Customer Reviews

Xombies: Apocalypse Blues

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first read this book when it was titled simply "XOMBIES," and I keep returning to it again and again.

There's more to DAWN OF THE DEAD-style zombies than rotting flesh and cannibalism. Not that I'm dissing either of those elements... but I'd argue that the MOST frightening & characteristic element of George Romero's zombies is THEY WANT YOU, and if they catch you, you'll become just like them. They'll chase you down no matter what. They'll find you no matter where you are. Infection, absorption, conformity. Once you're a zombie, you'll be just part of the herd.

XOMBIES focuses on this aspect of zombies, ditching the flesh-eating and decomposition -- although there's still plenty of gore and dismemberment as the humans try to defend themselves. The book has a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, with some elements that are absurd and bizarre, although the characters' plight is always serious -- it never degenerates into parody. Lulu Pangloss, the sole uninfected woman/girl surrounded by armies of pissed-off, paranoid, misogynistic men (who've had to witness all other women on earth turning into ravening monsters), is a great protagonist. Aside from the fast-moving Xombies, the most notable theme this book shares with 28 DAYS LATER is the idea that most men are scumbags, which expands into a general meditation on gender issues. If this sounds too talky, don't worry: it's still a science fiction/horror novel, not a graduate thesis.

The Xombies are genuinely horrifying and nigh-unstoppable, and the mysteries of the plot peel neatly away like several layers of an onion (although not all questions are answered). Like many zombie films, there's ultimately a lot of infighting between the human survivors, but the Xombie scenes are very good, and the whole thing is well-written, with an overall mood of cynical resignation rather than slam-bang catastrophe. It's like they say: "This is how the world ends... not with a bang but a whimper."

I also read this book when it was titled simply xombies several years ago. The editing this time around was alot better. The story evolves around a girl that is swept up in a plague that takes over the Earth. This happens right when she has the very real drama of trying to reconnect with a father she has never known. She is the only female who has not been affected, and she is put in a situation on a submarine full of men and teenage boys. Now the biggest change in the newer version of the book seems to have been the ending. The first time I read the book the ending did not make sense to me. There were some connections that were not explained. The editing made the ending smoother and made more sense. This tale does have some zombie elements to it, but as a whole it is much more. I was not sure about paying for this book a second time, but I am glad that I did.

Xombies: Apocalypse Blues / 978-0-441-01835-2

I love zombie fiction, and seem to be going through a lot of it lately. "Xombies" is one of those apocalypse novels where the emphasis is so much more on the human reaction to the breakdown of society, rather than on the cause of the breakdown itself - to the point where the zombies (or "xombies", if you prefer) could be just as easily replaced by space aliens or an invading force of Teletubbies and the book would still read pretty much the same.

It should be noted that author Greatshell does not have a stellar opinion of mankind, which is par for the course for these tracts on the breakdown of human society in the face of serious disaster, but where Greatshell could perhaps be forgiven for automatically assuming most humans to be complete jerks, it's strange that he also seems to assume they will be so singular in their approach to jerk status. The conceit here is that the titular "Xombie" virus (with an "X" for X chromosomes), was first airborne and affected all the women on earth capable of menstruation (the science for this part is soft enough to spread on a biscuit, so don't think to hard about it), but since our young heroine doesn't menstruate, she's immune - a single girl among hundreds of male refugees. What's odd is that pretty much every single member of a crew of hundreds - minus, basically, the dozen named characters - absolutely hate her with a vengeance for being (a) female and (b) not their moms/sisters/lovers/daughters that they left behind.

This setup is so foreign that it seems extremely odd and alien. I've no doubt that in such a situation, there would be quite a large amount of resentment toward the surviving girl, but for basically *everyone* without a name billing to react this way is so anathema to human behavior, which is frequently varied. You'd think a good portion of the refugees would go overboard the *other* direction, adopting the girl with an uncomfortable fervor to replace the ones who were lost, but not one person in this novel ever seems in the slightest danger of doing that, and it's just...weird. The few "good" guys just sort of tolerate and accept the protagonist, for the most part. And while it seems like a small complaint, it's worth noting that the male reactions to the female protagonist in their midst take up at least half of the novel, so that's a good half that (a) isn't filled with zombies, and (b) isn't a very realistic portrayal of the variance of human emotion and is therefore distracting and odd.

Anyway, we plunge on. Obviously, what with all humans being horrible jerks and with most of the women on earth out of commission (minus the very young and the very old), it's just a matter of time before the raping begins, and probably enough said about that except that it's rather rare to see an author embrace the reality that the raping isn't going to be confined to male-on-female in a situation like this. The narrative glosses over without any gory details, but somehow this matter-of-fact handling of the horrors makes them worse, and I am forced to admit that of all the novels I've read where it seems humanity might do best to wipe itself out, Greatshell manages to make one of the most terribly convincing cases - most readers will be rooting for the xombies to win, before the end.

