Dead Brigade by James Lovegrove
| Dead Brigade by James Lovegrove | |
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| Category: Dyslexia Friendly | |
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Reviewer: Margaret Young
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| Summary: ' Dead Brigade gives the zombie genre a completely new twist in this exciting offering from Barrington Stoke's dyslexia friendly line for adults. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 138 | Date: August 2007 |
| Publisher: Barrington Stoke | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1842995082 | |
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Sergeant Jonah Hammond's career has been at a standstill in the years since he launched a complaint against a reckless commanding officer whose arrogance resulted in the massacre of British soldiers. Now that same officer is offering Hammond another chance. This time Hammond won't have to worry about some idiot getting his men all killed - because they are already dead. Hammond has been given the task of training a crack squad of reanimated soldiers, immune to pain, disease and capable of fighting with massive injuries. These living dead are reanimated by nanobots. They are capable of learning, following instructions, and meant to be incapable of independent thought. However, it soon becomes apparent that things don't always go the way they are meant to. These are not mindless killing machines; a part of them is still human, still the soldier they once were, trapped within a decaying corpse, kept refrigerated until ready for the next mission. They have no life, nor do they have the luxury of death.
Barrington Stoke is best known for their unique line of dyslexia friendly books for children. These books follow all of the guidelines of the British Dyslexia Association for dyslexia-friendly text. Working with a team of experts in the field, Barrington Stoke have developed their own font which is especially designed to make reading as easy as possible for children with dyslexia. They also print all of their books on a thick, off white, non-glare paper to minimise distractions which can make reading more difficult. The print is large and double spaced, with short chapters and short stories created to build confidence. The stories are commissioned by Barrington Stoke, usually from very well known authors, and are written to appeal to older children, but at a much lower reading level than the interest level. Dead Brigade is part of a less well known line from Barrington Stoke - Most Wanted. These books are very similar to Barrington Stoke's books for teens, but they are written to appeal to adults. This book has an interest age of adult and a reading age of eight. Although it is disturbing at times, and it does contain violence, I feel that this book would also suitable for teens and would hold a strong appeal for this age group as well.
This was a very quick read for me, but I was expecting this. Dead Brigade is only 136 pages. The large font and spacing, along with short paragraphs further limits the amount of text that can be compressed into this book. In spite of this, or perhaps because there is no room for waffle or wasted space, this book is gripping from the very beginning. The characters are well developed and there is plenty of action. There is not a great deal of gore, the author relies on psychological horror rather than the typical slash and bash zombie fare and in a unique twist, the zombies are the victims here. The villains are the faceless military bureaucracy. This is, without a doubt the most plausible zombie book I have ever read, and one that leaves you thinking long after you finish reading. I would highly recommend this book to any fan of the genre, regardless of reading ability. I would also recommend this book to adults who have fallen out of the habit of reading. The short, easy to read text makes this book ideal for train journeys, or a quick holiday read. Most of all though, I would recommend this book to any adult or teenager who struggles with reading. This book is so absorbing it will have even the most reluctant of readers wanting more.
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