Photo courtesy of http://www.jonathanmayberry.com
Hey all! Welcome to another TGON Reads! I just got to finish this series, and I wanted to share it all with you as soon as I could. The first in “The Benny Imura series,” Rot & Ruin was written by Jonathan Mayberry and tells the story of life on earth after the zombie breakout. It follows the life of Benny Imura, a boy who grew up only knowing about zombie. Fourteen years had passed since the apocalypse and Benny, and his older brother Tom, live in a settlement called “Mountainside.” Now Fifteen years old, the settlement law states that Benny must find a job or risk his rations being cut in half. Out of options, he reluctantly asks his brother to apprentice as a “Zombie Hunter.”
During his training, Benny learns that being a “Zombie Hunter,” is more than just slaughtering zombies. It’s giving closure to families who saw their loved ones get bit, but didn’t have the heart or knowledge to tell them goodbye. He learns that while zombies are dangerous, they’re family to certain people, and learns to treat them with respect, as the dead should be. He also finds out about how most hunters treat the zombies like toys and use them for sport. It’s up to Benny to choose his path, but in doing so he could very well spark a battle between the hunters that could end in disaster.
This series provides an interesting take on zombies roaming the Earth, and provides a satisfying answer to the question: “What would happen if people and zombies sort of…lived amongst each other?” The others in this amazing series include “Dust & Decay,” “Flesh & Bone,” “Fire & Ash,” and “Bits & Pieces.” It’s got an immersive style, an interesting take on how the world lives after it ends, and so many multi-faceted characters that it was hard NOT to fall in love with these books. Because of this, I’m giving it a solid 4 out of 5 glasses rating, and hope you’ll look into finding this book for yourself!
