Richard Buzzell

These days where more and more people are turning to websites, blogs, and forums for their news and informations. Newspapers are all but obsolete. Some websites were built and still thrive on the premise that everyone has a voice. Sometimes, however, those voices cause panic in the minds of the criticized. And many times those that operate these meeting places are looked on as more guilty than those that post. Welcome to zombiestop.com.
The book was written in journal form, so it became somewhat monotonous at points. I never had the patience to write my own journal, let alone read someone else's. But no one's life is exciting every day. Because it was written with such a different style, it did allow the reader much more ability to experience the author's daily frame of mind - Yesterday this happened, so this is how I feel today.
The depth that the author delves into the subjects of economics, politics, and society may deter a reader that doesn't follow such news stories, but will be welcomed openly by those of us that do. Then again, that depth could spark an interest by the normally disinterested. I would say that, although this book is a work of fiction, there is enough truth within its pages that it really belongs in the current events section.… (mehr)

In today's day and age of whistleblowing, with the same level of censorship and scrutiny being applied whether they're blowing whistles against governments or big businesses, it's refreshing to read a book by someone who isn't fooled by the concept of giving these large bodies the leeway to do what they want, and look the other way when they continually screw up.

ZombieStop Parade isn't about zombies. Well, that's debatable. It's not about ravenous flesh-eating shambling undead ghouls (especially those marching along to some piece by Sousa). Nor is it about people who have been hypnotized by some bad mojo. It's starts by being about consumers who just mindlessly follow their leaders, like sheep, only with a hipper name. And it's about a forum, the eponymous ZombieStop forum, which attracts the attention of a hacker who leaks sensitive information, as well as some activists, and finally, the FBI.

The story is told through a series of journal entries written from ZombieStopperUno, the second banana in ZombieStop. He's naive, he's not the most sociable, but still, he's the face of the site, and the go-to guy for any external organization trying to learn more about ZombieStop.

While the book does tote something I strongly agree with, the presentation is not the best. For a book claiming to be set in America, written by an American, it seems to use a lot of UK-isms in word choice, spelling, and formatting. This distracted from the main point of the book. Also, the fact that it's written as a journal, while fitting with the protagonist, is not the most creative way to tell a story.

It's a short book, so it's not too long of a commitment. You'll probably like it if you hate big businesses getting carte blanche with taxpayer resources. You'll probably hate it if you mindlessly support these same businesses.… (mehr)