Rot and Ruin

By Jonathan Maberry

The Catcher in the Rye meets The Walking Dead in this gripping, postapocalyptic teen thriller from award-winning author Jonathan Maberry.

In a world full of zombies, who are the REAL MONSTERS? 

Nearly fourteen years ago, a freak virus swept across the world - turning those infected into the undead. Benny Imura has grown-up never knowing anything different; his last memory of his parents was of them becoming zombies. Now Benny is fifteen, and joining his brother Tom in the 'family business' of zombie killing.

Benny and Tom head into the Rot and Ruin, an area full of the wandering undead, and Benny realises that being a bounty hunter isn't just about whacking zombies. Benny finds his beliefs challenged - and discovers that sometimes the worst monsters you can imagine aren't the zombies, after all…

'This is anything but another zombie novel... exciting, full of action, and curiously thoughtful' Charlaine Harris, author of the True Blood series
'A thought-provoking thriller that still delivers a good dose of action and gore' The Bookseller
'Highly recommended' The Bookbag.co.uk
'…thoughtful, postapocalyptic coming-of-age tale…In turns mythic and down-to-earth, this intense novel combines adventure and philosophy to tell a truly memorable zombie story...' Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Also by Jonathan Maberry:
Dust and Decay
Dead and Gone 
Flesh and Bone
Fire and Ash 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Mar 3, 2011
• ISBN: 9780857070968

Jonathan Maberry

JONATHAN MABERRY (he/him) is a New York Times bestselling, Inkpot winner, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Relentless, Ink, Patient Zero, Rot & Ruin, Dead of Night, the Pine Deep Trilogy, The Wolfman, Zombie CSU, and They Bite, among others. His V-Wars series has been adapted by Netflix, and his work for Marvel Comics includes The Punisher, Wolverine, DoomWar, Marvel Zombie Return and Black Panther. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and also edits anthologies such as Aliens vs Predator, Nights of the Living Dead (with George A. Romero), Don’t Turn out the Lights, and others.

Reviews for Rot and Ruin

[deirdrea-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

OK, first let me state that the three stars are not a reflection on Mr. Maberry's writing. On the contrary -- if you read this book, you will find excellent writing, wonderful plotting, interesting world building and great characters. But you will also find zombies. In fact, you will be reading about life after the zombie apocalypse. And I just don't buy zombies ( I think they're silly). Many otherwise wonderful books have been ruined for me because they have zombies in them. And to me, zombies are gross and horrible, but also completely ridiculous and not at all convincing. Whereas I am OK with ring wraiths, as in Tolkien, gods, as in Megan Whalen Turner, and nature magic, as in Hilari Bell. But dead people who rise from the grave and try and eat your brains? Nope! That's just too silly.

But I digress. What I'm trying to say is, don't pay any attention to my three stars, if you like zombies. For you, this book may well be a 5 star read! Because there are many wonderful things in it, plus zombies. The characters and their interactions are really vivid and engaging, and the plot is compelling and in places really moving, as well.

In sum -- I think this is a really good book. Well worth reading, despite the zombies -- just not my favorite, because of the zombies.

[flying_monkeys_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Rating: 3 of 5I read Rot and Ruin in one sitting. So obviously the story held my attention - mainly because Maberry kept hinting at deeper meanings and then I wanted the full story - but overall it didn't blow my mind or get me super excited to read the sequels.Thankfully, the aforementioned hinting did lead to full explanations. That meant there were several scenes of Tom explaining something to Benny or telling him about past events. All the telling usually happened in the middle of action or potential action, so it did not feel like info dump.Benny, the main character, wasn't all that likable and he often vacillated between morose/irrational and friendly/sensible. (Was that intentional? Because teenagers act that sometimes?) There were inconsistencies in worldbuilding and plot, but nothing that couldn't be overlooked by the casual reader. I dunno; I just never fully lost myself in the world or characters, which is why I won't move on to the sequel.This one's probably a good fit for readers who enjoy zombie stories with adequate characterization, moderate action, and high sentimentality.Note to self: Am I in a reading funk (October 2012)? Or am I picking the "wrong" books for me? The last few books I've read have been well-written but just okay. Hopefully I'll read one soon that'll knock my socks off.

[jilliannn-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As much as I love zombie movies, I cant seem to ever get into zombie novels.

