Halloween Reading: Undead Week | V Stands For Vicious | AstraDaemon

THE UNDEAD SITUATION by Eloise J Knapp is a permutation of various elements of the human psyche: irrationality, detachment, and a degree of apathy I haven't read since David Moody's Hater. I don't have a problem with self-preservation in an apocalypse (makes perfect sense, really), but the character of Cyrus V. Sinclair is self-centered to the point of being sadistic. However, he undergoes a mild transformation, and he has a pet ferret.

The other few characters (Frank - mentor of Cyrus, Gabe - teen survivor & Blaze - former military) also have a peculiar nature to them. Some embodying the typical survivor clichés, others simply inscrutable which amplified the lack of emotion that pervades throughout the book...none of them too developed. The sudden and brief flip to Blaze's POV just to show readers something she did without the knowledge of the other three characters did nothing to give any real depth to her personality. Gabe is just there (taking up space), and Frank is more setup for the story than anything else.

The novel does have some gruesome scenes, although Knapp doesn't dwell on the visceral details much. Instead, she focuses on psychological horror, with frustrating people and exasperating circumstances to rub salt in the undead wound.

Overall, the deal breaker for readers will probably depend on whether they're accepting of Cyrus or not, but this is a story which centers more on the breakdown of society rather than characterization, so it's a pretty good zombie apocalypse.

As always,

AstraDaemon

P.S. Don't forget to leave a comment to enter the giveaway for this week's autographed book series.