Dog Blood

Sequels are tough, especially for a novel like HATER, which contained one of the most powerful twists I've seen in this genre, but Moody aces it with DOG BLOOD. It's got all the elements of an exciting apocalyptic horror novel while adding Moody's trademark ability to make you care about the very real, flesh-and-blood people in his story. While the experience of reading the book would probably be richer if you read HATER first, it's not necessary, and I would suggest this as an opportunity (to read another great book), not a detractor. Can't wait for the next one!

The world as we know it no longer exists. The human race is divided into two distinct camps: the Unchanged and the Haters. The latter are people ripped of all social restraints and must kill the Unchanged. Their goal is an Unchanged genocide. The Haters have caused governments to collapse destroying the infrastructure of every nation. They still can think but obsess over killing the Unchanged even family members. Danny McCoyne is a Hater who hunts the Unchanged without mercy. His goal is to find his daughter Ellis who was taken away from him when he was knocked unconscious after killing his father-in-law. Before he passed out, he saw her and knows she is just like him. The government has relocated the Unchanged inside cities filled with traps like a medieval fortress. Danny falls in with a group that seeks the same destruction as he does. He learns to control his homicidal impulses so he can enter the city because his Ellis is there. This intelligent apocalyptic chiller is a fantastic horror tale that continues the escapades of the Haters, who are a zombie like humanoids. The species cannot control their basic impulse to slaughter the Unchanged though Danny tries as his love for Ellis supersedes his instinct to kill. Though lacking the cautionary theme of its predecessor, but with the same moody dark atmosphere and a strange flicker of paternal love and hope, Dog Blood is a terrific zombie thriller that affirms David Moody as a strong talent. Harriet Klausner

I finished Moody's newest in two sittings, and am now feeling depressed because it is finished. David, would you happen to have part three hiding somewhere? As always, I shall leave the five page summations and reviews to others. I am a reader, not a writer. Suffice to say, this was a very satisfying addition to the original book, Hater. (Yes, you must read Hater first. If you do not, this book won't make much sense to you). Obviously, there will be another in the series at some point, as the ending left many questions unanswered. That is not a criticism, but rather an indication of how much I look forward to the next. My only quibble - previous Moody books were written using "Brit Speak" which I found familiar and enchanting. This book has been bleached of that particular charm in that the language is rather generic English. I assume the publisher had something to do with this, perhaps to make it more palatable to the masses? I hope Moody won't let the publishers change his future writing too much! P.S. I normally do not purchase Kindle books that are over $9.99, but I made an exception in this case. I hope that, in future, Moody will work with his publisher to offer a more reasonable price.

There is a moment, toward the beginning of David Moody's second novel, where two characters discuss the possibility of what they are. "So what are we?" One asks. "Here's what I reckon...we drag ourselves around constantly, looking for Unchanged to kill. It's almost like we're feeding off of them..." "So what are you saying?" "I'm saying we're like zombies." It is a minor moment, a kind of wink and a nod from Moody to his readers, acknowledging the similarilities and the desire to lump Hater and Dog Blood into the same category as other zombie fiction. But the truth is far from such a simplified answer. Much like his thematic reach in Hater, its sequel is a confounding, intriguing and a scary riff on our current climate of fear. Hater was a fantastic novel that took us on a terrifying journey from the start of some unknown malady. It's never determined what exactly caused it, but one out of every two people all of a sudden found themselves in such a fearful grip of anger and hatred towards those not changed, that they started murdering everyone who was not one of them. Danny McCoyne was our protagonist and our guide through this increasingly fearful world and his journey continues in Dog Blood. Obviously, if you haven't read Hater, stop reading now. When Hater ended, we found ourselves watching not a typical protagonist, but a man changed. Toward the end of that novel, Danny became one of the Haters, killed his father-in-law and tried to kill more before being swept up, almost gassed and then liberated by a change of fate. But Dog Blood doesn't start with Danny. Instead, it gives us the perspective of Mark, a member of Danny's extended family and an Unchanged as they are referred to now. Throughout the book, we are given brief sections where Moody shows us the other side, the human side that most novels and stories stick with. Of course, Danny is our protagonist again and we are quickly put into his first person account of the war, post Hatred. Holding his story together is his desire to find his daughter, Ellis, who was changed like him. His drive through the novel is to find her, regardless of the cost. The plot switching device, moving between one Unchanged and one Hater, is interesting and thought provoking. By showing us the antagonists and putting us in their shoes, we can almost identify, if not fully understand and approve, of their side in this conflict. Moody does a fantastic job of bringing Danny's internal problems and delimas to life and makes us feel for him, even when we are disgusted at how single minded he and his fellows are. But on the flip side, we also are shown the Unchanged who aren't much better in their ways of handling the new world they've found themselves in. Towards the end of the book, Dog Blood starts to take a turn toward something a bit more interesting and I was a bit surprised at how it was handled. And of course the events end in limbo, perfectly setting up the final book in Moody'

Years ago, David Moody released a series of zombie books known as the "Autumn" series and made his name in the world of horror literature. In 2009, he further concreted his talented and respect with the infected-horror novel `Hater,' soon to be a major motion picture from Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) and Juan Antonio Bayona (The Orphanage). In `Hater,' Danny McCoyne is thrown into a terrifying apocalyptic world in which a huge portion of the population is infected with a mind-bending disease that forces them to kill anyone not under the control of "the Hate." In `Dog Blood,' Danny is back with the Haters on a search for his daughter, preparing for all-out warfare with the Unchanged in the seemingly never-ending battle of the two sides. As with any "infected-horror" these days, many will compare the work to Danny Boyle's modern-classic '28 Days Later...' While Moody's `Hater' series does share many similarities to the film, this is not a bad thing at all. In fact, I like to look at Moody's books as a sort of unofficial companion piece to '28 Days/Weeks Later.' In Moody's first book, he gave us a personal view of a family coping to deal with a devastating situation. In `Dog Blood,' we're now deep in the conflict and the infected are moving in on the now military-protected survivors (very much similar to '28 Weeks Later'). `Dog Blood,' however, gives us this view from the infected's point of view, making it a very interesting read. The one thing I loved most about this book is the perfect pace. While `Hater' was an intensely powerful read, I think `Dog Blood' somehow managed to surpass its predecessor and became one of the most hard-to-put-down books I've ever read in my life. It got to the point where I actually was late for work on a day because I was so compelled to continue reading about Danny McCoyne's search for his young daughter Ellis in his apocalyptic world. Moody expertly crafts the book to be not only powerful, terrifying, thrilling, and graphic, but to also have a lot of very deep and touching emotion. As Danny searches for Ellis, his emotions were my emotions. I could relate very easily to the pain of his loss, not even having any children myself. Overall, if you were a fan of the first, `Dog Blood' is certainly a fantastic follow up that may even surpass the first. Final Verdict: 9/10. -AP3-