half of the book is just him putzing around Middle Of Nowhere, Ohio, looking for someone to eat. The other half is him putzing around with his girlfriend who he treats like crap that he doesn't even remember but is still in love with? Okay, sure, lovely. It was just boring. It was all introspection and morality and it wasn't done well enough to actually redeem the book. People who like zombie stuff are normally there for the gore, right? Then where was it?
Characterizations were boring. I was rooting for no one. I didn't care if everybody, human and zombie, died by the end.
Not to mention that the entire novel is basically a murder mystery, trying to figure out who cut his breaks and caused his accident. Blame falls on Sam for a majority of the time, who is apparently the token gay and in love with Peter even though he is apparently an awful human being who everyone hates (but still manages to charm people into not blowing his brains out?). I was expecting some type of plot twist, because in murder mysteries it's never who you first expect, but the twist I got was not the one I wanted, needed, or expected. Peter tried to commit suicide. Because he couldn't emotionally handle being in a relationship during the zombie apocalypse. So he killed himself with Sam's help (because for some reason Sam is willing to help kill the guy he's in love with???) and recorded a video with Sam's help (because his best friend isn't going to try to stop him from committing suicide?!?!?) talking to Vanessa about how he was sorry. And before all of this is revealed, he tells a gang leader who tried to rape his girlfriend's daughter in the first fifty pages for some unknown reason that he wants to get revenge and kill Sam for murdering him, even though he doesn't really have any concrete evidence. So, he brings him into a fighting pit and is about to fight to the death... but turn of events! He turns on the leader of the gang in the middle of the fight? And then he smothers a grenade with his zombie body and somehow manages to leave with every single rib completely intact? I mean I know I shouldn't be judging a zombie book on how realistic it is but you're joking. He lies down on top of an exploding grenade and walks away completely fine, just a little banged up? Hello?!?
I also didn't love the fact that the entire book is in this sandwich of an interview with some scientists. Maybe I missed something (highly likely with how heavily I was skimming this book) but who is studying him? Who is he talking to? Why is he telling them this whole story? Why am I left with more questions than I started with when I'm done with this book? There is no explanation for what makes him different from other zombies other than pure chance (so unsatisfying) and then suddenly he's completely separated from Vanessa and Sam talking to these investigators/scientists/whatever they are.
I don't know. For me, the humor fell flat, but if you're a middle aged man with children you will probably enjoy the jokes at the very least. I suppose it is a kind of interesting idea, but everything about it just bombed in execution.
I suppose this was more of a rant than a review, but I just really didn't love this book. None of the explanations of resolutions were satisfying and the meat of the book wasn't that engaging either. Maybe this just simply isn't the novel I should've read to be introduced to zombie literature, but I guess now I know it's not my cup of tea.
I was not expecting it to be good, but I saw some positive reviews and thought I might as well branch out, and that even if it wasn't the greatest, I might at least enjoy it.
Mistake. Big, fat, fiery mistake.
As previously mentioned, I would not call myself a zombie lit connoisseur. I have very little experience with the genre. However, I do know that most zombie media is written from the perspective of someone fighting the zombies instead of an actual zombie. While this could mean that Zombie, Ohio is a fresh take on a tired genre, I think it rather signifies that maybe there is a reason books aren't told from the perspective of zombies. They are dead and have no brains. Kenemore tried to remedy this by making the protagonist Peter somehow miraculously retain the ability of speech and moral thinking while a majority of his memories are completely gone, but it just didn't make sense. Even though he retains his morals, he still spends 1/3 of the book murdering people and eating brains because it's something he wants to do. The only thing that helps him keep his humanity is his girlfriend Vanessa, who he loses contact with for a third of the book. Even if I was someone who regularly enjoyed zombie lit, I find it very difficult to believe this would satisfy me. Most of the book is just introspection, and all of the actual drama/violence is extremely repetitive and arguably dull. He speaks (which all other zombies can't do) to make the humans question his humanity and while they are off guard and pondering, BAM! he and his squad of zombies eat their brains. But wait! If it's a child, his morality kicks in because how could Peter ever kill a child? They are innocent unlike the other people he murdered and consumed.
