Every Sigh, the End: A novel about Zombies Book

I write this review with some trepidation. I almost feel as if the story should be reviewed and analyzed in an English or Literature classroom, or perhaps in some exotic American Philosophy class, rather on a website that sells this book. This is a book that reminds me to look at things a bit differently, to try something new and completely different. It reminds me of stories read in college and high school that I was turned on to not by friends or family that know my tastes but by someone who felt I should try something that would lead me down a different path entirely.

What I write here is for the people who are curious about this book, people who want to see if this book is up their alley. Some of the previous reviews seem of a personal nature perhaps written by folks who know Jason Hornsby. I can say that I definitely do not know the author. I came into the book with no preconcieved notions or presumptions as to what I should expect. I would also say that, after reading this review, if you feel that this book is perhaps not right for you, you might want to reconsider that, as it is certainly a very challenging and intriguing work that might make you think more than you expected.

This book is angry, it is dark, and it is about zombies. But it does not follow any known pathway to completion that I have ever seen in a tale about the undead. The author has completely transcended the genre with a work that is more philosophy and questions our society, our reality, and what we are as individuals than even the works of Romero and other "deep thinkers" of this realm.

Like so many high quality works the zombies here are a tool that is wielded by the author or film maker to force us to look more closely at ourselves. Here, that idea is taken literally, with everything related to the dead scripted out completely by shadowy men that run everything and work in conjunction with the entertainment industry to run grandiose experiments with unsuspecting citizens...in particular, our main character.

I could envision Oliver Stone directing a movie version of this book, as it is rife with conspiracy theories and conjecture as to who is really in control of everything. Beyond even that, it conjures up questions about our reality, our existence. Who are we and do we even realize that the world has already come to an end?

I hated the main character at first, but while I never grew affectionate of him, I could see him changing and seeing things in different ways, his helplessness, as time went on. His arogance and presumptive attitude is undercut by realization after realization that he should trust no one, that the world is a lonely place, and that we are all dead and buried already. We are the zombies that continue to live in this world, we just don't either care or realize it.

Pretty grim stuff and even though I am very avid fan of zombie books and movies, this is something totally different. The zombies are a big part of the story here, don't get me wrong, but they are a metaphor for us as human beings as we walk woodenly through this world. This style of writing is something that I can take in smaller doses now and again and because of that, I ended up liking this book a great deal more than I thought I would after a few pages in. In the end, I sped through the rest of it and believe that I will more than likely end up reading it again down the road to remind myself of this authors unique vision of things.

Why not 5 stars? Perhaps because the book was like an itch that I could not scratch. The author is angry and bitter and his vision of the world and those around him which is not anything like my own. I feel that I could perhaps have a very interesting conversation with Jason, but I think it just as likely that he would judge me in some negative fashion because I hold a different worldview than he...or perhaps I am totally wrong on that front. I can intersect with his viewpoints through a book such as this and be appreciative of it; it serves to remind me that there are those out there who are necessary in this world: the ones who have great anger and fixate on conspiracies and the wonders of an era long gone, they have resentment and view things in a way that I more than likely cannot or choose not to. Whether I agree entirely or even on a miniscule level with what the author has to say about "us" I appreciate his passion and his words keep my mind open to views other than my own. That makes this a valuable book and one that I will remember for a very long time.

I recommend this work for both those who question everything and those who do not question enough.