"...and with the Blast came a bug."
And so begins "Balance" by Peter Giglio.
I believe I've mentioned here on the blog that I am a big fan of zombies; in fiction, in movies, in television-you name it and I love it. So when I came across "Balance" I dug right in, ready to jump into some exciting zombie action!
What I got was a novella that yes, has plenty of the zombie action one would expect, but also a story that has a surprising amount of heart and emotion. "Balance" is a very unique, well written tale that easily stands head and shoulders above the rest of the moaning, shambling crowd.
Giglio's world building is detailed but he doesn't spend a lot of time with info dumping on his readers, instead keeping the pace brisk; this is a zombie apocalypse, after all. But it with his characterization that Giglio makes "Balance" really shine. There are six main characters in "Balance" and we get to see the story unfold from all their individual viewpoints. Yet none of the characters are generic, uninteresting stereotypes; Giglio gives us fully realized people that we come to care about and whose outcomes we are totally invested in. Then he takes it yet another step further and applies a twist at the end that really slams home the emotional heart of the story (to say more would be to spoil it!).
I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Balance" by Peter Giglio and you will, too. It is a fast paced tale that offers a fresh take on some well trod zombie territory.
(This book counts towards the Zombie Reading Challenge 2012 hosted by Book Chick City AND the Horror/Thriller Reading Challenge 2012 hosted by Sweeping Me.)
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