It’s nearing Halloween now, and I bet some of you would like to start reading books that give chills. Search no more, the perfect book is here: Deathbringer by Bryan Smith. Okay, the title is a bit off-putting, but if you like zombie tales this book is for you. But this is isn’t your run of the mill zombie story. These zombies have new twists: ability to talk, think, and even feel emotion. George Romero might have a few qualms about this story, but it keeps you turning pages. The action is intense, and some scenes are too graphic for the young ones, but the twists in the plot will keep you guessing until the end. Don’t go into this book with any intention of learning anything, this book is definitely for the brain-dead. If this title is unavailable from our library we are more than happy to ILL it for you. Happy reading! ( )

Nice quick read. Quick paced and page turning. While I haven’t read a ton of zombie fests in my day, this seemed to be typical of a lot of zombie filled stories I’ve been aquainted with in the past. This did have an interesting background which I would like to read more about. The history of the DeathBringer was intriguing enough to make me curious to read more on the background. Overall not bad. ( )

In the small town of Dandridge an ancient hatred is rekindled. A blinding desire for revenge, for freedom, for the ultimate power is born from the blackest heart filled with darkness and centuries old despair caused by a bleak existence devoid of humanity and compassion. An existence whose sole remaining purpose is to destroy everything that was once beautiful in the world. To create a necropolis; a vile circle ultimately leading into the spiraling chasm of living death where all life is consumed in the chaotic dance of power and vengeance, sorrow and confusion, and a mind altering evil so foul in its origins and ultimate desire as to be unthinkable. A world of despair, a world dominated and ruled by the feared Reaper and his fellow companions of darkness. The merciless cycle begins as formerly innocent citizens of the sleepy town of Dandridge claw themselves from their graves preying upon loved ones, upon neighbors and friends. As their ravenous craving for living flesh is sated, their former companions join the legion of the dead spreading more woe and suffering. At the centre of this bizarre tale are the few remaining citizens of an ever deteriorating world. Will these woebegone individuals be able to assuage their fear and grief as the tide of destruction consumes their lives and engulfs everything they ever believed in? Will they be able to defeat the powerful and ultimately evil Deathbringer and his necromantic schemes or will they soon be added to his growing legion of the dead? Will they forever be his blood thirsty minions prowling throughout their bleak existences satisfying their all consuming hunger and bitterness upon a world they once cherished or will they be able to end this reign of terror? Can the necropolis that has been created be ended and the world returned to its former orderliness or have the events that have transpired on this fateful night destroyed everything forever? Where will the destruction begun by one so vile, so long removed from any semblance of humanity, end? Shall darkness forever rule this world? The terrifying epic of a world gone awry has begun. . .

I was impressed by all aspects of this novel but was particularly enthralled by one such aspect to the point of being deeply drawn into the story. Instead of reading due to a general feeling of curiosity, I was drawn into the earth shattering events begun in Dandridge, and soon to spread worldwide by the characters' perceptions of the deterioration of all they ever held dear. As the merciless dead began to rise from their graves imbued with an abnormal strength never experienced in life added to an all-consuming desire to prey upon the living, they begin to torture and devour those they once loved in many graphic sequences. As the few remaining citizens of Dandridge namely Mike, Erin, Avery, and Melinda begin to discover the dire events that have mysteriously transpired on this seemingly innocuous night they are subjected to encountering the decayed parody of people they once loved returning from deep beneath their graves to consume those hapless individuals roaming the night, unaware of the circumstances that have re-animated the dead. Unlike many novels concentrated on zombies and their gruesome acts of gratuitous violence, the full horror of the situation and the strong emotional reactions of the people trapped within this hapless town was portrayed in a realistic fashion thus transforming what appears to be a fun novel of little substance into a disturbing realistic nightmare of shattering emotions and graphic gore completely enshrouded by an impenetrable aura of sadness. This having been stated, this novel is obviously not for the weak of heart and might prove so disturbing as to eliminate any enjoyment for those who are deeply effected by such raw emotions and so many vividly described dark concepts.

The characterization was expertly implemented allowing me to fully understand and appreciate each character. The raw pain of certain characters was so palpable as to prove contagious and the extreme evil and vileness of other characters, namely Melinda, was so well executed as to cause me to dream of vengeance. However, despite the extremely evil aspects inherent in some characters, the author was able to cause me to feel sympathy and sorrow for those I had previously abhorred by adding a simple statement or an overtly painful death. Even the zombies were fully characterized and I appreciated the unique twist on the zombie theme by allowing the living dead to retain their memories and desires from their previous life thus causing them to feel sorrow and loathing for their actions while still being unable to resist their ceaseless hunger which impels them to enact the vilest of deeds.

The conclusion of this novel was slightly confusing but still proved to be most satisfactory. I was unable to deduce any of the ending sequences until they transpired and was shocked by the poignant heartbreak and ceaseless sadness showcased throughout this novel.

The writing style employed throughout this melancholy work was exceedingly well executed and effortlessly conveyed the atmosphere of infinite sadness through the use of numerous evocative words and vivid metaphors. As many have already noted, the writing style is not relaxed, rather it is extremely erudite thus revealing the morbid atmosphere of the novel through weighty phrases and melancholy musings enshrouding the entirety of the story in a heavy pall of sorrow.

The doom laden atmosphere, bilious concepts, detailed sequences of death and torture, and general disturbing aura inherent in this novel cause me to advocate caution when approaching this story. This is not a fun zombie novel fraught with ludicrous sequences that often prove more amusing than horrifying, rather, the realistic portrayal and accurate descriptions of the characters' conflicting emotions might prove too heavy for the general reader. If you feel confidant that this novel will not prove too disturbing, its phenomenal plot, memorable characters, - - -both living and undead - - -, and fast pace will prove most entertaining and although I hesitate to label this novel as enjoyable, it never failed to maintain my interest and has caused me to develop an interest in the further works of this author.

- Crysania ( )

This is the first Bryan Smith book that I've read, and I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised. It was creepy and the characters - both good and evil - were well developed. I love when you can sympathize with the "bad guy" in a book, and I could definitely do that in this one. ( )

Great, Fun horror. ( )