Apocalypticon by Clayton Smith

Genre: Horror / Dark Comedy

Publisher: Dapper Press

Reviewer: Jag

JAGS: 2

Patrick and Ben have survived the apocalypse. The world is reduced to burnt out buildings and a yellow haze that cover the earth. All perpetuated by the Jamaicans. This dark comedy chronicles two unlikely heroes as they venture out onto the post-apocalyptic American landscape. Their journey is none other to one of the most magical places on Earth-Disney World. From Yellow stained zombies to a monastery full of genderfluid monks, Patrick and Ben have an uncanny ability to land themselves in some outlandish scenarios.

Apocalypticon is Harold and Kumar meet the end of days. The cheeky humor of both characters play out well in some of the story, but overall it drags. The characters are forgettable. The book is forgettable. Parts of the story seem to catch, but for the most part, it repeats the same boring humor over and over. There were parts of the story where you were genuinely interested in what was going to happen next, but the humor kills it the moment you get interested.

The Passage by Justin Cronin

The Passage by Justin Cronin is 766 pages of pure story telling. Set right before the fall of mankind and then finally in a post-apocalyptic US, this story is about survival against man and its creation. A new spin on vampirism, The Passage is a breath of fresh air which stays away from the dime-store novella of typical blood and fangs.

Set 100 years into the future, this story follows the lives of a Colony and the verge of its defeat from the Dracs that hunt the remaining survivors. With little left in resources, a band of ordinary citizens and a mysterious child venture outside of the security of the walls to find other survivors.

Excellent read and hard to put down, The Passage is a great purchase.  Highly recommended and a definite keeper for your personal library.  This is a book you can revisit time and time again to reread a journey that will continue to surprise you with every turn of the page.

8 JAGS