2 Book Lovers Reviews

I don’t usually read a book more than once, but when I was planning my month of horror I knew that Hater had to be involved.  Hater redefines the whole post-apocalyptic genre and turns it into, “It’s the end of the world as we know it.”

What is great about Hater is the normalcy of everything.  Danny McCoyne is not your typical PA hero, he is a normal family man, just trying to get by.  He has a crappy job, three disgruntled kids, an exhausted wife, and a father-in-law who loves to rub in his superiority.  In most PA books, Danny wouldn’t ever be worth mentioning.  But David Moody creates a fantastic story around this most unlikely protagonist; it works because any of us could be Danny McCoyne.

The true genius of Hater comes from the origin of the apocalypse.  It’s a “zombiesque” book, without the zombies.  There is absolutely no way to know who is safe and who is not. With zombies, you can see them shuffle towards you, and as long as you keep making head shots, you’re good to go.In Hater there is no way to know who will change or when, there is no way to protect yourself from the danger.

Hater is the end of the world as you have never seen it before.  It is dark and it fills you with hopelessness.  I can imagine John Cleese telling me to remain calm, everything is under control, as soldiers carry my neighbor from their home, hoping that they are getting the right people.  David Moody is definitely a glass half empty kind of writer.

​5 Stars

Shelley's Review

Greg's Review

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See more of Greg's It's the end of the world

This book was very different, no wait…extremely different from what I normally read.  Since my husband is a huge David Moody fan, he recommended that I read one of his books.  He insisted that I would like it if I gave it a try.  Well, this is one time where I’ll admit that he was right!

Hater is definitely not your typical post-apocalyptic book.  I didn’t find one brain hungry zombie hobbling along anywhere in this book. What I did find was a well written story that dealt with “real” people, human nature, and the need to survive the unknown.  Danny McCoyne is an average guy.  He’s married, has three kids, and a father in law that rubs him the wrong way.  He is in a dead end job that barely pays the bills, he is tired and frustrated.  He could be any one of us.  This is what makes Hater so unbelievably believable.  We all love our families, but we all have to admit that they do have the ability to get on our nerves from time to time.  When Danny was dealing with his life and his family, I had to chuckle because it was not sugar coated – it was realistic.

When violence starts erupting all over the country, people start to panic.  Nobody knows what the cause is.  Is it a virus, some kind of pollutant that they were exposed to?  The media just keeps telling everyone to stay calm, that it is under control.  There is no rhyme or reason to why people are attacking and killing other people.  Life becomes chaotic.  Normal life ceases to exist, and you’re only safe if you stay inside of your own home…or are you?  People become paranoid because they don’t know who is immune from this condition. Could they or one of their family members turn into a Hater?  Could they possibly attack or kill one of their own?

The unknown is always the scariest.  The “monsters” look just like your neighbor, your co-worker, or you.  Hater will keep you glued to the pages… and will make you wonder what you would do in that situation.

​*4 Stars

Hater - By David Moody