Monday, January 3, 2011

REVIEW: Flotsam & Jetsam by Carrie Ryan


 Flotsam & Jetsam
by Carrie Ryan

From the Anthology:

You can read the story for free HERE




Synopsis:
Their Cruise Ship overrun, Jeremy and the main character (who I believe remains unnamed throughout the story) are adrift on a life raft, waiting for rescue.


Character Likability:
Narrator: A seemingly typical teenage boy, he spends his time being annoyed by his companion, thinking about sex and wondering what's going on in the rest of the world. As the story progresses, he breaks down, becoming more childlike.
Jeremy: The main character's only companion, he wants to go back to the boat, spends the nights tossing and screaming from terrible nightmares, does an excellent job of getting on the Narrator's nerves and he's hiding a terrible secret.

Quality of Writing:
Easy, quick flow. I find Carrie Ryan's works very quick reads, the action is constant, even when nothing is going on... she keeps it mentally engaging.

Ending:
Just a wee bit terrifying.

Plot:
This is a short story about two boys on a life raft... and admittedly, while their story is engaging, I would *REALLY* like to read what happened before the infection spread... and I would have liked to have skipped around between what was happening on several of the other life rafts as well.


That is NOT saying that this story was dull... but I just wanted to see more.

This is pretty much following one boy's decent into madness...and given the circumstances, you can hardly blame him. The ending is both tragic and terrifying...

Believability of World:
Carrie Ryan's world of zombies has always been believable, that's what makes it so frightening.


Overall Grade: B

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