I have the hardcover addition--it's definitely twisted and was a real brain scrambler for me. This guy had an abusive past, pretty extreme, which made me wonder if he imagined it because he's in a shrink's office. I was willing to stick with the story to see what his truth was and if he overcomes his demons but quit halfway through. "F---" and variations of the word got to be so frequent that the word quickly became predictable and boring. It soon lost all shock value, didn't add further...
The books are gorgeous and the packaging is the best this eBay junkie has ever seen. I'm in so much trouble when my wife looks at the Visa bill...
- Desmond from Dread Media Podcast
Horror mall is a lifesaver, its nigh on impossible to find good horror in the uk so a whole new world has opened up to me. Also shipping to the uk, that is amazing and its fast too. Keep up the excellent work
Author: geoff guthrie A first book by this author and it’s not a bad one at all. It’s set in a sci-fi setting where the world is at war, and the city has been destroyed by contaminated water that have turned the people into mutants. Everyone else is still living out in the suburbs, but the city is infected. Jett, the main character drives a truck into the city to pick up abandoned cars to use for metal needed in the war. The story starts after Jett returns to work after losing his partner in the city, by the city people who are mutated. What transpires is Jett gets obsessive over the city people and trying to bring back his partner from the city.
The book has political undertones, but in its plot, it's pretty simple. The end is left wide open, so the story is really more about the ride, as we get a compromised conclusion. With the wide open ending it looks like there could be a sequel, but I don't think there was enough depth in the novel for a sequel. But it was a fun ride. Also Bell is an author where simplicity is his strength; Ray Bradbury also has this quality. Sometimes a good story doesn’t need to be weighted down with explanations. “Just tell it like it is” is sometimes the best method. And in this case it is. Recommended!
Author: Steve Vernon The Condemned opens in a future much like our present. America is at war. The economy is in the crapper.
In a word – dystopia.
Jett Dormer works for the government as a professional auto reclaimer. Everyday he drives his wrecking truck into the heart of the quarantined city, risking attack from the zombie-like City People. He hauls out abandoned cars which are crushed and converted into scrap metal to feed the every hungry American war machine. While he’s doing this job he discovers the true nature of the zombie-like City People.
This is David Jack Bell’s first novel and as such has its share of speed bumps and the occasional detour. The novel gallops at a page-turning pace. One part Repo Man, one part Mad Max, one part Fight Club – this first novel is definitely worth picking up.
Author: Jeffrey Burk Delirium Books is commonly known in the horror scene as one of the finest small press publishers around. They consistently release high caliber fiction from a wide range of horror authors. The Condemned, the first novel by David Jack Bell, is an unfortunate misstep from the publisher.
The book follows Jeff Dormer, who earns a living traveling into "the city" and salvaging for scrap metal. When the book opens, Jeff has just lost his partner to the City People. These creatures are the reason for the city's abandonment and a constant danger in Jeff's line of work. When he gets a psychotic new partner, Jeff's life begins to fall apart in a quest to find out the truth of the City People and get revenge on them.
While the plot may sound promising, it fails in almost every aspect. The book's biggest misfire is in its villains, the City People, who appear as emaciated, ugly humans. While they are intended to be frightening, the reader is never given any reason to fear them. Throughout the entire duration of the novel they never pose a threat of any kind. In a majority of scenes in which the City People appear, they are fast asleep or wandering aimlessly. The reader is barely allowed a glimpse into their past history and the reason every character in the book fears them is never made clear.
The book also suffers from very forced characterization. When the evil conspirator boss is confronted over his evil ways, he immediately breaks down into tears and begs for forgiveness, yet several pages later he is once again a hard-ass dedicated to a massive cover-up. The main expert on the City People lives in fear of his life, yet he will rant and rave about government secrets to anyone who contacts him over the internet.
Contradictions, rash decisions, and unrealistically extreme reactions are the norm for the dysfunctional people populating the story. The characters would be better suited for a day-time soap-opera rather than a horror novel.
Being Bell's first novel, one would not expect a perfect masterpiece, but The Condemned reads like a work in progress. If more time had been spent fine-tuning the book it may have been an exciting read. As it stands, the story plods along with lifeless characters and a distinctly non-menacing threat. One is left with the impression that The Condemned would have worked better as a short story or if it underwent further revisions.
Author: James Foster A very unique take on the "zombie mythos". Bell's first book is a winner. The plot is very interesting and well thought out. The City People are interesting especially when it is explained as to what they are. I loved this book and would like to see a sequel.
Author: Jack Staynes Enjoyed this one, all the more so because this was my first book in the X-series I was lucky enough to get on. It wasn't what I was expecting. Folks start saying Zombie and I think of huge wars and flesh eating, but what I got was a slower but creepy tale. Set in the future where salvage teams have to go into infected zones where the condemned are to bring out metals which are getting more and more rare. But it's not as clear cut as that when you find out who the Condemned are and how they became the way they are. It's a good strong story and I too hope to see more stuff my David Jack Bell.
Author: Josef Hernandez I have a confession to make: I love zombies. I love zombies of all shapes and sizes and I often get the feeling that there is nothing new to explore here. Then a book like The Condemned comes along and knocks me off my feet. This is not a traditional zombie tale. In fact, the "zombies" of this book aren't really zombies in the classic sense. In this post apocalyptic tale, the protagonist is forced to enter the city from the safety of the human settlement to face the zombies only to be confronted with a truth that he never expected: that the zombies may just be more human than he is. David Jack Bell's first novel shows much promise of great things to come. Don't miss out on this new talent.
Author: Mario De Luca Having never heard of Mr Bell I ordered this after someone from a forum I frequent praised it to heaven ... and after reading it I could only agree. This is a novel that builds slowly and grows on you with every page you turn. The search for redemption as a main theme was well choosen by the author since this quest makes this book not only a great horror novel but a great novel per se ... IMHO this could be our generations I am legend. Cannot wait for more Bell books!
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