Tori's Review: The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
I thought that, since V-Day is typically all mushy and gushy and blah, I would commemorate the day with a good old fashioned zombie book chock full of blood and gore. Because, after all, what better way is there to show that you care about your S/O than by making them read a zombie book?

*Note: this is the reprint cover for this series (I think it's a stronger cover, which is why I am using it instead of the original).

Paperback - 240 pages
Price: $15.00
ISBN 13: 978-0805092431
Released: August 3, 2010

Alden's Website
Buy it via the Publisher
Buy it via Amazon

Obtained: Publisher 
Genre: Literary; Horror 
Series: 
1. The Reapers are the Angels

Zombies have infested a fallen America. A young girl named Temple is on the run. Haunted by her past and pursued by a killer, Temple is surrounded by death and danger, hoping to be set free.
 
For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can't remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her on a personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulated remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.

My Rating:

My Opinion:
When I was first approached to review this book (an extremely long time ago), I had my reservations. For some reason, I don't read a lot of zombie books. Maybe it's because the movies scare the crap out of me. And those shooter games like Left4Dead? I scream every time a zombie pops out. Seriously. That's why you don't want me on vent or skype while playing ANY shooter game. I'll shatter your eardrums.

When I received the book (again, an extremely long time ago), I was not in the mood to read about zombies, and thus, THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS sank into the middle of my review pile, doomed to months of neglect. (I see a trend with neglecting awesome books...)

It was not until sometime last week that I realized how horrible of a person I was for ignoring this book. And well, since I was sick of YAs and those blasted love triangles, I figured a zombie book would be the perfect escape from lovey dovey bull shit.

Boy was I right.

THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS is a zombie masterpiece. It follows a few days in the life of our heroine, Temple. She lives in a United States gone to hell because someone like Sarah Palin became our president. Okay no, maybe not, but the United States is basically no more due to a humongous zombie infestation. If you die, you turn into a zombie. If you get bitten, you turn into a zombie.

Survivors are forced to fence off their surroundings, painting windows and living in lighthouses (like Temple!) in order to avoid these creatures. I thought the resourcefulness of the humans in this book was inspiring. This is definitely survival of the fittest. And what's even more interesting? Alden Bell didn't make the zombies all that evil. He made them sound more like animals that simply follow their instincts to survive.

I thought the exploration of the states, how Temple adopts a Dummy (though her calling him that all the time pissed me off), and the hillbillies were exciting. I wish I could have seen what New York would have been like. Would it be a zombie town, or would it be like Cali with lots of refugees?

I have two complaints: the speech and the reason why the world is the way it is.

Most books have "quotes" that separate speech from narration. The lack of quotations marks threw me quite a few times while reading this story. There were some moments where I was unsure of whether or not Temple was speaking or if it was supposed to be narration. Even now, I am unsure of why the author would avoid quotation marks.

As for why the world is the way it is... We don't get any story about how such a large portion of humanity is suddenly succumbing to this zombie plague. Was there some chemical war that resurrected all dead people? Did the chemical bomb infect anyone within the vicinity who breathed in the fumes, transforming them into lumbering, soulless creatures? I have no idea, and neither does Temple. And yet, there are plenty of characters who were alive when the world was "normal," so why don't we get this explanation? I'm disappointed this wasn't explored further.

THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS is a story about survival. It questions what true evil actually is. It discusses life and death and the way of the universe. God is an important figure for most of these characters. When it comes to themes, this novel is chock full of them. As for an actual story/plot? For me, it felt more like this story was simply wandering around, searching for something to happen. I didn't feel like there was an actual structured plot for some reason. Perhaps I got that vibe due to the general feeling of the world for Temple.

Should you read THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS? Yes, yes, and yes. This novel is a wonderful break from the typical paranormal books out there. I felt like the zombies could actually exist in our world, unlike a lot of the fantasy book characters out there. I will say this though: if I did not like the writing style, the world, and all the gore, I would have DNF'ed this book. If you are unsure about buying this, I'd suggest reading an excerpt to make sure the writing style is for you. Because if it isn't, you're probably going to despise this book.