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May282010
BOOK REVIEW: ‘Flu’ by Wayne Simmons
by Carolyn • Posted in 2.5 Star Reviews, Authors Q-T, Book Reviews, Horror, Reviews by Carolyn, Wayne Simmons, Zombies
Title: Flu
Author: Wayne Simmons
Publisher: Snowbooks
Publication Date: April 2010
Paperback: 278 pages
Genre: Horror, Zombies
Source: Own Copy
Reviewed by: Carolyn
RATING: 5/10 – take it or leave it
SUMMARY:
There’s a nasty flu going round. An epidemic, they call it. The posters say to cover your mouth when you sneeze, and throw away the tissue. But such simple measures won’t stop this flu. Because when you catch the flu, armed police come and lock you in your house to die alone. When you catch this flu, it kills you in days. And when you catch this flu, two hours after it’s killed you, your eyelids snap open again… (Goodreads)
REVIEW:
I am a huge zombie fan. I love watching movies about them, reading books about them, basically I can’t get enough of them. So when I saw this beauty, with the pretty awesome cover, a while back, I knew I had to have it. Unfortunately, “Flu” just didn’t hit the mark for me and I found it rather disappointing.
“Flu” is not a particularly original novel, although it does try to be, but where it tries it falls flat due to the lack of explanation. People are dying after catching a new strain of flu virus only to rise again as the undead. There’s no explanation about how the virus works and why people are coming back from the dead. The author even goes to the lengths of including a doctor/scientist but never allows them to discover anything.
We are also told that the zombies secrete a mucus that toughens like a hard shell to protect them, possibly preserving them, but goes no further into detail or gives a reason for it. The zombies even love the sun and seem to be drawn to fire but nothing is explained and so I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated.
The other aspect I found odd was the fact that throughout the novel the characters seemed to believe that the zombies couldn’t hear due to the mucus and could barely see, and yet the zombies seem to know where everybody was. But if they couldn’t hear or see, then surely the zombies would just be wandering around aimlessly with no purpose. But the characters are bombarded with zombies at every turn, which I found most peculiar.
The characters are pretty well rounded although some of the interactions between them are a bit unrealistic and I thought some of the feelings between them happened too quickly. I realise that being in such an intense situation as a zombie ridden world would create emotions that may not have arisen otherwise, but certain passages of dialogue were a little jarring at times and just didn’t ring true.
I also found the ending to be a bit vague, so I’m not sure if the author is planning a sequel, but either way I am not a fan of ambiguity. The ending wasn’t a cliffhanger or a happy ever after, so I was left feeling a bit duped.
VERDICT:
I found “Flu” to be a fast-paced read, once I got going, however every time I put it down, I didn’t have the killer urge to pick it up again. It was engaging enough while I was reading it but I’ve read better within the zombie genre, however, if you’re a die-hard zombie fan then you may very well like it. Although it wasn’t awful, it certainly wasn’t great, so sadly, for me it was just a bit, meh…
You can find out more about the author here:
8 Comments
The cover is extremely creepy. Great review. I love how honest you are. I probably wont read the book but I have to give kudos to the author for creepiness. The book should be popular because of the flu scare and people like zombies.
CD
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Hi, just read your review and I have to completely disagree. I loved flu,it is fast pace, exciting and involves some very realistic characters (i should know i live in belfast!).
The story left the reader breathing space to make their own assumptions, rather than spelling everything out. I hate when books and movies patronise you with too much detail.
I think its safe to say of you like zombies you'll love this.
ps beautiful website by the way, must sign up properly for it
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Clarissa – Thanks! The cover is awesome, it's what caught my eye.
Anon – Of course you can disagree, readers aren't always going to like the same books. I'm glad you enjoyed Flu, but it just didn't do much for me – and you said "it's safe to say if you like zombies you'll love this", well I am a zombie fan, as I stated in my review, and I didn't.
But as I've said others will probably like it because that's how it goes – someone may love a book, another not so much. I understand an author may like to keep a reader guessing but I don't want a DIY book, I like answers, especially at the end. I don't think it's patronising.
Thanks for the blog compliments, I'm glad you like it
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Great review!
I got it because I loved the covers and I'm a zombies fan, too, and after reading your thoughts on it I'm wondering whether I'll like it or not. Well, at least it wasn't completely bad, I guess the fast-pace aspect is good!
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Kay – Thanks, I'm pleased you liked the review! You may really enjoy it like Anon above, but it just wasn't for me. But as I said it wasn't awful, it just didn't have the same impact as other zombie books I've read which was disappointing.
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I wouldn't call myself a "horror fan" because I simply love to read and I read just about anything. In fact, right before I read FLU, I read "Regretsy" and after I finished, I read "You Bite" by Christopher Moore.
It should also be said that I am an American (because sometimes, that makes a difference).
I really enjoyed FLU. I liked the characters, the way that Simmons told the story, even the gory descriptions. I particularly like his way of story-telling, the way he gives personality to any character, even the ones that don't make it beyond a few paragraphs.
I had the opposite problem you had- I didn't want to put the book down. I do agree that it was fast-paced. I have a handful of books that I read over and over again and FLU is on that shelf now. (Also on that shelf is "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt, "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold, "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire- to name a few).
Wayne Simmons' first novel, "Drop Dead Gorgeous" (which is set for re-release in 2011) has guaranteed that I will read anything he puts out.
If anyone has bought this book but hasn't read it yet, I say give it a go and see for yourself.
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Patty I loved your review and agree completely. Mr.Simmons is brilliant young author. Who grips you from the beginning till end. What is the purpose of every good story teller? Leave them wanting more. I feel I know each and every charactor in here personally. Wayne brings you into his books like that. the Dr. in here who was a product of the military a sadistic man with no feelings, was doing things he was told to do. (beg pardon)but he was not a scientist. At least I never saw mention of that. Well I can only hope this young author will bring us more such as a sequel (hopes) with his brilliant mind i'm sure we will hear more. since i've read his first novel I have been hooked. Drop Dead Georgeous. again another book I found hard to put down once I began reading it. Cheers Wayne, continue on. And thank you Book Chick for allowing me my review.
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It sounds like the book is definitely a nice try! I do enjoy the cover and still think I'm gonna give it a try because I like the fact that the author is aiming to be somewhat different in the zombie part of the reading world.
Loved your review though!
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