Fantasy & Horror Book Review: The Silent Land, Death Most Definite, Zombie Apocalypse!

I've been meaning to do one of these for a while.  I've read some fantastic books this year, a couple of which aren't normally my cup of tea, but I think it's important to read something a bit different now and again.

So, of the most recently read books, here goes... 

One I Love: The Silent Land by Graham Joyce

I had been eagerly anticipating this book and Joyce's latest offering didn't disappoint. I would even go as far to say that I think it is his best novel to date.  A ghost-love story, The Silent Land slowly sinks its hooks into you, in true Joyce style, until the moment of clarity hits you and you realise that you have given yourself over to the story. My breaking point was a couple of chapters in when the 'snow fell like goose feathers'...  Joyce's clean, minimalistic style allows the story to unfold without wasting time on unneccessary details.

Overall, The Silent Land is a beautiful and powerful novel, that reminds us just how terrifying it is to be human. 


Good Impulse Buy: Death Most Definite by Trent Jamieson

An impulse buy that paid off, Death Most Definite takes on the necromancer segment of the urban fantasy genre.  Steven de Selby is part of a community of necromancers who work for Death.  When someone starts killing off all the necromancers, it's up to Steven to find out who is behind the murders and to stay alive, with the help of an attractive-but-dead female necromancer.  Jamieson hails from Australia and the entire novel is set in Brisbane, which makes it a bit different from the majority of the US based urban fantasy novels.  Steven is low on the pecking order and a bit of a waster which leads to some interesting character development as the story progresses. 

In places it is a bit cliched (dead girl is brought back from the dead), however most of the novel is fresh and different to other novels on the urban fantasy market.  (Steven riding a bicycle through the Hell was a favourite moment.) Overall, worth a read if you're after something different. 

            
Wouldn't Normally Read But LOVED: Zombie Apocalypse! ed. by Stephen Jones

 I picked this up at FantasyCon in September and although I would never normally go for anything with zombies (deeply rooted terror from childhood), I found that I couldn't put it down. 

Zombie Apocalypse! is a collection of linked short stories all centred around the theme of... you guessed it, a zombie apocalypse.  With contributions from some outstanding horror writers including Sarah Pinborough and Tim Lebbon, the story unfolds through recovered emails, transcripts, government documents and twitter conversations.  The narrative progresses through different accounts from individuals across society, bringing an authenticity that is truly frightening. 

Zombie Apocalypse! is brutal, hilarious and terrifying (it could actually happen!)  Like The Silent Land it touches the part of us that is human.  At the end of the world, we will cling to the ones we love.          

      
Currently reading: The Night Land by William Hope Hodgeson, as recommended by my dad.  Will report back!

Merry Christmas!