Robin Becker (2)Rezensionen

Devoid of wit or charm, or even a consistent narrative voice. By turning her narrator into Mr. Allusion, the author has saved herself the hard work of characterization, and by being compulsively meta, she has saved herself the hard work of originality. But the book has the word "ontology" several times, so it must be intellectual.

I was expecting something fun and witty. An easy read, and fun escape into a zombie world. Instead, I got a pedantic and self-congratulatory mess of a book that had no clear direction of where it was headed. It meandered like a zombie sorely in need of a bullet to the brain.

The overall premise of the book had potential, and it would have been refreshing to look through the zombie trope from a different lens. However, our main zombie character, Jack, is such a revolting douchebag that anything interesting that happens throughout the story is tarnished from his opining over it. Jack is your stereotypical YT with a PhD, and you won't for a minute forget it because he spends most of the book telling you he's a professor and as such above the masses, those plebs.

The lack of self-awareness Jack shows would probably be hilarious, but it quickly becomes apparent that Becker genuinely thinks her character is wry and arrogant, and not just your run of the mill asshole. Because of his pedigree and PhD, he sees himself as savior and messiah to the zombie population, and goes on to essentially see himself as the Moses to his zombie brethren.

The closest we see to Jack getting any character development is when he finally gets to meet the creator of the virus, zombie daddy Stein, who proceeds to tell Jack that there will never be a human-zombie peace as Jack had hoped because zombies can never override their base desire of eating brains. Jack then eats him. Because he has will and choice, and chooses to eat brains.

The writing of the book is chock full of puns, and attempts at witty one-liners, but it quickly loses its charm. Its also funny that Jack spends most of the book deriding anything remotely popular, "popularity proved inferiority, not worth," when Becker makes of point of using several pop culture references via book classics, authors ranging from Poe to Tennessee Williams, and pop culture icons like Oprah (without naming her).

I wanted to like this book, but the narrative style and self-congratulatory feel that Jack, and by extension Becker, exudes throughout this book was too much.

1/5 zombie treatises

A guilty pleasure. Clear, concise, and quick-witted take on the Zombie Apocalypse. Narrated by an English professor who retains the ability to think critically and quickly takes charge over a group of shuffling, talented (by undead standards) zombies. Undead Oprah makes an appearance. What's not to love?!

Told from the perspective of a zombie who finds he has the ability to think and to write, Brains was unexpectedly funny and very well-written.

So far I'm enjoying the book immensely! It's chock full of clever cultural references and clearly written by someone with a witty sense of humor. I'll have to wait and see if the story/plot follows in this way, if so... It could become a favorite.

Final thoughts after finishing: Everything above sticks but the book slowed, the clever writing and references were mostly sacrificed to an okay plot. Great book but I was disappointed that the finish wasn't as spectacular as the start.

**This review is of an Advanced Review Copy, not the product released for purchase.**

This is a different take on the traditional zombie tale. Man gets bitten by zombie. Man becomes zombie. Man realizes that although he is now a zombie, he still has his personality, can think, and can write. Man searches for other zombies who have retained some kind of intelligence and proceeds to have existential discussions with himself. Once he has gathered a small group of "soldiers," the main character leads them to find their maker, a scientist who unleashed the zombie virus upon the world.

This story has a great beginning, a great ending, and a really fun premise. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to get through the middle. I'm a big horror fan. I'll devour a classic Stephen King novel or a Dean Koontz novel in less than a day. "Brains" was just too much for me. I could handle the descriptions of cannibalism, but the violence against small children made me want to stop reading several times. I slogged though, even though it literally made me feel sick. Plus, the literate zombie's internal musings got very repetitive and bordered on annoying. I know he's not supposed to be likable, but he wasn't even entertaining. However, when I talk to library patrons about reading, I tell them that it's important to every now and again read something they don't like because it will help them identify and appreciate their literary tastes. I didn't want to be a hypocrite.

Take out the baby scenes (at least the human baby scenes) and cut out a lot of the drivel in the middle and you've got a great short story. Something tells me that this started out as a short story and the author decided to flesh it out (ha ha) and make it a novel. She should have left well enough alone.

Since I have never read a zombie-centric book in my life, I decided to broaden my horizons when an opportunity to review one came up. And I think I have found yet another genre that I highly enjoy!