If I'm disappointed with "Xombies", it's perhaps because I feel a lot of potential was wasted. The titular infected only take up about a third of the novel, with the other third focusing on interim survival and humans being jerks, leaving the novel feeling a little weak on the actual horror. The infected are scary, and yet somehow hard to take seriously - they are bright blue (easy to identify) and they turn humans by kissing, rather than biting, them - a plot point that would *seem* to make it easier to prevent being turned, by handing out oxygen masks to everyone. For that matter, a lot seems to have been poorly thought out - the infected aren't put down easily, and even a loose arm or leg can continue to attack apart from the body, and while that sounds like an *extremely* fun plot point, nothing is ever really done with it, which seems very much like a Missing Moment of Awesome. There should be at *least* one scene where a peacefully sleeping person is killed by a rogue arm that made its way slowly through the air ducts, or something. And since half the xombies are intelligent, it's just plain odd that they don't rip their own limbs off in the face of destruction, to achieve this. Beyond anything else, despite these zombies being the theoretically impossible to take down with basic weapons, the humans manage to do so time and again, without any real explanation - we're just to assume that they easily and quickly bludgeon everything into a pulpy mass, and it just doesn't work well in the imagination.

I enjoyed this book overall, and I'll probably pick up the sequel, but the soft science and self-induced plot holes, the one-size-fits-all social commentary, and the slow pacing means I probably won't read this one again.

~ Ana Mardoll

Sounded so different from what the usual genre is (slow, dumb, passive type zombies), thought I would hate it. But the sample was very good so I took a chance and I have to say, it was excellent and engaging. The story does involve a different type of zombie, but they are truly scary, nearly impossible to kill (head shots just don't get it done!), absolutely everywhere and relentless. The setting is post-apocalyptic and this book takes it geographically where it's never been before. The ending was something I did not see coming and it veers into very weird territory there. There's a preview at the end of a sequel(?) - can't wait to try that one too.

I love a good book of Zed but this? It could be so much more, it feels like the author is just almost there but not quite. I find the zombies very unrealistic: they are blue, hyper fast, very intelligent and dont die of headshots... I'n not scared in the slightest it feels like Elves Gone Wild part deux.... the plot and conversation a bit elementary and unrealistic and the main character passive and unrealistic. Really? The only immune girl you find and you keep giving her the most dangerous jobs? It feels like a young adult novel to be honest, there is no depth and I find the descriptions of the submarine to be lacking. I'm surprised by all the good reviews it got here. This is my first review but the book is so...wanting... I felt compelled to leave my .02

If you are looking for a zombie book this is not something you should pick up. Xombies, with an X for the virus "Agent X" that has attacked the world, are only present for about the first fourth of the book. The author created some pretty good cliffhanging chapter endings so I did want to keep reading but I'm not sure if it's because I was totally gripped by the book or just because I had no idea where the book was going to go next. The book does take a very sci fi turn for the last 3rd which I'm very hung up on if I like it or not. It wouldn't have been a problem for me if the first two-thirds were so different. This book is sort of a mixed bad for me. It was better than I expected but I'm really not sure where the author is/was going with the story either. Still haven't decided if I will pick up the second book when it comes out just because it was such a story change at the end.

Refreshing change of pace for a zombie fan. The premise puts a new slant on the same old zombie tale. Unlikely heroine that's hard not to like. A good read, much better than expected.

After reading a review copy of Walter Greatshell's Xombies: Apocalypticon, I had to go back and get my hands on a copy of "Xombies: Apocalypse Blues," the first book in the series. While the first book has a completely different main character and focus, what's the same is the fascinating look at a world on the brink of destruction.

Lulu is an interesting choice of main character. In some ways she seems a semi-passive observer of events, but it puts her in a particularly good place from which to show us how things change. As the only woman in a portion of society that now views women with fear, she's alternately treated as a prized possession, a ticking time-bomb, and an undeserving recipient of supplies and resources others could better use. She's whisked off by her father to set off on a nuclear sub that's been fitted out to hold some of the last dregs of humanity, and they're all headed for the frozen north, where there's supposed to be an area free of Xombies. Of course things are never quite so simple. How did the folks outfitting the sub know they'd need it when they did? Who's running this supposed safe place? What will Lulu's place be there?

And most of all, what is Agent X and how did it get loose?

The mystery of Agent X is fascinating. The characters are interesting. The machinations among the sub's crew and occupants lend great tension to events. Greatshell's take on "zombies" is fresh and unusual. But the true star of the book is the look at how society might change in the face of such adversity--particularly the gender-affecting aspects of the plague.

This take on zombies won't be for everyone--it's far from traditional, that's for sure. It's part horror, part bio-thriller, part action tale, and part post-apocalyptic world-building. If you're looking for a new take on the genre, however, this is a great place to start!

My title probably makes the book sound naughtier than it is. However, it does contain some sexual tension and there is some interesting stuff with gender.

The writing is definitely of a higher caliber than many sci-fi/ zombie books. I cared about the protagonist and found her to be a multi-dimensional character with a compelling back story and a challenging plot.

It seems clear that lots of research went into this book about submarines, the military, mythology, etc. It was sometimes difficult to discern what elements really existed and which were part of the author's imagination--which is certainly the mark of a master craftsman--the reader fully enters the author's world.

But to be honest I often check out a bit and skim the technical bits--I'm more interested in personal drama and what will happen next.

Awesome read, very fast-paced. I can't wait to read the sequel!!

I really enjoyed this book. I am a zombie fan all the way. The main character was a quiet introvert who found inner strength that only surfaced during a typical "zombie" crisis. I am in the Navy, so I really enjoyed the way the author captured some of the Navy terminology. Of course, there were politics involved the whole way, which is to be expected. The ending was a big surprise, which I always enjoy with a zombie book. I found it hard to keep up with all of the characters and some of the character development could have been better, but I did find myself waking up early on Saturday morning to catch a little reading time before the family woke up. I never do that anymore, so that just goes to show that this book was really good in my opinion. I am looking forward to the second book. I am going to buy it this weekend.