Review: Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie - Jeff Norton

'My name is Adam Meltzer and the last thing I remember was being stung by a bee while swinging at a robot-shaped piñata on my twelfth birthday. I was dead before the candy hit the ground.'

Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie is narrated by the hilarious Adam Meltzer - pre-teen, worrywart, and now zombie. Adam's family gets the fright of their lives when he turns up at their door desperate for a shower . . . three months after his funeral.

When most people think zombies, they think of eating people, and unintelligent monsters.

But Adam doesn’t like germs. Or dirt. Or things being disorganised. So waking up as a zombie was definitely not in his plans, and the idea of eating people is disgusting. Getting stung by a bee doesn’t normally lead to becoming a zombie, and it seems incredibly unfair that it’s happened to Adam.

Soon Adam's back at school trying to fit in and not draw extra attention to himself, but when he sees his neighbour Ernesto transform into a chupacubra, and the beautiful Corina (Adam's number one mega-crush) turns out to be a (vegan) vampire, undead life is never going to be the same again.

A hilarious adventure caper - if Ferris Bueller met Shaun of the Dead - all about friendship and being yourself . . . even if you're undead.

Visit Jeff Norton's website for more information

Review:
Now I have to start this review by saying I don't usually read middle grade fiction so this isn't the kind of book that usually ends up on my radar. However, I'm a huge fan of Jeff Norton's MetaWars series and I was lucky enough to hear him give a reading from Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie at an event a few months back so I just had to give it a try. I'm so glad I did because it really was a fun book to read.

When Adam is killed by a bee sting on his 12th birthday you might think that was the end of the story but in fact it's only the beginning. He gives his family quite a shock when he turns up on his doorstep three months after his funeral - having just dug his way out of his grave. Adam isn't your typical zombie though, for a start he is more than a little OCD and there is nothing he hates more than dirt and germs. He doesn't even like touching other people so he's not very likely to start eating them.

Now Adam has come back from the dead he discovers that some of his friends aren't exactly what most people would consider normal either. First their is Ernesto a chupacubra who wishes he was a werewolf since they are so much cooler, then there is his neighbour Corina a vegan vampire who is constantly battling against her very traditional parents. Adam is determined to get to the bottom of his undeath and asks his friends to help him track down the zombee that killed him - after all, he doesn't want the same fate to befall anyone else.

Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie is a brilliant book full of laugh out loud humour but also containing nice messages about family and friendship. It's a story about discovering who you are and realising that it's OK to be different. I loved the friendship that develops between Adam, Ernesto and Corina but I also loved seeing Adam come to terms with what happened to him and trying to build a new life for himself. I'm sure this book will appeal to all youngsters but even reluctant readers are bound to get a giggle out of it.

Source: Received from Faber & Faber in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: The Freedom Frontier - Jeff Norton

After the metasphere comes the final battle . . .

With the Guardians and Millennials eliminated, Jonah and Sam are left to fend for themselves. When they discover their enemy, Granger, is also on his own they take the ultimate leap of faith and join forces to survive . . . and save humanity. The future of the world on and off-line is at stake and Jonah will not stop until he prevails. Even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice.

The final book in the awesome METAWARS series.

Whose side are you on?

Metawars Series:
Fight for the Future
The Dead are Rising
Battle of the Immortal
The Freedom Frontier

Visit Jeff Norton's website or the Metawars website for more information

Review:
You know all those mixed emotions you have when you reach the end of a much loved series? The nerves in case things don't turn out how you want them to, the sadness that this is your final adventure with those characters you've become so invested in and the worry that it won't live up to your expectations. I felt all those and more before I picked up The Final Frontier, I've had so much fun reading this series and I really didn't want to see it come to an end. Thankfully Jeff Norton manages to end the things on a high note and I think this really was my favourite book in the series.

Jonah has been through so much since the first book and he's grown into a young man that we can be proud of. He's been faced with difficult decisions, ones where there isn't always an easy solution, but no matter what he's always remained true to his beliefs and tried to do what's right. He has been lied to, manipulated and had people try to force him into things he's not comfortable with but he's also found out who is friends really are. He's lost people he loved and found people who are loyal to him that he would risk his life for in an instant. In short, he's grown up.

