Customer Reviews

Knee-Deep in the Dead (Doom, Book 1)

5 star:		(108)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I remember the day I walked into Borders and saw this book on the shelf. It was 1995 and I thought Doom was the best thing in the world. So I bought it on impulse.

Capturing the the mood and tension of the game, Knee-Deep in the Dead is surprisingly good. Full of action and comedy, the main character 'Fly' Taggart is actually a very likable character. The mystery of the demon invasion and the horror that ensues makes for an entertaining read. It's a wonder how the writer managed to screw up the series with Infernal Sky and EndGame so badly when this book turned out to be so entertaining.

In any case, the book follows the plot of the game pretty well, and ends with the door blown wide open for the inevitable sequel: Hell on Earth, which was also relatively well written.

Credit must go to the author: A decent book based on a classic, mindless shoot 'em up slaughterfest that had little plot to begin with. I still think, 7 years later, that its a fairly decent book and great for a time-killer or weekend read.

Dafydd ab Hugh and Brad Linaweaver's "DOOM: Knee Deep In the Dead" is without a shade of doubt the best of DOOM-inspired fiction, surpassing even its three sequels. While admittedly unrealistic, the action is well paced, the narrative tense and suspenseful. It was interesting to observe how the writers attempted to expand the DOOM universe while staying true to its video-game roots as the game that really ignited the first-person-shooter genre.

The plot is simple and very much the same as the original game. Corporal Flynn Taggart "or 'fly'" is marooned on the moon of Phobos. Making the grisly discovery that his whole unit of marines has been slaughtered by hostile aliens while he stood guard outside the deserted Union Aerospace Corporation facility, Corporal Taggart must enter the facility not only to secure a way back to Earth but to uncover the cause behind this massacre. What he discovers is nothing less than chilling.

Written in the First Person Perspective, the style of the novel is reminscient of the original DOOM PC game, and with a rollicking narrative punctuated with both staccato bursts of gunfire and a generous dollop of light-hearted Sci-fi fantasy, "Knee Deep in The Dead" while not particularly deep is nevertheless a fantastic read with a wide and surprising emotional range-much unlike most other offerings in the genre-.
A fine book.

This novel is.. well... mostly awful, but in a way that really keeps you turning the pages (and chances are, if you're reading this to begin with, you aren't exactly expecting Shakespeare). Also, in fairness, for a book based upon a shoot'em up computer game, this pretty much delivers what it needs to. It's a low thought gorefest that actually manages to be pretty funny while it's at it. For most of the novel (barring the end), it also manages to stay pretty faithful to the boards/levels from the computer game. Pretty impressive, for the gamer type whose grading the author on such things. All in all.... a great novel to pick up for a long flight if you like a sci-fi shoot'em up. This book never takes itself seriously, and this is its saving grace. Easy to enjoy, light on the brain. Bon apetit.

This is one of the best books I've ever read. It takes elements unknown to each other and blends them in a way that makes them fit.I saw Hell On Earth one day and picked it up before I read this. Two and a half years later I found this after looking for it constantly. This is the best of the four, as I've read it through more times than I have read the rest. I practically memorized the game levels so this was even funner to see how they added some action to familiar rooms. Taggert's dialague with the voice in his head give some humor, and his occasional talk about the Catholic faith adds a bit of seriousness to the book, making it seem less like a mindless shoot-em-up. It gives the characteters more personality and depth than the game never did, all while still keeping up with the them of the original game. Though there is alot more to religion and religious faith than what is discussed here, so it may have seen wise to pick a less contaversial and sentimenatal subject to talk about. There are a few gaps between this and the game, such as the levels called "pandemonium, House of pian, Mt. Erebus, Limbo, and Unholy cathedral" are never mentioned, and the cacodemons(refered to as pumpkins) are described as having trunk-like mouths, but this is still Doom and unmistakably Doom. Quotes like "She's such a man I bet she got herself pregnant." add an irresistable laugh to the book. If you enjoy Stephan King or are a sci-fi buff are fan of the game this is a must have for you. This book more closely resembles the game than any of the other four. It work well a tribute to Doom.

Don't get me started on that pathetic movie with the same title. If the movie was made to be a tribute, it resulted as being more of an insult. While I would not consider the Doom movie to be as shameful as the last two books of the Doom series, It does not rank all that much higher.

I'm a 21 year old college student, for backround, and for anyone who says this book is just for little kids has forgotten how to enjoy a great book. This book is, in a word, FUN. I wasnt sure what to except when I first picked it up, but my god, the authors injected so much character into this book its amazing.

The main character, Fly, seems completely real. It's well written, engaging and just damn fun! The writing is so good that I compare Fly's hundred pages of being alone to the way Tom Hanks successfully carries Castaway by himself for most of the film.

