The Dead

Much better than I anticipated...

In fact, I'd go as far as to say that this is one of the best modern novels I've ever read. It's certainly not the longest, it's a quick read at slightly over 300 pages. The story is well thought, well planned, and manages to be both fast-paced and engrossing. The style is simple, but not childish, and the characters are well put together.

The majority of complaints come from one of three things. The first that some complain about is how Rogers seems to relish in introducing characters just to have them torn apart. I disagree, though there are two characters who get this treatment fairly early on. The second complaint is with the religious context of many of the discussions. I'm an atheist, personally, and I found the discussions to be highly entertaining. Seeing the varying levels of faith amongst the characters entailed added considerable interest to the story for me. The third thing that people seem to complain about is this printing of the book and the enormous number of errors contained therein. While I don't hold the author responsible, I do cringe at the lack of proofreading by the 'publish on demand' company currently in charge of printing the title. I worked as one of three levels of proofreading at a local publisher, and I know how much concentration it takes to catch everything, so a few errors crop up in almost all manuscripts that are published. The number that are contained in this printing is abhorrent, un-Godly even (*snickers*). I wouldn't hesitate to say that the company did nothing at all to proof the document.

All things considered, however, this is still one of the best books I have read recently. I expected a nice, souped-up zombie story and ended up being totally engrossed by an end of the world tale based on the Book of Revelations. Rogers takes the much-debated text as an inspiration and runs full-out with the possibilities. The result is a great little horror novel that deserves a lot more critical acclaim than that Stephen King crud I've read (not saying all of it is crud, I particularly enjoyed Four Past Midnight after all). I certainly recommend it.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Loved it!

One of my favorite tales of the walking dead.

The Dead will tear your face off...in a good way

The Dead has it all, theology, violence, family and of course zombies. It may seem like an odd combination but it plays together perfectly well. The book is pretty dark and creepy, and has ensured that my wife will never watch any zombie movies with me again. I bought a copy for my brother recently and noticed the newer prints have ART in them. Mark has done paintings throughout the whole book. And on a slightly lesser note the spelling errors found in the old copy have been fixed. All in all this book is a lot of crazy fun. It may not be everyones cup of tea but for those of us who are looking for something a bit different and fresh check it out. Good art, Good story, Good book.

Really caught me by surprise.

I really didn't know what to expect from this book. When finished I was really amazed about how much I enjoyed this book. This is not a typical zombie story, but a look at the end of the world. And, I do mean THE END. As in God, The Devil, Judgement Day, The Rapture, and all that sort of stuff. I really enjoyed this novel a great deal.

THE BEST THERE IS

There isn't much I can say about this book that others haven't. It is scary as they come. This book is as dark as it comes. It grips you and wont let go. If you want to be scared BUY THIS BOOK. There are a few spelling errors but if you can get around that you will love it. A masterpiece of horror. I can promise this if you read The Dead you will love it.

The end is upon us

The dead is a shocking look at the apocalypse and the end of human civilization as we know it. The dead shows you a frightening look at what hell really could be. The Dead is different from most zombie books due in part by the fact that the undead can wield weapons and operate vehicles. It follows two brothers and a group of their cohorts as they fight for survival against an enemy spawned from the pits from hell. It has a strong religious aspect and really makes you think about your own life and how you will be judged in the end. A fun read that is a must for zombie fans.

What a read!

I heard good things about this book, but I didn't think i would get so caught up in it. A traditional zombie tale in the way of the 'heros' surviving. But, what this book ultimatly offers is a fascinating look at redemption and damnation. Frightening, exciting, and thought provoking.

Apocoplyptic tale of terror, hope and redemption!

I had read this novel several years ago, and was quite fascinated by the premise. It was the first story written about the Biblical Apocolypse, that I could relate to. The characters are extremely well thought out and it is quite easy to care about what happens to them. With the impending release of George Romero's 'Land of the Dead,' I believe Zombie fiction and the like will be the place to be! I highly recommend 'The Dead.'

Could have been much better

Once I got over all the type-o's (at least one per page) and numerous mispellings (cemetary?), this wasn't such a bad story. Although the walking dead were not portrayed as your typical zombies, they were pretty gruesome. Also, the author could've left out all the religious jargon. I found those conversations boring and drawn out. The one thing I really enjoyed was the ending, it seemed to put the religious overtones in prospective.

A whirlwind of Zombies and chock full of grit!

I first read this book in one day. In 1990, I sat in study hall drawing when a friend of mine said 'You want to read something freaky?' Ignoring my homework and the rest of the world that day. I was sucked in to this book. Rogers portrayal of the living dead was very detailed and not in the least bit cliché. A corpse coming out of a coffin at a funeral with it¿s eyes ripping it¿s stitching out. Leaving black ocular holes that peer out in pure odium. Now that¿s scarier than any Zombie movie or book that I have ever heard of! I have always been haunted by the after thoughts and visions of this book. Now it¿s 2003 and I stumble upon The Dead. I am overjoyed that I found it again. And Especially that this book has been given a second chance. Every horror buff should read this book!