[maureene87 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am really, really not a zombie person.* When I saw this one had won the Cybil for YA SF/F, I kind of groaned and went "REALLY?" And then I read it and enjoyed it, which just goes to show you. It's fast-paced and smart and funny and sad. I loved Tom and Benny's banter and the real relationship they had. It's another book where the defining relationship is familial, not romantic (though there is a bit of that as well). It wraps up nicely, though there's room for a sequel. The last 100 pages or so was a little weaker, in my opinion, especially with the sudden expositions all over the place, but all in all I was very pleasantly surprised.

* The first draft of this sentence was "Zombies leave me cold" [Feb. 2011]

[a_reader_of_fictions · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At the outset, Benny is a bit of an obnoxious kid. He has some serious teen boy syndrome going on, what with the rebellion against his parental figure, whining, messing with a girl's feelings and idolization of whoever has the biggest muscles. Although this did help create sympathy for Tom and Nix, I still had trouble, even to the end of the novel, liking Benny, or Tom for that matter. Benny definitely got better, but he still has a lot of growing up to do. He wasn't completely awful and I didn't want him to die or anything, but he is not going down as a favorite either. Tom, while a really good guy, who I would probably have a bit of a crush on, just came off as way too much of a goody goody, even when you get to see him in action mode.

You know who I loved though? Nix and, to a lesser degree, Lilah. Although Rot & Ruin is written by a man and the main character is male and the main audience is likely teenage boys, most of the women in this novel still kick serious ass. Props to Jonathan Maberry for not writing about teenage girls who only talk about boys and trip all over themselves and constantly need to be saved. Honestly, I think Nix saves Benny's hide more often than he saves hers.

The dystopian aspects were pretty cool, although somewhat similar to the way Carrie Ryan's world reacted to the zombie menace, minus the crazy gates all over the place. Maberry didn't do anything too original with his worldbuilding, but its solid and the book is well-written. For zombie dystopias, I rank this way above Carrie Ryan's books, but still far below Mira Grant's Newsflesh series.

While I never got super engrossed into Rot & Ruin, perhaps because I just wasn't quite in the right mood, it was definitely a solid read and I am looking forward to the second book, Dust & Decay.

[kissedbyink · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best. Zombie. Book. Ever! This is definitely your average zombie story. Nope. There is too much character and depth to the story. Yes, there is blood and killing of walkers, but there is also a story and characters to love. A MUST read!

[teamdewey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a great read for zombie or "last days" fans. The characters have depth that makes you really care about how their story will unfold.

[kelley1673_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Tom and Benny Imura. Even if you are not a fan of zombies, this book is a great story of going out in the world, growing up, and realizing that things aren't always as they seem.

[chickey1981 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Several people that I really trust told me that I would love this book, and they were completely right. I've had this book on my to read list for a while. I was a little apprehensive because I have not been very impressed with any of the zombie YA books I've read. This includes the extremely hyped up "This Is Not a Test." Rot and Ruin, on the other hand, was intelligent, thoughtful, moving, and fast paced.Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry focuses on Benny Imura, who was orphaned after First Night, when the first zombie outbreak took place 14 years ago. He was rescued by his brother, Tom, who is a skilled Bounty Hunter. Benny doesn't think much of his brother and thinks him a coward. In the beginning of the book, Benny tries to find a job that fits him. In the end, he realizes that he is destined to follow in his brother's footsteps, and that his brother is more than he seems to be.It is hard to compress this wonderful book into a synopsis without giving away its wonderful secrets. Let's just say that this book develops layer after layer, each one more intricate and thoughtful than the last. Maberry does a masterful job of world building. Zombies are more than just zombies-- the remaining humans have created a culture around them. All of their jobs, etc, have to do with living their lives free of zombies. Then there is the Rot and Ruin where the zombies roam free where Bounty Hunters are paid to put zombies down. Even that is treated with a reverence and thoughtfulness that I thought remarkable. The characters are many layered as well, as three dimensional as you get. Benny starts off as an annoying, bratty adolescent who then is confronted with darkness much scarier than the zombies and has to grow up too fast. Then there is Nix, who is a wonderful female counterpart. Tom, Benny's brother, may have been my favorite character and I may just have a little bit of a crush on him. And then another character is introduced that is incredibly intriguing, whom I think we will learn more about in future books.I could go on and on about how wonderful this book is. Because it was so good, I'm worried that the next two books may not live up to the first. But you can be sure I'm picking them up. Overall, one of the best books I've read all year.

