Comments (30)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 30 items
Nov 17, 2023IndyPL_JordanH rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
An "elevated" zombie novel may seem like a contradiction, but this book accomplishes quite a bit more than the typical horror story. Alienation, stunted reintegration into a social group, then collapse back into survival mode; this book…
Nov 08, 2023dlanier10 rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
Boring and the writing style is difficult. I quit reading after 60 pages.
Sep 01, 2023WindInHair rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I am only about a quarter of the way through the book so far, but felt compelled to comment... I feel that most people who read a lot sort of develop their own style of speed reading. Which is absolutely impossible with this author's…
Jul 29, 2023blue_falcon_2041 rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
"Zone One" is a book written by Colson Whitehead. The story is set in a dystopian New York City, where a virus has turned most of the population into zombie-like creatures called skels. The main character is named Mark Spitz. He is a…
Jul 10, 2023
A haunting literary take on the zombie apocalypse story. The reader follows three days in the life of one of the human survivors who works on a team trying to secure part of Manhattan from the zombies while getting flashbacks of what he…
May 26, 2023RodneyGrim rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Wow! Colson does great things with words. Vivid and descriptive! It was everything I hoped for. A+
Apr 15, 2023CareyMacaulay rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
"Best to let the broken glass be broken glass, let it splinter into smaller pieces and dust and scatter. Let the cracks between things widen until they are no longer cracks but the new places for things. That was where they were now. The…
Mar 06, 2022bigbaboone rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
excellent book!
Jul 20, 2019EljayJohnson rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Any book that makes me keep a dictionary by my side wins points right off. (New words for L-J: flaneur, pullulating, grue, ichor, and many more.) I LOVED THIS BOOK! I loved the feeling of being awash in language. I loved the literary take…
Aug 05, 2017SCL_Justin rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I’ve read a few reader reviews (as opposed to professional reviews, or reviews by writers, or literary critiques of somewhat higher worth than oh say this one you’re reading here) of Colson Whitehead’s Zone One, and it appears that I am…
May 15, 2016WendyLC rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
I resent having to give this a half a star, that's how bad it is.
Dec 16, 2015lukasevansherman rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Other reviewers have called this a "realist" post-apocalyptic novel and if by realist, they mean dull and meandering, than they are correct. It's become moderately fashionable for so-called literary writers to dabble in genre fiction…
Jun 02, 2014
The writing style of this book is very interesting. I can't decide if I hate it or like it but given that I finished reading the book I guess it was readable. My frustration is without using dates or some other type of indicator it could…
Jan 28, 2013JohnShaft2089 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This is literature, plain and simple. If all you're looking for is zombie splattering gore, you will be sorely disappointed. If you want to actually feel the agony of the characters as they attempt to internalize a dying world, this…
Sep 24, 2012Nords rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
One of the better zombie apocalypse novels out there. This one is much more 'regular fiction' than 'genre fiction' and hence it takes a bit to get used to the author's style. Some reviewers have noted it is tough to figure out whether…
Aug 31, 2012bigbearomaha rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I thought the story was good. However, there was too much "fluff" detail added which brought the pace down. It made the book really drag at multiple points. It was OK to read the once, but I don't see myself reading it again.
Aug 11, 2012wac6 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Finished reading this book Aug. 8, 2012. It sagged in the middle but finished really well. I wrote up a review of the book, which compares it to the E.B. White classic, "Here Is New York." Link to that review:…
Jun 08, 2012FlagrantMary rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I am a fan of zombie fiction and this is one of the best. It's told in a literary style that makes you fill in the blank spaces. It flips between time periods but rarely pre-apocalypse. The "hero" has a shell-shocked seeming narrative that…
Jun 02, 2012bthurston rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
While I enjoyed the book, it seemed to drag on at times.... the bottom line for me is that it didn't live up to its expectations as one of the best books of the year. it's a fine read, but nothing special by any stretch of the imagination.
May 06, 2012jquickmsw rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
Whitehead clearly adores the sound of his own voice, but that's a big part of the problem. The language is so filled with curlicues that everything takes a loooong time to describe/explain, and the verbal flourishes seem to be there for…
Apr 29, 2012wildstrawberries rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
If you are looking to read a story packed with blood and gore look elsewhere. If you are looking to read a very interesting story about the events after an apocalyptic virus zombifies the majority of the population through the experiences…
ohtethys
Mar 27, 2012ohtethys rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This was a great read - yes the language is more literary than a zombie novel but what is really interesting is the aspect of a zombie apocalypse that the author covers: the rebuilding. He has great insight into the emotions people who…
Mar 20, 2012shadowlad rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
One of the WORST books I've read in a long time... I rarely get bored reading, but this book did it! More about the author's impressing himself with poetic language than an apocalyptic virus. Save yourself the fatigue and read The…
Feb 09, 2012
Pretentious and boring!
Jan 29, 2012
I'm not going to rate this book since I didn't really read it. I tried though... I did not like the author's writing style at all and it kept me from being able to enjoy the book. Way too many adjectives and adverbs- just tell the story…