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Zombies vs Robots: No Man's Land
The fifth book in IDW's shambling series of original Zombies vs Robots prose collections. Fully illustrated by the fantabulous Fabio Listrani, this new anthology features fresh tales of rotting flesh and rusting metal. IDW further expands the apocalyptic hellscape of its unique signature franchise. A world where brain-eaters roam and warbots rule is truly a NO MAN'S LAND.
264 pages, Paperback
First published March 4, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 16, 2014
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy of this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]
I normally would have never given an anthology like this a second glance. But I was invited to by the publisher so I figured I had nothing to lose. If I’m honest, I thought the whole thing sounded kind of stupid but I’ve always tried to keep an open mind about literature so I gave it a try anyway.
Am I glad I did? Well I haven’t exactly found my new favourite series but at the same time I’m glad I gave this book a chance. It wasn’t as awful as I was expecting it to be. Instead, there were some very intelligent, believable and well-written stories about a world where zombies roam and robots meant to protect people from said zombies have gone rogue. This isn’t a random collection of individual story threads like the disastrous V-Wars anthology was, thankfully. No, each story picks up where the other one left off in the narrative of the zombie takeover and robot intervention. In the beginning there are stories when zombies are just starting to become a threat and by the end we’re in a fully post-apocalyptic time.
Most of the stories were very well-written. Others could have been better, but there were no stories that truly stood out as bad. The pacing is very good for most of them and the overall plot arc is fast-paced. This isn’t the sort of book you’ll race to read in one sitting, but it is good enough to keep you reading for a while to find out what’s going to happen next in this world where zombies and robots roam.
The characters were generally well fleshed-out. There were some pretty stereotypical characters (like the ditzy girls in one story) but overall the characters were believable and changed as much as can be expected in the course of a short story. None of the characters stood out as truly memorable for me, but that may be more of a personal thing than an issue with the writing.
If you think the idea behind this anthology sounds interesting, I’d say go for it! It’s not the type of book I’m really into but for the right audience this could be a great thrill ride.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
I normally would have never given an anthology like this a second glance. But I was invited to by the publisher so I figured I had nothing to lose. If I’m honest, I thought the whole thing sounded kind of stupid but I’ve always tried to keep an open mind about literature so I gave it a try anyway.
Am I glad I did? Well I haven’t exactly found my new favourite series but at the same time I’m glad I gave this book a chance. It wasn’t as awful as I was expecting it to be. Instead, there were some very intelligent, believable and well-written stories about a world where zombies roam and robots meant to protect people from said zombies have gone rogue. This isn’t a random collection of individual story threads like the disastrous V-Wars anthology was, thankfully. No, each story picks up where the other one left off in the narrative of the zombie takeover and robot intervention. In the beginning there are stories when zombies are just starting to become a threat and by the end we’re in a fully post-apocalyptic time.
Most of the stories were very well-written. Others could have been better, but there were no stories that truly stood out as bad. The pacing is very good for most of them and the overall plot arc is fast-paced. This isn’t the sort of book you’ll race to read in one sitting, but it is good enough to keep you reading for a while to find out what’s going to happen next in this world where zombies and robots roam.
The characters were generally well fleshed-out. There were some pretty stereotypical characters (like the ditzy girls in one story) but overall the characters were believable and changed as much as can be expected in the course of a short story. None of the characters stood out as truly memorable for me, but that may be more of a personal thing than an issue with the writing.
If you think the idea behind this anthology sounds interesting, I’d say go for it! It’s not the type of book I’m really into but for the right audience this could be a great thrill ride.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
May 5, 2014
I requested this book because I was such a fan of the comic series:
Ryall & Wood took a fantastical premise: Robots as a a form of defense against the zombie horde, threw in time traveling scientists and a lost island of Amazons and managed to make it a delightful story.
2400223
No Man’s Land is a prose exploration of situations arising form this brave new world of infection. This book has a variety of stories from Chris Ryall, Jon McGoran, Mark Morris, John Skipp and more. Each story is complete unto itself but readers will find threads in each that add to the ZVR universe as a whole.