Buy this book, its the best in the series and worth your time. I've reread it so many times I've lost count!

This review is non-disputable. The book was awesome, period. I loved the way it did the first person, and described things.

I didn't go into the book thinking that it should be like the game either. Its a story, a good story. Has bits and pieces of the game in it, but I don't expect it to be THE GAME. Maybe a few of you understand what I am trying to say, I know a few don't.

Overall, 5 stars. The book was great, and I enjoyed reading it. If I can catch up to my freind who "borrowed" it after a year, I will read it again.

I liked the writing style too. I read this book in like 8 hrs. It was awesome, I just couln't put it down.

I bought "Knee-Deep in the Dead" because I wanted a light read and I was interested in how the authors remix a video game into literature. I read the first 100 pages in two days, enjoying the cheesy inner monologue and the hack'n'slash encounters with zombies. It was exactly what I expected after playing the game countless times. The authors stick very close to the level progression of the game, making it fun to think back to your own experience of the game and comparing it. They filled some of the gaps in the story-line by interpreting some of the visuals you encounter in the game (e.g. they theorize about why aliens use human symbols in their buildings). So all is well and good? Not quiet so. After 150 pages it sorta became a rinse-and-repeat affair. Sure, there's not much to say about a game that has "kill everything that moves" as its prime objective. Zombies increase and bigger foes appear, but I never felt any concern for the main character. Maybe because I knew there were still 150 pages to go and he was the main character. Anyway, don't expect Shakespeare but more of a dumb Clive Barker and you're set.

This book, like the others in it series, was an excellent book. The author did an awesome job of researching how a Marine thinks and acts, and he portrayed that in this book. I'm a fan of the game by ID, and i've put many hours in it, but i found myself beside the Corporal through his journies to find Private Sanders, killing "re-worked" pals, imps, and demons on his path to rescue his recon buddy. If there's any book i would buy two copies of, one to read and one to store, it would be this book, and all the others in it's series. Daffyd Ab Hugh also did a good job of keeping you interested in the next book, by cutting each one off in a suspensful point. A point so suspenseful you couldn't help but put one book down to pick up the next. I can't share the excitement for this series, you have to read it for yourself.

I originally read this book when it was first published in 1995. I was 14 years old at the time and I still enjoy it as much as I did then, although the book definitely reads much quicker than it used to, and I can usually finish it in just a few hours. Don't get me wrong, however, this is an extremely exciting book that will keep you turning the pages until you reach the back cover. Then, you'll want to go purchase the 2nd book in the series, "Hell On Earth".

The writing style in this book is relatively basic, which ends up working very well in getting combat scenes and character feelings across to the reader. You won't find yourself stumbling through the text either, as it flows relatively smoothly. Character development is very subtle, and you won't realize that you know the characters extremely well until the end of the book. This is good, because it keeps you guessing.

Above all, the aspect that makes this book shine is the way the combat scenes are layed out. They're extremely exciting and make you want more. Read this book!

The original Doom is a rather mindless and repetitive game, so to see this novelized was quite the curiosity. To further my resolve to read this, my friend went so far as to tell me the novel was actually very good. Based on this, I thought it was time to give this a try!

People expecting some grandiose literary work with a fully in depth story should probably look elsewhere. This book is written in the spirit of the game! Those complaining about the books sequence where the characters, mainly Flynn, go from room to room killing creatures have clearly never played this video game. Since I am writing this in 2008, Doom 3 has already come out, and I was appauled to see some reviewers comparing this story to that of Doom 3. This book came out long before Doom 3 was released AND it is based on the original Doom! How someone can sit here and attempt to make that logical comparison is absolutely beyond me.

Doom is a very straight forward game, you have no idea what's going on, but you clearly have to shoot these creatures and get out. The book plays off this concept and the largest edition you get is a developed character who actually has the goal of finding his friend. Otherwise this book captures the essence of Doom perfectly, it's also done very jokingly, which is great. It keeps the book moving with the cynnical character and I found myself chuckling from time to time at the sheer absurdity of it! When Doom was originaly created there was basically no story-line and the main object of the game was to "get out." While the objective remained the same for Doom 3, Doom 3 had a much more developed story, just don't expect that kind of treatment with these books.

If you're looking for an excellent adaptation in the spirit of the first Doom, then this is an absolutely must read. If you like dark and cynical sci-fi, this is also a must read. If you were looking for something serious, with detailed explanations about Doom and its background, or something scary... yeah stop whining about it and look someplace else. Enjoy this book for what it is; I sure did, and I consider myself to have a good sense of humor!