Well, must get back into the habit of posting a little more regularly in the off-season.
This year, I've set myself a target of reading a book a week, since over the Christmas period I counted that I had over sixty books waiting to be read and I was buying faster than I was reading them. So I've finally got around to reading one by an author local to my native Folkestone.
Lisa Richardson's Blog of the Dead originally started on line as... yes you've guessed... a blog and last year got initially released on amazon as an ebook, followed by a paperback edition.
Now as zombie fiction goes, I'm not generally a fan. In fact I'm not a great fan of zombie films either, finding the concept of the creatures themselves somewhat uninspiring and scientifically as ludicrous as most of the supernatural monsters in the horror genre.
So with some trepidation I bought the book. To be honest I bought the book solely as it references many locations in Folkestone, and I collect works of fiction and films set in and around the area.
So for a quick lowdown on the book...
It's very easy to pick up and get into the story and with the story being quite fast paced I raced through it over a few nights. As a local I recognised the places where the story was set and could easily visualise the action taking place. I'm guessing though for a non-resident of Folkestone or someone without the topographical knowledge of the area they might not picture the story happening in the same way. The narrative of the main character drives the story and there is little description of what the town looks like. I personally would have liked more, however, as the main character is a resident herself, there would be no need for her to describe the town so, especially in view of what is happening in the story, so I think the author makes the right decision there.
The first section of the book from when the zombies start appearing to when the lead character's gang leaves the town starts well, but I soon felt a bit of battle fatigue with the repetitive violence. But I must stress this is not a fault of the storytelling or author but more of the nature of the zombie genre in general. Think big special effects popcorn movie where you can leave your brain in neutral and you have it. An enjoyable tale but not that taxing.
The book for me got better when the lead character's gang leaves Folkestone for Wales. The change of scenery and plot devices broke the repetition of trying to survive within the confines of a town, and the book became the literary equivalent of a 'road movie' for its middle section. Similarly upon the group's return to Folkestone towards the latter stages of the story, it isn't the zombies who provide the biggest peril but another band of humans who take the lead characters hostage. It was overall an enjoyable read that got better as the book progressed, even if the ending was a bit predictable.
And the good news is, there's already one sequel... I have already bought it and hopefully will get around to reading it later in the year.
So in summary... if you like zombie fiction, buy it! If you are interested in stories set in Folkestone, buy it too! Don't expect something high-brow that will be winning literary awards - just go along for the ride and you shouldn't be disappointed.
Monday 21st April 2014
