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A review by jasonsweirdreads
Vampire Apocalypse: A World Torn Asunder by Derek Gunn
4.0
The Vampire Apocalypse book 1, A World Torn Asunder, by Derek Gunn, is a pretty fantastic book. I don't say this often, but I think it is deserved here. The reason being is that it breaks a lot of standards in traditional publishing, but it does it in a way that tickles me.
Imagine, if you will, humanity devastated by a war with vampires. A war that humans have lost. The vampires control the world's major cities and keep the human population under control with a serum that renders them sedated and unable to fight back. Within an unnamed city (If the city was named, I missed it), there's an uprising occurring. Harris is among a group of rebels, you could call them, that have found a way to avoid the vampire's serum and are building their army to fight back and retake their home. What results is a strange mix of Saving Private Ryan and the Underworld movies. Which, for a guy like me, means a very fun and exciting read. The battle scenes are brutal and violent and, sometimes, very realistic-feeling. Other times, the battle sways into the land of fantasy. However, these battle scenes, along with the evolution of the rebel army is the novel's biggest strength, in my opinion. I don't think this novel was really meant to be a serious character study rich with plot. It's a war story. With Vampires.
Having said that, this book is not perfect. No novel is. My biggest problem came with the opening scene. It has some questionable motives in it, especially the part with the parents and their kids (I don't want to spoil it). No parent, in my mind, would do that. My second biggest problem comes with the rules of the vampires themselves. I don't like how they shape shift so much and into whatever they want. Or so it seems. If they're to be shape shifters, they should have more barriers, in my opinion. Don't let any of this spoil it for you, though. This is a fun book to read, and the best part? It's just the beginning.
There is a new feature with this opinion piece/review. It is what I like to call the CHUD-Dweller rating. If you don't know what C.H.U.D. is, then you need to educate yourself.
Imagine, if you will, humanity devastated by a war with vampires. A war that humans have lost. The vampires control the world's major cities and keep the human population under control with a serum that renders them sedated and unable to fight back. Within an unnamed city (If the city was named, I missed it), there's an uprising occurring. Harris is among a group of rebels, you could call them, that have found a way to avoid the vampire's serum and are building their army to fight back and retake their home. What results is a strange mix of Saving Private Ryan and the Underworld movies. Which, for a guy like me, means a very fun and exciting read. The battle scenes are brutal and violent and, sometimes, very realistic-feeling. Other times, the battle sways into the land of fantasy. However, these battle scenes, along with the evolution of the rebel army is the novel's biggest strength, in my opinion. I don't think this novel was really meant to be a serious character study rich with plot. It's a war story. With Vampires.
Having said that, this book is not perfect. No novel is. My biggest problem came with the opening scene. It has some questionable motives in it, especially the part with the parents and their kids (I don't want to spoil it). No parent, in my mind, would do that. My second biggest problem comes with the rules of the vampires themselves. I don't like how they shape shift so much and into whatever they want. Or so it seems. If they're to be shape shifters, they should have more barriers, in my opinion. Don't let any of this spoil it for you, though. This is a fun book to read, and the best part? It's just the beginning.
There is a new feature with this opinion piece/review. It is what I like to call the CHUD-Dweller rating. If you don't know what C.H.U.D. is, then you need to educate yourself.