rojo25's review against another edition
2.0
This book is weird and really not my thing. When zombies and vampires show up in my book, I usually put it down and read something else. I didn't in this one because I was intrigued how all the characters would eventually together.
alyssaarch's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-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
3.0
midlifehedgewitch's review against another edition
4.0
I could not put this book down. Every chapter ends in a cliff hanger, so you're compulsively drawn along in the plot arc. There isn't that much character development, but there is a lot of good characterisation, a well thought out world and much darkness and light. Lots of good gritty language and gore, too, so the white picket fence/ apple pie mom brigade will hate this book.
inkylibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
While I do harbor a deep and abiding love for zombies, I don’t typically go for horror novels. I read R.L. Stine, Christopher Pike and all that other fluffy crap when I was younger but somehow I never got around to graduating to actual horror as I got older. In the last couple of years I’ve stumbled across a couple of things here and there that strike my fancy(Joe Hill in particular) but I’ve never been motivated to search out new horror novels. So when I pulled The Dead Run out of my swag bag from Harper Collins I was fairly skeptical about it. And I will be totally honest and admit that it took a fair bit of talking to myself to add it into the rotation.
At which point I promptly read it in two days despite a busy weekend at GenCon.
The premise of the book is pretty easy to follow. Our main character Jess Galvan is offered his freedom from a Mexican jail if he agrees to run a package across the border. Of course, the fact that he’s being given this bargain by some creepy god-like figure living in the basement of the prison and that the package is suitably supernatural, this is obviously not going to end well. Tied up in all of this, but unbeknownst to Galvan, a number of girls have gone missing and evil is pretty much running rampant. Galvan accepts the deal and sets off across the desert with five other criminals who have been chosen as his companions. I’ll stop there to avoid spoiling any major plot points.
So, my favorite thing about this book is that there aren’t any really good characters. Everyone in the book is either a little bit morally gray or just completely bloody evil. Morally gray is an area that I enjoy in a character because I think it adds a lot of realism to a book, even one that is heavy on the supernatural. It’s hard to be wholly “good” in the world. We can either follow the rules or we can follow a more personal code of honor. Neither is a perfect option and a lot of this book is about watching Jess Galvan try to figure out how to play by the rules of the game he’s been dragged in to or play by the rules of his conscious. To me, that’s the most interesting portion of the story and I would have liked significantly more depth to all the characters, not just Galvan. I understand why this isn’t always possible though and there’s enough moving the plot along to make it a good read without the extra character development. There were also a couple of plot points that I would have liked to see more of as well, but as the book is already close to 300 pages I’m not super surprised that some things had to be glossed over. Not everyone wants to read books that weigh more than a small child.
All in all, it’s a good read. Not overly terrifying so more enjoyable for a wider audience. There is violence throughout the book but nothing close to the splatterpunk levels you see in some novels. And the book doesn’t need excessive terror or gore to stand so I’m glad it wasn’t shoved in randomly. The end leaves an opening for a sequel, but I think this is one that I would prefer to see remain a stand alone.
http://inkylibrarian.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/review-the-dead-run-by-adam-mansbach/
At which point I promptly read it in two days despite a busy weekend at GenCon.
The premise of the book is pretty easy to follow. Our main character Jess Galvan is offered his freedom from a Mexican jail if he agrees to run a package across the border. Of course, the fact that he’s being given this bargain by some creepy god-like figure living in the basement of the prison and that the package is suitably supernatural, this is obviously not going to end well. Tied up in all of this, but unbeknownst to Galvan, a number of girls have gone missing and evil is pretty much running rampant. Galvan accepts the deal and sets off across the desert with five other criminals who have been chosen as his companions. I’ll stop there to avoid spoiling any major plot points.
So, my favorite thing about this book is that there aren’t any really good characters. Everyone in the book is either a little bit morally gray or just completely bloody evil. Morally gray is an area that I enjoy in a character because I think it adds a lot of realism to a book, even one that is heavy on the supernatural. It’s hard to be wholly “good” in the world. We can either follow the rules or we can follow a more personal code of honor. Neither is a perfect option and a lot of this book is about watching Jess Galvan try to figure out how to play by the rules of the game he’s been dragged in to or play by the rules of his conscious. To me, that’s the most interesting portion of the story and I would have liked significantly more depth to all the characters, not just Galvan. I understand why this isn’t always possible though and there’s enough moving the plot along to make it a good read without the extra character development. There were also a couple of plot points that I would have liked to see more of as well, but as the book is already close to 300 pages I’m not super surprised that some things had to be glossed over. Not everyone wants to read books that weigh more than a small child.
All in all, it’s a good read. Not overly terrifying so more enjoyable for a wider audience. There is violence throughout the book but nothing close to the splatterpunk levels you see in some novels. And the book doesn’t need excessive terror or gore to stand so I’m glad it wasn’t shoved in randomly. The end leaves an opening for a sequel, but I think this is one that I would prefer to see remain a stand alone.
http://inkylibrarian.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/review-the-dead-run-by-adam-mansbach/
mysternightowl's review against another edition
4.0
#springhorror #Readathon #thedeadrun @adammansbach
https://mysternightowl.wordpress.com/2019/04/20/book-review-springhorror-readathon-the-dead-run-by-adam-mansbach/
https://mysternightowl.wordpress.com/2019/04/20/book-review-springhorror-readathon-the-dead-run-by-adam-mansbach/
bunny_watson's review against another edition
4.0
A thrilling dark tale where a good man is forced to run with a bad crowd that includes soul-destroying nearly immortal Aztec priests, corrupt Federales, violent prisoners, and undead Virgins bent on his destruction if he makes one false step. Galvan makes his run for the border with a beating heart in a box razor wired to his body, and a determination to save as many people as he can despite the forces of darkness arrayed against him.
whiteraven191's review
3.0
Part of my "Reading the Lowest-Rated Books on my TBR List" Challenge
Average rating as of writing this review: 3.26
There was a lot of violence against women baked into the premise of the novel and I just found it kind of exhausting. If you could look past that, though, this was a pretty fun and exciting horror/thriller story.
Average rating as of writing this review: 3.26
There was a lot of violence against women baked into the premise of the novel and I just found it kind of exhausting. If you could look past that, though, this was a pretty fun and exciting horror/thriller story.
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