Reviews for Rot & Ruin
School Library Journal
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Gr 8 Up-Fourteen years after First Night, when America was overrun with the dead who reanimated, 15-year-old Benny Imura joins his half-brother, Tom, in the family business of "closure" or zombie bounty hunting in Jonathan Maberry's novel (S & S, 2010). Benny thinks Tom is a coward and greatly admires the much flashier Charlie Matthias, but his opinions begin to change once out in the Rot & Ruin where he sees what Tom really does. His maturation and growing respect for his brother dovetail with a deep yet unacknowledged affection for his friend, Nix, and his fascination with a near mythical Lost Girl who is said to be living out in the Rot & Ruin on her own. Plenty of action and gore balance a delicate love story, and finely drawn, three-dimensional secondary characters make the tale sing. Brian Hutchinson capably handles the narration, expressing Benny's fear, determination, and dawning realizations. The ending is a bit predictable but satisfying, leaving plenty of room for a sequel. The setting, circumstances, and character development will be enjoyed by all who relish vivid storytelling, not just horror aficionados.-Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, Oxford, MI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
It's been 14 years since First Night, when a zombie apocalypse turned America into the Rot and Ruin wasteland and war-torn survivors formed a new community behind a protective fence and away from "Godless behaviors." Rescued at the age of two on First Night by his older stepbrother Tom, Benny Imura, a reticent bounty hunter, must now take a job. The teen begrudgingly accompanies his seemingly cowardly brother into the Rot and Ruin, where he discovers an Old West lawlessness, a gang of renegade bounty hunters kidnapping children to pit against zoms for sport, a mysterious Lost Girl who's lived in the Ruin all her life and Tom's true character. In his first YA novel, prolific zombie writer Maberry (Patient Zero, 2009, etc.) blends a community structure and terrifying zombie chase scenes reminiscent of Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth (2009) with the ethical dilemmas (e.g., the power of fear and the nature of evil) of Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking series. The result is an action-packed, thought-provoking look at lifeand deathas readers determine the true enemy. (Science fiction. 13 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
It's been 14 years since First Night, when the dead came back to life. Six billion people have died (and reanimated) since then, and America has collapsed into isolated communities living within the great Rot and Ruin. Benny is 15, which means it's time to get a job or face cut rations, but his general laziness leaves him with only one employment option: join his stuffy, sword-swinging, Japanese half-brother, Tom, as an apprentice bounty hunter. This means heading beyond the gates to slice and dice zoms, but Benny quickly begins to see the undead in a new light as well as realizing that Tom is much more than he ever let on. The plot is driven by an evil bounty-hunter rival and the cruel games he plays, but Maberry has more than gore on his mind. The chief emotion here is sadness, and the book plays out like an extended elegy for a lost world. Tom's a bit too perfect and his pontification too extended, but this is nevertheless an impressive mix of meaning and mayhem.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist
Horn Book
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In the post-zombie apocalypse, teenagers must take up an occupation at age fifteen in order to continue to receive food rations. Reluctantly, Benny agrees to apprentice with his legendary older brother as a zombie killer; along the way he learns what it means to be human and how to respect the undead. An entertaining, emotional take on the zombie theme. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publishers Weekly
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The delineation between man and monster, survivor and victim is fiercely debated in Maberry's (Patient Zero) thoughtful, postapocalyptic coming-of-age tale. In Mountainside, an oasis of civilization in a world ravaged by zombies, residents must find work at age 15 or have their rations halved. With every other option exhausted, Benny Imura reluctantly apprentices with his older brother, Tom, as a zombie killer, despite blaming Tom for their parents' deaths. As Benny accompanies Tom into the hostile wilderness, he learns how wrong he was about many things, from the supposed "coolness" of larger-than-life bounty hunter Charlie Matthias to the inhuman nature of "zoms" and the true purpose of Tom's work. The eye-opening experiences continue when Charlie kidnaps Benny's potential girlfriend, Nix, as part of his efforts to track down the fabled Lost Girl, who holds the key to a deadly secret. In turns mythic and down-to-earth, this intense novel combines adventure and philosophy to tell a truly memorable zombie story, one that forces readers to consider them not just as flesh-eating monsters or things to be splattered, but as people. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal
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Gr 8 Up-At first glance, this appears to be a retelling of Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Delacorte, 2009) but with a male protagonist. But Maberry's vision of a zombie-infested future has more action, more violence, and more emotional depth. Benny Imura was a baby when the zombie apocalypse happened. His first memory is of his mother handing him to his older half brother as she is being dragged down by his zombie-fied father. He resents Tom for leaving his mother, for running away. To Benny, Tom is a coward. To everyone else in their fenced-in town, Tom is the toughest, bravest zombie killer in California. As Benny approaches his 15th birthday, he must find a job or forfeit half of his food rations. After losing half a dozen jobs, he reluctantly agrees to work as Tom's apprentice in the "Family Business." When they travel out into the Rot and Ruin, he witnesses things that change his opinion of his brother and forever alter his perception of the world. He also learns that flesh-eating zombies aren't the scariest or most dangerous monsters around. As with all zombie stories, this one requires a fairly large suspension of disbelief, but once the brothers enter the Rot and Ruin, readers become too wrapped up in the plot to dwell on some lapses of logic. The relationship between Benny and Tom becomes surprisingly complex and satisfying, as does the romantic subplot between Benny and his friend Nix. The length of the book may intimidate some reluctant readers but the striking cover, compelling action, and brutal violence will draw them in and keep them reading.-Anthony C. Doyle, Livingston High School, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