After reading and laughing (out loud may I add!) my way through the first chapter I had to keep going to see what antics Jack would get involved in with his search for his creator. This book was exceptionally clever and entertaining until the last page. I was infatuated with the idea that he still maintained a ‘human’ perspective with the instinctual thirsts that a zombie would possess, in one word, BRAINS! I loved that he would rationalize most situations as a human would, but survival instincts almost always prevailed.

The characters that Becker created were phenomenal. Although most of the zombies shuffled around with food on the mind, there were some stand-out characters that still retained their human-like qualities which made a hilarious and entertaining motley crew as they battled their way across the United States. Another human-like quality that I appreciated in Jack were his random tangents of pop culture from current events surrounding him.

This was a fun and quick read that I highly recommend to anyone who wants to explore the inevitable zombie takeover of the world!

A very quick and funny read. Writing was not top notch, but the story was quite entertaining. Not sure I liked the ending as much as the story of the way to get to the ending, but still pretty funny. If you like zombies and like to chuckle and want a nice light and quick read, this book is for you.½

Couldnt even finish a quarter of the book. Relies way too much on cliches to be funny.

When I first laid eyes on this book I actually thought it was an ARC due to the layout and design. Perhaps not so much the front, which looks fresh and crisp, but the back of the book just had that ARC feel about it as if it would get rearranged at some future point. Oh, and the stare of the authors eyes on the back cover had me freaked out. That's not to say Robin Becker freaked me out, as I think she's an attractive woman and I wouldn't kick her out of bed for farting, but there was just something about that stare that seemed to be probing into my mind letting me know they would locate my darkest secrets if given the opportunity. It got to the point where upon putting down the book I had to make sure it was front cover up as I could feel those eyes watching me...always watching.
Although it's easy to jump to conclusions I should inform you that this is not an autobiography about one of the Olsen twins. Nope, 'Brains' is the memoir of Jack Barnes who is somewhat the hero of the book even though he is a zombie. You see, in this very unique take on the zombie genre the zombies are victims of a virus and some degree of sympathy is bestowed upon them. In addition to the regular, mindless zombie scenario a few of the main characters keep various aspects of their humanity for reasons never explained. Jack Barnes for instance is still able to think coherently and able to write, hence the memoir, even though he can't speak, drive a car or move about particularly well. On his journey to find the scientist responsible for producing the lethal virus he befriends other zombies each of who still retain an ability that they had as a human including a zombie who can speak, a nurse who can still administer aid and a girl who retains her remarkable ability to be a crack-shot with a weapon. However, they all still have the need to eat brains.
The story starts out strong with sharp, incisive humor with a quick immersion into the main story. As it progressed though I found the humor was too much and the storyline too shallow and it became obvious the author was attempting to keep it fresh by jaunting into various subjects and giving us Jack Barnes opinion of that said subject. For instance, about midway through the novel religion becomes very prominent in the analogies given and the one liners that are used. Then it fades out to be replaced by the next topic that the author decided to fixate upon for a while. It was as if Becker was thinking, "what topic should I make fun of next?" and then worked that topic into the storyline. Don't get me wrong the humor was smart and witty but there was just too much of it in comparison to the lack of storyline.
At times the novel becomes farcical, no more so than with the appearance of Oprah Winfrey (although never mentioned by name, to avoid a lawsuit or something, the reader is left in no doubt that it's Oprah the author is referring to) and, for me at least, this was too much of a sharp contrast to the otherwise clever and snarky humor that make up the memoir.
A few inconsistencies exist within the novel such as zombies being weak yet they somehow have the power to tear off peoples heads at will or rip apart peoples skulls with their hands. There was an inconsistency near the very end of the novel that pulled me out of the story when the main character, who at one point when inside a building, takes minutes to get up off the couch, minutes to walk to door and more minutes to open it (p140) suddenly "...climbed onto the ledge of the boat and jumped, flying through the air like Superman..." to land on a human in the space of a few seconds while gunfire was going on all around him. Very convenient for the storyline but a series of actions that went against everything we had been taught about Becker's version of the undead. In fact the ending was very weak overall, which was a shame as the story had enough guile and entertainment to keep me reading through to the end regardless of its faults, and the logic applied at the end as the reason for killing all zombies, even the ones who retain elements of their humanity, is very flawed...basically, once a zombie always a zombie. I'm glad society doesn't treat alcoholics, depressives, Jehovah's Witnesses etc. in that way otherwise they would all be shot dead!
Still, I did enjoy this offering and it was different from any other zombie novel I have read. Certainly not a classic in my opinion but a decent read nonetheless.

