Fantastic Zombie Scenario - "Decent" Presentation

The situations presented in this story are ones contemplated by everyone who has ever considered a post-acopalyptic world: what if I had access to a helicopter.. or could hide out in a shopping mall?
It's reasonably unfortunate that this 1978 effort threw down the marker for those paradigms.. future authors undoubtedly could have done more with helicopters and shopping malls - but "It's Been Done", I guess.

*sigh*

That said, there are merits and deficiencies in 'Dawn Of The Dead' as an Audiobook:
First, this novelization (by Susanna Sparrow) of the George A. Romero screenplay is best characterized as "faithful". This book is largely a word-for-word and scene-for-scene retelling of the Laurel Group/United Pictures film. There is very little of the insightful here and literally nothing new. [Then again, I personally wasn't expecting innovation. If you buy this book and are expecting more than what's in the movie.. you're in for some disappointment].
Second (in it's favor), the plot is intuitive and action-driven, the attempts at conflict and characterization are appreciable, the setting is imaginative, the descriptions are adequate, the dialogue is fairly realistic, and the prose is creditable.
[Overall, it's a satisfactory but unspectacular book].

I must point out that the reading by Jonathan Davis of Audible Studios is excellent, however. His tone, timbre, and cadence are commendable. Furthermore, pacing is spot-on and the voice-acting makes characters distinctive and easy to identify - Davis isn't merely imitating actor portrayals from the film, but adding his own signature. This is clearly better than a text copy would be..

Altogether, this well-performed story is a somewhat underwhelming piece of zombie fiction, yet worth 7.5 stars out of 10.
You might be better-served rewatching the film.. but if you're working a night shift or engaging in a long drive, this isn't a wasted Credit.

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1 person found this helpful

Great adaption of one of the best zombie movies

great adaption. narrator was good, especially when he needed to set a heightened and urgent tone. character insight and background as well as some small variations make this a refreshing and enjoyable read over the movie. some of the scenes were much more scary and suspenful (ie the seat actually getting devoured when they bust open the door or Stephens first foray alone through the offices into the mall) another great addition was the short backstory behind the mall and it's owner.

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Just OK

This was alright but I wouldn't waste a credit on it. I struggled a bit to finish it, thought about giving up a few times. The story is OK, but I found I wasn't really drawn in, I regularly had to rewind because I stopped paying attention. Also the characters aren't the best. There isn't a main character, or meaningful looks into each character's experience or personality. Maybe that was the author's intention, but it isn't for me. I found I just didn't care about them.

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