Customer Reviews

Day by Day Armageddon (A Zombie Novel)

5 star:		(289)
4 star:		(85)
3 star:		(40)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

After having recently finished WORLD WAR Z (and loved it) I wanted to continue in the zombie genre with another favored book among fans. I came across this one after reading the glowing reviews...

To be honest, I'm a little disappointed - both in the book itself and the number of fans whom seemingly refuse to be critical of a zombie book.

I will say that there is some exciting moments in the book (especially the end, although it was quite abrupt). However, the ability of the reader to become deeply involved in the story and visualize this world and the characters in it is severely limited as a result of the author's rudimentary command of the English language. There is practically no descriptive sense in this book. For example, zombies are described as being "smelly" and "hellish-looking" - never did the author bother to go in more detail and way too often are zombie-killing scenes described by a simple one-liner joke. I desperately wanted more depiction and it just simply wasn't there. Where the author focused his attention, though, was on technical babble and military mumbo-jumbo which I found to be really tedious to get through. This is portrayed as a zombie book, but it seemed more a part of the military genre. Funny that WORLD WAR Z had a lot of technical babble in it as well. However in that book it all seemed necessary and did not take away from the author's ability to capture the descriptive undertones of a zombie-ridden world.

Characters are also incredibly one-dimensional and simply not interesting. Beside the main character, I had to keep reminding myself who was who because beside their names nothing else was significantly different or important about any of them.

I still give this book 3 stars because beside its glaring faults it was still an OK book. Honestly though, I gave it 3 stars mainly because I've read far worse. I bought this book as a compilation which included both the first and second book. After having gone through the first, I think I'm retiring it to the book shelf as I don't have a lot of interest in reading the second...

If you want to read a good zombie book look elsewhere, as this one simply falls flat.

This is a great book as the vast majority of reviews for this book state. My review here says the same thing but I just wanted to add in my two cents worth among these great reviews.

I've read this book twice in the last three years. Only a few books can be placed at the pinnacle of it's genre. This is one of them. This is one of the must read books in post-apocalyptic fiction. All due respect to Brian Keene whose a very talented author, but I've read many references to how he had resurrected this genre for the book world. I have to disagree... J. L. Bourne is more deserving of that credit. Keen's books were great and well written but they are more like cousins to the classic zombie genre.

J. L. Bourne's Day By Day is unique in its mode of story telling and faithful to the classic Romero universe which is what I prefer to anything else. I appreciate all the variations and forms of zombie stories that have cropped up in recent years but there's nothing like the standard set by Romero. Day By Day came out more than a few years ago when there weren't many books to choose from. Since then, there are scores of good books out there. And I bet most of these new writers were inspired at least in part by this book.

J. L. Bourne showed us that a "true" zombie book can be written and enjoy success. More than that it was self-published. Since then, many others have followed in his foot steps and the result is a lot of good books to choose from... most of them being as faithful to the Romero universe or having clever refinements while not breaking the original spirit of the rules. I think Bourne is really the one who kicked off this "post-apocalyptic renaissance" we're all now enjoying.

With more than 200 reviews, there's not much I can add to how good this book is. It just is... and I think it will always remain the must-read of this genre.

The journal-type story telling of this book was masterfully done and is so seamless, though I would think it would be hard to pull that off as a believable method since most won't keep journals during an apocalypse. Here, its naturally done and believable. The author is a Naval Officer on active duty. How he brings his experience into the main character of this book is what I think makes this book so unique and believable.

As Dawn of the Dead is a must see for zombie movies, Day By Day is a must read for the book world!

I started reading this book on the web. It was a serial that I had stumbled on a few years ago.
After reading the first few chapters I was hooked. Big problem though, it had gone out of print
before I had even found the website. No Joy. I figured I was SOL. Until I found the Kindle store!
And I finally got to finish the story I started so long ago. And yes, it was worth it! One of the best Zombie
fiction in ages. I couldn't stop reading it on line, and when I finally got the book, I didn't sleep until I
finished it ( literally up all night ) I had to hook my iPhone to the charger cable so I wouldn't run out of
power till I was done.

If you like Zombie fiction, this might be up your alley. ( a dark alley, with noises like shuffling feet off near the
darkest part, and a cat jumping past you and bashing off the top of a garbage can.. )

Enjoy.

Ok, let's be real here. I read some of these reviews and wonder if they're reading the same book as I am. Let's be straight forward and honest from the beginning, this is NOT a book. It's not a novel or traditional story, it's a journal. As such the writing is done in such a way that requires the author to go day by day and explain what he's doing. Unfortunately most of that is so far fetched it set me back from the tale.

I was in the military (much like this author is), and I can honestly say that I never knew a single person that lived near a military installation and did the types of preparations this story character did. Things like putting up solar panels, and having stacks of ammunition and food supplies. It just doesn't happen. A normal service member wont be able to take home MRE's or ammo cans filled to the brim. He wont have lighting to set up on a perimeter at his house, or the means (or need) to put up solar panels for electricity.

