REVIEW: Fiend

PLOT: There’s more than one kind of monster. When Chase Daniels first sees the little girl in umbrella socks tearing open the Rottweiler, he's not too concerned. As a longtime meth addict, he’s no stranger to horrifying, drug-fueled hallucinations. But as he and his fellow junkies soon discover, the little girl is no illusion. The end of the world really has arrived. The funny thing is, Chase’s life was over long before the apocalypse got here, his existence already reduced to a stinking basement apartment and a filthy mattress and an endless grind of buying and selling and using. He’s lied and cheated and stolen and broken his parents’ hearts a thousand times. And he threw away his only shot at sobriety a long time ago, when he chose the embrace of the drug over the woman he still loves. And if your life’s already shattered beyond any normal hopes of redemption…well, maybe the end of the world is an opportunity. Maybe it’s a last chance for Chase to hit restart and become the man he once dreamed of being. Soon he’s fighting to reconnect with his lost love and dreaming of becoming her hero among civilization’s ruins. But is salvation just another pipe dream?

REVIEW: I had requested this from the library for obvious reasons, it has zombies in it. I had forgotten that upon requesting it, it had also been about meth users in a zombie apocalypse. I was quickly greeted with very dark and gritty narration, that leaves nothing to the imagination when it comes to the use of methamphetamine. Chase Daniels is a meth user, and when he sees a little girl with umbrella socks opening up a rottweiler for her first meal, he thinks he's just hallucinating. As time goes on, the visions become more and more real and Chase realizes it isn't the drugs making these visions appear, it's actually happening. Chase and his buddy Typewriter, A.K.A. John, embark on a journey of survival in more ways than one, quickly after this book begins. At first the book is difficult to follow, with the two main characters bantering back and forth, because the author chose to use a different style in terms of writing dialogue. There are no quotes around any of the words spoken by any of the characters, but rather it is led by a "he said" or "she said" type line. I found this to be somewhat refreshing and a different take, and I'm curious as to the reason of said decision but it did take some getting used to.

The zombies in the book are definitely a little different from the usual as well, as for some reason these zombies chuckle or giggle. This is how our characters are able to differentiate between the walking dead and the spun out human beings they encounter on their journey. There's a lot left to the imagination in terms of how this apocalypse arrived and why it is that these people are shambling, yet giggling, walking dead. I'm curious as to the hidden meaning of a lot of things in this book, as I have a feeling there are a few. I noticed upon finishing the book that Peter Stenson is a recovering addict, and I'm going to assume it's from use of methamphetamine but I'm not sure because there was no clarification of that on the back of the book. It really shows though in terms of the descriptions when our main characters are using drugs, preparing drugs, or rattling off rapid fire thoughts they have while high on meth. While it can at times be disturbing, it's a very rattling and seemingly true perspective through the eyes of a meth addict. The meth use is prominent through the book, so if drug use is something that bothers you, you should definitely shy away from this book. The thoughts are often times irrational, erratic, and downright absurd from our main character Chase, but it's all part of the dream that he's living out in real life.

I find myself caught between really liking this book, but also questioning why so much was left up to interpretation or was inconclusive. The book kind of just ends and you wonder what happens to Chase Daniels after such an excruciating journey through his addiction, solving other people's problems through his meth visions, and of course the zombies, A.K.A. Chucklers. I like a lot about the book, as it was very different and definitely was a different zombie tale that stands out from the rest of the craze that has recently swept the bookshelves. Peter Stenson weaves an incredibly macabre story of a meth addict in a post apocalyptic world, and you can't help but to keep turning the pages to find out what the character is going to do, or think, next. I would recommend this to the most hardcore fans of zombie fiction, and even drug fiction and meth takes the front seat in this ride. The zombies are definitely there, but I don't feel that it's the true focus of the story. The battle inside Chase over his meth addiction, and the battle outside for the people around him are at the forefront of the emotional impact this story has, and even though it all sounds like a ridiculous premise I was pretty impressed. If you're sad that Breaking Bad is coming to a close in the next two weeks, and you have to wait a month until the fourth season of The Walking Dead premieres, this is probably the perfect book to satisfy your addiction and pass the time.

RATED : ( R )

WRITING : ( 9 / 10 )

STORY : ( 7 / 10 )

COVER : ( 9 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 9 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 8 / 10 )