Kitten Stocking, Part 2

Been a week, I thought I'd post my progress. Haven't gotten as far as I'd have liked. Stupid work . ;P Hoping that this three day weekend allows me to get farther and get some reading done too. I have to catch up with K. M.! I swore I would.


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Autumn by David Moody

This is not like any other zombie novel that I have read. Most have been written by Americans, whom have a completely different rhythm to their story telling than the British. This story is also different from other zombie tales because of  the time and manner in which the zombies become an issue.

The story begins with the majority of the population on earth dying suddenly, within the space of twenty four hours. The scattered survivors are brought together by one man blaring music from a community center near a major thoroughfare. Most of the survivors want to stay at the center, while a few decide it would be better to head into the country. The survivors that wish to leave do not feel safe surrounded by all the dead bodies because of the chance of disease and the inability to procure supplies easily. After a few days at the community center, some of the corpses begin to get up and move about aimlessly. This is when the three survivors that are planning on leaving are galvanized into action. Our main characters that head for the country are Emma (a medical student), Michael, and Carl. They then search for a home base, they find a farmhouse far from the city and begin to lay in supplies. A few days after that the walking dead begin to seem more aware and show signs of aggression. The survivors then begin to build a defensive wall.

The survivors have very different personalities, and are dealing with these continuing crises in their own unique ways. The character development was slim, but the book is an introduction to a trilogy, I expect much of the character development will come in the later volumes. The characters are taxed by many major changes in their situation, rather than one life altering event.

I look forward to reading further in the series, but first I'm going to explore H.P. Lovecraft. Good reading, all.

Kitten Stocking the Beginning

This stocking was requested by a friend. I've already made one for her beautiful daughter and her husband. She is a fan of cats, so I went with a cat, though I wanted a different one with the cat surrounded by Poinsettias. I guess that will teach me not to get a pattern when I see it. You can actually begin to see the cat in the design now.



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Day by Day Armaggedon by J. L. Bourne

After reading an infection story, I finally was able to move onto my intended reading for the summer, zombie novels. I've expressed an interest in journal style zombie stories previously, so my husband recommended Day By Day Armageddon by J. L. Bourne.

Through the main character's journal, we learn that there is word of a mysterious virus in China. The virus spreads quickly, and causes the patients to become very violent and attack their caregivers and loved ones. The US sends medical aid, then brings the aid workers home when the situation becomes too dangerous and they have been exposed to the virus Our main character is a military man, he can tell that the information on the news doesn't add up with the net sources, the military and governmental actions being taken, or what his fellow military men are observing while overseas. He begins to prepare for the worst by stockpiling supplies.

When he starts to see the undead in the streets, he decides not to answer the base's call. He determines that he'll be safer at home than on the base, this turns out to be correct. The government is in complete chaos, as is everyone else. We go with our hero on supply missions, and see how he's coping with loneliness and inactivity. He discovers that one of his neighbors has survived as well, they begin communicating and assisting each other when possible. They save each others' lives a couple of times and begin making plans to leave the area as the undead begin to overrun it.

I expect a journal to be in first person, but there were still times in which our hero seemed extremely self-centered. The story was well done and enjoyable, so I was able to get into the book. It was a quick read, and finished with a cliff-hanger ending. I enjoyed it enough to begin the second book in the series immediately, and wait to write the review for both of them.

The hero evolves in the second story. He and his friend John, over the course of the story must decide whether to answer distress calls that they hear. It is very risky to leave safe places for supplies, much less traveling a distance to save people that might not be alive when you arrive. They answer one such call, and it dramatically changes their situation. As more survivors enter the group, the journal becomes less self-centered.

Our survivors come into contact with marauders that try to take their shelter. They also must deal with a horrible consequence from the decision of the government to nuke large cities that are overrun with the dead. The zombies close to the explosion are incinerated by the blast; however, the irradiated dead are faster, stronger, more coordinated, and seemingly more intelligent than their non-radioactive counterparts. People killed by radiation sickness also join the ranks of the undead, as in this universe people do not have to be bitten to turn.

This series is a fun read, not deep or thought provoking. A great way to kill some time. I'm sure I'll read the third book when it comes out. Beyond Exile also had a cliffhanger ending. I'm interested to see which way Bourne takes the story, and resolves it.

Infected Review

As mentioned in my previous review, I've found a new appreciation for audiobooks since my return trip from Minnesota. In my family's search for listening materials we found podiobooks. Podiobooks are podcasts of books, many are offered for free from the Podiobooks website. I think this is a great way to advertise books, they even have a few classics. The search feature was not as user friendly as I would have liked, but it's a relatively new site. If you are looking for a legally free book, check them out.

Now, onto the book I read through this service (I downloaded it from them through iTunes, you can also stream them directly from the net.). As you may have guess from the title of this blog article, the book is called Infected. It was written and performed by the author, Scott Sigler.

In the beginning, we learn that there is a mysterious disease causing regular people to go crazy and slaughter their families, friends, and themselves. There is no pattern to the outbreaks and no known means of transmission. A low level CDC agent, Margaret Montoya, notices the incidents and contacts the CIA to help her look into it. They determine that this has to be kept quiet to avoid creating a national panic. From her viewpoint, we see the fear and actions of those trying to stop the disease from spreading.

The other main perspective in the story belongs to Perry Dawsey, a former football player with anger management issues. He is one of the infected, we witness his descent into madness. His history with anger management issues, actually assists him in staving off the affects of the disease. We also get insight into what the disease is, and how it is spread.

Sigler did a lot of research into disease transmission, progression, and parasitic organisms which gives the story a stronger feeling of credibility. His explanations of the scientific reasoning used by Margaret and her partner, and Perry, is well done with out being over technical. He even introduces the disease by going through the process of it gaining hold in a human host.

The story is very intense emotionally and physically. The descriptions give you a very clear mental pictures of the events taking place, sometimes you wish they weren't quite so good. Sigler employs a lot of gore and violence in this tale, so if this isn't your cup of tea I warn you to avoid reading this book. However, if you enjoy intense scifi/horror novels than this book is definitely for you. It is the first in a series, and gives you a classic cliffhanger ending. I look forward to reading the next book.

I wasn't sure if I would be able to get into the story, the first few chapters. It wasn't because of the plot, but because Mr. Sigler's reading was a bit rushed. His reading improved as the novel progressed, as parents and teachers know, reading aloud well is an acquired skill and requires practice. If audiobooks or podiobooks aren't your thing, you can get the book in printed format as well. If you choose the audiobook, please remember it is not child appropriate.