[donnagalanti · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jonathan Maberry creates undaunted heroes for a new era that you will champion for out loud in the first book of this edgy, dark new YA series. The story and characters stay with you long after you close the cover. It’s a book not about zombies but about love, survival, and redemption.Maberry shines light across a ravaged land 15 years after a zombie epidemic, a world that teenage Benny Imura grows up in. It’s a painful journey following Benny as his limited, and often naïve, world view is crushed with devastating events that change the course of his life. Events that also resonate in the greater world he discovers around him.Through fast paced and horrific heart-grabbing scenes Maberry reveals that zombies are to be pitied and true evil lies within those who remain alive. Its heart breaking to witness Benny as his wide-eyed innocence is replaced with a hunger to survive and help his loved ones at any cost, but we are also touched by the love he finds in the brother, Tom. A brother Benny never really knew, but comes to see as a different kind of hero to reclaim their world. As Benny relentlessly claws his way across the great rot and ruin to stay alive, his childhood is lost blow by blow but the man he is to be stands in his place – an unlikely hero alongside his brother.

[amandacb_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This young adult novel actually got me thinking. Benny's older brother does an important job of hunting the zombies, if one must call it that, but it is important in any instance of warfare to remember the humanity on either side. What irked me about this otherwise well-written and well-paced novel is that there was little information about the provnance of the zombie event itself.

[ef_forshizzledizzle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rot and Ruin is set in a zombie apocalyptic future where the main character, 15-year-old Benny Imura, has lived most of his life. When at the age of 15, people in the small surviving community he lives in must choose their career in order to continued receiving food. After resisting his brother's suggestions of becoming a Bounty Hunter like himself, Benny finally gives in and begins training. He sees the world from a different perspective, his eyes now open to what really went on outside of their safe bubble. When Benny's friend Nix is kidnapped by a band of closed-minded Bounty Hunters to be taken to a fight for survival game, he sets out to save her with his older brother Tom by his side, facing an epic journey along the way. All in all, I think this book was one of the best I've read in a long time. It opens up your eyes to things you'd never think about before. A must read!

[angelafristoe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was a bit unsure what to expect from this book. Novels with male protagonists aren't my normal taste, but the cover and blurb really drew me in. What I found was the male version of Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Not that they are similar as far as plot or characters go, but the underlying message seemed to be alike, that we can't shut out the rest of the world. Benny at first seems very immature and sheltered, considering the zombie infested world he lives in, hanging out with his friends and looking for a job that pays great but requires little effort. Once he's forced into working with his brother, his character begins to grow and that for me carried the story. There were parts of the plot, such as the zombie games, that seemed a bit stereotypical post-apocalyptic movie, but it's how Benny comes to his realizations about himself, his brother, and his world that really kept me reading.Benny is a true three dimensional character. We see all sides of him, and the way Maberry mixes the darkness of a horror story with the sometimes humorous thoughts of a teenage boy is refreshing. I didn't feel like Benny' was being forced down a path by circumstances. He actively chooses his path to the end of the book. Maberry managed to keep a certain lightness to much of the story, and it's partly because Benny isn't aware of the horror in the Rot & Ruin where the zombies continue to dwell. The violence isn't over done and Benny's brother Tom manages to humanize the zombies in a way that actually makes the ending so sad to read.This is the first of the Benny Imura series, with Dust & Decay the second book and he has a few other Zombie books out as well. I'm already looking forward to reading more by Mr. Maberry!

[4sarad_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yes, this was a zombie book, but it seemed different than most zombie books. Instead of starting the book right when the zombie apocalypse began or soon after, it starts about 14 years after it happened. It's a very different point of view when you see the world through someone's eyes who doesn't even remember what the world was like "before". The characters were great and the relationship building between the two brothers was awesome. I liked all the little details Maberry put in like the job options for a 15 year old and how everyone locks themselves into their rooms at night to keep the zombies out and to keep themselves in if they happen to die in the night. You can tell he really REALLY thought everything through. I liked the twist near the end... it helped make up for the fact that a lot of other things that happened were easy to see coming. Looking forward to picking up the sequel at some point.

