Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

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Rot and Ruin
by Jonathan Maberry

One of the books that I read this week was Jonathan Maberry’s zombie novel, Rot and Ruin. It tells the story of fifteen-year-old Benny Imura and the events that happen in his life after her decides to apprentice with his older brother, Tom.  Tom is a zombie bounty hunter, but he prefers the term closure specialist. Benny has very infantile ideas of what it would be like to kill zoms for a living, and he idolizes bounty hunters like Charlie Matthias and Motor City Hammer, who can often be found at the Lafferty General Store bragging about their exploits. After he turns fifteen, he has to find a job or lose his food ration pay, so he reluctantly agrees to follow his brother into the family business. Going out to the Ruin and actually seeing what Tom does for a living changes Benny, and it’s nearly a week after her returns that he has the ability to talk to his friends, Chong, Morgie, and Nix. The bulk of the novel follows the adventures of the two brothers as they try to figure out what has happened to the Lost Girl, Lilah, and her connection to Gameland, a place in the Ruin where bounty hunters pit children against zombies for sport and gambling. The story is told from the perspective of Benny, who initially resents his older brother but who soon learns to appreciate his courage and compassion. The characters are well rounded, the story is believable in the context of the world of the novel, and the novel unfolds at a quick pace of an adventure story. 

I had been a little hesitate to read a zombie narrative, as this is not my preferred genre, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that Maberry had fleshed out a world and society that has survived a zombie apocalypse. It’s through Tom and Benny’s investigation into the whereabouts of Lilah that we realize the difference between zombies, who are dangerous and destructive, but have no will, and ruthless men like Charlie Matthias who are evil and whose intentional actions are far more monstrous than any zombie. I can easily see this book in the hands of readers who enjoy a twist on the zombie narrative, and I’m interested in reading some of the sequels once I have some free time.