Zom-B Baby by Darren Shan

Zom-B Baby by Darren Shan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - Over 2 days

Pages - 224

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Source - The Works

Blurb from Goodreads

How do you know if you're working for a lunatic?
Where do you go when you've run out of people to trust?
Have you ever heard an undead baby scream?
B Smith is out of her comfort zone . . .


My Review

This is book five in a series, you could get away with starting here as you get a very very brief recap of what has happened in the previous books. I would say grab the previous so you get a better grasp of the characters but you can start with this one.

B Smith is still the main character, still a zombie, still able to think and in a "team" with other thinking zombies. They are preparing for the inevitable fight against the others. B isn't sure she wants to stay with them & Doctor Oystein, it doesn't sit well with her he says God talks to him. The alternatives, go it alone or go find The Clown who is evil & encourages acts of savage depravity. This was the same theme really of the last book however this one looks more at B's relationship within the small group. We come back to a character from the previous book and get some closure for that character whilst opening up a whole new path. B has been dreaming about monster babies since before the apocalypse kicked off, could she now be closer to getting answers?

Not too much in the way of action happens, I felt. It was more about the characters interactions and thought processes. This will no doubt please some of the fans of this series as you get character depth and development. I would have liked more closure on some of the past stuff to be honest however there are another eight books in the series so I am sure I will get answers as they go on. I don't have any more of these on my tbr and I would read them as I come across them but won't be rushing out to buy them all. A good read but not my favourite of the series so far, 3/5 for me this time.

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ZomB Angels by Darren Shan

Zom-B Angels by Darren Shan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 233

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Blurb from Goodreads


After spending the last few months wandering around London--a city filled with the dead--B Smith has given up hope for any sign of normal human existence. But then B finds strange signs all over the city--a "Z" plus red arrows. Following them, B finds The Angels-- a group gathered in the hopes of combating the evil dead and the forces that introduced them. But all is not as it seems and it's up to B to find out: what battle are they truly waging?



My Review


This is book 4, if you haven't read the previous books I would recommend you do so as I think you get much more out of the story knowing the previous parts. B is out and about, going around London and not finding anything much apart from zomheads. She has followed the Z & red arrows and come across a group, a safe haven, a place she can be herself. As B starts to understand what the place is about and their mission, she has to decide if this is right for her.

So, we certainly get a few more answers in this book and a focus as to where the story is headed as well as a bit more insight into the dreaded clowns ans his minions. Again some scenes are gross and there is one particularly harrowing scene with a child so be warned. I felt there was a wee bit of preachiness in this book, religion and again racism which has featured in the previous books especially if you know B's background.

Overall, if you have enjoyed the series so far you will like this one. B is further developing who she is and whilst she won't physically age she is certainly maturing and growing as a "person". 3/5 for me this time, I have the next installment and I will be reading it soon, I am quite keen to see where Shan takes it.

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ZomB City by Darren Shan

Zom-B City by Darren Shan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Publisher - Simon & Schuster UK

Pages - 213

Blurb from Goodreads


How many survived the zombie apocalypse?Where do the living hide in a city of the dead?

Who controls the streets of London?

B Smith is setting out to explore...



My Review

B is out from underground, picking up from where we left book three, she is weak, hungry and disorientated. Stumbling about she hits the streets of London, among the undead to try and find her way through the new world and what her place in it might be.

You can read this book as a stand alone as Shan does give a brief recap of what you have missed, however if you can I would suggest going back and reading the others. B is determined she won't be attacking humans but she knows what she needs to do in order to survive. Despite being undead and never being able to age, B is growing up fast and trying to adapt to her new way of life. Coming across the undead is not her only problem, there are much worse things than zombies out there and what do they have planned for her?

More death, gore and self exploration, some of the scenes cover innocent and young victims which some readers may find distressing. If you have read the previous and enjoyed you won't be disappointed with this one. B's journey continues, we are offered a bit more insight into what has happened and how our world looks now. I can't wait to see where the next installment takes us, 4/5 for me this time.

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Underground by Darren Shan

Zom-B Underground by Darren Shan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - on and off over 1 day

Pages - 212

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Blurb from Goodreads

Waking up in a military complex, months after zombies attacked school, B has no memory of the last few months. Life in the UK has turned tough since the outbreak, and B is woven into life- and battle- in the new military regime quickly. But as B learns more about the zombies held in the complex and the scientists keeping them captive, unease settles in. Why exactly was B saved? And is there anyone left in the world to trust?


My Review

This is the second book in the series so if you haven't read the first, stop reading this review and grab the first one. B has lost time, she doesn't remember the last few months and is now under military capture. With a team and under direct instructions B has to come to terms with who she is now and what is expected of her. She isn't gelling with her new team, her is adapting to her situation but as with the first book she has an internal battle going on.

I actually preferred this book to the first, this B has some tough choices to deal with and adaptions to make to get through the situation. She shows much more integrity with darker trials presented although the racist aspect is still looming in there. The setting is within a military building which could have be boring for some readers but I think it was a perfect setting for the build up and examination of B's character and those around her.

It is a zombie book with a twist, yes zombies who can think and talk have been done before but Shan puts a spin on that and offers, certainly for me, a unique take on the whole zombie them. One that can think, ones that are cannibalistic monsters, a mix of both and a stab at an explanation for it, we don't often get that. There is a fair amount of gore and splatter in the book but then it is a zombie apocalypse, we also see a bit of soul and there is some humour infused into the tale. 4/5 for me this time, but for the fact I have a ridik amount of review books awaiting my attention, I would have tore into the next installment of this series!

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Zom-B by Darren Shan

Zom-B by Darren Shan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 217

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Blurb from Goodreads

Zom-B is a radical new series about a zombie apocalypse, told in the first person by one of its victims. The series combines classic Shan action with a fiendishly twisting plot and hard-hitting and thought-provoking moral questions dealing with racism, abuse of power and more. This is challenging material, which will captivate existing Shan fans and bring in many new ones. As Darren says, "It's a big, sprawling, vicious tale...a grisly piece of escapism, and a barbed look at the world in which we live. Each book in the series is short, fast-paced and bloody. A high body-count is guaranteed!"



My Review

This is the first book in a zombie series, we open with B our main character, a teenager who is still at school when the first stirrings of a zombie outbreak starts. No one really believes it and thinks the videos & news are mock ups. We follow B through relatively mundane happenings, until over 100 pages in we finally get our first glimpse of the undead.

So, for me this was a bit more like Fear The Walking Dead rather than The Walking Dead, heavily focused on the pre and build up to the actual onslaught. B is not a likable main character, a lot of time is spent being a bully or just horrible selfish behaviour to assessing the behviour and not wanting to be like her very racist father. There are scenes of bullying, racism, violence and when the zombies finally show up, some gore. There are also some black and white illustration artwork scattered throughout the book which makes for a nice wee change I thought.

There is a lot focus on self exploration of B's attitude, family values (that of white extremist attitude of the father), pack mentality in schools and survival mode. There are quite a few books in this series, I have already bought them so will be reading them. I would advise this may not be for the die hard zombie fans as it is a slow burner and not quite as much focus on the outbreak and zombies as it is on the characters however it is still a decent read, 3/5 for me.

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