Action Pick: The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch

The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch: At the Edge of Empire (book 1)
by Daniel Kraus
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2015
656 pages
ISBN:9781481411394

Available: October 27, 2015

Review

“Fiction, like any art, can be divided between the living and the dead. THE DEATH AND LIFE OF ZEBULON FINCH is unequivocally and furiously among the former. A splendidly rendered, macabre picaresque, muscular and tender, imaginative and grotesque, cynical yet deeply moving. I was appalled one moment and laughing the next. Don't be fooled by the premise. This tale may be told by a dead man, but what's rendered here is life itself in all of life's absurd glory.” (Rick Yancey, The 5th Wave)

"Kraus' careful prose gifts Mr. Finch with a voice that retains a sheen of elegance even as it repulses readers with macabre imagery. And still, when his occasional efforts at reform fail, Mr. Finch becomes an oddly pitiable character." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Morbidly fascinating." (Publishers Weekly)

My review:

Gripping, disturbing, severe, and ever so gruesomely entertaining, The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch will grab readers by the throat, shake them up, and force them to listen to every squalid detail, every juicy tidbit, every strange nuance of  Zebulon's racy story of life and death in Chicago, during the 1890s through the turn of the century, into WWI trench warfare, to the glitter and glam of 1930s Hollywood. Gunned down and dead, Zebulon, rises from the icy waters of Lake Michigan seventeen minutes later to live "life" as a dead man and he's a rip-roaringly fantastic one! What could be better than a dead guy with an attitude? Deadpan humor--what a concept! Zebulon is everything anyone could want a protagonist to be: he is an evil man who can be loving, he is a hero who is tortured by his past,  he is compassionate at times, he is a sinner to be sure, but who is to judge a man who is destined to live for all eternity?

Pull up a chair, settle in and enjoy this epic tale told by a dead man who takes storytelling to great heights with a voice that evokes Dickensian characters of yore. Zebulon's fate--though terrible-- allows him to appreciate the true beauty of the macabre and grotesque. First "taken in" by a traveling snake oil barker, Zebulon spends all his time in a cage. Later, given a chance to discover what is keeping him "alive" and hoping to find a way to die, he makes his way East to find Dr. Leather, a man he met when performing in the traveling show. The doctor promises to help Zebulon. A series of gruesome exams and tactics ensue and if you're squeamish, it may be a bit much. But hold on to your hat, this tale is  just getting started.

Zebulon escapes and runs off to enlist and is shipped off to Europe to fight the enemy. It is in warfare we see Zebulon question life, death, friendship, valor, and war. At first terrified, Zebulon figures this is his chance to finally die and he embraces it. At war's end, our hero returns to America and cavorts his way to Hollywood where he's a pampered lapdog to a glamorous movie star who craves affection. Think film noir and Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Boulevard."

This is one whale of a book! Be ready for some late nights with no sleep--it's really that good. Whenever I begin a book this lengthy, I pray, hope, wonder, and the LOVE when it delivers. An engrossing read that just keeps giving. Zebulon Finch a character I will never forget. His name will be right up there with Atticus Finch, Scarlett O'Hara, and Ryan Dean West (Winger, Stand Off). 

This is by far the BEST YA book I've read in 2015. It is in a category all by itself. The writing is so sublime, so perfect that I often had to read a paragraph several times to revel in the sheer joy of the language.

Kudos to author Daniel Kraus! I sense a real winner here! You heard it here first: The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch WILL be on so many BEST lists and look for it soon to be a movie...Hollywood will love to get their hands on this one . Steven Spielberg, you're welcome.

So highly recommended that if you only read one book this year, make it this one!

Suitable grade 9-up. Mature content. Not suitable for middle school.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Series Pick: Dark Days (Dead City, book 3)

Dark Days
(Dead City, Book 3)
by James Ponti
Aladdin
2015
297 pages
ISBN: 9781481436366


Enter the author's webpage
Watch the trailer, crack the code, join Omega, and more fun!

In this third installment of Dead City, Ponti exhibits an uncanny ability to channel teen voice and pun-y dialog.

Molly Bigelow is the kind of cool girl that other girls wish they were, the kind of pal guys want to hang out with and everyone (me, included) wants to have on their side when zombies strike. Funny, self-deprecating, a little shy, but also awesome and a fierce fighter, Molly is a protagonist teen readers will fall in love with!

Omega has been hobbled. Molly's mother is deep in hiding and the leader of the zombies, Marek Blackwell, is building an army of zombies. Not only that, the undead are growing stronger and Marek is building an underground zombie city. Molly is ordered to lay low and the Omegas are not to act.

Poor Molly. Poor, poor socially incompetent Molly. She is going crazy not doing anything, so you really can't blame her when she runs into a zombie by accident. Soon, the Omegas find clues and have to meet. The situation is serious and all hands are needed. Back in the action, Molly gets on Natalie's bad side, but once an Omega, always an Omega.

Ponti has great fun with dialog and jokes. Grayson points out that the state of New Jersey see the backside of the Statue of Liberty, and Alex quips, "Maybe they should put that on the license plate....New--Jersey--the Butt of Liberty."

Zombies have never been this much fun. Ponti's clever characters (Grayson, Alex) and the group's dynamic will keep teens intrigued. New York has never been more beautiful--even the zombies can't take away from the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Trinity Church, Wall Street, and other famous New York landmarks.

Highly, highly recommended. If you haven't read the series, what are you waiting for?

Grade 6-up. No profanity, just good, clean zombie fun.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Zombie Pick: Unfed (sequel to Undead)

Unfed
by Kirsty McKay
Chicken House
288 pages
2013
Available September 2013

Read an excerpt and see more

The blood spattered cover says it all! This is serious zombie gore and teens will love the sequel to last year's Undead. Kirsty McKay is the Libba Bray of zombie comedy and a truly infectious author.

Bobby barely survived last year's zombie invasion (Undead) and now she finds herself in a crazy hospital surrounded by Scotland's hungry hordes of ravenous flesh eaters. She doesn't know where Smitty is or if he's okay or not. He was infected, but Bobby made sure she injected him with what she hopes is the zombie antidote. Bobby must escape the hospital and begins to figure out how. That's when she is reunited with geekster Pete and snarktastic Alice. The three of them must break a tough code, find Smitty, reunite with Bobby's mom, escape the hospital, and fight to stay alive! And these zombies aren't last year's stupid, slow zombies. These zombies are learning to work together and are learning to communicate--which isn't good news for the humans.

As the kids run, swim, fall, drive, and basically super-spy 007 James Bond-like escape, Bobby and new guy Russ try to break the code left behind by Bobby's mother. They've made more enemies than just the undead. There's tons of alive soldiers out to get them, and Bobby is dying to know why. Two companies are fighting for the secret formula developed by Bobby's mother, but who will win? And who will be alive to care?


Zombies, zombies, everywhere: zombinos, zombie goats, zombie cows, Scotland will never be the same.

Hilarious and over-the top, tongue-in-cheek zombie wise cracks, mean teen chic, snarky put-downs, and outrageous escapes from the jaws of death (pun intended) will keep teens reading into the wee hours. This one is unputdownable and fun. Think Shaun of the Dead crossed with A Bad Day for Voodoo, and infected ( again, pun intended) with Stephen King with a serious sense of teen humor. This is the most fun you can have reading a book.

Seriously, highly, highly recommended and contagious (yep, pun intended) grade 9 and up. Some language and tons of gore.



FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the arc from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)