Scan barcode
mattspade2112's review against another edition
4.0
Fast Paced Sequel
A much needed sequel to Rising starts off exactly where th first book left off. I enjoyed the story and felt somewhat pleased with the ending.
A much needed sequel to Rising starts off exactly where th first book left off. I enjoyed the story and felt somewhat pleased with the ending.
itsalladeepend's review against another edition
2.0
City of the Dead is the follow up to The Rising and the story picks up exactly where the first book ends, this is despite apparently being a follow up that was never planned but rather the result of growing demand from publishers and fans.
The most frustrating aspect of City of the Dead is, much like The Rising, at its core it has a good idea for a story but it's fumbled in the execution.
The Rising introduced a slightly different Earth where thanks to a machine not unlike the Large Hadron Collider the barrier between Earth's dimension and another realm weakens unleashing malevolent spirits called the Siqqusim, biblical demons cast into the void by God. The Siqqusim possess the bodies of the dead whilst retaining the memories of the dead they possess.
This is the setting for the world of The Rising and the story both features the characters of the first book and introduces several more as they fight to survive in the nightmare they find themselves in.
City of the Dead definitely has a few similarities with Romero's Land of the Dead which also features a high rise where survivors live ruled over by an unhinged member of the wealthy elite but really its main problems are a lack of internal logic which just becomes more and more grating as the story progresses.
The siqquisim possess the dead but also eat the living which is somewhat paradoxical, this is handwaved by saying they leave bodies intact and complicated further by handwaving that they use magic to absorb energy from what they eat due to inhabiting a dead corpse with no functioning digestive system. The siqquisim apparently possess and eat the dead to mock God and make way for other demons that possess plants.
The Siqquisim also possess dead animals, who can speak once they're possessed.
When a host of the Siqquisim is killed the demon goes back to the void and waits to possess a new host but they apparently have no control over which host they possess, so they could be a shark or a former army general.
With all this incoherence and handwaving going on the bones of a pretty good story just get buried.
No doubt some would defend this rather sloppy approach by saying that Keene's books are B-movie grindhouse horror pulp fiction and aren't meant to be high literature, aren't meant to be subject to any sort of criticism, but that's a flimsy defence. It doesn't matter what you're writing fiction wise it has to work narratively and obey it's own internal logic and handwaving is just lazy writing.
The most frustrating aspect of City of the Dead is, much like The Rising, at its core it has a good idea for a story but it's fumbled in the execution.
The Rising introduced a slightly different Earth where thanks to a machine not unlike the Large Hadron Collider the barrier between Earth's dimension and another realm weakens unleashing malevolent spirits called the Siqqusim, biblical demons cast into the void by God. The Siqqusim possess the bodies of the dead whilst retaining the memories of the dead they possess.
This is the setting for the world of The Rising and the story both features the characters of the first book and introduces several more as they fight to survive in the nightmare they find themselves in.
City of the Dead definitely has a few similarities with Romero's Land of the Dead which also features a high rise where survivors live ruled over by an unhinged member of the wealthy elite but really its main problems are a lack of internal logic which just becomes more and more grating as the story progresses.
The siqquisim possess the dead but also eat the living which is somewhat paradoxical, this is handwaved by saying they leave bodies intact and complicated further by handwaving that they use magic to absorb energy from what they eat due to inhabiting a dead corpse with no functioning digestive system. The siqquisim apparently possess and eat the dead to mock God and make way for other demons that possess plants.
The Siqquisim also possess dead animals, who can speak once they're possessed.
When a host of the Siqquisim is killed the demon goes back to the void and waits to possess a new host but they apparently have no control over which host they possess, so they could be a shark or a former army general.
With all this incoherence and handwaving going on the bones of a pretty good story just get buried.