[jennanana_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Listened to the audiobook; narrator did a great job. Fifteen years after a zombie apocalypse, few have survived and are trying to fix the sad state of the world. Zombies still thrive in the "rot and ruin" or the area outside of the safe confines of the survivors' camp. Benny learns to be a zombie bounty hunter from his older brother. After an attack on their camp, Benny's best friend is kidnapped and taken to Gameland where kids are pitted against zombies for entertainment. Benny sets out on an adventure with his brother to rescue his friend and on the way comes to understand more and more about what happened fifteen years ago. Not a typical zombie story, gives an interesting spin on the nature of zombies. Set long after the zombie apocalypse when people are starting to rebuild.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As he turns fifteen, Benny Imura can’t find a job, unfortunately if he wants to receive rations he has no choice, he must work. As his career options narrow, he realizes that he’s going to have to do the one thing he didn’t want to do, join the family business. Living in a world infested with billions of zombies, Benny trains for his career as a zombie killer. His older brother Tom appears to be teaching Benny more than just the whacking of zombies, he seems to be trying to show Benny that the real monsters of this world are still living.I loved Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry. A action packed coming of age story that sees the main character, Benny Imura, transform from a know-it-all, selfish teenager into a responsible, caring person who sees beyond his immediate needs to the well being of others. A few home truths, a lot of zombie action, and dealing with a group of outlaw bounty hunters makes this kid grow up fast.Yes, all the usual zombie gore and violence, but this book also provides some insightful bonding between two brothers, as each struggles to see the other’s point of view. The females aren’t forgotten either as Maberry gives us two independent, strong, resourceful girls that helped to make the book such a fun read. I’m looking forward to Jonathan Mayberry’s next instalment in this zombie apocalypse series to see how these great characters develop.

[thehistorychic · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read from March 13 to 18, 2012Read for Fun!Challenges: Zombies, Read for FunOverall Rating: 4.25Story Rating: 4.25Character Rating: 4.50First Thought when Finished: I am slightly in love with a fictional character named Tom Imura!What I Loved: Rot & Ruin was set long after the First Night and gives us a glimpse at society trying to rebuild itself. I loved that Jonathan wasn't afraid to show us that some people chose to hide, some people chose to fight, some people were nasty creatures, and other people chose to make their own kind of stand. I imagine that the world he created is a lot like what would happen if something catastrophic changed our world. Rot & Ruin really makes you think about what your coping mechanism would be in a crisis. I also really loved that even though this is YA (there are some very smack the teenager up the head moments), you never feel as if that is the whole story. There are adult figures, family, teenagers learning lessons (and not knowing it all), and mostly truth shared through experience and teaching. This is the kind of YA that I enjoy reading.What I Liked: The characters in Rot & Ruin run the spectrum in personalities. Jonathan Maberry pretty much put one of each into the mix and let you find someone you could identify with. I think that above all it was the people (good and bad) that makes this story tick! Plus, I really liked Tom Imura's POV towards Zombies and how he is teaching Benny to think as well as act!Final Thought When Finished: I am glad I have the 2nd one on hand to start!

[sensitivemuse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed reading this novel through and through. Sure, Benny Imura is rather hard to deal with in the first part of this book. His attitude is something close to a lazy brat who doesn’t enjoy any of the jobs he gets. Even when he becomes Tom’s apprentice, his attitude still doesn’t let up. Yet that’s the best part of Benny’s character, because it develops in a big way throughout this book. He goes from immature, to mature as the novel progresses. I enjoy reading Benny’s friendships with Chong and Nix. Especially with Chong. They both make a perfect friendship and that’s where some of the humor comes from. Character development in this book is wonderful and well done with all of the main characters. Of all the characters, Benny’s attitude wasn’t so great but it improved as the book went along. I found it hard to like Nix. She just wasn’t that great in my opinion. (Lilah on the other hand, ended up becoming one of my favorite characters, second to Tom).The plot of this book was also good. The action was great and everything you could want in a zombie plot. Yet besides zombies, there’s also the threat of not so nice humans out there and this is what I liked the most about the book. It’s not all just pure killing zombies, but also what humanity does in horrible situations and what some very horrible people are quite capable of doing. This was well done, as like Benny, we’re assuming this is all going to be about zombie killing. Tom shows Benny and the reader what’s it really like, getting rid of these ‘zoms’. Zombie fans rejoice, this is one of the better books out there regarding the subject. It’s catered to a younger audience but readers of all ages should enjoy this one as much as I did. Most definitely recommended!

[readaholic12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very quick and satisfying read, good YA zombie apocalypse story with strong characters and fast pacing.