I don't want to say too much about the plot of The Freedom Frontier because I want readers to be able to dive in and experience it fully for themselves. Instead I'm just going to talk about the series as a whole and tell you just some of the reasons I've loved it so much. These books are full of action and adventure, the characters are faced with moral dilemmas, friends become enemies and enemies become friends. Nothing is what it first seems and just when you've changed your mind about a particular character something will come along and make you believe you were right about them in the first place. This is a world of different shades of grey, there is no black and white and both sides of the war have done questionable things. I think this quote sums that up perfectly:

"The Guardians wanted freedom. The Millennials wanted control. And both sides were willing to kill for their goals. He wondered how different they actually were. Whose side was he really on?"

Jonah is the one who has been stuck in the middle and he's handled that difficult position incredibly well. I have to mention Sam here too, she's been such a fantastic friend to Jonah and she has always had his back even when she isn't sure he's making the right choices. The two of them will take on any challenge and they always come out fighting for what they believe in.

The Metawars series is full of unexpected twists and turns, these books will grab you from the very first page and you won't want to stop until you've read them all. This final book is a game changer in the most wonderful ways, it took me on a rollercoaster of emotion and left me with a huge smile on my face. I don't think I can recommend this series highly enough and it's definitely put Jeff Norton on my list of must read authors.

Source: Received from Jeff Norton in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Cover Reveal: Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie - Jeff Norton (+ Exclusive Extract)

I don't normally read middle grade fiction but I heard Jeff Norton give a reading from his upcoming novel Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie at a blogger event a couple of months ago and it made me laugh so hard I almost cried so of course I added it straight to my wish list! Since then I've devoured Jeff's MetaWars series and loved every minute so I'm even more excited to read this one.

Today I'm very excited to be taking part in the cover reveal for Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie and I also have an exclusive extract to share with you all. There are quite a few other bloggers taking part in the cover reveal but we all have a different extract to share with you so if you like this one make sure you keep an eye out for the others!

So let's have a look at that cover:

Blurb:

'My name is Adam Meltzer and the last thing I remember was being stung by a bee while swinging at a robot-shaped piñata on my twelfth birthday. I was dead before the candy hit the ground.'

Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie is narrated by the hilarious Adam Meltzer - pre-teen, worrywart, and now zombie. Adam's family gets the fright of their lives when he turns up at their door desperate for a shower . . . three months after his funeral.
When most people think zombies, they think of eating people, and unintelligent monsters.
But Adam doesn’t like germs. Or dirt. Or things being disorganised. So waking up as a zombie was definitely not in his plans, and the idea of eating people is disgusting. Getting stung by a bee doesn’t normally lead to becoming a zombie, and it seems incredibly unfair that it’s happened to Adam.
Soon Adam's back at school trying to fit in and not draw extra attention to himself, but when he sees his neighbour Ernesto transform into a chupacubra, and the beautiful Corina (Adam's number one mega-crush) turns out to be a (vegan) vampire, undead life is never going to be the same again.

A hilarious adventure caper - if Ferris Bueller met Shaun of the Dead - all about friendship and being yourself . . . even if you're undead.

Visit Jeff Norton's website for more information

Here is the full cover wrap:

Exclusive Extract:

Adam decides to see if he can locate the bee that killed him and reverse the zombie process

Maybe Ernesto and Corina could understand what it was like to be different from the ‘normal’ population, but at least they looked normal on the outside.

‘I want to find the bee,’ I said.

‘What bee?’ asked Corina.

‘The bee that killed me. Then maybe I can understand why this is happening to me.’

‘Yeah, you can’t become un-undead,’ said Nesto.

‘No,’ I said, realising it was too late for me. ‘But we might be able to stop it happening to anyone else.’

But there was more to it. I did want to find that bee, but I also wanted to understand it there was something wrong with me. I didn’t just die; I came back. I was really confused. I mean, why me? Of all the people who have lived and died, why was I suddenly back from the dead? It was different for Ernesto and Corina; they’d inherited their conditions and had a good long while to come to grips with their specialness. Me, I had specialness thrust upon me by a bumblebee stinger. I wanted answers and I wanted to know if I could ever be me again.

‘Maybe there’s a way to undo it?’ I mused. ‘To be normal again.’

Corina scoffed. ‘Who needs normal?’

********************

What do you think? I just can't wait to read this story :o)

Don't forget to keep an eye out for other blogs taking part in the cover reveal so you can read more extracts!

Review: Battle of the Immortal - Jeff Norton

The dead have risen . . .

The Uploaded have crossed over into the real world. Now the fight for control of the online Metasphere and the offline world has become a savage battle between virtual and reality.

