Country: USA
Genre: Horror
Pages: 335
Order THIS DARK EARTH Here
Other John Hornor Jacobs Books Reviewed:
Southern Gods (2011)
I catch a whiff of shambler char, that fatty plastic-barbecue smell. I don't know if their numbers are growing or they're just getting stinkier.
God, I hope it's just stink.
John Hornor Jacobs already proved in the past that he could think outside the box. His debut novel SOUTHERN GODS pulverized some of the clichés associated with supernatural horror and did so with style. So Gallery Books' PR staff didn't have to do much convincing to get me to read his latest novel THIS DARK EARTH, his own personal spin on the zombie apocalypse. Horror is such a cool genre, because it's so broad, it allows a lot of breathing room for creativity. After tackling Lovecraftian horror in his first book, Jacobs went for something completely different. Once again, he pulled it off. THIS DARK EARTH is a gloomy, realistic take on a potential zombie apocalypse and its fragmentary nature both keeps the story fresh and plausible. There is a lot of crap literature about zombies, but Jacobs' novel might very well become THE milestone in the genre.
The scope THIS DARK EARTH covers is spectacular. It goes from a "D-Day" introduction about the first days of the zombie plague and the fall of modern society, to the feuds of the clan-based society among the remaining humans. There are many narrators, but the story is centered about Dr. Lucy Ingersol, who barely pulled herself from the jaws of death on D-Day, her son Gus and a big, strong southern trucker who goes by the name of Knock-Out. Lucy and her giant companion have built Bridge City, a fortress city that protects humans from the roaming zombies and are raising Gus to be the next leader of the remaining humans. But he's one strange kid, who never seemed to ever have been a kid at all. Is he just a mature kid or is he a brooding psychopath? Does he have what it takes to ensure the survival of mankind?
Part of what makes THIS DARK EARTH so riveting is that fragmentary narrative Jacobs uses, because he covers events that are both universal, that touch every remaining humans, and personal struggles. Doing that, he shifts in between first and third person narration, which gives the feeling that the official history and the first person accounts are both as important in this age of desolation. Also, it gives a strong sense of what everyone has to sacrifice, only to keep themselves alive. That first chapter about the day one of the infection was so realistic and visceral, it was physically excruciating to read. It was both fast paced and so unpredictable, it borderlined the cinematic experience. Of course, some of the point of views I questioned more than anothers. The engineer chapter, towards the end, felt rather unnecessary, but Jacobs kept it short and sweet. Boldness in storytelling comes with its load of trial and error.
The scope THIS DARK EARTH covers is spectacular. It goes from a "D-Day" introduction about the first days of the zombie plague and the fall of modern society, to the feuds of the clan-based society among the remaining humans. There are many narrators, but the story is centered about Dr. Lucy Ingersol, who barely pulled herself from the jaws of death on D-Day, her son Gus and a big, strong southern trucker who goes by the name of Knock-Out. Lucy and her giant companion have built Bridge City, a fortress city that protects humans from the roaming zombies and are raising Gus to be the next leader of the remaining humans. But he's one strange kid, who never seemed to ever have been a kid at all. Is he just a mature kid or is he a brooding psychopath? Does he have what it takes to ensure the survival of mankind?
Part of what makes THIS DARK EARTH so riveting is that fragmentary narrative Jacobs uses, because he covers events that are both universal, that touch every remaining humans, and personal struggles. Doing that, he shifts in between first and third person narration, which gives the feeling that the official history and the first person accounts are both as important in this age of desolation. Also, it gives a strong sense of what everyone has to sacrifice, only to keep themselves alive. That first chapter about the day one of the infection was so realistic and visceral, it was physically excruciating to read. It was both fast paced and so unpredictable, it borderlined the cinematic experience. Of course, some of the point of views I questioned more than anothers. The engineer chapter, towards the end, felt rather unnecessary, but Jacobs kept it short and sweet. Boldness in storytelling comes with its load of trial and error.
There are times and things you can never forget. Your first kiss from someone you love. The first time you have sex. Your first broken heart.
And then there's the first time you ride a steam locomotive through a horde of zombies. I'd rank it up there with my first kiss. Maybe even sex.
Zombie apocalypse ranks very high about male-centric subjects. Raise the subject in a public place and you will see every male turn around like sunflowers, to give you their personal hypothesis about the subject, because THEY HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT. THIS DARK EARTH is about the most awesome, three hundred pages long exposition of a zombie apocalypse theory, disguised as fiction. Jacobs goes from how it could realistically happen, to how it would affect society and people from all ages, to the different ways remaining humans could keep clear of the plague. I'm not exactly a scholar in zombie fiction, but this is as good as it gets for horror, period. John Hornor Jacobs proves again to be one step ahead of everybody, creatively speaking. He is becoming a household name in horror, but he has the talent to go way beyond the confines of a single genre. He's writing a YA trilogy right now and knowing the author, it's something I'll definitely look into. John Honor Jacobs has a talent that transcends genres. There you go, I said it.
FOUR STARS