When “Brains” begins, the zombie apocalypse is already underway. It even reaches the door of Jack Barnes, literally, and so when he’s bitten by a zombified neighbor who crashes through the living room window (Barnes is distracted while bickering with his wife), the transformation begins. An English professor at a small college in rural Missouri, Barnes fares better than his mindless cohorts in that he remains sentient, and so he begins to focus on the two goals in his life: find others like him, find Dr. Howard Stein, the creator of the zombie virus, and find brains to eat. (All right, THREE goals.) Barnes can write but can’t speak, hence the book we are now reading. His pop culture and literary references (including, of course, George Romero) keep coming rapid fire, even in his undead state, making this a wry and witty read. At 182 pages, I devoured this book (pardon the pun) in one day. If the squeamish can keep some of the more graphic and disturbing passages out of focus (as a parent, I try not to envision the passages of Barnes and his “super” zombies eating the occasional child), they can even find themselves smiling and feeling some empathy. I can’t wait to see what Becker comes up with next.

Jack Barnes was a mild mannered, elitist English professor one minute and a salivating, brain loving zombie the next. Even though he has been zombified and can no longer speak, he has somehow retained his brain function and ability to reason. He decides to seek out the scientist responsible for the virus to prove his self awareness and end the conflict between zombie and man. Along the way, he encounters other zombies with unique abilities: Joan can repair zombies injuries, making their undeaths longer; Ros (a nickname given by Jack after Rosencrantz of Hamlet fame) can speak as well as he did in life; Guts can run faster than any other zombie; Annie is a sharpshooter with killer aim; and Eve is a pregnant zombie who will hopefully give birth to a bouncing zombie baby. Can Jack and his troupe of talented zombies tell the authorities of their sentience before they are killed? Is there any possible resolution between man and zombie?

This short book is an interesting read. It’s the first book I’ve read from the point of view of a zombie during a zombie apocalypse situation. Usually with a narrative of this style, zombies are integrated in society and trying to cope. In this novel, zombies mostly have the upper hand with sheer numbers while society has fallen apart. Another unique aspect of the novel is how it’s practically drowning in different allusions and references to pop culture. Everything is referenced from Shakespeare to zombie films to philosophy and everything in between. The number and breadth of these references impressed me and made the narrative a little schizophrenic in a postmodern way.

Zombies are used to highlight the wrongs in our society, as they do in many other films and novels. Before he was a zombie, Jack was a pretty terrible person. He was a sexist that viewed women as simply the sum of her parts. The most despicable thing he said about his mentality before zombification was how he loved anorexic girls best because of their low self esteem and self discipline. He was an elitist and scorned anything remotely associated with lower social classes. When he became a zombie, none of these things mattered anymore. It was only when he was separated from society and humanity that he experienced happiness and love in his odd zombie family unit. (It’s like the end of Zombieland, but with zombies instead of humans.) Race also doesn’t matter to zombies. They are all shades of grey and they all want brains and more brains. Being a zombie is preferable to being human, according to this novel, because of the equality and unity it provides.

Brains is a really fast, enjoyable read. The only thing I would have liked to see is the perspective of the other sentient zombies. I think they could have added more to the story. It kind of feels funny to root for the flesh eating zombies for once, but this novel is a welcome addition to the zombie genre.