Jonah Delaxroix is on a mission to save the Metasphere, but as allegiances change again and again he faces a terrible choice: rescue his own Uploaded father, or make the ultimate sacrifice.

The third book in the awesome METAWARS series.

Whose side are you on?

Metawars Series:
Fight for the Future
The Dead are Rising
Battle of the Immortal
The Freedom Frontier

Visit Jeff Norton's website or the Metawars website for more information

Review:
Battle of the Immortal is the third book in Jeff Norton's Metawars series and the stakes are higher than ever for Jonah. As much as he is happy to have his father back in his life he knows that it is wrong that Jason has stolen Luke's body and that moral dilemma plays on his mind as more and more of the Uploaded escape the Metasphere by usurping the living. He is also torn between the Guardians and the Millennials over who should have control over the Metasphere and what lengths they should be prepared to go to to achieve their goals. I really don't envy Jonah the choices he has to make in this series, he often finds himself in situations where there isn't really any right answer and he can only try to choose the path with the lowest number of casualties. He is also starting to realise that the consequences for his previous actions have had much further reach than he ever could have imagined and that perhaps some of his choices have caused more harm than good.

No matter how tough things get Jonah remains true to himself though, he always tries so hard to protect not just the people he loves but also other innocent lives that are in his radar. He's the kind of friend that anyone would want at their back because no matter how much it costs him he will always try to keep you safe. This is shown more clearly than ever when Sam ends up being usurped by one of the Uploaded. Jonah has to make some frightening choices in his quest to save her, including allying himself with someone he has always considered an enemy. We really start to see Jonah grow up in this instalment to the series, he is starting to be more proactive in his choices and to think of the long term effects of his actions rather than just flying by the seat of his pants like he has done in the past. We're seeing him turn into a young man who is wise beyond his years but it has cost him a lot to get to where he is now.

I don't want to say too much about the actual plot because it's more fun for you to discover that for yourselves but I'm sure that fans of the first two books will love this one just as much. This is the kind of series that has so many layers to it so no matter how much fun it is reading about a world where virtual reality is almost as important as real life that is only the beginning. Jeff Norton encourages readers to think about the differences between good and evil and how the line between them isn't quite so black and white. There are times when the good guys to terrible things and it's up to you to decide if they are ever justifiable or not. I'm kind of sad to know I've only got one book left to read in this series but I'm still excited to read The Final Frontier so I can find out who wins the war and finally discover whether the ends justified the means.

Source: Received from Jeff Norton in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: The Dead are Rising - Jeff Norton

A change is happening in the Metasphere . . .

Thanks to Jonah Delacroix, the avatars of the Uploaded have been transferred to a dynamic new virtual world. But as the Uploaded grow in strength, so does their desperate desire to be alive again. And in a world at war both on and off-line, how can Jonah tell who is really on his side?

One thing is for certain: he must find out fast because . . . the dead are rising - and nothing can stop them.

The second book in the awesome METAWARS series.

Whose side are you on?

Metawars Series:
Fight for the Future
The Dead are Rising
Battle of the Immortal
The Freedom Frontier

Visit Jeff Norton's website or the Metawars website for more information

Review:
The Dead are Rising is the second book in Jeff Norton's Metawars series and is just as action packed and addictive as the first. The story picks up not long after Fight for the Future ended, the Uploaded are now safely in the newly created Changsphere and the superior server power of the new system means that they are more "alive" than they ever were in the Metasphere. The Uploaded are regaining their memories and becoming much more self aware which would be a good thing if it didn't mean they were starting to realise that they're actually dead. With the Uploaded desperate to find a way into the real world it doesn't take long before they realise that by taking over the avatar of someone who is still alive they can exit the Changsphere and steal that person's body. With millions of Uploaded users looking for a quick exit the Changsphere is soon in real trouble and Jonah is right at the heart of it all. Can he find a way to stop the Uploaded without having them deleted? Will the Guardians be able to capture another corner of the Metasphere from Granger and the Millennials?

Everything I loved about the first book is back in The Dead are Rising and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how things would turn out. Poor Jonah is even more confused than ever about which side he should really be on and every time he thinks he has the answers he has the floor swept out from under him by a new revelation. I really don't know who the good guys are any more and I think that's actually the point that Jeff Norton is trying to make. He shows that the lines between good and evil aren't so black and white and that there is a whole lot of grey in between. The "good" guys do terrible things in pursuit of their goals and the "bad" guys aren't always completely evil. Jonah has a major moral dilemma on his hands and no matter how hard he tries he can't seem to find the right answer. I actually felt really sorry for him because I'm not convinced that any of the options currently available to him are the right choices. It's going to be really interesting to see how things play out as the series continues that's for sure!

