Rot & Ruin

Though this may have been meant as a young adult book, I really believe readers of any age will enjoy it. The characters are very well developed, and the relationship between the main character and his heroic and misunderstood older brother is truly compelling. Combined with the zombie action, a hefty dose of post-apolocolytic bad guys and some coming of age elements for both our young characters, and the next generation after the zombie apolocolypse, I found this a highly entertaining and sometimes very thoughtful and moving adventure. The reader does quite a fine job as well. I highly recommend it!

First I will start by stating I am a avid Zombie fan. If a Zombie story was written, read, or made into a movie I have seen and heard it. I am very picky and selective on what I consider to be a "good" Zombie story. Rot and Ruin is, in fact, in my top 10 favorite Zombie stories. Sometimes the scariest thing about Zombies in the apocalypse is just surviving. Sometimes identifying the enemy is not always black and white. Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the words and into the Ruin.........Beware!

Narrator did an awesome job. But the story just kind of keeps dragging on, hard to stay listening to it, I find myself missing sections because I get distracted. I read his other book about Joe Ledger, it was great. That is why I gave this a shot. I got half-way through, and just want a cliff notes version to finish up to know what happens. I will say, this could be a great story for some people though. It just didn't entertain me. It has alot of potential because it was a nice twist on an old story.

And I almost *didn't* get past those first two hours. So much teenage angst! And worse, predictable angst. It was obvious from the get-go that there was more to the past than what Benny believed. I just couldn't wait for his eyes to be opened.

But once the story moved out into the Rot & Ruin, it got more exciting and interesting. It's a zombie story with a twist, with true evil found not in the shambling undead but in those who would take advantage of the apocalypse for their own personal gain.

You won???t think of zombies the same way after this....

This was an excellent coming of age story, touching without being corny, suspenseful and humorous by turns, a believable tale of post apocalypse survival from the viewpoint of a teenage boy.

Zombie fare has never been of interest to me, but after reading some of the other reviews I decided to give this book a shot....I???m glad I did.

Very good. I found this transcended age . The young and old will find this audio book enjoyable.

This is a zombie book but not as much as I was hoping. Overall I would recommend but nothing like Day by Day Armageddon, Beyond Exile, Patient Zero or The Morning Star Strain.

After reading patient zero and loving it I decided to give this one a shot and I'm glad I did. Many authors are venturing into "young adult" but really I think that's more of a marketing scheme than an indication of the content. While this book is definitely about a young boy coming of age it certainly isn't something I would only restrict to young readers. It has good character development, great action without being too over the top, and an entertaining story. I don't believe this breaks new ground in the zombie genre, but the "family business" is an interesting twist on the genre and something that I could certainly see existing. Lots of stimulating thought on what morality and society really means. The story itself is nothing spectacular. Typical lows and highs with a grand finale, but the characters really give this story life.

The narrator is easy to listen to and I stayed glued to my headphones. However, I would of liked more character voices. He does a good job with most but not as much variance as some of the narrators on here. Perhaps I'm being overly critical and I do still recommend giving it a listen.

I give the story 5 stars and the narrator 4. I don't personally like reading reviews on audible that just rate the book and not the narrator. If you read this please consider that in your next review. Audible please give us the ability to give two ratings!

I hope Jonathan Maberry continues writing books, I'm really enjoying his worlds.

I got this for my daughter and I too listen for trip, since I mostly do epic fantasy. This not a Dawn of the Dead or Resident Evil type story. For a short teen novel, I was really surprised. Like others I found the start a little slow, but as Ben works to find a job, it does start to world-build as we learn about main charactor. This story is more about the human condition than it is about zombies. And you might see zombies as more than just the undead by the time your done. As simple as the book is there are some really profound moments between the bothers as they rebuild their relationship. Was kind of disappointed that the author did not make the zombies his own and try to change or build the lore, they're just run of the mill zombies, shuffle and eat. Might be a little gory and scary for really young kids, but for a little older kids, they probably seen worse in movies. As I understand though this should be series and I will be getting the new books. I really would not mind seeing this as a movie, I think it would transfer well.

ROT & RUIN is a dystopian type zombie book that’s more about the good and evil of human nature than the living dead. Written in an engaging narrative with unforgettable good guys, monstrous bad guys and…oh yeah, zoms. The characters are well rounded and fleshed out cleanly. Maberry obviously has a gift for dialog. It’s easy to be charmed by 15 year old Benny Imura’s quick wit and stubborn teenage disposition; as well as his older brother Tom, with his calm demeanor and authentic goodness.

Beautifully written, ROT & RUIN (Benny Imura #1) is a book that anyone who enjoys a good story with lots of emotions, layers and adventure will enjoy, regardless of age or gender. This was my first taste of Jonathan Maberry’s work and I can honestly say I’m now a fan… and I’ve already started the next book DUST AND DECAY :)