Day by Day Armageddon Origin to Exile - J. L. Bourne

one sentence summary:
Zombies have taken over, only the smart survive.

Review:
I would call this a well written zombie survivor diary. The story in my opinion is realistic with chaos and lots of shifting attitudes of the main characters. The highlight of the story is a dog and how many sacrifices the people make to keep the dog around, to maintain their humanity is amazing (and realistic to my way of thinking). I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys zombie apocalypse stories where people actually survive in realistic ways.

7/10

The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor - Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga

one sentence summary:
Where did the Governor come from and how did he come to rule Woodbury with such streangth

review:
This tells the back story to the Governor (the main villan for a good portion of the graphic novel series). It is well written and brings a lot to the Walking Dead universe. I don't want to give anything away so all I will say is, if you are a fan of the series READ THIS BOOK.

6/10

Robopocalypse - Daniel H Wilson

one sentence summary:
the machines have taken over the earth, a few survivors try to survive.

review:
This is one of my favourite book I read this year, it got terrible reviews online from nearly everyone but I really liked it. Sure it was a bit slap dash and jumpy but it had great characters and was well written (if not always cohesive). The characters were really the strongest point of the novel and I would love to read a sequel to see what is going on with them after the novel ended. The science in the novel is terrible, just absolutely terrible.

8/10

The Twelve - Justin Cronin

One sentence summary:
The fall out of a military project to use an extinct virus to engineer super soldiers and unleashes an evil that is so horrific the world quarantines North America to avoid all out loss.

review:
A sequel so epic it deserved its own post! The writing is better than the last half of the first book but it is better in parts and mediocre in others. It is easy to tell as a reader what parts Cronin really enjoyed writing, bits about Grey and the "past", the year "0" parts especially stand out as well done. I would love to read more about year 0. The writing was pretty good and the plot pounds along at a healthy clip.  I thought it was really clever how Cronin summarized the first novel in the prologue in "bible verse" format. There were some really dark plot points though, darker than expected (which is saying a lot for a post apocalyptic story). I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed The Passage.

8/10 (if you have read The Passage this gets a 10/10 read it now rating, though I may be alone on that judging by the other reviews) I guess objectively (based on writing of this as a stand alone) I would actually give this a 5 or maybe 6 but I love the characters so much I rate it much higher.

The Chrysalids - John Wyndham

one sentence summary:
many years post-nuclear-war an insular Christian community where any child born with a birth defect is killed at birth.

review:
well written and fast paced Wyndham offers a disturbing look at the future we could have had. In this work of science/speculative fiction a disturbing possibility is brought to light, a community where difference is stamped out and everyone is brought up to believe that it is fine to get rid of anyone who is a "mutant", any deviation is brought to light and then destroyed by everyone in the community. I found this a very disturbing novel, but really well written. I recommend everyone read this novel, it is a very good look at the future that could happen if we just blindly followed our leaders.

8/10

The Stand - Stephen King

one sentence summary:
99% of the world has died.

review:
One of the better post-apocalyptic novels I have read (and I have read a lot), more realistic than most of the more modern interpretations. The writing is really good, the descriptions of the chaos are heart wrenching and the characters are really well conceived and executed.   It is a long read but well worth it if you enjoy post-apocalyptic stories, watching humanity crumble and pick sides. One of King's better works in my opinion (mind you it seems a lot of his works are really really good).

8/10

Angelfall - Susan Ee

one sentence summary
Angels have been sent to earth to destroy the modern world. A true apocalypse.

review
I was surprised at how well written and well thought out this book was. It is categorized as young adult but has more violence than the Hunger Games series by far. The plot is enthralling and fast paced. The characters are very sympathetic (I dare say I feel more for Penryn (this book) than I did for Katniss (hunger games)) and well written. The novel also touches on mental illness and some of the less glamorous aspects of a post-apocalypse world that most novels skim over.  If this quote makes you squeamish I do not recommend you read this book, "six butter knives stick out of his chest in a circular pattern. Someone has drawn a powder-pink lipstick pentagram with the knives at the end of the points. Blood bubbles up...My mother is safe. She has purposely missed his heart, and he will slowly bleed to death." I highly recommend this novel to anyone who still want's to read it after reading the above quote. It is beautiful and haunting, violent and full of compassion. It is an all around good read.