And when he does manage to connect with his former colleagues or his girlfriend, he just tells them he's a zombie and they are okay with it? I mean, sure I guess I understand that people who have an emotional connection to him would give him the benefit of the doubt, but he tells multiple strangers that he is "kinda a zombie" and they all react the same way (that is to say they are fine with it). In a zombie apocalypse, why are these people even waiting long enough for him to get a word out? You just saw him eat brains, kill or be killed, bucko.
Most zombie stuff also takes place in big cities, so it's nice and unique that it happens in a college town, right? At first it was cool to see it play out in the middle of nowhere and gave it a little bit of an ominous feel, but it quickly went downhill. The whole reason they generally take place in big cities (or at least start there) is because there are actually people there. Half of the book is just him putzing around Middle Of Nowhere, Ohio, looking for someone to eat. The other half is him putzing around with his girlfriend who he treats like crap that he doesn't even remember but is still in love with? Okay, sure, lovely. It was just boring. It was all introspection and morality and it wasn't done well enough to actually redeem the book. People who like zombie stuff are normally there for the gore, right? Then where was it?
Characterizations were boring. I was rooting for no one. I didn't care if everybody, human and zombie, died by the end.
Not to mention that the entire novel is basically a murder mystery, trying to figure out who cut his breaks and caused his accident. Blame falls on Sam for a majority of the time, who is apparently the token gay and in love with Peter even though he is apparently an awful human being who everyone hates (but still manages to charm people into not blowing his brains out?). I was expecting some type of plot twist, because in murder mysteries it's never who you first expect, but the twist I got was not the one I wanted, needed, or expected. Peter tried to commit suicide. Because he couldn't emotionally handle being in a relationship during the zombie apocalypse. So he killed himself with Sam's help (because for some reason Sam is willing to help kill the guy he's in love with???) and recorded a video with Sam's help (because his best friend isn't going to try to stop him from committing suicide?!?!?) talking to Vanessa about how he was sorry. And before all of this is revealed, he tells a gang leader who tried to rape his girlfriend's daughter in the first fifty pages for some unknown reason that he wants to get revenge and kill Sam for murdering him, even though he doesn't really have any concrete evidence. So, he brings him into a fighting pit and is about to fight to the death... but turn of events! He turns on the leader of the gang in the middle of the fight? And then he smothers a grenade with his zombie body and somehow manages to leave with every single rib completely intact? I mean I know I shouldn't be judging a zombie book on how realistic it is but you're joking. He lies down on top of an exploding grenade and walks away completely fine, just a little banged up? Hello?!?
I also didn't love the fact that the entire book is in this sandwich of an interview with some scientists. Maybe I missed something (highly likely with how heavily I was skimming this book) but who is studying him? Who is he talking to? Why is he telling them this whole story? Why am I left with more questions than I started with when I'm done with this book? There is no explanation for what makes him different from other zombies other than pure chance (so unsatisfying) and then suddenly he's completely separated from Vanessa and Sam talking to these investigators/scientists/whatever they are.
I don't know. For me, the humor fell flat, but if you're a middle aged man with children you will probably enjoy the jokes at the very least. I suppose it is a kind of interesting idea, but everything about it just bombed in execution.
I suppose this was more of a rant than a review, but I just really didn't love this book. None of the explanations of resolutions were satisfying and the meat of the book wasn't that engaging either. Maybe this just simply isn't the novel I should've read to be introduced to zombie literature, but I guess now I know it's not my cup of tea.
dancpharmd's review
4.0
The first zombie book that I read this year was one I picked up for a lousy 2 bucks as a Kindle Daily Deal last October. I had interest in reading Scott Kenemore’s Zombie, Ohio even before the price drop, but I was just nervous enough about it that I didn’t want to spend 10 bucks on it. At 2 dollars, it was more than worth the risk. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried because Zombie, Ohio was unlike any other zombie book I’ve read up to this point.