They are all solid enjoyable reads by a variety of characters. I really wanted to include this in my Zombie week spotlight because it’s a really well done anthology that Zombie fans will enjoy. I found all the stories Unique but here are the few that I enjoyed the most:
Meaner Than A Junkyard Dog
by Chris Ryall
Money buys a lot of privilege. Even in the Zombie apocalypse, residents of a high end gated community live oblivious to the dangers in the outer world. Until one day a government caravan pulls in bringing the residents a gift: Robots. First generation robots placed in the community as a test. The residents don’t take kindly to the robot’s until an attack on their compound brings the war right to their doors.
I really enjoyed the shifting scenes in this story. The narrative switches focus to each residents perspective showing their internal thoughts as they fight the undead.
Killer Outfit
by Jon McGoran
Man and Machine fighting the food fight but how about Man in machine. One man merges with metal to fight the good fight and finds his inner hero.
A very solid anthology. with great zombie fighting action!
Ryall & Wood took a fantastical premise: Robots as a a form of defense against the zombie horde, threw in time traveling scientists and a lost island of Amazons and managed to make it a delightful story.
2400223
No Man’s Land is a prose exploration of situations arising form this brave new world of infection. This book has a variety of stories from Chris Ryall, Jon McGoran, Mark Morris, John Skipp and more. Each story is complete unto itself but readers will find threads in each that add to the ZVR universe as a whole.
They are all solid enjoyable reads by a variety of characters. I really wanted to include this in my Zombie week spotlight because it’s a really well done anthology that Zombie fans will enjoy. I found all the stories Unique but here are the few that I enjoyed the most:
Meaner Than A Junkyard Dog
by Chris Ryall
Money buys a lot of privilege. Even in the Zombie apocalypse, residents of a high end gated community live oblivious to the dangers in the outer world. Until one day a government caravan pulls in bringing the residents a gift: Robots. First generation robots placed in the community as a test. The residents don’t take kindly to the robot’s until an attack on their compound brings the war right to their doors.
I really enjoyed the shifting scenes in this story. The narrative switches focus to each residents perspective showing their internal thoughts as they fight the undead.
Killer Outfit
by Jon McGoran
Man and Machine fighting the food fight but how about Man in machine. One man merges with metal to fight the good fight and finds his inner hero.
A very solid anthology. with great zombie fighting action!
May 22, 2014
'Zombies Vs Robots: No Man's Land' is the latest short story anthology in the shared universe series started in comics. Featuring great writers, the collection features lots of great stories, and art between stories by Fabio Listrani. I can't think of a story in this collection that I didn't enjoy.
In a post-apocalyptic world ruled by zombies and the robots supposedly built to protect humans, being a human can be risky. These stories range from one about a community at the beginning of the zombie outbreak to one that is safely under water. There is a man that is a priest in a cut off community and a man who has saved a school bus full of children many years ago. There are questionable motives by robots who assume their own programming or are programmed by others. The humans find themselves stuck in the middle and definitely in no man's land.
This series continues to come up with new inventive stories. While not for the faint of heart, they definitely deliver. With authors like Chris Ryall, Mark Morris and Jonathan Maberry, and others, it's a solid collection.
I was given a review copy of this ebook by Open Road Integrated Media and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this book.
In a post-apocalyptic world ruled by zombies and the robots supposedly built to protect humans, being a human can be risky. These stories range from one about a community at the beginning of the zombie outbreak to one that is safely under water. There is a man that is a priest in a cut off community and a man who has saved a school bus full of children many years ago. There are questionable motives by robots who assume their own programming or are programmed by others. The humans find themselves stuck in the middle and definitely in no man's land.
This series continues to come up with new inventive stories. While not for the faint of heart, they definitely deliver. With authors like Chris Ryall, Mark Morris and Jonathan Maberry, and others, it's a solid collection.
I was given a review copy of this ebook by Open Road Integrated Media and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this book.
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