[jakehlyn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a post-apocalyptic scenario lover, Rot and Ruin was right up my alley! Mayberry manages to write a character driven zombie book that eloquently weaves action and gore in to a thought provoking coming of age novel. Two thumbs up!

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Benny reluctantly agrees to apprentice with his brother who kills Zoms for a living. Benny soon leans that the world is much more complex that he imagined. The origins of the zombie outbreak are interwoven in to this story of trying to rescue Nix and find Lilah, the Wild Girl. Tom is an amazing brother and Benny is a character to cheer for as he figures out who he is and what he believes. An intense book with twists and turns and loads of action! Sharing the idea of being fenced in to protect from zombies with the Forest of Hands and Teeth, this book is quite different - got a wild west flair and some of the humans are a lot more deadly than the zombies.

[catheolson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When 15-year-old Benny needs to find a job or lose his food rations, he ends up apprenticing for his older brother Tom as a zombie killer. He finds that out in the zombie-infested world of the "rot and ruin"--there there are living men who are much more evil than zombies. I loved this teen novel where the zombies are not the actually the bad guys. The book is excellently written, very suspenseful with just a touch of romance--but be warned, this is not for the faint of heart; there are many scenes that will make you cringe. What I like most about the book though is the message of looking beyond the surface--things are not always as black or white or as good or evil as they appear.

[theepicrat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

OMZ, Jonathan Maberry, you have truly outdone yourself – and while I wasn’t in love with Patient Zero last year, I am tempted to camp out on your doorstep and beg you for more tales of the Imura brothers, the Lost Girl, and ye olde world of Rot & Ruin. I cannot believe I did not pick it up until now! This book is a MUST-READ. It reminds me of THE FIRST DAYS with a little touch of ZOMBIELAND and dash of The Forest Of Hands And Teeth. It was almost like Jonathan Maberry threw all the best things zombie and cooked up such a rich and brainy story to sink our teeth into. Delicious! f(0_o)fTHE GOOD BITS{A dynamic love-hate relationship between brothers who lost their parents on the First Night.} Rot & Ruin chronicles the post-zombocalyptic world through Benny Imura’s eyes as he reaches the age of “adulthood” (15). He blames his older brother for leaving their parents to die, and he has a blind hatred for zombies. When Benny is forced to shadow Tom to learn what happens in the Ruin, he has to face the possibility that all that he has been taught and heard may not be true – or humane.{Tom Imura.} I wish there had been a little more about him because his story would definitely be phenomenal. He is a zombie samurai who has a lot of honor and heart. As an older sibling myself, I could relate to Tom and all his burdens/responsibilities. Not to mention living with a brother who makes no effort to hide his disdain for your very existence.{Parts 3 and 4.} Holy fried brainz on a stick! LOVE LOVE LOVE. Action-packed, horror-filled, tear-jerked, surprise-ended, zombie-loaded :D Well worth the journey!THE BAD BITS{Misleading Zombie Trading Cards.} I don’t know if the paperback version will have the awesome Zombie Trading Cards illustrations on the inside front and back cover, but I was looking forward to an encounter with “The Bride Of Coldwater Spring.” She sounded delightful – and by delightful, I mean downright frightful! However, because of the cards, I had prepared myself for a completely different zombie story. Like Benny, I had imagined the glory days of zombie bounty hunters – taking down zombies like nobody’s business! On the flipside, I am more than satisfied with the actual Rot & Ruin story!{The deaths of certain characters} ...whom I shall not name here, but dearly wished that they had not gone the zombie way. However, I think that this also drove home what Jonathon Maberry wanted to get across. Yes, we all love our zombies getting blown to smithereens, but have we gone a little kill-kill-kill-crazy? Let’s stop and remember that zombies had family who might still be human.{The book ended.} Granted, I thought the ending was the most beautifully-crafted piece of work, but I was seriously distraught that the story ended there. So many questions, so many ties left undone, and so much more revolutionary changes to make! Thank goodness that DUST & DECAY has already come out because I don’t think I can wait much longer to find out what happens next!THE OVERALLAbsolutely a stunning piece of storytelling that shines a whole new light on zombies! I loved the way that Jonathan Maberry envisioned them and how that idea served as a way to bring brothers together after a tragedy that seems hard to forget and forgive. This would make an excellent movie with all the right sort of tension, excitement, romance, and humor! For a title like Rot & Ruin , this book has built such a strong, flavorful world where the sky is the limit.