I ended up stepping back from this book and going, "This is just too far fetched. There's far too much preparation going on for someone like this" (a pilot mind you). Had it been some off the wall Special Forces soldier or Infantryman, I could almost believe half of what occurred. Unfortunately it seemed like everything was just working out in his favor throughout the whole story. There were very few foul ups and it didn't seem "real" to me.

Now I would love to rate this story higher. It was compelling for the average fan of the genre... but having the knowledge and experience I do, I couldn't connect with the character at all. I wanted to enjoy this thing more than I had and it was a shame. If I could put an accurate scoring on this book it would be a 3.5. Unfortunately this website doesn't allow half stars so I'm stuck with underscoring or overscoring, so I went with the higher one.

Most people will enjoy the book for what it is. There's obvious spelling and grammar errors throughout... but that's been written off as being a journal and therefore accepted by the people I've talked to. I'm not going to argue that one. I was however disappointed with the lack of information in each journal entry. I really wanted to connect with this character and I just couldn't. He didn't give me enough to work with.

As I recall this is the authors first novel. It's definitely a good start but he needs to go further with the next one. I had heard he planned to release a sequel to this and I might give it a go to see what's been improved upon. But I just can't say this was the greatest Zombie novel I've read. I'm still searching for that winner. I think most people will enjoy this book for what it is.

First of all, I don't claim to be some professional critic and please keep in mind, this is not a personal attack of the author or the genre. I'm not an expert by any means--I'm not a zombie purist or "zombiephile" like some of the reviewers here, however I can't help but feel compelled to write a review of this book. I'm new to apocalyptic fiction and perhaps, I've been spoiled after having read Max Brooks' World War Z first in the line-up. Because I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to see what else the world had to offer and was pleasantly surprised by a couple of authors also highly toted by the reviewers of Amazon. So, it's really not a big surprise that I would eventually come across Bourne's book. Now, I wish I hadn't. I diligently made an effort to give this book a chance, especially since it seems like it was the author's first real attempt to write and publish, and despite a good number of people who gave it negative reviews, I let the overall high rating sway me in purchasing it. Personally, I found it painful and boring to read this work. Like many others, I found the lack of editing very distracting. Then there was the interesting way in which he presented the journal format. Wouldn't this character know that his skipper is his commanding officer and this his mother's husband is his stepfather? Why would one put that in or any other term that is already familiar to him in parenthesis in a journal really just meant for his eyes? Most people don't write a journal expecting another to read it, but just do it as an act of catharsis. As I forced myself to read along though, that aspect did get better, so again, I'll lay the blame on the editor for not bringing it to the writer's attention. I won't say much about the plot, because it seems that it's always the same--survive. So, though it wasn't entertaining for me in the least in this book, it accomplished its purpose. Lastly though, and I think, most important, I just didn't care about these characters. They felt incredibly flat to me and more often than not, just a little too convenient--a military soldier (who knows how to fly), an engineer, a chemist (who will likely be conveniently useful in the sequel to this book) a former RN who was studying to be a doc, an extraordinarily well-adjusted little girl (wow, this kid is AMAZINGLY resilient--the only time she shows any sign of weakness is in her sleep), the marketing beauty who really has no other purpose than to probably provide a little companionship to our main character, and the dog that can forewarn our characters of impending danger of ghouls nearby. Brief as it was, it took me over a week to finish this book, because every time I put it down (which occurred rather frequently), I had to will myself to pick it up again and try to endure another little subchapter. I think I'll skip the sequel and if I need a fix, just go for reading WWZ again. Even though I feel that this is a one-star book, I'm giving it two stars because I can respect the courage and effort it took for Mr. Bourne to write it in the first place, even if it wasn't for me. Others may love this book and feel it is as vital an addition to their library as George Romero was and is to the zombie genre. Personally, I just don't feel that way at all--just the opinion of an optimistic realist, and a fellow book lover.

This book is quite terrible. As a blog, it was probably a great idea. The sloppiness of writing, poor/flat characters and inexcusable spelling errors (the window's steel "shudders") could be forgiven. But as a book, one demanding payment of actual hard currency, Day by Day Armageddon is a complete failure.

First, we are not invited to identify in the least with the main character. He is merely a walking talking survival checklist, reading the entries is only slightly more exciting than reading a shopping list for the Home Depot. When he does venture to give this character some depth, it is through the vehicle of trite aphorism, the same bloated "i pity the dead" utterances that were tired several decades ago.

Second, the book uses its journal format as excuse to avoid any kind of story arch, deeper message or journey for the reader. It's written by a military guy obviously enjoying his male power fantasy. It's a romp through a world of gadgets and tools, little else. Chest thumping bravado can be read behind every line.