Zombies, Terror, and Theology

The Dead, by Mark E. Rogers, is an impressive end-of-the-world novel that manages to combine action and a thrilling narrative with complex character development and even some finely honed theology. The main story concerns a small group of people who have gathered for a relative's funeral. After they share a dream about the end of the world, they learn that numerous people are missing; something like the Rapture has apparently occurred. But this is no simple Left Behind-type story. A chapter or two later the novel takes an unexpected turn when, at the funeral, their relative smashes out of his coffin. Then in a frightening scene, the corpses of the dead rise from their graves and begin slaughtering the living in particularly gruesome ways. These are not George Romero Living Dead-style liches, either. They don't devour their victims, but save them for slow, painful deaths and take a gruesome glee in the infliction of pain. During the rest of the book the main characters flee the zombies and try to stay alive as the earth slowly dies around them and the sun rots in the sky. Mark Rogers is a superb storyteller, with a real gift for gripping narrative that makes the story move very quickly; there's not a dull moment anywhere. His fine eye for both action and suspense adds tension to several key scenes: a tense flight through storm drains; an episode where the main characters are trapped on a boat run aground on a sandbar; a climactic battle where one character single-handedly holds off the zombies to give his companions a chance to escape But action is not Rogers' only forte. This book is not a simple zombie thriller. Rogers fills the book with moments of insight and character development that give this book depth. A raving fundamentalist, dismissed by the other characters-and by us-as a nut, is the first one to figure out what is really going on. The most devoutly religious character in the book must face the realization that his faith is sadly lacking. And the head demon, Legion (yes, the Legion from the Gospels, the one Jesus drives into the Gadarene swine), engages in grim theological discussions with some of the characters as he plays with their minds and souls like a cat would play with a mouse. Speaking as someone with a Master of Divinity degree, I found the theological depth of this book remarkable. Even this is not enough, though. Rogers has a remarkable skill with imagery, and reinforces the action and suspense with verbal pictures that stick in your mind: a detached face tied to a zombie's head with a shoestring; engines being devoured by metal-eating maggots; the sun rotting in the sky. And near the end of the book, a terrifying glimpse of Legion as he really is, one of the most frightening descriptions of a devil I have ever encountered-a creature of pure malice, and not at all human. Be warned that this book is very gruesome. Not only is it violent, but also Rogers, as I said before, describes the action in a way that will stick with you. This is a book that will enthrall you, frighten you, maybe even get you thinking. One thing it will not do is bore you.

A matter of eternal life and death!

The Dead starts with a bang and hangs onto you like a zombie with its jaws set firmly in your neck hungering for not just your brains, but your immortal soul as well. This is no standard running away from lumbering, soporific corpses but a world that has gone mad in the grip of Legion and his rapidly growing whirlwind army of the undead bent on taking as many souls to Hell with them as they can in a spate of vengeful fury. This book not only provides you with the kick-butt thrills and chills of a living dead/last-stand scenario but adds a hefty dose of well-thought out philosophy as well. Furious gun battles and a run for survival are interspersed amongst images of life and death debates with members of the living dead that are not soon to be forgotten. I will leave it to you to decide which of these moments provide the most harrowing moments in this novel. Written with a good eye for the New Jersey countryside and vivid images of a world that is rapidly dying (the metal maggots is one of my favorites!), The Dead will leave you with indelible visions of Earth and Man¿s last days as the survivors realize that the end of the world and Judgment is at hand. I read this in two days and immediately turned around and read it again for I found I had read it so rapidly and was so drawn into the excitement and fates of the characters that I had sped through some of the books most salient philosophical and theological points and wanted go back and savor those on their own. It is virtually like getting two books for the price of one. Mark Rogers has delivered The Screwtape Letters a la Peter Jackson at his most demented! This is an excellent example of the quintessential page-turner that is so often ballyhooed on book sites. This is the real thing!

A great read.

When I first picked up "The Dead" I was mainly expecting the normal run of the mill zombie story that I have read many times before but to my pleasant surprize "The Dead" is a totally unique and terrifying tale that you surely will not be able to put down.A must read for any fan of macabre.

This is the one!

For those who are into George Romero series of dead movies this is an absolute must read. For those who wish to mull over the theological and philisophical ramifications of good versus evil this book is also for you. Mark Rogers is able to masterfully meld these together to create a page turner that you will not want to put down and in fact may have you reading again and again. Rogers uses your mind as a movie screen and through his words he is able to project into your mind imagery so real and so vivid. You may come away reflecting on your own beliefs and philosophies of what absolute good and evil are about. Indeed, some may come away a bit shaken by what they read in this book. Hype is often used to sell books but in this case, Mark Roger's is one of those few publications that lives up to the hype and more!

Apocalypse in Jersey

The end of the world comes and goes, but some of us are stuck between heaven and hell at the Jersey Shore. More great action, more rampaging zombies, and a meaner, scarier Satan, than you're likely to see in any other theologically informed book about salvation. Rogers is a great writer and it is amazing that his work is not better known.

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