[kayceel_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

THIS. WAS. SO. GOOD.I love zombie stories - mostly because I like reading about what happens after the world ends for most of the world, and the few people still alive must figure out what to do next. Zombies are just a really creepy and gory way to tell that story, and so has my devotion.Benny has grown up hating his older brother, and cannot imagine how such a cowardly man can have such a good reputation as a bounty hunter. In Benny's world, turning fifteen means one is ready to get a job, and so he tries to find one that doesn't suck in his fenced in town - but as his eyesight sucks and he hates all the other jobs...he's forced to ask his brother to take him on as an apprentice. What Benny learns about his brother and about the world beyond the safe fences - the Rot & Ruin - changes Benny forever.This book is intense, scary, sad and ugly, as is the world in which Benny and his brother live. Tom, Benny's brother, earns his living by finding the dead (now zombie) family members of townspeople and giving them "closure." To do this, Tom finds that zombie and permanently kills it, but in doing so, exposes himself to the many zombies still roaming the Rot & Ruin and to the many unpleasant men who have embraced this harsh new world. Benny, who's hated the zombies who killed his parents (and all other zombies, for that matter), discovers the ugly truth that sometimes other men are more scary than the monsters he's feared and hated his whole life.Highly Recommended!

[titania86_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The First Night occurred 14 years ago, the day when the dead rose. Benny Imura was only a baby that night and only has fuzzy memories of being handed to his older half brother, Tom, and Tom running away, leaving his mother to die. This image is burned into his mind and he sees his brother as a coward. Now, society isn’t as it used to be. Instead of large sprawling cities, civilization is reduced to small, sparse settlements. Benny is 15, which, in the society left in the wake of the dead, means that he has to get a job or lose half of his food rations. He goes job hunting with a friend, but doesn’t have any luck due to being overly picky and generally lazy. His only option left is becoming an apprentice to Tom in his bounty hunting business. Benny figures this job will entail going out into the Rot and Ruin to slice and dice zombies, but the experiences beyond the boundaries of civilization will serve to not only change his view of his brother, but of life and undeath.Jonathan Maberry is an accomplished zombie novelist (as in he writes awesome zombie novels and isn’t really a zombie). His writing style and skilled story telling translate well into a young adult book. Benny is a completely believable character who has the misfortune to grow up in a zombie-ridden world. Now, the society he lives in expects him to grow up and become self sufficient, which he resisted at every turn. I found him very annoying at this point. He is completely ashamed of his big brother and refuses to try to get to know him. The first half of the book consists of him whining, complaining, and running away from responsibility until he has no other option. After his brother takes him into the Rot and Ruin (which is the uninhabited ruin of the past that surrounds their small settlement), everything changes. Benny sees things he can never forget. He questions the other bounty hunters’ ethics when he sees them torture zombies and doesn’t see them as the epitome of cool anymore. Tom reminds him that zombies were once people and just because their corpses are walking around doesn’t make it ok to mutilate their bodies for amusement. He only kills them when it’s truly needed or he gets a request from a loved one. Only Maberry can make it absolutely heartbreaking to kill a zombie. Benny really grows as a person and makes decisions about his own morals and ethics as we all do when we grow up.The world in the novel is both smaller and larger than it seems in real life. It’s smaller because technology and electricity are irrationally shunned and blamed for the zombie apocalypse. Their pockets of society stay small and can’t easily connect with other cities let alone other states or continents. It’s bigger because now that society is more compact, the wide open spaces are almost like the US before it was ever settled: full of possibility yet dangerous and wild. I have never seen a world quite like this one and the next book, Dust and Decay, should expand the view of it.Rot and Ruin is an exceptional zombie book. Jonathan Maberry manages to capture the familiar coming of age experience to and transports it into a strange, post-apocalyptic, zombie ridden world. I would recommend it to any zombie fan.

[autumnesf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Two brothers are zombie bounty hunters in the Rot and Ruin.