8/10

The Giver - Lois Lowry

one sentence summary:
with great responsibility comes an ample dose of crazy.

review:
This, for most people, is one of the first looks at a dystopian/utopian world. A coming of age story that is relatable to by almost everyone in our vastly media savvy world where everyone wants to be the same as everyone else. On first read through as an adult it seems very preachy with religion thrown in your face nearly every time you turn the page, but on a second read through it is a much better read. It is a really well written poignant story using beautiful language to contrast with the harsh sameness of the subject matter. On a personal note (coming from someone who has read an awful lot of dystopian fiction) this is the kind of "utopia" I imagine could actually work for a limited number of generations, familial bonds are kept strong (but not too strong), tasks are assigned based on aptitude and evolution has continued in humans to make maintaining the sameness possible. This is well worth reading, it is a short book so just take an afternoon and do it.

8/10
8/10

The MaddAddam Trilogy - Margaret Atwood

one sentence summary:
what happens after the plague changes life as we know it?
review:
these novels are rather brilliant. The writing is superb and the characters are so well drawn out that even the most unbelievable attributes become logical. Atwood always writes with unforgettable voices and this is no exception. The world she as created is a beautiful as it is terrible. I highly recommend these to anyone who enjoys good writing / post-apocalyptic dystopias / Canadian authors. They are typical in tone of Atwood, that is to say a bit dark but with their own twisted humour thrown about for good measure. I would say of this series that the world she created surpasses the characters (which is a-typical of her work as usually the characters are the strongest point... on the other hand the world she created is almost like a character onto itself, especially as it is further flushed out in the third instalment.)
8/10

if you enjoyed this check out Huxley, Bradbury and Iain M Banks

The Road - Cormac McCarthy

One Sentence Summary:
A father and son try to survive in post-apocalyptic America while walking to the coast.

Review:
I loved this book, but I love almost every post-apocalyptic book I have ever read. This particular story has created characters that are still with me years later (granted mostly in my nightmarish dreamscape) and a world I can honestly say I do not want to live in. McCarthy writes his prose in such a moving way that the pares just fly by, I believe the first time I read this I read it in one sitting, and I read it again with in the same year (which never happens... this may be the only non-school-related book I have ever done that with). His descriptions of everything bring the story to life, granted it is a terrifying life, an uncomfortable life, a depressing life. But undeniably to life. I do not recommend this book if you are prone to nightmares or don't like being sad (you have been warned) . Everyone else, read this book! (the book is thousands of times better than the movie but the movie is worth the 111 minutes it takes to watch it) 

9/10

Notable Quotes:

"You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget."

"Nobody wants to be here and nobody wants to leave."

"If trouble comes when you least expect it then maybe the thing to do is to always expect it."

""What's the bravest thing you ever did?".... "Getting up this morning," he said."

If you enjoyed this you should read:

Z For Zachariah - Robert C. O'Brien  
On The Beach - Nevil Shute 
Alas, Babylon - Pat Frank

The Passage Trilogy - Justin Cronin

The Passage

One Sentence Summary:
The world as we know it has ended and one girl is the key to the future... also vampires.


Review:
I loved this book. Getting sucked into the story and not losing interest in it (via bad writing or plot holes or characters I don't like) until the book is over is not something that happens very often. I read this before I heard the hype, it seems that the hype brought the book up to be more than it is so it is disappointing if you bought into the "best book of the century" talk but it is brilliant for what it is; a horror story with adventure, intrigue and unreliable science. It is well written with characters that I fell in love with. The setting, while following the traditional post-apocalypse route also introduces what I see as more realistic futures. I highly recommend this book if you like that sort of stuff...

8/10 (Horror / Action)

Notable Quotes:

“We live, we die. Somewhere along the way, if we're lucky, we may find someone to help lighten the load.”

“So perhaps the greatest worry of all was that one day you would realize that all the worries of your life amounted to one thing: the desire to just stop worrying.” 


The Twelve 
have not read yet... waiting for the paperback

If you enjoyed this you should read:

World War Z - Max Brooks
Oryx and Crake - Margret Atwood
Blindness - Jose Saramago
The Vampire Chronicles - Ann Rice