A Darkness Shattered by Bruce Clothier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A Darkness Shattered was another one of those books that really shocked me. I’m really not very into the zombie books…or at least I didn’t think I was. After reading A Darkness Shattered, I’m starting to wonder. =) (This is the second zombie book I’ve read that has made me think I might actually like the genre more than I had originally thought.)
There were so many strengths with this book: very descriptive writing, believable events, characters you either love or hate, and an engaging story line. And there was more to this book than just zombies: love, friendship, loyalty, survival, empathy, compassion and doing the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do. I loved the depth and realism of each character. And I absolutely adored the little colony of people. I would have loved to have lived there any day of the week! But what I loved about this book most was that the gore wasn’t disruptive to my stomach. While it was very realistic, it wasn’t so over the top that I felt like I was going to lose my lunch.
There were some religious undertones, but none that I couldn’t ignore – a prayer, some “divine” knowledge, that sort of thing…but again, nothing that truly took away from the story for me. Also, the transition from one character’s thoughts, movements or actions to another was a little rough at times. But honestly, the disorientation during transitions was very slight, and once the transition was over, you were right back where you should have been – fully engrossed in the character.
So overall, definitely a good read, one that I would highly recommend. And needless to say, I’m really glad I gave this book a chance, even though it’s really not the kind of book I would normally read. Even more surprising is the fact that I’m also looking forward to the next book…or at least I hope there’s a next one or I’ll be rather disappointed. Bruce Clothier is definitely an author to watch for.
I’ve yet to read any zombie books, either, but your positive review made this seem like something I could find myself getting into. I assumed they were all action-action-corny dialogue-action-action…
-A.M.
I really thought the same thing myself, but this is the second one that I found really interesting. This one had some amazing breaks in the crazy. The other was just crazy creepy, nothing like you’d expect from a zombie book. That one is called Aftereffects: Zombie Therapy by Zane Brady. If you read any zombie books, I say give those two a try.
I may have to look into checking one out, then. If I do, I’ll let you know… and if I don’t really get into them, I’ll have a giant hissy-fit and pout on the Twitter.
LOLOL! Well, I hope you enjoy them! And definitely let me know. I’d love to hear your take on one of these. =)
I’ve have yet to dive into the zombie category–not sure if it would be a “me” type genre or not…however, your review has made me rethink myself
I really didn’t think I’d enjoy a zombie book either, Jen. But I really liked this story. I think it would be a great give it a try and see book for you. =)