[nlsobon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“Rot & Ruin” is a book I stumbled upon while browsing at my local Borders (before they closed, unfortunately). I hadn’t heard much about it at that point, but I’m a sucker for zombies so I decided to give it a shot. I’ve had the book sitting on my bookshelf for a few months now. As much as I wanted to read it, I just never seemed to have the time. So when I received “Dust & Decay”, the second book in the series, from Galley Grab, I decided I needed to make time…and oh do I wish it had been sooner. Now, much like “Warm Bodies”, this is a zombie story with heart…and much like “Warm Bodies”, I absolutely loved this book.“Rot & Ruin” is about two brothers, Tommy Imura, a well known bounty hunter, and Benny Imura, his younger brother (a bounty hunter in training). Benny is convinced Tommy is a coward for leaving behind their mother on First Night. It isn’t until his brother gives him a job that he begins to understand him and even respect him. What’s great about this relationship is that its realistic and it actually grows, it isn’t rushed – it develops at a great pace.Tommy is a well known bounty hunter, but he’s different from the other bounty hunters. He isn’t out to just kill zombies, he’s out to provide closure for families and relatives. He’s very different than Charlie and The Motor City Hammer, two men Benny thinks are ‘cool’. At first you don’t see why the men are bad, but as the story goes on and you learn what they do to children, to the zombies, and to people in general – you begin to understand just how horrible they are. But it’s their actions that force the relationship between Benny and Tommy to strengthen.“Rot & Ruin” is a book about zombies, yes, but it isn’t only about zombies. It’s about society, about people, about the world around us. It’ll make you cry. It’ll make you laugh. It’ll make you think. And most importantly, it’ll leave you wanting more.I have nothing but praise for “Rot & Ruin” and the author, Jonathan Maberry. I can’t wait to start “Dust & Decay” (I will make sure to speed through my ‘’to read” pile so that I can get to it faster).From YABookHaven.wordpress.com

[apatt_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Normally I aspire to something more "high brow" than zombie novels, but now and then a bit of zombie mayhem does hit the spot for me. Rot & Ruin is a YA zombie apocalypse novel, I can't help but feel that "YA zombie apocalypse" sounds like an oxymoron, as the author has to be a bit more restrained with the mayhem. Also, YA necessitates that the main protagonist has to be a teenager, the very sort of character I can't stand in most works of fiction. Kids whine a lot, they can't help it, they just do. I whined when I was a kid. Unfortunately this makes Benny the teen protagonist almost unbearable for me. On the plus side the Author Jonathan Maberry is a skilled horror writer and he has built a good, believable post apocalyptic world here, some of the supporting characters are actually quite likable ("The Lost Girl". Nix and Tommy are good non-whining characters). In conclusion this is a pretty good and readable book for me but I don't think will pick up the sequel "Dust & Decay" because I personally don't want to spend any more time with "Benny".

[jennifermreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I never thought zombie books would be on my list of must-reads. But after devouring (sorry, bad pun when discussing zombies, eh?) Charlie Higson’s The Enemy and now Rot & Ruin, I think I can safely say I’ll be snatching up zombie-themed tomes!Being someone who loves books with characters that draw you deep into their lives and make you care about their outcomes, Rot & Ruin was a sure-fire win for me. Benny, Tom, and Nix are main characters that have you cheering, cringing, and groaning right along with them. Minor characters like Motor City Hammer & Charlie Pink-Eye are equally engaging. I also never imagined I would feel sorry for zombies but Maberry does a fantastic job of humanizing these fearsome creatures.Finally, in this day-and-age of me reading more books in order to provide better readers’ advisory services at work, I rarely read sequels any more. I usually read the first in a series to get a feel for the book and then move on to the next title on my long to-be-read list. But Rot & Ruin? I’ll be clamoring for the next book. I cannot wait to find out what happens next!Cautions for those who want them: a couple of kisses, several “effings” (and yes, that is how they appear in the book 9 times out of 10), and violence (it is a zombie book after all!)

[deb_bryan_5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's been fourteen years since the First Night, when zombies overran the world. Benny Imura, who was just a toddler during First Night, has grown up separated from the zombies ("zoms") in the protected community of Mountainside. This book recounts Benny's first experiences in the "rot and ruin" that surround communities like Mountainside.I whipped through this book in no time, which is fairly uncommon now that I've got a little one underfoot. Occasionally the book got a little preachy, or busted out one too many "Do you understand?" queries in the context of also abundant Significant Lessons. Still, my minor qualms with phrasing and preachiness were fairly insignificant compared to my curiosity to see where this book--with its somewhat unorthodox approach to zombies--would lead. I'm glad the books I wanted to check out weren't in at the library. This book was ultimately both an entertaining and thought-provoking read.