The premise is unique and the story is entertaining but it just seems a bit rushed. The book jumps forward days, weeks, or even months at a time in a few sentences with no comment or reason. I understand that some of this is explainable by the first person perspective and a lack of interest from the narrator but it seems that it's not so much a novel as a very detailed outline for a larger story. I recommend the book for its originality but it doesn't need to go to the top of your reading list.½

Robin Becker's "Brains" was a fairly satisfying zombie novel, and with that accomplishment it broke the mold of most zombie long fiction. I love zombies, I've always loved zombies, but to be honest the majority of zombie novels on the market are a huge disappointment. I was more than a bit wary of Becker's effort at first, seeing as it based its narrative on a 1st person perspective, dependent upon personifying zombies and allowing them human characteristics, thus necessarily taking them beyond the genre as I saw it, but I was in for a surprise. Becker's personality actually suits a zombie (No offense intended dear, but I call it as I see it). Whether it's her writing skill or her actual personality, the sense of humor, the alienation from humanity, the predatory nature exhibited in the zombies she describes actually works. The jokes her primary zombie character engages in remind me of some of my friends, and even of myself. Upon reading the book, one may either find this fact hilarious or deplorable. I make no apologies, and I suspect and truly hope that neither does Becker. And there you have it... I was so enraptured by the ability of the writer to personify the zombie point of view that I was quite unable to objectively judge any other aspect of her writing style. I think there were a few things that annoyed me, a few failings here or there, and her excessive praise for Max Brooks' "Zombie Survival Guide", which I found imbecilic and could bear no more than a brief moment's examination of, certainly grated a bit... but the main thing that carries this book isn't technical detail, isn't necessarily literary skill, it's personality. "Brains" has it. In spades. I recommend it strongly to those aching for a taste of brains... it may not be the holy grail, but it's certainly entertaining and given what's available on the market you may not get much better anytime soon unless your eyes glaze over and you crack open a skull yourselves.

Brains: A Zombie Memoir by Robin Becker was brilliant, to say the least. It was edgy, refreshing and totally unlike anything I have read lately. It was a quick read, at only 192 pages. I only wish it would have been longer- but the author was clever leaving it as she did. I don't know if I will get to visit the courageous and cunning Jack Barnes again- though I would be the first one in line to buy a second book if there ever was one.

A scientist, Stein, has been trying to mold the perfect person. But, just like it should- it all goes wrong when they release the virus before it is ready. This leads us to the endearing college professor, Jack Barnes, and his wife being surrounded by infectious people. Zombies. He inevitably contracts the foul zombie virus that has been eating the country. Along with his newly decaying body he has found a new passion: Brains. He says it better than anyone, "...beautiful, bountiful, bubbly, bewitching, bedazzling brains." I am in love with the way this book is written. It made me laugh, cringe and hope. Hope for zombies? Who would have thought. I was utterly torn, do I want the zombies to get slaughtered?! Do I want them to survive to brutally eat more humans!? Geesh, I still don't know. But I DO know that I loved Jack Barnes and his little entourage of special zombies. Jack goes on an adventure with his fellow zombies to find their God, their creator... the reason this all started. Stein. I mean, he must appreciate their existence, right? He'll help them survive among humans.... right?

This is what I love about Jack- when you look into his eyes, they aren't vacant and glossed over like the majority of the undead. No, he is self aware. He can read. He can write. And he is smart enough to realize there are others like him. He finds Guts, Joan, Annie, Ross and Eve. All with their own individual zombie super powers. They will fight for equality, or die (again) trying!

I highly suggest this book to anyone- if you don't mind some serious flesh eating. The book is written in first person, which is why it is so much fun. Who doesn't want to be present for the thought process of a self aware zombie? I'm going to be reading this book more than once, and recommending it to all my guy friends. Can we have another, Ms. Becker?

Brains: A Zombie Memoir is told unique as it is told through a zombie's perspective. The book's hilarious, starting off with Geraldo Rivera interviewing a zombie and riddled with pop culture references. The humor continues throughout the novel, but lessens towards the middle of the book once the zombies have to start actively focusing on survival.

A few of the zombies, the ones primary to the story, are self-aware. One is fast, one can speak, one can perform first aid, one can shoot and the main character can write. There is also a pregnant zombie that ultimately has to give birth.

Robin Becker's book is based on a strange premise, making it rather different from other books in the genre. The reader is put into a zombie's head, thinking a zombie's thoughts. I'm a huge zombie fan, but never once did I ever consider the world through their eyes. Jack, zombie who had a Ph.D. in life, leads the self-aware zombies. He learns along the way that once people became zombies, the playing field was level. There were no class or race distinction. It was quite interesting to see the subtle message among the gore.

Brains: A Zombie Memoir is a light, quick read that allows you to shamble a mile in a zombie's shoes.