The book opens with university philosophy professor Peter Mellor waking up from what has been a pretty bad car accident. Surprisingly, he doesn’t really feel any pain and appears to be more or less uninjured. As he makes his way back into town on foot, he realizes he doesn’t remember who he is or anything about his life prior to waking up. He gets his name and address from his driver’s license. As it turns out, the world has been engulfed by a zombie apocalypse (thanks to the earth flying through the tail of a comet or somesuch nonsense) and the reason Peter feels no pain is because he’s a zombie. Unlike most of the living dead, he’s a sentient zombie – a zombie with a conscience, if you will.
I wasn’t sure this would work for me. I’m a big stickler for Zombie Rules. And I’m was pretty positive that a zombie that could think and make choices and shoot a gun wouldn’t fit in to the Zombie Rules very well. At first, it reminded me of the zombie in that awful Day of the Dead remake that wouldn’t eat humans because he’d been a vegetarian in life. However, Kenemore managed to make me buy in to the whole “sentient zombie” thing, especially when he explained Peter’s past which was less than sinless. Also, since the book was told from Peter’s point of view, we were able to understand his thought process as he switched his focus from being a “good zombie” and eating only the bad people’s brains to embracing his zombie nature and eating as many brains as possible – which he did with gusto in the gory and gruesome second act of the novel.
In many ways, this book is about the redemption of Peter Mellor, who as I alluded to, had been a real prick in life. Still, the third act of the novel seemed a little bit tacked on and overall, the lack of a clearly drawn antagonist until the final 50 pages detracted from the book quite a bit. When the antagonist finally did show up, he wasn’t convincing and I didn’t know him well enough for any of his actions to make sense. But for as much as I didn’t understand the motivations of the antagonist, by the time we got to the end, I understood Peter much better than I thought I would. That’s where the sentient zombie thing ultimately worked. Because he was more than just a mindless brain eater, Peter had an arc and a journey that would have otherwise been impossible.
Zombie, Ohio is an engaging read that I would recommend to zombie fans of all sorts. Don’t let the thinking and reasoning zombie put you off. Zombie books are tough to pull off, but Kenemore does a more than admirable job.
The book opens with university philosophy professor Peter Mellor waking up from what has been a pretty bad car accident. Surprisingly, he doesn’t really feel any pain and appears to be more or less uninjured. As he makes his way back into town on foot, he realizes he doesn’t remember who he is or anything about his life prior to waking up. He gets his name and address from his driver’s license. As it turns out, the world has been engulfed by a zombie apocalypse (thanks to the earth flying through the tail of a comet or somesuch nonsense) and the reason Peter feels no pain is because he’s a zombie. Unlike most of the living dead, he’s a sentient zombie – a zombie with a conscience, if you will.
I wasn’t sure this would work for me. I’m a big stickler for Zombie Rules. And I’m was pretty positive that a zombie that could think and make choices and shoot a gun wouldn’t fit in to the Zombie Rules very well. At first, it reminded me of the zombie in that awful Day of the Dead remake that wouldn’t eat humans because he’d been a vegetarian in life. However, Kenemore managed to make me buy in to the whole “sentient zombie” thing, especially when he explained Peter’s past which was less than sinless. Also, since the book was told from Peter’s point of view, we were able to understand his thought process as he switched his focus from being a “good zombie” and eating only the bad people’s brains to embracing his zombie nature and eating as many brains as possible – which he did with gusto in the gory and gruesome second act of the novel.
In many ways, this book is about the redemption of Peter Mellor, who as I alluded to, had been a real prick in life. Still, the third act of the novel seemed a little bit tacked on and overall, the lack of a clearly drawn antagonist until the final 50 pages detracted from the book quite a bit. When the antagonist finally did show up, he wasn’t convincing and I didn’t know him well enough for any of his actions to make sense. But for as much as I didn’t understand the motivations of the antagonist, by the time we got to the end, I understood Peter much better than I thought I would. That’s where the sentient zombie thing ultimately worked. Because he was more than just a mindless brain eater, Peter had an arc and a journey that would have otherwise been impossible.
Zombie, Ohio is an engaging read that I would recommend to zombie fans of all sorts. Don’t let the thinking and reasoning zombie put you off. Zombie books are tough to pull off, but Kenemore does a more than admirable job.
mw_bookgraph's review
4.0
I am a fan of zombies and of good books. Funny, original concept and a well-written story. Hurrah!