The one redeeming feature of this book is it's interest to the military or survivalist set. It is filled with enough insider jargon and interesting facts to make it a decent read to this niche audience. But there are other books which are much better suited to this audience. Starship Troopers if full of military insider fun, and it's actually a great read with an excellent story besides. Hard Tack and Coffee is written by a soldier of the Northern armies during the American Civil War. It's about what this book is essentially about, survival and soldiering, but it's real, and it reads as real.

Day by Day Armageddon reads like the notebook of a 14 year old boy, satisfied that he can create a "universe" out of such tired popular culture materials and the tiniest smidge of imagination. Don't buy this book! Go to the library if you're still curious and save yourself the money!

Like many others I got my taste of zombie writing from Brooks' World War Z. I was fascinated by the type of world that could be created. After a bit of research and the assumption that the genre isn't too well fleshed out, that it would be slim pickings, I stuck to the zombie books with the highest number of 5 star ratings. While Day by Day is definitely not a 5 star book, it does merit a second chance.

I was put off by the style of writing immediately. I suppose I should have looked at the first few pages before I bought it. A journal entry style of writing lacks depth, lacks the ability of the author to create a plot and scene to draw the reader in. Instead we get impersonal after the fact commentary on what happened, oftentimes not even feeling like a journal because of the footnotes, or the added information in parenthesis to explain about something (which you would never do if you were writing in your own journal because you already know what it is!). In sticking with the theme he tried to show where pages were torn out, smudge marks, wet rings from cups or scribble marks, all of which was supposed to make you feel like you are reading a journal. What it did was cheapen everything and make you roll your eyes. Finally the editing is horrendous. I know he published it on his own but he should have given it a once over, or had a friend give it a once over, before he sent it to print. The misspelled words, the cut off sentences, even the character's names were spelled wrong in some places. It was so disjointed you literally broke off mid sentence to see if you read correctly. Originally copyrighted in 2004 and my book says it is from a print in 2009 and yet the author still hasn't taken the time to try and clean up the typos and mistakes.

There is some promise, I suppose. For being his freshman book Bourne was able to flesh out a story and at least tie some of it together in to a narrative. As disappointed as I was with the writing I was still interested enough to read through rather quickly. The book ends abruptly leaving you wondering why the hell did it just stop like that? When all is said and done I might consider reading the next entry in the series if only to see if time has improved Bourne's writing style and if he finally has an editor because there is some redeeming qualities that could be improved upon.

2.5 stars.

January 29th. 23:15 Hrs:
I bought a new book, after reading the first chapter online at the author's website. That chapter sucked me right in, and I knew I had to find out what happened next. I bought the Kindle version to read on my iPad. I am rapidly feeling that I am a part of the story, in danger and adventure with the protagonist. I feel what he feels, and see what he sees. I am part of the story.


January 30th. 14:20 Hrs:
Finished Day By Day Armageddon. What a gripping story. Full on character development, from shifting morals and ethics to full on depression, to despair, and finally hope. I literally could not put this book down, and fell asleep reading it. Started reading it again when I woke up, and finished in the early afternoon.

Thank goodness for the Nintendo DSI that kept my kid entertained all day. :)

The accurate descriptions of what would happen to the world, to cities, to people, to the government, all resonate. Everything is described in very realistic terms, the realism of which is heightened by the author's knowledge of military tactics, language, acronyms, and equipment.


January 31st. 09:54 Hrs:
Buying the next book, Day By Day Armageddon: Beyond Exile. More later... Must read...

I have always enjoyed post-apocalyptic books but zombie books weren't at the top of my reading list. It seems that has changed recently and I've been "devouring" zombie books (so to speak).

"Day by Day Armageddon" has been the best of the genre so far. I liked it being in journal format. It gave me the chance to get to know the protaganist to a deeper level.

I like the military background that the author was able to put to use in the book. I felt the military aspects really added to the storyline. Great down-to-earth hero with great skills including being a pilot, soldier, and survivalist.

Pretty believable take on the disease and then the transformation into zombies.

Some misspellings, etc. in the book. I don't know if they were deliberate or not but they weren't as distracting as in some books because of the journal format and the errors COULD be considered normal human errors as you might see in someone's personal journal.

Good character development in the main character but not as good in secondary characters.

But, all in all, I enjoyed this book immensely and I am glad the second book (Day by Day Armageddon: Beyond Exile (Book 2))in the trilogy (I think that is what is proposed by Bourne) is finished and I have it here ready to read. I wish the third was completed and published, also. I hope we don't have to wait too long to find out how the world fares.

The love that the author used his personal experiences in the military to craft a terrific story. I absolutely cannot resist any movie, TV show or book that is zombie related. Unfortunately I've often been let down by the actual story. Day By Day Armageddon does not disappoint and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel this week!

I did find it interesting that a few people who gave this book low ratings found fault with the main character's diligence and preparation. I think they fail to realize this "diary" book would only be about 6 pages long without it :)

If you love zombies I'm certain you will enjoy this book and will be looking for more!