Smashbomb

All That Remains is a dystopian horror following Kyle, Tim and Sara 13 years after the apocalypse. After finding young girl Kaylee, they need to get to Oak Ridge to protect themselves and maybe save the world.

There's normal reanimated human zombies, but also other monster like creatures that roam the earth. All That Remains is able to describe the monsters, make them horrifying, yet not interrupt the plotline to do so. In previous books I've been pulled out of a tense moment because there's too much description, but Barrera is able to bypass that problem.

There's varying themes of hope and morality within the book. All four of our characters experience hope, and lose hope throughout the book. Whether it's hope to find more people, hope that cities are inhabitable or just hope for survival. Because of this focus, I felt attached to the characters. Even when they were being pessimistic, they still didn't give up.

Morality is a fine line in this new world. You must kill to survive at times, but is it the right thing to do? If you kill a bad person does it make you just as bad? One of the lines mentioned that right is nothing but a direction anymore which I think is relevant to the book as a whole.

As we get to see the point of views of both Sara and Kyle you do feel attached to them. The characters are extremely likable, even when they're not being the best they can be. They don't consciously make bad decisions which puts them in danger, which makes me route for them more. Although problems do arise due to accidents or it's out of their control.

Sara in particular is a great character. She shows both mental and physical strength by not only surviving 13 years but also with her mental fight with 'the walking cancer'. The walking cancer is a monster that no one has ever seen before. It's a new, worse monster in the world, and the main bulk of the book is spent running and hiding from it. Due to Sara being a scanner she can sense and also connect/talk with the monster.

The plague-like spread of zombies and natural disasters mirrors that Kyle is ill throughout the book. It's implied that it's a cancerous tumor, most likely in the brain due to headaches and blackouts. As the situation for the group gets worse, the illness gets worse. I think Barrera was definitely trying to show the similarities. There's also a underlying message of having hope throughout which I think is an important takeaway.

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The Peace Revolution Podcast

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Peace is the way. The Revolution is in between Your Ears. Re-Contextualizing History... One Episode...

Jakob's Colours

Lindsay Hawdon

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Inspired by the lost voices of the Romany Holocaust this heartbreaking and tender novel will appeal...

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated The Uninvited Corpse in Books

Mar 28, 2018

You Are Invited to a New Series

Food and lifestyle blogger Hope Early is settling back into her home town of Jefferson, Connecticut, and she is enjoying reconnecting with family and friends. One chance to do that is at her friend’s garden party to celebrate that friend’s new gardening book. However, Peaches McCoy, an ambitious real estate agent, crashes the party. Peaches isn’t well liked in town, but Hope is surprised to find Peaches’ body before the event is over. With the police zeroing in on Hope’s sister, Hope sets out to find the real killer. Can she do it?

This book doesn’t waste much time before jumping into the garden party. That’s both good and bad since it means it isn’t long before Peaches dies, but it also means we meet the suspects and series regulars in a hurry. It took me a little time to keep them all straight, but as their personalities came through, I was able to remember who they all were. The plot does slow down in the second half, but everything comes together for a great climax. This looks like the start of a fun series.

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John Cusack recommended The Exorcist (1973) in Movies (curated)

"As far as the horror genre, I think The Exorcist is the scariest movie of all time. It’s like head and shoulders above… there’s nothing more terrifying, or deeply sinister than that. When I saw The Exorcist, at that time when I was a kid, I may have slept with the light on. I can’t remember the exact time [I saw it], but I remember being literally knocked back. You have the pure theological question about, you know, “What is the role of evil and what is the nature of evil and what is its function?” And I think in The Exorcist the point is, the reason it’s here is to try and make us give up hope, and find the courage to not give up hope. Evil wants to so demoralize you that you abandon all hope; it’s only human beings’ capacity to love and to fight back. But that’s the role of evil: To challenge, and to make you choose. And growing up as a Catholic, too, I was immersed in the theology and doctrine of the church, so that movie was a serious, serious f-cking movie."

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