No doubt some would defend this rather sloppy approach by saying that Keene's books are B-movie grindhouse horror pulp fiction and aren't meant to be high literature, aren't meant to be subject to any sort of criticism, but that's a flimsy defence. It doesn't matter what you're writing fiction wise it has to work narratively and obey it's own internal logic and handwaving is just lazy writing.
lomeraniel's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally published at: https://lomeraniel.com/book-review-city-of-the-dead-authors-preferred-edition-by-briane-keene/
Jim and his friends run into some trouble after finding Danny, but they are rescued by a group of survivors who are hiding in a skyscraper under a very rich man’s rule. This new place seems to be safe but Jim and his friends will find out that the enemies are not only the ones outside.
I found this sequel to the Rising a bit more compelling than the previous book as I was familiar with the main characters. It was packed with action and surprises along the way. As I have mentioned in my review of the previous book, the zombies in this story are much different from the ones in other books. They are not mindless corpses, hungry for human brains, but powerful and cunning enemies that are just using the dead bodies to run their own revolution. I am generally not into zombies books but I enjoyed this series.
I liked the mix of characters they find at the skyscraper, it being a heterogeneous group with a lot more to them than what we can see at first. The plot was interesting and the intrigue kept me intrigued at all times. I was a bit baffled about the ending but I will not give anything away.
The best thing about this audiobook was the narration. Joe Hempel always delivered powerful and heartfelt character interpretations that got me invested in the characters and the story. I absolutely love his interpretations of children, they sound pure and sincere. He did a wonderful job with Danny showcasing a great range of emotions from fear to pride, and making them sound real.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Jim and his friends run into some trouble after finding Danny, but they are rescued by a group of survivors who are hiding in a skyscraper under a very rich man’s rule. This new place seems to be safe but Jim and his friends will find out that the enemies are not only the ones outside.
I found this sequel to the Rising a bit more compelling than the previous book as I was familiar with the main characters. It was packed with action and surprises along the way. As I have mentioned in my review of the previous book, the zombies in this story are much different from the ones in other books. They are not mindless corpses, hungry for human brains, but powerful and cunning enemies that are just using the dead bodies to run their own revolution. I am generally not into zombies books but I enjoyed this series.
I liked the mix of characters they find at the skyscraper, it being a heterogeneous group with a lot more to them than what we can see at first. The plot was interesting and the intrigue kept me intrigued at all times. I was a bit baffled about the ending but I will not give anything away.
The best thing about this audiobook was the narration. Joe Hempel always delivered powerful and heartfelt character interpretations that got me invested in the characters and the story. I absolutely love his interpretations of children, they sound pure and sincere. He did a wonderful job with Danny showcasing a great range of emotions from fear to pride, and making them sound real.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
teganf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
anthrat's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
rad_kaiju's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
summerseeds's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
The first book was so good. I don’t think it needed a sequel. The uncertainty of the ending, I felt, was a perfect ending for such a novel.
That being said, this was not a bad read. Keene is a great and disturbing writer.
The first book was so good. I don’t think it needed a sequel. The uncertainty of the ending, I felt, was a perfect ending for such a novel.
That being said, this was not a bad read. Keene is a great and disturbing writer.
screamweaver's review against another edition
4.0
As a big fan of Brian Keenes work, this one was eaten through in like a day. But there are some flaws with this where I feel as if the ending isn't particularly how I'd hoped. Though to be fair, I can't say I'd have had a better idea. The journey to get there though is incredible and a good way to cap off these books.
reading_since_10's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this second book, mostly because we got the chance to find out what happens to these amazing characters after all.
The ending was what it was and I can't picture it anyhow different with how the situation was developing.
I'm glad I found out about this author. Thanks Jonathan ;)
The ending was what it was and I can't picture it anyhow different with how the situation was developing.
I'm glad I found out about this author. Thanks Jonathan ;)
badseedgirl's review against another edition
2.0
City of The Dead by Brian Keene calls itself a zombie novel, but in reality it is a novel about demons. It is the second book in his series the first being The Rising. Yes, there are reanimated flesh, but they are the bodies of the dead inhabited by demons. This is a overtly religious tome, and makes no bones about it. I prefer my religion to be a tad more subtle. The only thing the characters did more than preaching, was swearing. I must say, this was not my favorite not-a-zombie book of all time.