Carter 1094

I expected so much more from this book... it was a letdown. I knew after reading the first few chapters that the writing was bad. I persisted through it, though. The story is just very flat and seems unfinished and underdeveloped. It is not a rich and full story. I never felt any connection with the (one and only) main character. I could care less about his tale. This is because the writing is weak and lacks depth. You don't get to know who Robert really is (hell, there is hardly any description of his physical appearance). The whole book is a rambling inner monologue of the main character's thoughts. The book spends much time explaining the science behind the plague while leaving too many unexplained elements of the rest of the plot. You never really know the difference between the "dead' and "alive" vampires—which is a critical plot point that was just glazed over. You never get any imaginative or detailed descriptions of the appearance of the characters or surroundings. Instead, you just hear the rambling of an angry, racist alcoholic who has rapey thoughts. The whole book is just a drunk, performing experiments that ultimately amount to nothing because when you do get to the big reveal (a new society of people who evolved into vampires), he's captured and ends his own life. It's a waste. You never know about the vampires. The whole story is one note. I'm glad that they took the concept of this story and made the movie one million times better. I cannot believe that this book is so highly rated and considered a "classic." Honestly, if someone published this book today, it would not be well received because the writing is just bad. It felt like a complete waste of time and there was zero satisfaction throughout Robert's journey. The only part of the book of interest was Ruth and her story (which amounts to maybe six pages).