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Hater #1
Hater
Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award
A modern take on the classic “apocalyptic” novel, Hater tells the story of Danny McCoyne, an everyman forced to contend with a world gone mad, as society is rocked by a sudden increase in violent assaults. Christened “Haters” by the media, the attackers strike without warning and seemingly without reason. Within seconds, normally rational, self-controlled people become frenzied, vicious killers. As the carnage mounts, one thing soon is clear: everyone, irrespective of race, gender, age, or class, has the potential to become either a Hater or a victim. At any moment, even friends and family can turn on one another with violent intent. In the face of this mindless terror, all McCoyne can do is secure his family, seek shelter, and watch as the world falls apart. But when he bolts the front door, the question remains: Is he shutting the danger out or locking it in?
© 2009 Blackstone Audio
A modern take on the classic “apocalyptic” novel, Hater tells the story of Danny McCoyne, an everyman forced to contend with a world gone mad, as society is rocked by a sudden increase in violent assaults. Christened “Haters” by the media, the attackers strike without warning and seemingly without reason. Within seconds, normally rational, self-controlled people become frenzied, vicious killers. As the carnage mounts, one thing soon is clear: everyone, irrespective of race, gender, age, or class, has the potential to become either a Hater or a victim. At any moment, even friends and family can turn on one another with violent intent. In the face of this mindless terror, all McCoyne can do is secure his family, seek shelter, and watch as the world falls apart. But when he bolts the front door, the question remains: Is he shutting the danger out or locking it in?
© 2009 Blackstone Audio
244 pages, Paperback
First published July 17, 2006
186 people are currently reading
9644 people want to read
About the author
David Moody
78 books1,259 followersDavid Moody first released Hater in 2006, and without an agent, succeeded in selling the film rights for the novel to Mark Johnson (producer, Breaking Bad) and Guillermo Del Toro (director, The Shape of Water, Pan's Labyrinth). Moody's seminal zombie novel Autumn was made into a movie starring Dexter Fletcher and David Carradine. He has an unhealthy fascination with the end of the world and likes to write books about ordinary folks going through absolute hell. With the publication of continuing Hater and Autumn stories, Moody has cemented his reputation as a writer of suspense-laced SF/horror, and "farther out" genre books of all description.
Find out more about his work at www.davidmoody.net and www.infectedbooks.co.uk, and join Moody's mailing list to keep up with new releases.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 994 reviews
August 8, 2021
i know exactly which side i fall on. and i am ready.
come to my blog!
come to my blog! 
January 14, 2010
The librarian at work recommended this, and Guillermo del Toro gave it praise on the cover, so I'm giving it a go.
Just finished it. Call me a Hater, but I hated it.
Okay, so it's supposed to be a creative retelling of the old zombie story, right? By the way, SPOILER ALERT...don't read any more if you don't want to read spoilers...
So imagine a zombie story told from the point of view of one of the zombies. Hmm. That could be interesting, kind of like classic fairy tales told from an alternate POV. That idea has promise. But here's my problem with Hater. I don't like the main character. I never like him. Before he changes, or after he changes. He's repugnant. I understand the concept of an anti-hero, but even anti-heroes have something likable about them. Danny has a crappy job and he feels burdened and worn out by family life. And because it's told from his POV, we get the message loud and clear how much he hates his life, hates his father-in-law, hates his boss, hates his kids, hates hates hates hates hates.
And then he becomes a Hater. He changes for some unknown reason and becomes a killing machine. Kill the non-haters before they get you, even if that includes your own family. Am I supposed to like him more now?
It's basically gore-porn. I don't mind violence in movies or books, but the violence in this book seems to exist for no more of a deeper reason than because the author thinks it's cool. And apparently others do too. (Guillermo del Toro bought the film rights? Really?)
Del Toro says on the jacket that it's a cautionary tale. Hmm. About 30 percent of the population changes into killing machines who kill for reasons of self-manifested self-preservation. They become paranoid psychotics, intent on wiping out the others that are different from them. I don't need a cautionary tale for man's ability to do this. I already have a big one. It was called World War II. But okay, I'll cut Del Toro some slack. He bought the film rights. He's trying to sell books. Whatever.
The concept I'm still cool with. Telling the zombie story from the zombie POV. And making the "zombie-ness" to be a mysterious transformation where you feel like you have to kill others to protect yourself, because you feel that they'll kill you (even though, except for the soldiers, the non-Haters don't generally make the first move or provoke the violence)...okay, that could be interesting.
But...
Maybe it's because I'm a devoted family man. Any time Danny told his kids to shut up, or bemoaned how much they bugged him, or how much his wife nagged him, or how annoying his father-in-law was, I lost more and more empathy for this guy. He was a complainer. A weakling. He's bad with relationships, to say the least. If I'm asked to identify with this guy (and by point of him being the main character, I am tacitly asked to identify with this guy) there's got to be something I can relate to. Yes, he felt a little bit of warmth towards his youngest child. The scene where they fell asleep together was sweet. But too soon, it turns into zombie love, where he yearns for his daughter because she too has changed into a killing machine. So much for any chance of identification with this dolt.
I'm sorry, Mr. Moody, but you've written a nasty little book, and not even that well (hasn't anyone ever told you that overuse of adverbs makes for weak writing? And I nearly threw up in my mouth when I read the line "This is what I was born to do." You've got to be kidding me.) I don't care about Danny, so I don't care about his plight or the war that the ending so dramatically sets up for the sequels (I'd rather drink a glass-shard smoothie than read a sequel to this book).
Just finished it. Call me a Hater, but I hated it.
Okay, so it's supposed to be a creative retelling of the old zombie story, right? By the way, SPOILER ALERT...don't read any more if you don't want to read spoilers...
So imagine a zombie story told from the point of view of one of the zombies. Hmm. That could be interesting, kind of like classic fairy tales told from an alternate POV. That idea has promise. But here's my problem with Hater. I don't like the main character. I never like him. Before he changes, or after he changes. He's repugnant. I understand the concept of an anti-hero, but even anti-heroes have something likable about them. Danny has a crappy job and he feels burdened and worn out by family life. And because it's told from his POV, we get the message loud and clear how much he hates his life, hates his father-in-law, hates his boss, hates his kids, hates hates hates hates hates.
And then he becomes a Hater. He changes for some unknown reason and becomes a killing machine. Kill the non-haters before they get you, even if that includes your own family. Am I supposed to like him more now?
It's basically gore-porn. I don't mind violence in movies or books, but the violence in this book seems to exist for no more of a deeper reason than because the author thinks it's cool. And apparently others do too. (Guillermo del Toro bought the film rights? Really?)
Del Toro says on the jacket that it's a cautionary tale. Hmm. About 30 percent of the population changes into killing machines who kill for reasons of self-manifested self-preservation. They become paranoid psychotics, intent on wiping out the others that are different from them. I don't need a cautionary tale for man's ability to do this. I already have a big one. It was called World War II. But okay, I'll cut Del Toro some slack. He bought the film rights. He's trying to sell books. Whatever.
The concept I'm still cool with. Telling the zombie story from the zombie POV. And making the "zombie-ness" to be a mysterious transformation where you feel like you have to kill others to protect yourself, because you feel that they'll kill you (even though, except for the soldiers, the non-Haters don't generally make the first move or provoke the violence)...okay, that could be interesting.
But...
Maybe it's because I'm a devoted family man. Any time Danny told his kids to shut up, or bemoaned how much they bugged him, or how much his wife nagged him, or how annoying his father-in-law was, I lost more and more empathy for this guy. He was a complainer. A weakling. He's bad with relationships, to say the least. If I'm asked to identify with this guy (and by point of him being the main character, I am tacitly asked to identify with this guy) there's got to be something I can relate to. Yes, he felt a little bit of warmth towards his youngest child. The scene where they fell asleep together was sweet. But too soon, it turns into zombie love, where he yearns for his daughter because she too has changed into a killing machine. So much for any chance of identification with this dolt.
I'm sorry, Mr. Moody, but you've written a nasty little book, and not even that well (hasn't anyone ever told you that overuse of adverbs makes for weak writing? And I nearly threw up in my mouth when I read the line "This is what I was born to do." You've got to be kidding me.) I don't care about Danny, so I don't care about his plight or the war that the ending so dramatically sets up for the sequels (I'd rather drink a glass-shard smoothie than read a sequel to this book).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2012
The advent of internet brought a few changes to the world. Okay, it changed the world immensely if not completely. So I wonder if self published writers like David Moody would have otherwise achieved such recognition in such a comparatively short time if not for the exposure gained through the internet.
Maybe he might have eventually got his books published or maybe he might have been just another author destined for oblivion and failure.
While latter is not the case with him (and I am glad for that), but if you are going to read Moody for the first time and that book happens to be much sensationalized and soon to be a major motion picture, Hater, you might think that that might exactly be the case. At least I thought that way.
Hater starts off with the first attack of the "Hater" itself and then introduces us to the protagonist Danny McCoyne who is stuck in a dead end job which pays peanuts (also the boss is very annoying) while his story on the family front is more or less the same. A shitty apartment in an unnamed town in a backward neighborhood. A bickering wife (Liz) and three very annoying children. A father-in-law who openly despises him.
So, what is the rest of the story, you ask? That's it. The above paragraph just repeats itself again and again until you hate the book itself and then after more than halfway through, the story advances somewhat. But I felt that it was too late to salvage the plot.
The most annoying thing is, the ambiguity of the plot is not cleared even at the end. I guess you have to read the rest of the series for that.
When I heard that Guillermo del Toro was going to produce a motion picture based on this book, I knew I was going to read it before the movie came out. You see, Pan's Labyrinth is one of my favorite movies, so that stirred my interest for reading this work.
Guillermo del Toro still might make an awesome movie out of this, but I won't recommend reading Hater if it is your first David Moody book.
This was my first encounter with his work, but in retrospect I think I should have started reading David Moody with Autumn instead of this.
Who knows, things might have worked out differently.
Maybe he might have eventually got his books published or maybe he might have been just another author destined for oblivion and failure.
While latter is not the case with him (and I am glad for that), but if you are going to read Moody for the first time and that book happens to be much sensationalized and soon to be a major motion picture, Hater, you might think that that might exactly be the case. At least I thought that way.
Hater starts off with the first attack of the "Hater" itself and then introduces us to the protagonist Danny McCoyne who is stuck in a dead end job which pays peanuts (also the boss is very annoying) while his story on the family front is more or less the same. A shitty apartment in an unnamed town in a backward neighborhood. A bickering wife (Liz) and three very annoying children. A father-in-law who openly despises him.
So, what is the rest of the story, you ask? That's it. The above paragraph just repeats itself again and again until you hate the book itself and then after more than halfway through, the story advances somewhat. But I felt that it was too late to salvage the plot.
The most annoying thing is, the ambiguity of the plot is not cleared even at the end. I guess you have to read the rest of the series for that.
When I heard that Guillermo del Toro was going to produce a motion picture based on this book, I knew I was going to read it before the movie came out. You see, Pan's Labyrinth is one of my favorite movies, so that stirred my interest for reading this work.
Guillermo del Toro still might make an awesome movie out of this, but I won't recommend reading Hater if it is your first David Moody book.
This was my first encounter with his work, but in retrospect I think I should have started reading David Moody with Autumn instead of this.
Who knows, things might have worked out differently.
February 15, 2009
I don't want to say anything about this book because it will probably give away something if I do. I think that Alfonso should read it, because I'm a little worried that he might not have a contingency plan in place for this scenario. Maybe people of the Haters group should too, just because it has some interesting ideas on hate. If this is made into a movie properly it could be totally fucking amazing. If it's not then it will be stupid Hollywood shit.
A nice book to read on Valentines Day.
A nice book to read on Valentines Day.
March 8, 2023
It’s such a crappy feeling when you finish a book you thought you’d love and end up just feeling so-so about it.
My main thing: I HATED the main character. The best parts of the book were the brief interludes between chapters where we got to read from the POV of Hater’s or those that they attacked. Also, the last 100 or so pages was exciting.
Idk if I’ll end up recommending this one or not, because I honestly don’t have strong feeling about it one way or the other besides how much I disliked our MC’s pov.
*also just found out this is a series, does anyone know if the later books are better/different pace?
My main thing: I HATED the main character. The best parts of the book were the brief interludes between chapters where we got to read from the POV of Hater’s or those that they attacked. Also, the last 100 or so pages was exciting.
Idk if I’ll end up recommending this one or not, because I honestly don’t have strong feeling about it one way or the other besides how much I disliked our MC’s pov.
*also just found out this is a series, does anyone know if the later books are better/different pace?
November 14, 2025
Just read this for the fourth time. I don’t know how it escaped me the first time, but the protagonist is someone who probably shouldn’t have had children. Throughout the novel he does nothing but complain about them. He’s actually not a very good person.
This was a terrific book with a whole new slant on a sort of zombieism. The setup at the end of this story compels me to start the next novel in this trilogy immediately. Like tonight. As a very quick synopsis; various people begin to attack others for no discernible reason. Over the course of only a week civilization begins to break down as the "haters" will stop at nothing to kill. The story is intense and very well written, a real page-turner. Can't wait to see where David Moody takes us in the next two volumes. Five stars!
This was a terrific book with a whole new slant on a sort of zombieism. The setup at the end of this story compels me to start the next novel in this trilogy immediately. Like tonight. As a very quick synopsis; various people begin to attack others for no discernible reason. Over the course of only a week civilization begins to break down as the "haters" will stop at nothing to kill. The story is intense and very well written, a real page-turner. Can't wait to see where David Moody takes us in the next two volumes. Five stars!
April 7, 2012
4.5 Stars
This was my second read of Hater. I thought that I needed to reread it before moving on to book number two. I have recently read the Autumn series and loved it, solidifying me as a fan of David Moody. This return to the world of Daniel McCoyne and that of the haters was better the second time around.
" REMAIN CALM
DO NOT PANIC
TAKE SHELTER
WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTION
THE SITUATION IS UNDER CONTROL. "
Moody's Autumn series worked by creating a world filled with characters like you and me. There were no superheroes in that one, and many were very likable. In this series the Hater series, we have a much tighter focus that centers around one man Dan McCoyne. From the backstory we get on him, he comes across as a whiner of a man, who appears to detest his children. Many of the scenes with his children made me glad that I don't have any of my own. Even though I wanted to see what happened to Dan next, I neither liked nor disliked him.
This extremely short and fast-paced story works by providing a spin on the post-apocalypse genre. It plays out like almost all zombie books do, however, there are no undead here. The world, for some unexplained reason, is threatened to come to an end by Extreme violence and killing. What would happen if the people that you love, your friends, your family, all of a sudden just wanted to kill you?
"Jesus Christ. I stare deep into the old man's eyes and I'm frozen to the spot with fear.
Can this be the same man? He glares back at me with cold, steely eyes filled with an in
explicable hate and disgust. I can sense his revulsion of me coming off him like stench and
I know that for some inexplicable the undeniable reason he wants me dead. He wants to
destroy me. My legs become weak with nerves as I realize that the hate has finally arrived
in my home."
The structure of this novel is a real win. I loved, that between chapters we got short snippets of cool stories of violence, rage and death. Moody, like most post-apocalyptic authors, doesn't give us a whole lot of reasons why the sudden change occurred and our world is coming to an end. Sure, they mentioned that there is an apparent genetic difference that for some reason now separates us from them, the haters, but they never really figured out why. This type of end of the world scenario has a real feel to it, and it's scary as can be.
I am a big fan of David Moody and recommend him to all lovers of the horror genre, and the zombie genre. He is an author not to be missed.
This was my second read of Hater. I thought that I needed to reread it before moving on to book number two. I have recently read the Autumn series and loved it, solidifying me as a fan of David Moody. This return to the world of Daniel McCoyne and that of the haters was better the second time around.
" REMAIN CALM
DO NOT PANIC
TAKE SHELTER
WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTION
THE SITUATION IS UNDER CONTROL. "
Moody's Autumn series worked by creating a world filled with characters like you and me. There were no superheroes in that one, and many were very likable. In this series the Hater series, we have a much tighter focus that centers around one man Dan McCoyne. From the backstory we get on him, he comes across as a whiner of a man, who appears to detest his children. Many of the scenes with his children made me glad that I don't have any of my own. Even though I wanted to see what happened to Dan next, I neither liked nor disliked him.
This extremely short and fast-paced story works by providing a spin on the post-apocalypse genre. It plays out like almost all zombie books do, however, there are no undead here. The world, for some unexplained reason, is threatened to come to an end by Extreme violence and killing. What would happen if the people that you love, your friends, your family, all of a sudden just wanted to kill you?
"Jesus Christ. I stare deep into the old man's eyes and I'm frozen to the spot with fear.
Can this be the same man? He glares back at me with cold, steely eyes filled with an in
explicable hate and disgust. I can sense his revulsion of me coming off him like stench and
I know that for some inexplicable the undeniable reason he wants me dead. He wants to
destroy me. My legs become weak with nerves as I realize that the hate has finally arrived
in my home."
The structure of this novel is a real win. I loved, that between chapters we got short snippets of cool stories of violence, rage and death. Moody, like most post-apocalyptic authors, doesn't give us a whole lot of reasons why the sudden change occurred and our world is coming to an end. Sure, they mentioned that there is an apparent genetic difference that for some reason now separates us from them, the haters, but they never really figured out why. This type of end of the world scenario has a real feel to it, and it's scary as can be.
I am a big fan of David Moody and recommend him to all lovers of the horror genre, and the zombie genre. He is an author not to be missed.
January 29, 2013
4.5
It's difficult for me to explain this book without giving away something vital. But I'll try anyway.
It's difficult for me to explain this book without giving away something vital. But I'll try anyway.
November 22, 2010
First and foremost, I have to make something clear. In my opinion, and obviously many people disagree with me, this is not a zombie book. I kind of want to yell this but I figure capital letters would be inappropriate. Caps might hint that I care more for this book than I do.
The writing is mediocre, the characters flat, boring, and whiny. I initially sympathized with the main character but after hearing him tell his children to shut up for the millionth time, I lost any remaining interest. I finished this book so I can justify my bad rating.
Biggest complaint...the plot is nothing new and a major rip off of the movie 28 Days Later.
The book is shy of 300 pages and hardly anything happens in the first 100. The writing is overly simplistic. The only reason I am not rating one star is I liked how the author wrote the end of the book from the point of view of the Haters.
Later...I can't rate this 2 stars. I did not like the book at all.
The writing is mediocre, the characters flat, boring, and whiny. I initially sympathized with the main character but after hearing him tell his children to shut up for the millionth time, I lost any remaining interest. I finished this book so I can justify my bad rating.
Biggest complaint...the plot is nothing new and a major rip off of the movie 28 Days Later.
The book is shy of 300 pages and hardly anything happens in the first 100. The writing is overly simplistic. The only reason I am not rating one star is I liked how the author wrote the end of the book from the point of view of the Haters.
Later...I can't rate this 2 stars. I did not like the book at all.
January 26, 2018
Wow! This one hit on all cylinders for me. I just finished it and I started it the other day, but I finished reading it the second sitting! I have read a little of the author's zombie books, called Autumn I believe.
What you have here is an epidemic of Hate. Normal people begin to turn into murderous killers, taking other's lives for no reason other than the fell they need to. After they do it it seems they are afraid and don't understand why they did it. As more and more people turn they tend to gather together and the remorse is replaced by solidarity. The government steps in and finally they bring arms to bear against these maniacs, whom the media has dubbed Haters.
This story is about Danny McCoyne and his wife and kids, an irritating Father In Law and the events that unfold around their world. This takes place in the UK and it is a straight up page turner! The descent into madness that happens around this seemingly normal family is chaotic and strange, and the author gives the feelings and situations that happen around this family life and meaning, fear and confusion. The reader is dragged along through this whirlwind of unknowable events until Danny himself is affected and the partial truth of what is going on appears like a shotgun blast!
This was so good. I finished it and immediately got on Amazon and ordered the second book! It's just that good! Read this now, because you have to!!! LOL
Danny
What you have here is an epidemic of Hate. Normal people begin to turn into murderous killers, taking other's lives for no reason other than the fell they need to. After they do it it seems they are afraid and don't understand why they did it. As more and more people turn they tend to gather together and the remorse is replaced by solidarity. The government steps in and finally they bring arms to bear against these maniacs, whom the media has dubbed Haters.
This story is about Danny McCoyne and his wife and kids, an irritating Father In Law and the events that unfold around their world. This takes place in the UK and it is a straight up page turner! The descent into madness that happens around this seemingly normal family is chaotic and strange, and the author gives the feelings and situations that happen around this family life and meaning, fear and confusion. The reader is dragged along through this whirlwind of unknowable events until Danny himself is affected and the partial truth of what is going on appears like a shotgun blast!
This was so good. I finished it and immediately got on Amazon and ordered the second book! It's just that good! Read this now, because you have to!!! LOL
Danny
June 1, 2010
It’s US versus THEM with no idea whose side you’re one until it’s too late! What a twisted world. I was completely captivated by this story. It felt very similar to a zombie book without the walking undead if that makes any sense… No? Well if you read it (and I suggest you do) then it will. :)
We follow one man, Danny, who is discontented with his job, his family situation and life in general. There were times at the beginning of the novel when he was frustrated with kids pulling him every which direction but sane that I felt for him, I really did. But in all honesty Danny’s life wasn’t all that bad and I found myself feeling frustrated with him for being so disgruntled. Panic spreads throughout his town when random people begin brutally killing for no apparent reason. Eventually these people are given the name ‘Haters’ and they are growing in number. Danny and his family are forced to stay in, locking themselves in their home and venturing out only for necessities.
The explanation for the ‘Haters’ left me disappointed. I wanted more. It felt like this aspect of the story wasn’t nearly developed enough. Had there been more attention placed on the reason it could’ve been a truly terrifying tale.
After writing my review I learned that this is the first book in a trilogy. The 2nd book is Dog Blood and will be out this month. Knowing there are going to be more books makes the incomplete reasoning behind the Haters understandable. I can't wait to read the next book.
We follow one man, Danny, who is discontented with his job, his family situation and life in general. There were times at the beginning of the novel when he was frustrated with kids pulling him every which direction but sane that I felt for him, I really did. But in all honesty Danny’s life wasn’t all that bad and I found myself feeling frustrated with him for being so disgruntled. Panic spreads throughout his town when random people begin brutally killing for no apparent reason. Eventually these people are given the name ‘Haters’ and they are growing in number. Danny and his family are forced to stay in, locking themselves in their home and venturing out only for necessities.
The explanation for the ‘Haters’ left me disappointed. I wanted more. It felt like this aspect of the story wasn’t nearly developed enough. Had there been more attention placed on the reason it could’ve been a truly terrifying tale.
After writing my review I learned that this is the first book in a trilogy. The 2nd book is Dog Blood and will be out this month. Knowing there are going to be more books makes the incomplete reasoning behind the Haters understandable. I can't wait to read the next book.
May 2, 2022
A fresh and interesting take on the breakdown of society. I have read plenty of books about zombies or rage viruses that cause people to become senseless killing machines. Moody takes that idea and gives it a little spin, what if what they are doing isn't senseless? After seeing some of the other reviews I did opt for the audiobook version, which made for a quick listen.
June 29, 2009
I am somewhat disappointed in this book. It plods along until the last few chapters, describing in every chapter what a crappy life the protagonist has--he has a nagging, bitchy wife and three annoying children; a crummy, low-paying job; a dumpy tenement apartment; and a father-in-law who thinks he's not good enough for his daughter--and the different ways citizens are being turned on by strangers and even loved ones.
The premise is a good one--what would happen to society if people on impulse started murdering each other?--and the sense of growing paranoia and the breakdown of our ordered world is done well, but I really don't "get" it. Do the Haters have a legitimate gripe and reason for turning on non-Haters?
I really didn't understand the kill-or-be-killed explanation. The strangers, friends, and family members the Haters brutally murdered were not out to get them in the first place. I kept expecting there to be a good reason for the turning, like maybe the non-Haters were some alien breed or something as wacky. When that or something as strange didn't happen, I was letdown to say the least. Hell, the non-Haters were surprised when they were brutally set upon and murdered! There is no "war" between the two groups because the other side doesn't even fight back. The "next step in evolution" just rings false to me. A world of murdering Haters ruling over...what? Would they turn on each other and bash themselves out of existence?
Hater would have been better as a short story or novella. There's just not enough meat here for an entire book. Odd for me to say that since it's going to be a series. I don't think I'll be reading the sequels.
The premise is a good one--what would happen to society if people on impulse started murdering each other?--and the sense of growing paranoia and the breakdown of our ordered world is done well, but I really don't "get" it. Do the Haters have a legitimate gripe and reason for turning on non-Haters?
I really didn't understand the kill-or-be-killed explanation. The strangers, friends, and family members the Haters brutally murdered were not out to get them in the first place. I kept expecting there to be a good reason for the turning, like maybe the non-Haters were some alien breed or something as wacky. When that or something as strange didn't happen, I was letdown to say the least. Hell, the non-Haters were surprised when they were brutally set upon and murdered! There is no "war" between the two groups because the other side doesn't even fight back. The "next step in evolution" just rings false to me. A world of murdering Haters ruling over...what? Would they turn on each other and bash themselves out of existence?
Hater would have been better as a short story or novella. There's just not enough meat here for an entire book. Odd for me to say that since it's going to be a series. I don't think I'll be reading the sequels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2009
4/14: So far, I am not terribly impressed with this. Sure looked to have potential sitting there on the "New" shelf at the library...but Moody is a hackneyed writer without any kind of subtle touch or character insight, and the two main female characters thus far are the stock nagging, shrewish, and shrill bitches that lead me to believe male writers most of the time do not know how to write women. I don't even know if I'll be finishing this one. :P
4/16: I actually finished it. It could just barely maintain my interest, the main character was wholly unsympathetic, and the ending was the very definition of anticlimactic...since apparently there are going to be two more books in the Hater series. I don't plan on reading either one of them.
4/16: I actually finished it. It could just barely maintain my interest, the main character was wholly unsympathetic, and the ending was the very definition of anticlimactic...since apparently there are going to be two more books in the Hater series. I don't plan on reading either one of them.
July 15, 2018
I liked it but it wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be. I wanted a bit more from this and it really wasn't as creepy as I had hoped. More of a survival in a apocalyptic type of book. With our power out it makes reading more fun for me. Will do a full review on the blog once I am up and running again.
3.5ish
My Opinion:
I liked the book, but wasn't a favorite. I like the concept of people turning due to ...whatever it was that turned them (disease). I liked that the survival instinct takes over and how you can recognize that in other people that have the same (disease). I didn't like how we went about killing those that didn't. They just saw that they didn't have the disease and said - let us kill them first before they can kill us. It was a kill first mentality and that's what separates the "haters" from the "regular" people.
We start out in this story with Danny working a dead end job and then coming to the realization that people are turning into killing machines. He is afraid to go to work because he sees people changing and he needs to keep his family safe from these people. There is a lot of complaining about his life in the beginning and how bad he has everything, and - just, well a lot of complaining. Soon, it's all over the news how far spread this is and how people should stay in door and make a safe room which they do and how people are just randomly killing other people. And then one day he becomes a hater himself and then he is trying to survive and get one of his children because she is just like him. He gets captured and almost dies but he is saved at the last minute and there are more like him that are trying to survive being "Haters". The book kind of just ends. So you have to read the next in the series to find out what is going on. Which I do have, but after reading this one, I am not even sure I want to read the next one. I might give it a try just to see if the story gets better.
I wasn't impressed with the story. It didn't grab me and say - HEY! READ THIS. It didn't even make me feel like I should grab that next one. I liked the concept of the book and although the writing was good, I just didn't love this one. Which is sad, because, it had been on my TBR list for many years. I love horror and thought it would be stellar unfortunately it fell flat as a pancake.
I give this book 2.5 of 5 stars!
3.5ish
My Opinion:
I liked the book, but wasn't a favorite. I like the concept of people turning due to ...whatever it was that turned them (disease). I liked that the survival instinct takes over and how you can recognize that in other people that have the same (disease). I didn't like how we went about killing those that didn't. They just saw that they didn't have the disease and said - let us kill them first before they can kill us. It was a kill first mentality and that's what separates the "haters" from the "regular" people.
We start out in this story with Danny working a dead end job and then coming to the realization that people are turning into killing machines. He is afraid to go to work because he sees people changing and he needs to keep his family safe from these people. There is a lot of complaining about his life in the beginning and how bad he has everything, and - just, well a lot of complaining. Soon, it's all over the news how far spread this is and how people should stay in door and make a safe room which they do and how people are just randomly killing other people. And then one day he becomes a hater himself and then he is trying to survive and get one of his children because she is just like him. He gets captured and almost dies but he is saved at the last minute and there are more like him that are trying to survive being "Haters". The book kind of just ends. So you have to read the next in the series to find out what is going on. Which I do have, but after reading this one, I am not even sure I want to read the next one. I might give it a try just to see if the story gets better.
I wasn't impressed with the story. It didn't grab me and say - HEY! READ THIS. It didn't even make me feel like I should grab that next one. I liked the concept of the book and although the writing was good, I just didn't love this one. Which is sad, because, it had been on my TBR list for many years. I love horror and thought it would be stellar unfortunately it fell flat as a pancake.
I give this book 2.5 of 5 stars!
February 15, 2012
I started this book as a recommendation from a friend. I am a huge zombie fan and even though this book is not about zombies it’s closely related, in a 28 Days Later-esk theme.
The story starts when the ‘Hero’ sees a gentleman start attacking a little old lady on the street, seeming to try and kill her. Everything unfolds from that point, getting more and more violent as the story goes on. The ‘Hero’ of the story watches as everything unfolds around him and he tries his hardest to protect his family from all the strange changes in people’s behavior. I won’t say anymore than that because I’m not big on spoilers.
This book is not long and realistically I should have finished it within a couple days. And that brings me to my main issue with this book, it is not interesting enough. I understand that the author wanted to set up the story and the progression but honestly I was bored to tears. It takes a lot to get me to give up on a book because I believe that every page you turn might make the book worth while. This book did not have that effect on me. It was a definite struggle to get through it. As I understand it this is only the first book of a series, I can say quite honestly that I am not even slightly tempted to read the others in the series. If you pick this book up, good luck to you. Maybe you’ll get something out of it that I didn’t and you’ll love it. Either way I do not recommend it.
The story starts when the ‘Hero’ sees a gentleman start attacking a little old lady on the street, seeming to try and kill her. Everything unfolds from that point, getting more and more violent as the story goes on. The ‘Hero’ of the story watches as everything unfolds around him and he tries his hardest to protect his family from all the strange changes in people’s behavior. I won’t say anymore than that because I’m not big on spoilers.
This book is not long and realistically I should have finished it within a couple days. And that brings me to my main issue with this book, it is not interesting enough. I understand that the author wanted to set up the story and the progression but honestly I was bored to tears. It takes a lot to get me to give up on a book because I believe that every page you turn might make the book worth while. This book did not have that effect on me. It was a definite struggle to get through it. As I understand it this is only the first book of a series, I can say quite honestly that I am not even slightly tempted to read the others in the series. If you pick this book up, good luck to you. Maybe you’ll get something out of it that I didn’t and you’ll love it. Either way I do not recommend it.
November 6, 2018
I’m glad this book was a blind buy because I feel strongly that the reviews are unfair. This is absolutely a 5 star read.
This novel is refreshing in the way that it handles disturbing violence with a chilling casualty. “Hater” forces the reader to grapple with the idea that there may be a monster hiding in all of us. And, if that unsettling reality isn’t enough, Moody prods us further by asking the fundamental question: “how much are you willing to do to survive?”
It’s not often that a novel pushes the reader to make the choice between “kill or be killed” in such a frank manner. This novel holds up a mirror to your deepest self. Beware, you may be afraid of what you see.
This novel is refreshing in the way that it handles disturbing violence with a chilling casualty. “Hater” forces the reader to grapple with the idea that there may be a monster hiding in all of us. And, if that unsettling reality isn’t enough, Moody prods us further by asking the fundamental question: “how much are you willing to do to survive?”
It’s not often that a novel pushes the reader to make the choice between “kill or be killed” in such a frank manner. This novel holds up a mirror to your deepest self. Beware, you may be afraid of what you see.
May 14, 2016
My ratings: 3/5 | 6/10
I have many thoughts about this book that I'll write in a review soon and also on video maybe next week. :))
I have many thoughts about this book that I'll write in a review soon and also on video maybe next week. :))
September 7, 2010
This was possibly the worst book I've read in a long while. The formula was something like this: description of narrators horrible work life followed by description of his horrible family life. Cut to grisly inexplicable murder. Repeat description of narrators horrible work life followed by description of his horrible family life. Cut to grisly inexplicable murder. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. The closest comparison you could make is Stephen King's The Stand, but this book is as far removed from that as can be. Moody has made the end of the world the most tedious, boring event imaginable. And, after all that, when we hope the mystery of the Haters will be revealed, Moody's cowardly, imagination-free explanation is literally "it doesn't matter."
This book isn't horror since it isn't scary at all. It isn't a thriller - there is no suspense. I only call it a page-turner because I was anxious to be done with it. I should have gone with my instincts and threw it out 1/2 way through.
This book isn't horror since it isn't scary at all. It isn't a thriller - there is no suspense. I only call it a page-turner because I was anxious to be done with it. I should have gone with my instincts and threw it out 1/2 way through.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2017
This got a much lower rating the first time I read it - on revisiting it, I can see why - we have one of the least likable protagonists I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
Daniel is a man who has fallen into a life he no longer recognises and certainly never wanted. Married, with three surprise children (you'd think they'd have figured out the problem by at least number two!), stuck in a dead end job - and blaming everyone else for it. Certainly not someone you'd pick as a potential survivor of the new plague that strikes without warning, turning mother against child and causing extreme acts of violence.
But it's the second part of the book where he starts to really come into his own, and becomes someone I'm almost ready to root for.
I'm glad I came back to this book, and I think if the series continues where it left off it'll be worth the struggle of the first half.
Daniel is a man who has fallen into a life he no longer recognises and certainly never wanted. Married, with three surprise children (you'd think they'd have figured out the problem by at least number two!), stuck in a dead end job - and blaming everyone else for it. Certainly not someone you'd pick as a potential survivor of the new plague that strikes without warning, turning mother against child and causing extreme acts of violence.
But it's the second part of the book where he starts to really come into his own, and becomes someone I'm almost ready to root for.
I'm glad I came back to this book, and I think if the series continues where it left off it'll be worth the struggle of the first half.
February 8, 2022
Bueno, pues no hay mucho que decir...no me ha gustado. Me ha resultado pesadísimo y no soporto al protagonista. Fin.
March 14, 2019
Furiosii- David Moody
"Un oraș din Anglia este lovit subit de o avalanșă de atacuri sângeroase. Autorii lor ucid cu sânge rece pe oricine consideră că reprezintă o amenințare pentru ei. "
Va dati seama ca aceasta prezentare m-a facut curioasa, asa ca imediat m-am pus sa o citesc. Nu regret absolut deloc.
Danny este un functionar public care nu iese cu nimic in evidenta. Este casatorit si are o familie numeroasa (o fata si doi baieti, toti cu varste sub zece ani), in plus mai mereu in preajma sa este si un socru care il uraste, crezandu-l nedemn de fata lui.
Ce-i drept, Danny mi s-a parut tare nefericit inca din primele pagini ale povestii.
Viata sa capata un alt curs cand intr-o zi, in drum spre serviciu, o femeie este ucisa in plina strada, in fata lui, absolut fara niciun motiv. Totul devine si mai intens atunci cand aceste crime fara sens devin din ce in ce mai dese, iar autoritatile sunt evident depasite de situatie. Mesajele de linistire a populatiei creaza mai mult haos si teama : "nu parasiti casa decat daca este neaparata nevoie, nu uitati oricine poate fi un furios".
Ceea ce parea aparent o intamplare izolata a unui nebun, se dovedeste a fi o mutatie genetica ce induce persoanei in cauza o furie incontrolabila ce instiga la o violenta de nedescris.
Romanul este impartit intre confesiunile din perspectiva lui Danny si relatarile atacurilor din ce in ce mai dese ale furiosilor.
Furiosii este o poveste foarte buna, scrisa in perspectiva unui viitor apocaliptic, care mi-a lasat impresia ca e un fel de radiografie a societatii moderne din zilele noastre.
Lumea sufera din cauza acestor crime, autoritatile nu fac nimic, iar familiile se baricadeaza in case, izolandu-se de restul lumii, crezand ca asa vor tine furia departe de ei.
Pe toata durata lecturarii am urmarit trairile lui Danny, pe masura ce lumea se schimba si aceste crime iau amploare. Personajele sunt puse în situația de a-și închipui că nimic din ceea ce li se pare normal sau firesc nu mai există si sunt forțați să trăiască într-o lume impartita între pradă și prădători.
Trebuie sa recunosc ca am gasit o asemanare izbitoare cu BirdBox, ca tot este acum in voga, doar ca aceasta este putin mai sangeroasa (putin mai mult).
Ca o concluzie finala, Furiosii este povestea unui om intr-o lume devenita nebuna - o lume infestata de frica, violenta si furie. 4/5 stele i-am dat.
"Un oraș din Anglia este lovit subit de o avalanșă de atacuri sângeroase. Autorii lor ucid cu sânge rece pe oricine consideră că reprezintă o amenințare pentru ei. "
Va dati seama ca aceasta prezentare m-a facut curioasa, asa ca imediat m-am pus sa o citesc. Nu regret absolut deloc.
Danny este un functionar public care nu iese cu nimic in evidenta. Este casatorit si are o familie numeroasa (o fata si doi baieti, toti cu varste sub zece ani), in plus mai mereu in preajma sa este si un socru care il uraste, crezandu-l nedemn de fata lui.
Ce-i drept, Danny mi s-a parut tare nefericit inca din primele pagini ale povestii.
Viata sa capata un alt curs cand intr-o zi, in drum spre serviciu, o femeie este ucisa in plina strada, in fata lui, absolut fara niciun motiv. Totul devine si mai intens atunci cand aceste crime fara sens devin din ce in ce mai dese, iar autoritatile sunt evident depasite de situatie. Mesajele de linistire a populatiei creaza mai mult haos si teama : "nu parasiti casa decat daca este neaparata nevoie, nu uitati oricine poate fi un furios".
Ceea ce parea aparent o intamplare izolata a unui nebun, se dovedeste a fi o mutatie genetica ce induce persoanei in cauza o furie incontrolabila ce instiga la o violenta de nedescris.
Romanul este impartit intre confesiunile din perspectiva lui Danny si relatarile atacurilor din ce in ce mai dese ale furiosilor.
Furiosii este o poveste foarte buna, scrisa in perspectiva unui viitor apocaliptic, care mi-a lasat impresia ca e un fel de radiografie a societatii moderne din zilele noastre.
Lumea sufera din cauza acestor crime, autoritatile nu fac nimic, iar familiile se baricadeaza in case, izolandu-se de restul lumii, crezand ca asa vor tine furia departe de ei.
Pe toata durata lecturarii am urmarit trairile lui Danny, pe masura ce lumea se schimba si aceste crime iau amploare. Personajele sunt puse în situația de a-și închipui că nimic din ceea ce li se pare normal sau firesc nu mai există si sunt forțați să trăiască într-o lume impartita între pradă și prădători.
Trebuie sa recunosc ca am gasit o asemanare izbitoare cu BirdBox, ca tot este acum in voga, doar ca aceasta este putin mai sangeroasa (putin mai mult).
Ca o concluzie finala, Furiosii este povestea unui om intr-o lume devenita nebuna - o lume infestata de frica, violenta si furie. 4/5 stele i-am dat.
January 6, 2012
Wow. This was an unexpected turn of events! I spent the first two thirds of this book in admiration of the way Moody portrays an average working class guy, with all the pressures of daily working and family life, but still a little irritated with the character himself. While it is a novel experience to see an apocalyptic event through the eyes of an average person, who hasn't put all the pieces together, (he barely gets time to watch the news), and with no fortuitous circumstances that put him at the centre of the action..... it can also be a little frustrating. Particularly when that character carries with them a certain level of ignorance and prejudice. Then it dawned on me - Perhaps there is a reason for all of this, and now that I think of it, there is a way in which this could be turned into something really important and meaningful.....
That's exactly what Moody did of course, and with a great sense of style, intelligence and symmetry too. It's a beautifully written book from start to finish. There were certain scenes that really gave me the feeling of being there, and a sense of shared anxiety with the central character. By the end of the book, I was stumbling over myself to read ahead and find out what happens next.
I did really struggle to give this one a rating, only because it came so close to being a perfect book in my eyes. I felt that Moody could very easily have wrapped it up into a very neat and well balanced self-contained story, but right at the end it veered off into trilogy territory. In my view, the story would have been absolutely perfect if it had been rounded off and left with a clear message. That said, I really need to know..... what happens next?
That's exactly what Moody did of course, and with a great sense of style, intelligence and symmetry too. It's a beautifully written book from start to finish. There were certain scenes that really gave me the feeling of being there, and a sense of shared anxiety with the central character. By the end of the book, I was stumbling over myself to read ahead and find out what happens next.
I did really struggle to give this one a rating, only because it came so close to being a perfect book in my eyes. I felt that Moody could very easily have wrapped it up into a very neat and well balanced self-contained story, but right at the end it veered off into trilogy territory. In my view, the story would have been absolutely perfect if it had been rounded off and left with a clear message. That said, I really need to know..... what happens next?
June 18, 2014
4 Stars
I know, I know. This is not literature. It didn't make me want to change my life and do worldly things...but I could not put it down.
This book reminded me a little, of The Cell by Stephen King, and 28 Days Later. Both of which, tackle extreme violence caused by signals, experimentation gone bad, etc. etc. I really enjoyed, liked, inhaled this book... the telling of a story, and all you want to know is, why? Why? Why did this happen? Who made this happen? When did it start happening? Why, Why, Why?
...actually, I don't know what the hell is wrong with me and I don't know the answer to why?.... I read this book in 1 day, and got pissed off by the losers that kept interrupting me while I was reading it. They made me so angry. I could almost feel their resentment towards me while I read and just ignored them. Them.
Edit x2
I know, I know. This is not literature. It didn't make me want to change my life and do worldly things...but I could not put it down.
This book reminded me a little, of The Cell by Stephen King, and 28 Days Later. Both of which, tackle extreme violence caused by signals, experimentation gone bad, etc. etc. I really enjoyed, liked, inhaled this book... the telling of a story, and all you want to know is, why? Why? Why did this happen? Who made this happen? When did it start happening? Why, Why, Why?
...actually, I don't know what the hell is wrong with me and I don't know the answer to why?.... I read this book in 1 day, and got pissed off by the losers that kept interrupting me while I was reading it. They made me so angry. I could almost feel their resentment towards me while I read and just ignored them. Them.
Edit x2
February 12, 2025
Why was this so.... fun?
My only complaint is my library confusing me and my neglect to research..... that I accidentally read book 4 in the series and the spinoff before reading the main series and it kind of making the other books meh.
My only complaint is my library confusing me and my neglect to research..... that I accidentally read book 4 in the series and the spinoff before reading the main series and it kind of making the other books meh.
August 21, 2019
This book is totally awesome.
September 25, 2010
Review copy from author/publisher
When a book begins with a man brutally gutting a female stranger with an umbrella, I'd say "Buckle those seat belts, readers! Looks like we are in for one helluva ride!".
David Moody, author of the novel Hater, paints a grim and twisted picture of "us" against "them", a world where people have to learn to live in fear of being suddenly and violently attacked by strangers, coworkers, and loved ones. It can happen almost without warning. And no one knows for sure why it's happening. Or how to stop it.
Imagine walking to work, and finding yourself a witness to a seemingly unprovoked street fight. You watch in awe as one person beats the other unconscious. And continues to beat him. You are one of many within the crowd, yet no one moves a muscle to come to the others defense.
Later that week, you and your spouse and children are eating dinner out at a restaurant. Before you can clean your plate, you watch in horror as two people at the bar suddenly engage in a violent fight that ends when one man brutally stabs the other with a steak knife. Everyone is paralyzed with fear, not sure what is going on, and urgently heads for the front doors.
When you get home, you turn on the television to see news reporters covering multiple acts of violence that have been occurring around town. They seem unrelated, though they sound so much the same - random, sudden, brutal, unexplainable. The body count is climbing.
You think that the news is playing a part in all of this - sensationalizing the murders, encouraging others to go out and instigate more of the same with little to no consequence.
A few more days pass... you can't seem to head outside without watching people attacking each other. They seem to turn on a dime. One minute they are walking by you, or having a normal conversation with each other, and then there's this blank stare and then BAM - you are fighting for your life as they thrash and slash and smash you. Now the news reporters request you do not leave the house unless absolutely necessary. They suggest creating a "safe room" for you own protection. They warn you to be wary of people who display any signs of anger or aggression. They say they have it under control. Yet no one is saying what exactly is happening. Stores and cars are being looted. It's not safe to go outside... but DON'T PANIC?!?
Written in first person narrative, David Moody sucks the reader right into the middle of the confusion and chaos that is taking place. We know only what our narrator Danny knows, which, for most of the novel, is not much. Unable to process what is going on, Danny and his family move through myriad emotions as the violence and brutality increases, and moves closer and closer to his front door.
What I find most amazing about this novel is the fact that it's author self-published it online back on 2006, and sold it's film rights to Gueillermo del Toro, all without the help of an agent! How could any publishing company have turned this away?
Packing punch after punch, chapter after chapter, Moody kept me turning the pages faster and faster, and I found myself on the edge of the seat time and time again.
You've seen vampires, zombies, and nuclear bombs that helped issue in the end the world as we all knew it. Now it's time to meet the Haters!
A brilliant kick-off novel to a trilogy that screams to be read by lovers of post apocalyptic novels with a strong stomach and a head for thrillers.
Go ahead, get your Hate on! I dare you!
To learn more about David Moody and his novel, check out these links:
http://www.djmoody.co.uk/
http://www.djmoody.co.uk/Books.htm
@davidjmoody
When a book begins with a man brutally gutting a female stranger with an umbrella, I'd say "Buckle those seat belts, readers! Looks like we are in for one helluva ride!".
David Moody, author of the novel Hater, paints a grim and twisted picture of "us" against "them", a world where people have to learn to live in fear of being suddenly and violently attacked by strangers, coworkers, and loved ones. It can happen almost without warning. And no one knows for sure why it's happening. Or how to stop it.
Imagine walking to work, and finding yourself a witness to a seemingly unprovoked street fight. You watch in awe as one person beats the other unconscious. And continues to beat him. You are one of many within the crowd, yet no one moves a muscle to come to the others defense.
Later that week, you and your spouse and children are eating dinner out at a restaurant. Before you can clean your plate, you watch in horror as two people at the bar suddenly engage in a violent fight that ends when one man brutally stabs the other with a steak knife. Everyone is paralyzed with fear, not sure what is going on, and urgently heads for the front doors.
When you get home, you turn on the television to see news reporters covering multiple acts of violence that have been occurring around town. They seem unrelated, though they sound so much the same - random, sudden, brutal, unexplainable. The body count is climbing.
You think that the news is playing a part in all of this - sensationalizing the murders, encouraging others to go out and instigate more of the same with little to no consequence.
A few more days pass... you can't seem to head outside without watching people attacking each other. They seem to turn on a dime. One minute they are walking by you, or having a normal conversation with each other, and then there's this blank stare and then BAM - you are fighting for your life as they thrash and slash and smash you. Now the news reporters request you do not leave the house unless absolutely necessary. They suggest creating a "safe room" for you own protection. They warn you to be wary of people who display any signs of anger or aggression. They say they have it under control. Yet no one is saying what exactly is happening. Stores and cars are being looted. It's not safe to go outside... but DON'T PANIC?!?
Written in first person narrative, David Moody sucks the reader right into the middle of the confusion and chaos that is taking place. We know only what our narrator Danny knows, which, for most of the novel, is not much. Unable to process what is going on, Danny and his family move through myriad emotions as the violence and brutality increases, and moves closer and closer to his front door.
What I find most amazing about this novel is the fact that it's author self-published it online back on 2006, and sold it's film rights to Gueillermo del Toro, all without the help of an agent! How could any publishing company have turned this away?
Packing punch after punch, chapter after chapter, Moody kept me turning the pages faster and faster, and I found myself on the edge of the seat time and time again.
You've seen vampires, zombies, and nuclear bombs that helped issue in the end the world as we all knew it. Now it's time to meet the Haters!
A brilliant kick-off novel to a trilogy that screams to be read by lovers of post apocalyptic novels with a strong stomach and a head for thrillers.
Go ahead, get your Hate on! I dare you!
To learn more about David Moody and his novel, check out these links:
http://www.djmoody.co.uk/
http://www.djmoody.co.uk/Books.htm
@davidjmoody
August 25, 2017
I love zombie books and those that deal with a virus, plague or incident causing people to go mad etc. I've read a lot of books in this genre but this was memorable for the wrong reasons. The idea of the book is good, which is why I bought it despite not loving a previous series by the author. The sections of the story which deal with the sudden change in a human to make them a hater are well written and interesting but these sections get lost in the family life of a guy that is a giant pain in the butt. The problem for me is that in the first third of the book we get just a few of these interludes and the rest focuses on characters who are the family from hell and their petty fights and complaints about life. If you disliked the characters from Autumn, you might wish for them back when you meet this lot! The book itself is not badly written and the author obviously has a talent for horror storytelling but it is just spoiled by the characters.
Our hero Danny describes himself as 'a lazy bastard' who can't be bothered putting in the effort to do his job well. His lack of effort has seen him being moved around various council jobs and now he is in the worst department, known as a dead end job for under performers. He sits and moans about this crap job and nasty boss and we are meant to feel sympathy for him? Sounds to me that he had chance after chance to work hard and make an effort to get somewhere in life and ends up here because he is just a lazy waste of space. So his whining got on my nerves from page one. His wife or girlfriend(can't remember if they are married) complains about him being late home and her being tired from juggling work and dealing with their kids all day and all he can do is get annoyed about her burning the dinner. Danny moans about all the kids being unplanned and badly behaved-well whose fault is that then? He shouldn't have had three kids he can't afford. As for the kids, they are monsters from hell. These are the kids that I see in cafes etc acting up and causing a riot while the parents can only say 'stop that' fifty times. The whole family were whining and complaining and fighting non stop, going from one situation to the next with more of the same.
So we get a two page hater incident, Danny's woes for eighteen pages, three hater pages, Danny witnesses his favourite band trying to kill each other in a hater crime and moaning that his night out has been ruined, five pages of brats behaving badly, two pages of haters, six pages of more brattish behaviour before another incident happens in front of them...this is how the first seventy pages went and I was so sick of this damn family that I hoped they would all die and we could just follow Danny's normal father-in-law instead. Maybe when the full crisis hits the news Danny will grow a backbone, stop acting like a brat and get his idiot family into some kind of order but to be honest I didn't care enough to find out.
What could have been a good book was ruined, just like Autumn because of obnoxious characters that you just don't care about. I don't know why the author is obsessed with using horrible moronic people as his heroes but I won't be reading anything else by him in the future.
Our hero Danny describes himself as 'a lazy bastard' who can't be bothered putting in the effort to do his job well. His lack of effort has seen him being moved around various council jobs and now he is in the worst department, known as a dead end job for under performers. He sits and moans about this crap job and nasty boss and we are meant to feel sympathy for him? Sounds to me that he had chance after chance to work hard and make an effort to get somewhere in life and ends up here because he is just a lazy waste of space. So his whining got on my nerves from page one. His wife or girlfriend(can't remember if they are married) complains about him being late home and her being tired from juggling work and dealing with their kids all day and all he can do is get annoyed about her burning the dinner. Danny moans about all the kids being unplanned and badly behaved-well whose fault is that then? He shouldn't have had three kids he can't afford. As for the kids, they are monsters from hell. These are the kids that I see in cafes etc acting up and causing a riot while the parents can only say 'stop that' fifty times. The whole family were whining and complaining and fighting non stop, going from one situation to the next with more of the same.
So we get a two page hater incident, Danny's woes for eighteen pages, three hater pages, Danny witnesses his favourite band trying to kill each other in a hater crime and moaning that his night out has been ruined, five pages of brats behaving badly, two pages of haters, six pages of more brattish behaviour before another incident happens in front of them...this is how the first seventy pages went and I was so sick of this damn family that I hoped they would all die and we could just follow Danny's normal father-in-law instead. Maybe when the full crisis hits the news Danny will grow a backbone, stop acting like a brat and get his idiot family into some kind of order but to be honest I didn't care enough to find out.
What could have been a good book was ruined, just like Autumn because of obnoxious characters that you just don't care about. I don't know why the author is obsessed with using horrible moronic people as his heroes but I won't be reading anything else by him in the future.
February 21, 2015
I had three reasons why I bought this book. 1) the cover is fantastic. 2) Guilermo del Toro is recommending this. 3) it was very cheap. And I have to thank my classmates for telling me to read this book.
Humanity has in front of it a new threat: the human itself. But not usual humans, but humans that has changed from the nice and familiar people we know into "haters" that kill with cold blood the person next to them. While the crimes are becoming more and more frequent, Danny McCoyne tries his best to keep his family alive.
Hater is the kind of fast-paced book, made to be devoured by a relatively large public, in spite of the cruel subjects you find in it. And the book was a real surprise for me and I liked it quite a lot. Because it was not predictable (at least not for me) and because it shows society in it's absolute crisis, where even the sole survival of the human race is at stake. I think it is even terrifying (and I am not the kind of person who gets easily impressed) exactly because of how real it feels, I can see everything happening exactly how it was described in this book.
It's not the kind of book that will change your life and maybe any other time I wouldn't have enjoyed it so much. I read books that were much better than this one, but also books that were much worse. What makes Hater special though, it is the fact that as a final product, this book is satisfying. It gives the reader a little bit of everything. You have different types of love, action and moments that will catch your breath and you also have peaceful, familiar scenes of a normal life. I, especially, needed this kind of book: that doesn't ask too much of you, that presents in it's own rhythm how things are going; you don't need to always be thinking a step ahead, maybe-maybe you'll guess what's happening. I needed a relaxing and refreshing book, in simply the way it is written. And if anyone feels like reading something out of what they're usually reading, something new to break the chain of similar books, I totally recommend this one.
Danny is such a nice character! He's human, so so human, and as a reader, you fully emphasize with what he's feeling and living. You would also swear, be terified or sick to your stomach, you would also want more and you would also feel the same type of despair. He's charming thanks to his normality, thanks to the fact that each of us has a little bit of Dannny and Danny has a little bit of each of us. And I'm talking so much about this particular character because he's also the narrator of the most part of the story, so you're following all his actions. But the other characters were just as charming and normal, just as any of us or the people around us.
But, the bad part of this book: it didn't manage to make me feel everything as vividly as I was expecting from this kind of reading experience. I would have liked the despair and the horror to be better described, to feel the fear and the panic in my own bones.
But it's intense and I appreciate the crimes and how they were done. I like murders with style, and this book has a lot of this. It also ends in a very interesting cliffhanger and I am so curious to see what's happening from now onwards! This book was really such a pleasent surprise!
Humanity has in front of it a new threat: the human itself. But not usual humans, but humans that has changed from the nice and familiar people we know into "haters" that kill with cold blood the person next to them. While the crimes are becoming more and more frequent, Danny McCoyne tries his best to keep his family alive.
Hater is the kind of fast-paced book, made to be devoured by a relatively large public, in spite of the cruel subjects you find in it. And the book was a real surprise for me and I liked it quite a lot. Because it was not predictable (at least not for me) and because it shows society in it's absolute crisis, where even the sole survival of the human race is at stake. I think it is even terrifying (and I am not the kind of person who gets easily impressed) exactly because of how real it feels, I can see everything happening exactly how it was described in this book.
It's not the kind of book that will change your life and maybe any other time I wouldn't have enjoyed it so much. I read books that were much better than this one, but also books that were much worse. What makes Hater special though, it is the fact that as a final product, this book is satisfying. It gives the reader a little bit of everything. You have different types of love, action and moments that will catch your breath and you also have peaceful, familiar scenes of a normal life. I, especially, needed this kind of book: that doesn't ask too much of you, that presents in it's own rhythm how things are going; you don't need to always be thinking a step ahead, maybe-maybe you'll guess what's happening. I needed a relaxing and refreshing book, in simply the way it is written. And if anyone feels like reading something out of what they're usually reading, something new to break the chain of similar books, I totally recommend this one.
Danny is such a nice character! He's human, so so human, and as a reader, you fully emphasize with what he's feeling and living. You would also swear, be terified or sick to your stomach, you would also want more and you would also feel the same type of despair. He's charming thanks to his normality, thanks to the fact that each of us has a little bit of Dannny and Danny has a little bit of each of us. And I'm talking so much about this particular character because he's also the narrator of the most part of the story, so you're following all his actions. But the other characters were just as charming and normal, just as any of us or the people around us.
But, the bad part of this book: it didn't manage to make me feel everything as vividly as I was expecting from this kind of reading experience. I would have liked the despair and the horror to be better described, to feel the fear and the panic in my own bones.
But it's intense and I appreciate the crimes and how they were done. I like murders with style, and this book has a lot of this. It also ends in a very interesting cliffhanger and I am so curious to see what's happening from now onwards! This book was really such a pleasent surprise!
October 31, 2010
I remember reading a comic strip where a man was watching the news. Almost all of them consisted of catastrophes, terrorist attacks, murders, thievery and corruption. While the newscaster was relaying all these horrible things, mad preachers in the background ranted about the end of the world. Maybe this is the end of the world? - the guy though, standing up from his chair. The strip ended with a drawing of him opening his closet door and taking out an axe.
I finished Hater yesterday night (well, technically it was today) and thought it was surprisingly, um, enjoyable. I found it surprisingly fast-paced and thought provoking. What if we all would just start killing each other? How to deal with it? The answer the author suggests is brutally honest and scary - we hit back. It's not US agains THEM - there are no sides. We are at war with ourselves, and the only outcome possible is human exctinction, because stick and stones can break our bones.
There is no plague; there are no zombies. There are only emotions - hate and fear. How thin is the line between them? In fear, what separates the sane from the crazy?
Plus, Hater has a scene that will make every man cringe. Uhhh. I still feel uncomfortable.
Hater is a genuinely intriguing piece of speculative fiction. I've read that a movie adaptation is in the works; it certainly has the potential to be one badass film. Meanwhile, I can safely recommend this novel: It's disturbing, suspenseful and utterly enjoyable despite taking place in a world full of fear, mistrust and madness.
It's good it's fiction. At least for now.
I finished Hater yesterday night (well, technically it was today) and thought it was surprisingly, um, enjoyable. I found it surprisingly fast-paced and thought provoking. What if we all would just start killing each other? How to deal with it? The answer the author suggests is brutally honest and scary - we hit back. It's not US agains THEM - there are no sides. We are at war with ourselves, and the only outcome possible is human exctinction, because stick and stones can break our bones.
There is no plague; there are no zombies. There are only emotions - hate and fear. How thin is the line between them? In fear, what separates the sane from the crazy?
Plus, Hater has a scene that will make every man cringe. Uhhh. I still feel uncomfortable.
Hater is a genuinely intriguing piece of speculative fiction. I've read that a movie adaptation is in the works; it certainly has the potential to be one badass film. Meanwhile, I can safely recommend this novel: It's disturbing, suspenseful and utterly enjoyable despite taking place in a world full of fear, mistrust and madness.
It's good it's fiction. At least for now.
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