Jonah has come a long way since we first met him, he has grown in confidence and he is more willing to stand up for what he believes in. It isn't easy for him to face off against his friends and allies but he does it and he even manages to make Sam start to question her upbringing rather than continue to blindly follow the Guardians. The Uploaded add a whole new dimension to the story, it was very easy to understand how much they wanted the chance to live again and to feel sorry for them and the situation they now found themselves in but that didn't make it any more acceptable for them to basically evict other people from their own bodies so they could return to reality.

This is the kind of series that really makes you think, it leaves you asking yourself questions about what you would be prepared to do for a few extra days with your loved ones but also makes you think about terrorism, dwindling natural resources and the future of our planet. I honestly have no idea how I want things to turn out - I'm definitely not a fan of Granger and the Millennials but I'm not sure that the Guardians can be trusted either so at the moment I'm on the fence about which side I think Jonah should take. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how Jeff Norton continues the series though and will be starting Battle of the Immortal asap.

Source: Received from Jeff Norton in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Fight for the Future - Jeff Norton

In an unforgiving future, two warring factions - the MILLENNIALS and the GUARDIANS - are locked in a brutal battle over control of an online virtual world called the Metasphere. Jonah Delacroix has always known which side he's on - the same side as his dead father. But when he assumes his father's avatar, he learns that things aren't as black and white as he once believed. He's catapulted into a full-throttle race through both worlds - but can he find the truth?

Whose side are you on?

Metawars Series:
Fight for the Future
The Dead are Rising
Battle of the Immortal
The Freedom Frontier

Visit Jeff Norton's website or the Metawars website for more information

Review:
Fight for the Future is a fast paced and action packed adventure story set in a future where the real world is so bleak that people have chosen to take refuge in the virtual one. When people live in squalor it is no wonder that they spend the majority of their time plugged into the Metasphere, a vibrant virtual world where anything is possible. The Metasphere has become such an important part of people's daily lives that it shouldn't be surprising that different factions are fighting for control over it. There are two major players in this war, the Millennials and the Guardians, one on the side of the creator of the Metasphere and the other a group of terrorists, but are either of them really what they seem? When Jonah is unexpectedly caught in the battle he must decide who to trust and it isn't as easy as he thought it would be.

Jonah is a fabulous and very realistic character who I think people of all ages will be able to relate to on some level. He reminded me a lot of my brother at that age and I really enjoyed getting to see the world Jeff Norton has created through his eyes. Jonah finds himself in an impossible position when he is forced to rely on the people who he always thought murdered his father in a terrorist attack. He is reluctant to believe their story but he needs their protection so he has to go along with their plans, at least temporarily. I love the fact that Jonah doesn't just take things at face value, he is constantly questioning what is happening and reconsidering his goals and alliances. He quickly comes to realise that nothing he grew up believing was the complete truth but he doesn't let that blind him to his current reality and he trusts his instincts as well as the information he is given.

The author has done a fantastic job of creating a world that is scarily believable, a shortage of natural resources combined with wars and the collapse of various international governments have created a worldwide crisis of epic proportions. People are struggling just to survive, overcrowding and food shortages have made real life pretty unbearable so it is easy to see why people are so seduced into a perfect virtual world where they can do anything they want. Although I find the idea of actually plugging myself in to the Metasphere incredibly creepy it isn't so hard to believe that something like this will be possible in the future and I was fascinated by the virtual world where people can be anything they dream of. Your avatar is something that is created by your subconscious the first time you log in and I loved the idea of seeing unicorns and dragons walking alongside elephants or even normal people. Who wouldn't be seduced by the idea of a world where anything is possible?

I don't want to say too much about the plot other than it captured my attention from the first page and had me completely gripped to the end. I was actually annoyed that I had to put the book down to get some sleep but I just couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to finish it in one sitting. There are plenty of twists and turns and nothing is quite what it seems so as a reader you're constantly being surprised by the actions of the characters. Along with Jonah we're introduced to an interesting selection of side characters all of whom I'm looking forward to getting to know better as the series continues. I'm excited that I've picked up this series at a point where all four books are already available so I'll leave this review here so I can go and get started on The Dead are Rising!

Source: Received from Jeff Norton in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle: