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Zoo #1
Zoo
All over the world, brutal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the violence to come becomes terrifyingly clear. Destruction. With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it's too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide.
Audiobook
First published September 3, 2012
About the author
James Patterson
1,173 books349k followersOfficial US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. Patterson has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, and collaborated most recently with Michael Crichton on the blockbuster Eruption. He has told the story of his own life in James Patterson by James Patterson and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
This author also writes under the following name: Džejms Paterson
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. Patterson has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, and collaborated most recently with Michael Crichton on the blockbuster Eruption. He has told the story of his own life in James Patterson by James Patterson and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
This author also writes under the following name: Džejms Paterson
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,660 reviews
March 2, 2014
I picked this book up, not because I had even the smallest expectation of enjoying it, but because I kept seeing copies of it at the airport when I was on my way to the annual Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference, and I was curious. I was shy a book to read on the plane, and the first 24 or so chapters were free on my Kindle. (This isn't quite as impressive as it sounds, given that the chapters run about 1,000 words each.)
Plus, I reasoned, even if it was awful, it'd be interesting to see how Patterson deals with anthrozoological issues. I figured it'd be interesting on at least a anthropological or sociological level. I looked forward to analyzing its fears and arguing with it. (Notice all the excuses I'm offering. That's because I deeply regret the poor decisions I made that resulted in me reading this book.)
Instead of an academic interest, though, as soon as I began reading a sickening sense of horror crept over. This book is worse than The Da Vinci Code. This book is worse than Twilight. This is, in fact, the worst book I've ever read.
I'm not sure which is the worst facet of this festering heap of detestableness, but I could break it down into a few headings of horrible:
This is a book that had to be downed quickly, much like a very unpleasant shot of hard liquor you're drinking for some unimaginable reason. I saw someone had it shelved as "burn so as not to inflict upon other library patrons." I thought she was exaggerating, but now I whole-heartedly back that decision up. This book has absolutely no redeeming qualities.
Deep down (Very deep down. Thousands of miles.) this book has two good points:
But that's it. This is an execrable excuse for a book. It shouldn't even get a star. No one at all should read it, even as an example of everything you shouldn't do as a writer. Or an editor. Or a publisher. Or a human.
Plus, I reasoned, even if it was awful, it'd be interesting to see how Patterson deals with anthrozoological issues. I figured it'd be interesting on at least a anthropological or sociological level. I looked forward to analyzing its fears and arguing with it. (Notice all the excuses I'm offering. That's because I deeply regret the poor decisions I made that resulted in me reading this book.)
Instead of an academic interest, though, as soon as I began reading a sickening sense of horror crept over. This book is worse than The Da Vinci Code. This book is worse than Twilight. This is, in fact, the worst book I've ever read.
I'm not sure which is the worst facet of this festering heap of detestableness, but I could break it down into a few headings of horrible:
1. The writing style. It's just awful. The chapters average about three or four pages. The sentences are all short and choppy and written in such an action-adventure cliche style that it comes off as a parody of itself. In fact, Dave Barry writing a parody of a Dan Brown novel has better prose than this. He actually used the phrase "rosy-fingered dawn," which I thought was illegal. He also threw in all sorts of things meant to be cute such as, when a grizzly is attacking his SUV in DC, "I assumed he wasn't from AAA." Ha ha. Very clever. At this point, I was rooting for the bear.
2. The stupidity of all the characters, without exception. The gist of the story is that the protagonist Jackson Oz is a "scientist" (more on this later) who believes that animals are going nuts and attacking humans. And yet he thinks nothing of keeping a chimpanzee in his apartment. Chimps are dangerous even if you're not confidently expecting the animal world to run amok.
3. The sexism. The first (and actually only) sex scene in the whole book is so flagrantly written to play up Oz's rampant masculinity and dominance that it was unintentionally hilarious. Later, when Oz meets his obligatory Sexy Science Babe, every single time she's mentioned he reminds us how gorgeous she is, how very pretty and delicate and small, how totally unlike every other scientist woman he's ever met. Blargh. Not only that, but her whole role is to admire, cheer-lead, support, fall in love, and need comforting and defending.
4. The "science." Patterson read, at maximum, two Wikipedia pages as research, and that was it. I would be surprised if he even got all the way through both of them. He may be able to spell hydrocarbon and grasp some extremely basic (third-grade-level) concepts of pollution, but clearly not chemical dissipation, bio-accumulation, or any other chemical, biological, or ecological process. He's just throwing around the words to sound important. And don't get me started on the acronyms. Also, no, Oz is not a "scientist." He got an undergrad in science. That's not the same thing. He's a hack.
5. The fact that, at a critical point in the plot, Patterson skips five years for no apparent reason except that he apparently got bored.
6. The totally unnecessary violence and sickening detail on animal deaths. I'm not even going to go into this. Seldom has a book given me the actual physical urge to regurgitate.
7. The ending. Or lack thereof. In a better, braver, deeper book, Patterson's choice for an ending might be brave or bittersweet or thought-provoking. Here it's an admission of defeat. If you're going to come up with some big thorny problem, you owe it to Science Fiction to at least try to come up with a solution or at least a message. "I dunno, we're screwed" doesn't cut it.
This is a book that had to be downed quickly, much like a very unpleasant shot of hard liquor you're drinking for some unimaginable reason. I saw someone had it shelved as "burn so as not to inflict upon other library patrons." I thought she was exaggerating, but now I whole-heartedly back that decision up. This book has absolutely no redeeming qualities.
Deep down (Very deep down. Thousands of miles.) this book has two good points:
1. Humans are more distanced from animals than at any other time in history or pre-history and this is not a good thing.
2. We're affecting the environment in unknowable and dangerous ways.
But that's it. This is an execrable excuse for a book. It shouldn't even get a star. No one at all should read it, even as an example of everything you shouldn't do as a writer. Or an editor. Or a publisher. Or a human.
November 11, 2012
WOW. I wonder, as I read reviews of this book, what the heck are people expecting from books nowadays? Did this book make my heart race? YES. Did this book keep my interest? YES. Did this book keep me up at night? YES. Did this book make me look behind me for animals? YES. Did this book make me think - is this so far off in the future? YES. So really, I have to wonder what are people interested in? This book gets a 4-1/2 from me only because it lost some of it's momentum 3/4 the way in... but then picked up again. So hopefully others won't pass this up because of some "NEVER-HAPPY" reviewers. :)
October 12, 2012
Oh dear sweet baby Jesus. The next time I think it's a good idea to read anything written by an author that writes an average of five novels a year, will someone please remind me of this literary travesty and that I have better things to spend my time reading?
This is one of the worst novels I've read in a long, Long, LONG time. And the only, I repeat, the only reason I bothered finishing it is because the idea behind it could have come out as a truly amazing work of fiction in the hands of almost any other author. Almost, being the key word there. I shouldn't have to point out the obvious exceptions *cough*ELJamesStephenieMeyer*cough*
As it stands, unfortunately, it wasn't written by any other author.
I spent the entire time feeling like I was being hit over the head with, well... everything. There is no subtlety, no nuance, nothing left to the imagination - virtually everything is spelled out in black and white, and the things that aren't are glossed over or completely ignored. I can tell that only a minimal amount of cursory research went into this novel, which is highlighted by the fact that some (albeit, sketchy) scientific concepts are touched upon, but never in great detail and the use of technical jargon is almost non-existent. The writing style doesn't change at all between characters - despite the fact that some of the POV comes from several animals, and, maybe I'm missing something here, but I'm fairly certain they shouldn't sound like a military-veteran-University-drop-out-who's-internal-monologue-reads-like-a-bad-action-flick. And don't even get me started on the font size in the hardcover edition; there are more words per page in most teen novels than there are in this book. Talk about padding your bottom line.
I can't with this shit anymore.
/end transmission
This is one of the worst novels I've read in a long, Long, LONG time. And the only, I repeat, the only reason I bothered finishing it is because the idea behind it could have come out as a truly amazing work of fiction in the hands of almost any other author. Almost, being the key word there. I shouldn't have to point out the obvious exceptions *cough*ELJamesStephenieMeyer*cough*
As it stands, unfortunately, it wasn't written by any other author.
I spent the entire time feeling like I was being hit over the head with, well... everything. There is no subtlety, no nuance, nothing left to the imagination - virtually everything is spelled out in black and white, and the things that aren't are glossed over or completely ignored. I can tell that only a minimal amount of cursory research went into this novel, which is highlighted by the fact that some (albeit, sketchy) scientific concepts are touched upon, but never in great detail and the use of technical jargon is almost non-existent. The writing style doesn't change at all between characters - despite the fact that some of the POV comes from several animals, and, maybe I'm missing something here, but I'm fairly certain they shouldn't sound like a military-veteran-University-drop-out-who's-internal-monologue-reads-like-a-bad-action-flick. And don't even get me started on the font size in the hardcover edition; there are more words per page in most teen novels than there are in this book. Talk about padding your bottom line.
I can't with this shit anymore.
/end transmission
December 27, 2019
An absorbing thriller, I found Zoo to be entertaining and thought provoking. We have much maligned young biologist Jackson Oz trying to convince the world of his theory of the changes in animal behaviour. And it's not for the best. Laughed at and not taken seriously, Oz watches in horror as his predictions start to come to fruition, and the world's animal population runs out of control, all with one purpose...to kill the humans.
As things escalate Oz and a small group of scientists try to figure out what is causing the behaviour changes, and why. Racing against time they try to convince the authorities, but the human race seems bent on destruction, and the world becomes the Zoo of the title, without cages.
Gee I enjoyed this book. Even though it's nearly 500 pages I found it quick and easy to read. It brings forward some salient points about how we treat our planet, and why we need to be more aware before it's totally destroyed. So is the plot realistic? Hell no, but it's entertaining, and I recommend it to thriller lovers everywhere.
As things escalate Oz and a small group of scientists try to figure out what is causing the behaviour changes, and why. Racing against time they try to convince the authorities, but the human race seems bent on destruction, and the world becomes the Zoo of the title, without cages.
Gee I enjoyed this book. Even though it's nearly 500 pages I found it quick and easy to read. It brings forward some salient points about how we treat our planet, and why we need to be more aware before it's totally destroyed. So is the plot realistic? Hell no, but it's entertaining, and I recommend it to thriller lovers everywhere.
December 10, 2012
I had never read a James Patterson book before Zoo. I will never read a James Patterson book after Zoo.
I saw a description of this book on NPR that made me think it would be Animal Farm-ish. Haha. No.
I couldn't get over the writing style. Is James Patterson a famous author because he writes in such a sophomoric, simplistic way, it makes stupid people feel smart? Sorry if that offends, but that's how I felt the entire time I was reading Zoo - James Patterson writes for idiots.
One of my favorite parts was when the one-eyed lion was watching his prey with both eyes. Oh, and how in 2012, a character named Groh is legless, but when we flash forward to 2017, Groh has only been without legs for 3 years. And I absolutely loved how every single woman was described as having "owlish" eyes.
By the time I found out what was causing the animals to attack, I was actually insulted. I want to ask for my money back, but I had borrowed Zoo from the library. I still wish I could be compensated for the time I spent reading this atrocious World War Z ripoff.
Reading this book was, in the words of Patterson's Mary Sue -sorry, I mean "hero"- Jackson Oz, like crawling into the asshole of Satan.
I saw a description of this book on NPR that made me think it would be Animal Farm-ish. Haha. No.
I couldn't get over the writing style. Is James Patterson a famous author because he writes in such a sophomoric, simplistic way, it makes stupid people feel smart? Sorry if that offends, but that's how I felt the entire time I was reading Zoo - James Patterson writes for idiots.
One of my favorite parts was when the one-eyed lion was watching his prey with both eyes. Oh, and how in 2012, a character named Groh is legless, but when we flash forward to 2017, Groh has only been without legs for 3 years. And I absolutely loved how every single woman was described as having "owlish" eyes.
By the time I found out what was causing the animals to attack, I was actually insulted. I want to ask for my money back, but I had borrowed Zoo from the library. I still wish I could be compensated for the time I spent reading this atrocious World War Z ripoff.
Reading this book was, in the words of Patterson's Mary Sue -sorry, I mean "hero"- Jackson Oz, like crawling into the asshole of Satan.
June 16, 2019
If the book had retained the tension of the scene in Africa (which was quite awesome), it would have been a winner. But the story weakened and started to take on that Sharknado vibe.
July 10, 2014
The only reason I didn't throw in the towel and quit reading the horrible piece of crap that is James Patterson's latest novel, "Zoo," is that I felt if I continued on, it would make good fodder for a journal entry.
I read most books on my Kindle, which tells me how much of the book I have read. I watched the numbers creep from 25% to 50% but by the time I reached 75% my tolerance level had reached its peak and I decided to give it up.
James Patterson used to be good. He used to be quite good, but then he got too big for his britches and he started churning out two or three novels a year, each with a co-author. I can only hope that Patterson's contribution to many of these books is to put his name on as co-author, because I hate to think that this is really the depths to which his previous talent has sunk.
I don't know what they are smoking over at Time magazine, but its review for this book (co-authored by Michael Ledwidge) is glowing
Once in a lifetime, a writer puts it all together. This is James Patterson's best book ever.
For 36 years, James Patterson has written unputdownable, pulse-racing novels. Now, he has written a book that surpasses all of them. ZOO is the thriller he was born to write.
All over the world, brutal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the violence to come becomes terrifyingly clear.
With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it's too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide. With wildly inventive imagination and white-knuckle suspense that rivals Stephen King at his very best, James Patterson's ZOO is an epic, non-stop thrill-ride from "One of the best of the best." (TIME)
To save you from having to read this pile of excrement, let me give you an overview. It's a spoiler alert, but I prefer to think I'm doing you a HUGE favor by writing it. Read at your discretion.
Scientist Jackson Oz suspects that something is going wrong with the world's animals. Nobody believes him because he doesn't have a degree. Oz hears from a friend in Botswana who has also noted some strange things and rushes off to get proof to support his theory.
Within hours they are attacked by lions. Friend in Botswana is killed, Oz escapes, but finds a girl hanging by a tree inches from being eaten by crocodiles. He rescues her and by the time they get back to civilization (we never find out how--this book is rife with life-threatening situations that are avoided but it is never explained how) they are in love.
Oh. While he's gone to Botswana, he asks his New York girlfriend to come in once a day and feed his pet chimpanzee, Atilla. Well, that's kind of like saying "don't go into the basement, Martha!" while the spooky music plays. Naturally by the time he and the new girlfriend return, he finds the body of the old girlfriend (well that was convenient) in the apartment that has been totally trashed, and the chimp gone. Curtain.
Next page it is 3 years later and new gf and Oz are married and have a kid. The animal situation is even worse and now comes a series of chapters, one chapter is Oz trying to meet with leading scientists around the world, the next chapter is a picture of some folks somewhere in the world where they are being eaten by ravaging animals, from rats to bears to giggling dolphins to dogs. After we get the gory details of the current attack by the current flock of animals, we go back to Oz who is again being summoned to Washington to meet with The President (who is a woman,of course), only every time he gets to D.C. something happens that prevents the meeting and he gets sent back to New York fleeing for his life.
The president is emotional because it seems that her daughter was eaten by the family dog and the pres had to kill it. Of course.
When I finally decided I simply could not read another page, Atilla the chimp had turned up again, still wearing the red hat he was wearing when he escaped 4 years ago, now a bit faded, of course, and he bites off the garbage man's nose, leaving him to be eaten by....I think it's rats. I'd lost track by then.
The problem with this book (or one of a zillion problems) is that there is ZERO credibility even for a cheesy sci fi movie. You don't know enough about any of the characters to care about them, the "non-stop thrill ride" is about as scary as the children's merry-go-round at your local park. The animal attacks are so predictable, all you want to know is which breed is going to kill now?
In the meantime, people are still going out into the woods to go on fishing trips while the military has decided that the only solution to the problem is to bomb all the animals. Kill 'em all.
My God was this an awful book. If I had any respect whatsoever for Patterson after his awful "Cross Country," it has totally disappeared.
Someone left a note on my guest book which said, "Which Patterson book actually improved? I've only read two complete Patterson books and they both became increasingly terrible as they went." That is true in spades for "Zoo" and I should have quit while I was ahead.
I read most books on my Kindle, which tells me how much of the book I have read. I watched the numbers creep from 25% to 50% but by the time I reached 75% my tolerance level had reached its peak and I decided to give it up.
James Patterson used to be good. He used to be quite good, but then he got too big for his britches and he started churning out two or three novels a year, each with a co-author. I can only hope that Patterson's contribution to many of these books is to put his name on as co-author, because I hate to think that this is really the depths to which his previous talent has sunk.
I don't know what they are smoking over at Time magazine, but its review for this book (co-authored by Michael Ledwidge) is glowing
Once in a lifetime, a writer puts it all together. This is James Patterson's best book ever.
For 36 years, James Patterson has written unputdownable, pulse-racing novels. Now, he has written a book that surpasses all of them. ZOO is the thriller he was born to write.
All over the world, brutal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the violence to come becomes terrifyingly clear.
With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it's too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide. With wildly inventive imagination and white-knuckle suspense that rivals Stephen King at his very best, James Patterson's ZOO is an epic, non-stop thrill-ride from "One of the best of the best." (TIME)
To save you from having to read this pile of excrement, let me give you an overview. It's a spoiler alert, but I prefer to think I'm doing you a HUGE favor by writing it. Read at your discretion.
Scientist Jackson Oz suspects that something is going wrong with the world's animals. Nobody believes him because he doesn't have a degree. Oz hears from a friend in Botswana who has also noted some strange things and rushes off to get proof to support his theory.
Within hours they are attacked by lions. Friend in Botswana is killed, Oz escapes, but finds a girl hanging by a tree inches from being eaten by crocodiles. He rescues her and by the time they get back to civilization (we never find out how--this book is rife with life-threatening situations that are avoided but it is never explained how) they are in love.
Oh. While he's gone to Botswana, he asks his New York girlfriend to come in once a day and feed his pet chimpanzee, Atilla. Well, that's kind of like saying "don't go into the basement, Martha!" while the spooky music plays. Naturally by the time he and the new girlfriend return, he finds the body of the old girlfriend (well that was convenient) in the apartment that has been totally trashed, and the chimp gone. Curtain.
Next page it is 3 years later and new gf and Oz are married and have a kid. The animal situation is even worse and now comes a series of chapters, one chapter is Oz trying to meet with leading scientists around the world, the next chapter is a picture of some folks somewhere in the world where they are being eaten by ravaging animals, from rats to bears to giggling dolphins to dogs. After we get the gory details of the current attack by the current flock of animals, we go back to Oz who is again being summoned to Washington to meet with The President (who is a woman,of course), only every time he gets to D.C. something happens that prevents the meeting and he gets sent back to New York fleeing for his life.
The president is emotional because it seems that her daughter was eaten by the family dog and the pres had to kill it. Of course.
When I finally decided I simply could not read another page, Atilla the chimp had turned up again, still wearing the red hat he was wearing when he escaped 4 years ago, now a bit faded, of course, and he bites off the garbage man's nose, leaving him to be eaten by....I think it's rats. I'd lost track by then.
The problem with this book (or one of a zillion problems) is that there is ZERO credibility even for a cheesy sci fi movie. You don't know enough about any of the characters to care about them, the "non-stop thrill ride" is about as scary as the children's merry-go-round at your local park. The animal attacks are so predictable, all you want to know is which breed is going to kill now?
In the meantime, people are still going out into the woods to go on fishing trips while the military has decided that the only solution to the problem is to bomb all the animals. Kill 'em all.
My God was this an awful book. If I had any respect whatsoever for Patterson after his awful "Cross Country," it has totally disappeared.
Someone left a note on my guest book which said, "Which Patterson book actually improved? I've only read two complete Patterson books and they both became increasingly terrible as they went." That is true in spades for "Zoo" and I should have quit while I was ahead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2013
"Zoo" is not a typical James Patterson novel. And yet, I loved the premise of the story which is basically that humans are so distant from "nature" that we're causing our own demise.
I found myself stymied by some reviews that decried the graphic violence of scenes where animals attacked humans. Seriously? How could anyone imagine that an animal intent on attacking and ingesting its prey would not be graphically violent? Had the authors glossed over the attacks, or "sanitized" the many scenes of violence, I would have felt that despite the book's premise, the authors didn't have a clue as to the true violence involved in killing where claws and teeth are the primary weapons. And they could have gone in another direction to portray that violence. Thankfully readers are not subjected to first-person descriptions of being torn to shreds and eaten while still alive.
I've also read criticisms of the manner in which the main character's love interest is described and later relegated to a mommy role. Okay - while I understand the criticism, the reality is that the story isn't about Mrs. Oz. Perhaps the authors tried to balance this by making the fictional U.S. president female, but who knows. Personally, the issue is quite minor. Had some of the critics read other James Patterson books, they would realize the male and female characters in his stories are usually multi-dimensional, and their human appearances, emotions and behaviors are independent of their gender. In Patterson's series about the genetically altered "bird children", the protagonist is an incredible teen female with courage that I can describe only as inspirational. In short, don't allow this minor detail in a single story lead to incorrect assumptions.
I was also annoyed by one criticism written by either a Ph.D. or whatever royal degree they may possess. Her criticism is that the main character, who was able to outwit his academically credentialed co-scientists, basically has "only" an undergrad degree. Tsk.Tsk.Tsk. Wake up. A Ph.D. does not grant automatic superiority or expertise. Rather, it represents one has followed a path of traditional studies of theories and accepted truths. It does not equate to being the only source of new and/or emerging knowledge within a particular field of study.
Read the book. Forget what you think you know. And enjoy the story as intended - what if ...?
I found myself stymied by some reviews that decried the graphic violence of scenes where animals attacked humans. Seriously? How could anyone imagine that an animal intent on attacking and ingesting its prey would not be graphically violent? Had the authors glossed over the attacks, or "sanitized" the many scenes of violence, I would have felt that despite the book's premise, the authors didn't have a clue as to the true violence involved in killing where claws and teeth are the primary weapons. And they could have gone in another direction to portray that violence. Thankfully readers are not subjected to first-person descriptions of being torn to shreds and eaten while still alive.
I've also read criticisms of the manner in which the main character's love interest is described and later relegated to a mommy role. Okay - while I understand the criticism, the reality is that the story isn't about Mrs. Oz. Perhaps the authors tried to balance this by making the fictional U.S. president female, but who knows. Personally, the issue is quite minor. Had some of the critics read other James Patterson books, they would realize the male and female characters in his stories are usually multi-dimensional, and their human appearances, emotions and behaviors are independent of their gender. In Patterson's series about the genetically altered "bird children", the protagonist is an incredible teen female with courage that I can describe only as inspirational. In short, don't allow this minor detail in a single story lead to incorrect assumptions.
I was also annoyed by one criticism written by either a Ph.D. or whatever royal degree they may possess. Her criticism is that the main character, who was able to outwit his academically credentialed co-scientists, basically has "only" an undergrad degree. Tsk.Tsk.Tsk. Wake up. A Ph.D. does not grant automatic superiority or expertise. Rather, it represents one has followed a path of traditional studies of theories and accepted truths. It does not equate to being the only source of new and/or emerging knowledge within a particular field of study.
Read the book. Forget what you think you know. And enjoy the story as intended - what if ...?
March 17, 2020
An apocalyptic thriller in extremly bad execution
Bad writing, lousy scientific background, unplausible plot.
Unfortunately not sufficient for 2 stars.
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Ich möchte vorausschicken, dass ich seit meiner Kindheit ein Wahnsinns-Fan von Katastrophenfilmen bin. Und sie müssen noch nicht mal gut sein, damit ich ihnen was abgewinnen kann. Ich schaue auch mit Begeisterung mittelgute und schon veraltete Filme dieser Art.
Im jungen Erwachsenenalter kam dann eine unstillbare Leidenschaft für Katastrophenthriller, Wissenschaftsthriller, Romane über Umweltkatastrophen und biologisch/chemische Unfälle u.ä. dazu.
Wir sind uns wohl alle einig, dass man in diesem Genre selten auf literarische Meisterwerke trifft, und auch der naturwissenschaftliche Hintergrund ist oftmals nicht wirklich blütenrein.
Ich genieße dieses Genre trotzdem.
James Patterson hat mit seinem Roman allerdings ganz neue Abgründe erreicht.
Der Schreibstil ist – wie soll ich es ausdrücken? – blöd, schlecht, langweilig, unzureichend….
Die wissenschaftlichen Grundlagen scheinen mir mehr als fragwürdig, logisch instabil und vermutlich auch sehr rudimentär recherchiert.
Die Ausformung der Charaktere ist schlicht und ergreifend albern. Die Protagonisten wirken wie frisch aus der Klischeefabrik abgeholt und erfahren über die Zeit keinerlei Entwicklung.
Den Plot hätte ich bereits vor 30 Jahren blind runterbeten können (na gut, die Umweltproblematik ist neu, aber so neu nun auch wieder nicht). Er hätte sich ja wenigsten mal einen frischen Aspekt einfallen lassen können, aber Pustekuchen!
Die erste Hälfte des Buches war so betäubend langweilig, dass ich mich sehr zusammenreissen musste, das Buch nicht abzubrechen. Die zweite Hälfte war dann schon ein bisschen spannender, aber dafür bin ich in Klischees und Vorhersehbarem ertrunken.
Dieses Buch muss nun wirklich keiner lesen. Nicht mal ein Katastrophen-Fan.
1 Stern.
Bad writing, lousy scientific background, unplausible plot.
Unfortunately not sufficient for 2 stars.
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Ich möchte vorausschicken, dass ich seit meiner Kindheit ein Wahnsinns-Fan von Katastrophenfilmen bin. Und sie müssen noch nicht mal gut sein, damit ich ihnen was abgewinnen kann. Ich schaue auch mit Begeisterung mittelgute und schon veraltete Filme dieser Art.
Im jungen Erwachsenenalter kam dann eine unstillbare Leidenschaft für Katastrophenthriller, Wissenschaftsthriller, Romane über Umweltkatastrophen und biologisch/chemische Unfälle u.ä. dazu.
Wir sind uns wohl alle einig, dass man in diesem Genre selten auf literarische Meisterwerke trifft, und auch der naturwissenschaftliche Hintergrund ist oftmals nicht wirklich blütenrein.
Ich genieße dieses Genre trotzdem.
James Patterson hat mit seinem Roman allerdings ganz neue Abgründe erreicht.
Der Schreibstil ist – wie soll ich es ausdrücken? – blöd, schlecht, langweilig, unzureichend….
Die wissenschaftlichen Grundlagen scheinen mir mehr als fragwürdig, logisch instabil und vermutlich auch sehr rudimentär recherchiert.
Die Ausformung der Charaktere ist schlicht und ergreifend albern. Die Protagonisten wirken wie frisch aus der Klischeefabrik abgeholt und erfahren über die Zeit keinerlei Entwicklung.
Den Plot hätte ich bereits vor 30 Jahren blind runterbeten können (na gut, die Umweltproblematik ist neu, aber so neu nun auch wieder nicht). Er hätte sich ja wenigsten mal einen frischen Aspekt einfallen lassen können, aber Pustekuchen!
Die erste Hälfte des Buches war so betäubend langweilig, dass ich mich sehr zusammenreissen musste, das Buch nicht abzubrechen. Die zweite Hälfte war dann schon ein bisschen spannender, aber dafür bin ich in Klischees und Vorhersehbarem ertrunken.
Dieses Buch muss nun wirklich keiner lesen. Nicht mal ein Katastrophen-Fan.
1 Stern.
October 24, 2015
I found this book interesting, yet a bit difficult to rate. There were parts that were so realistic, such as government responses and run-around. However, there were also parts that were unrealistic, which I can't explain without spoilers. Also, there were a couple of tidbits that I didn't think really worked. I liked the storyline, for the most part, and the writing was good, of course. I wasn't crazy about the ending, but I suppose it was more realistic, so it's ok. In general, it was a different story that kept me interested, so 3.5✮ rounded up.
January 3, 2018
This is a stupid book! I expected more from James Patterson. The book has been on my TBR list for a while because it looked interesting. The writing was okay and there were many exciting scenes, if filled with horrifyingly bloody animal attacks; but the science, the human response, the conclusion, the lack of credentials for the main character, the lack of emotion, were all just stupid. Don't bother reading this unless you want a dumbed-down Jurassic Park knockoff to while away a few mindless hours.
December 17, 2016
Added this book into the mix this year for a challenge- Why aren't there more books that start with a "Z" out there?
Zoo finds Oz Jackson racing to figure out what is happening in the world. He makes his way to Bostwana and discovers that animals, specifically male animals are freaking out and attacking all the humans in the world. He comes home to find his own pet chimp, Attila also having a meltdown and escaping his NYC apartment. He figures out what the issue is and presents his theory to the government. The issues I had were simply the unrealistic factors in this book. First, the book skips ahead five years to show us how truly desolate the world has become, oh and to insert a love interest and a magic child (a little too perfect, in my opinion). Then once the problem is identified, it's suddenly resolved on the 2nd day!!!?!?? COME ON! It was excellent to listen to, the narrator was wonderful! (Jay Snyder) he even does spot on animal impressions. He made this book enjoyable and fun to listen along to. I'm sticking right down the middle on this one, but it was a fun one to read. What an interesting and relevant concept that technology today would interfere with animals pheromones.
Zoo finds Oz Jackson racing to figure out what is happening in the world. He makes his way to Bostwana and discovers that animals, specifically male animals are freaking out and attacking all the humans in the world. He comes home to find his own pet chimp, Attila also having a meltdown and escaping his NYC apartment. He figures out what the issue is and presents his theory to the government. The issues I had were simply the unrealistic factors in this book. First, the book skips ahead five years to show us how truly desolate the world has become, oh and to insert a love interest and a magic child (a little too perfect, in my opinion). Then once the problem is identified, it's suddenly resolved on the 2nd day!!!?!?? COME ON! It was excellent to listen to, the narrator was wonderful! (Jay Snyder) he even does spot on animal impressions. He made this book enjoyable and fun to listen along to. I'm sticking right down the middle on this one, but it was a fun one to read. What an interesting and relevant concept that technology today would interfere with animals pheromones.
December 13, 2018
This sounded like an interesting idea for an end-of-the-world thriller - animals turning on humans and killing the hand that feeds them - but unfortunately the execution didn't do it justice. It feels like a trashy novel written in a hurry without care for detail. There is so much wrong with the science that glib explanations and sweeping statements can't compensate for and it doesn't help that the MC is an arrogant ex-biology student with a high opinion of himself and a big chip on his shoulder. The attack of the dolphins was just too silly and the low point for me and almost caused the book to be tossed in the bin (but fortunately not as it's on my kindle).
September 10, 2012
Let me preface this review by saying this was the first James Patterson novel I have read. Also, the book was co-authored by Michael Ledwidge. I chose to pick up this book because the storyline looked promising. That's the best thing I can say about this novel.
What made this book such a lackluster read? There were many reasons: cheesy dialogue, simplistic sentences, superfluous crassness, needless references to modern celebrities and popular products (not to mention the details on the many varieties of firearms), characters that had little depth and an unsatisfying ending. Worst of all, however, were the horrendously bad similes, of which the following are but a small sample:
"Then we heard the deafening suck and throb tattoo of a landing helicopter, cottoning the air like a migraine in the head of a god."
"His teeth could have been mah-jonng tiles and his voice was like a velvet cello."
"Bowen's eyes twinkle like Strawberry Shortcake's as the familiar, ripping, heavy-metal clack of gunfire echoes across the hills."
If it weren't for the fact that the story was supposed to be serious, it would have been comical.
Perhaps I should try to read a book written solely by Patterson himself to see if the writing style is any different. I would certainly hope so.
What made this book such a lackluster read? There were many reasons: cheesy dialogue, simplistic sentences, superfluous crassness, needless references to modern celebrities and popular products (not to mention the details on the many varieties of firearms), characters that had little depth and an unsatisfying ending. Worst of all, however, were the horrendously bad similes, of which the following are but a small sample:
"Then we heard the deafening suck and throb tattoo of a landing helicopter, cottoning the air like a migraine in the head of a god."
"His teeth could have been mah-jonng tiles and his voice was like a velvet cello."
"Bowen's eyes twinkle like Strawberry Shortcake's as the familiar, ripping, heavy-metal clack of gunfire echoes across the hills."
If it weren't for the fact that the story was supposed to be serious, it would have been comical.
Perhaps I should try to read a book written solely by Patterson himself to see if the writing style is any different. I would certainly hope so.
October 5, 2012
I've never read Patterson before. I thought this premise sounded interesting, and hoped that maybe this book would fill the niche left by my running out of Crichton books I feel like reading/re-reading.
It was all right. It was... remarkably simple in its writing, I thought. I would have expected slightly more elevated prose from a writer of Patterson's experience. It could be said that the First Person sections were written to match the narrative voice, but... even the parts that weren't from Oz's Point of View were simple, and Oz was allegedly a "promising" scientist. Thus, not simplistic.
I found Oz remarkably stupid. He knows that there is something making animals go crazy, but he's living with a chimp and thinks nothing of having people take care of him when he's gone. Chimp attacks are terrifying. And they are big and strong. He never even thinks, has the slightest hesitation, about this in light of what he's rattling on about knowing with the HAC stuff.
Being dropped into the middle of the story's HAC time line kind of throws one off, too. Loses some urgency, because you don't get the initial build-up and then when the time jump happens in the middle of the book, any new urgency built falls down. Maybe if the story had been built in three parts, it would have work, but the pacing just felt odd. I realize maybe it was more realistic, but could've been done better.
The "big discovery" in Oz's apartment just prior to the time jump feels entirely gratuitous, since it's never mentioned again. Either that or Oz is a cold bastard.
There seemed to be very little that Chloe did, and I expected more based on the promise of the book jacket.
The scenes cutting to people around the planet later in the book felt unnecessary. None of them progressed elements of the plot. They just showed us more animals going crazy in more places, and once we know that, we don't need to see more of it.
Chapters 85-87 were kind of hard to read, but not because of good writing as much as just happening to hit some "nightmare scenario" things I got going on.
The ending was a bit of a surprise, but in a good way. The book was an easy read and at least moved well, so I can't say I didn't like it -- even if it was kind of depressing -- but I think I'll be selling it to the used book store on my next trip. Don't think I'll be reading any more Patterson either, though his appearances on Castle continue to amuse me.
It was all right. It was... remarkably simple in its writing, I thought. I would have expected slightly more elevated prose from a writer of Patterson's experience. It could be said that the First Person sections were written to match the narrative voice, but... even the parts that weren't from Oz's Point of View were simple, and Oz was allegedly a "promising" scientist. Thus, not simplistic.
I found Oz remarkably stupid. He knows that there is something making animals go crazy, but he's living with a chimp and thinks nothing of having people take care of him when he's gone. Chimp attacks are terrifying. And they are big and strong. He never even thinks, has the slightest hesitation, about this in light of what he's rattling on about knowing with the HAC stuff.
Being dropped into the middle of the story's HAC time line kind of throws one off, too. Loses some urgency, because you don't get the initial build-up and then when the time jump happens in the middle of the book, any new urgency built falls down. Maybe if the story had been built in three parts, it would have work, but the pacing just felt odd. I realize maybe it was more realistic, but could've been done better.
The "big discovery" in Oz's apartment just prior to the time jump feels entirely gratuitous, since it's never mentioned again. Either that or Oz is a cold bastard.
There seemed to be very little that Chloe did, and I expected more based on the promise of the book jacket.
The scenes cutting to people around the planet later in the book felt unnecessary. None of them progressed elements of the plot. They just showed us more animals going crazy in more places, and once we know that, we don't need to see more of it.
Chapters 85-87 were kind of hard to read, but not because of good writing as much as just happening to hit some "nightmare scenario" things I got going on.
The ending was a bit of a surprise, but in a good way. The book was an easy read and at least moved well, so I can't say I didn't like it -- even if it was kind of depressing -- but I think I'll be selling it to the used book store on my next trip. Don't think I'll be reading any more Patterson either, though his appearances on Castle continue to amuse me.
March 29, 2016
Jackson Oz, biologist and Chloe Tousignant, ecologist have banded together to work on the world wide problem of multiple attacks by animals – big or small, they all seemed to be banding together to kill humans. Oz first met Chloe in Africa when he witnessed a group of male lions rampaging and killing. He was lucky to escape with his life, and also managed to rescue Chloe. The phenomenon of the packs all being male was not lost on Oz and Chloe – but would they be able to make the powers that be understand something terrible was happening?
Back in the US and working from his home in New York, Oz battled on a daily basis to have the support they needed to find the cause. But the politicians buried their heads in the sand, calling him a crazy zealot – no one believed him; until one day it was much bigger than even Oz could believe. All humans were in danger for their lives – what would the experts be able to do to save the world from catastrophe?
Zoo by James Patterson is a departure from his writing that I normally read (Harry Cross/Michael Bennett) but I thoroughly enjoyed this highly readable and fast paced thriller which I read in a matter of a few hours. An intriguing and enticing plot, the content was fascinating (if gruesome!) Highly recommended.
Back in the US and working from his home in New York, Oz battled on a daily basis to have the support they needed to find the cause. But the politicians buried their heads in the sand, calling him a crazy zealot – no one believed him; until one day it was much bigger than even Oz could believe. All humans were in danger for their lives – what would the experts be able to do to save the world from catastrophe?
Zoo by James Patterson is a departure from his writing that I normally read (Harry Cross/Michael Bennett) but I thoroughly enjoyed this highly readable and fast paced thriller which I read in a matter of a few hours. An intriguing and enticing plot, the content was fascinating (if gruesome!) Highly recommended.
September 25, 2012
I have decided to be slightly more harsh with my ratings of supermarket thriller/horror novels (this genre needs it's own rating category) so I give this only two stars not because I didn't enjoy it but because it's just not that great of a book when compared to all the novels out there. So-so writing and stupid science abound as the animals of the world go haywire and start attacking humans. The first to notice is Jack Oz, who is ridiculed by the serious scientific community until the attacks become too numerous to ignore. I admit to being a sucker for "nature goes wild" novels even if they are bad so I liked the book well enough as an "I-don't-feel-like-thinking-today" read. I would have actually liked this book to be longer with more explanation, and better science. I kind of feel like I did at the end of the Harry Potter series when Rowling kind of summed up everyone's future in a few cheesy paragraphs. Patterson, really? Fill in the blanks a little better.
July 6, 2016
This story cries for a better ending. In fact, the whole second half could be better. Matter of fact, the whole story could be better by this better than average author. 4 of 10 stars
March 9, 2013
So I picked up this book because the premise seemed really interesting and I have heard great things about James Patterson. I have never read any of his books so I thought I would give this one a try. On the cover flap there is a quote from the New York Times: "Once in a lifetime, a writer puts it all together. This is James Patterson's Best Book Ever." Well if this is the best book ever then the world really has gone downhill and I weep for humanity. This was the worst book I have ever read and I simply kept reading it because I was curious how they would wrap up the ending, which I was severely disappointed with. Beware there are spoilers in the rest of this review.
Ok so the basic plot is that Oz is a scientist (if you can even call him that because he drops out of school, because that is what every scientist does when they come across startling evidence...drop out of school and don't complete your degree, everyone will listen to you then)and he realizes that animals around the world are acting really weird and are attacking people. So he heads off to Botswana to get proof of his crazy theory, while leaving his pet monkey (yes the man who thinks animals are killing humans has a pet monkey) at home for his girlfriend to take care of. In Botswana he is attacked by lions and then conveniently finds a girl and rescues her. What should have been a totally cool scene where they fought for their lives to get back to civilization is completely skipped. Hey I saved the girl, then poof now we are back at the camp. Every time there is some sort of heightened situation it either gets resolved ridiculously quickly, or they simply jump past it. In Botswana they are warned to leave quickly because of what they have filmed, I thought they might have to avoid rabid animals or people trying to stop them, but no the next thing we know they are back in New York City. Where conveniently the old girlfriend has been killed by his pet monkey, something he freaks out about for like five minutes, then simply shrugs off.
The worst thing is that Patterson literally jumps ahead like five years in the middle of the book, randomly for no particular reason. The world has gotten even worse and they have not managed to come up with any solutions. Chloe (the girl Oz rescued in Africa) could have been a very cool character, a scientist (with an actual degree) she was described as tough and smart. But all she does in the book is sit at home with her child and support Oz and wait for him to come defend her.
I finished this book and thought, why, why did I read this. I hope the rest of James Patterson's books are better than this one, because this was truly terrible.
Ok so the basic plot is that Oz is a scientist (if you can even call him that because he drops out of school, because that is what every scientist does when they come across startling evidence...drop out of school and don't complete your degree, everyone will listen to you then)and he realizes that animals around the world are acting really weird and are attacking people. So he heads off to Botswana to get proof of his crazy theory, while leaving his pet monkey (yes the man who thinks animals are killing humans has a pet monkey) at home for his girlfriend to take care of. In Botswana he is attacked by lions and then conveniently finds a girl and rescues her. What should have been a totally cool scene where they fought for their lives to get back to civilization is completely skipped. Hey I saved the girl, then poof now we are back at the camp. Every time there is some sort of heightened situation it either gets resolved ridiculously quickly, or they simply jump past it. In Botswana they are warned to leave quickly because of what they have filmed, I thought they might have to avoid rabid animals or people trying to stop them, but no the next thing we know they are back in New York City. Where conveniently the old girlfriend has been killed by his pet monkey, something he freaks out about for like five minutes, then simply shrugs off.
The worst thing is that Patterson literally jumps ahead like five years in the middle of the book, randomly for no particular reason. The world has gotten even worse and they have not managed to come up with any solutions. Chloe (the girl Oz rescued in Africa) could have been a very cool character, a scientist (with an actual degree) she was described as tough and smart. But all she does in the book is sit at home with her child and support Oz and wait for him to come defend her.
I finished this book and thought, why, why did I read this. I hope the rest of James Patterson's books are better than this one, because this was truly terrible.
November 21, 2013
In recent weeks I've read a lot of epic books (A Dance with Dragons, A Feast for Crows, The Stand) and I was tired of wrapping my head around keeping up with hundreds of characters, dense plots and not knowing what was going on half the time. This novel was a perfect escape and it knows what it is: a fast-paced, enjoyable thriller designed for that long airplane ride or daily commute to work.
I greatly enjoyed it, I took it for what it was and didn't think too much about the shortcomings in the plot. It was a book about a war between humans and animals. I even thought it would make a good film, a bit like Starship Troopers!
It's no classic, probably only to read once and then given to a charity shop but it is worth the money if cheap on Kindle.
I greatly enjoyed it, I took it for what it was and didn't think too much about the shortcomings in the plot. It was a book about a war between humans and animals. I even thought it would make a good film, a bit like Starship Troopers!
It's no classic, probably only to read once and then given to a charity shop but it is worth the money if cheap on Kindle.
January 22, 2018
Wow. This book, though.
For a lover of dystopian, I was immediately drawn to this book for multiple reasons. While this is not a dystopian, it had some classic elements that I loved. One, we dun fucked up and there are detrimental consequences to our way of life as we know it. Two, Government officials (and all the way down to "Joe Shmo" level people) don't want to listen to the facts until it's too late, subsequently dooming us all. Three, our planet kicks the ever-loving shit out of us for being selfish, vain, destructive, ignorant jackholes.
Like I said. All things I love reading about.
In this story, however, the part where the planet kicks our asses is slightly different. Instead of some horrible natural disaster, pheromone's in the air that make human's kill themselves, mutant creatures that evolve from a nuclear fallout, or a literal dead planet that kills us post-mortem...all of the furry creatures that we share the Earth with are obsessed with ending the human race.
One day, Timmy and Spot are inseparable. The next, Timmy has to blow Spot away because he has become crazed and tries to rip apart his mother. The lions at the zoo that Arnold the zookeeper has taken care of for 8 years suddenly are not interested in the zebra carcass that he gives them, because all they can think about is ripping his face off. Those cute little squirrels in central park don't want your bread crumbs, Karen. They want to eat out your eyes.
All of a sudden, animals are no longer looking to co-exist with humans and maim, disembowel, and shred every unlucky flesh-bag they come across. Why? Well, that would spoil things, now wouldn't it?
In the midst of all of this happening, we have the Government officials who couldn't be bothered with taking action because that would just worry people and take focus away from their next banquet. They abuse their power and position, effectively making this worse. Give a person an enormous amount of power and they will abuse it with zero regard for anyone else.
It was a ride. A somewhat horrifying ride at times. This is one of those books that, when you start reading it, you're thinking "This is so far-fetched! It could never happen!"...and then you start thinking too much and you look at the person walking their dog outside and scream and "AWWWWW!" at the same time while simultaneously bolting your door shut and wishing you could pet the SWEET SMOL BEAN.
*cough*
Oh, and the characters were fine, too. A lot of them died.
(Also, the narrator in the audiobook has no qualms about making legit animal noises when prompted. I'm just sayin'.)
Final rating: 5/5 stars
For a lover of dystopian, I was immediately drawn to this book for multiple reasons. While this is not a dystopian, it had some classic elements that I loved. One, we dun fucked up and there are detrimental consequences to our way of life as we know it. Two, Government officials (and all the way down to "Joe Shmo" level people) don't want to listen to the facts until it's too late, subsequently dooming us all. Three, our planet kicks the ever-loving shit out of us for being selfish, vain, destructive, ignorant jackholes.
Like I said. All things I love reading about.
In this story, however, the part where the planet kicks our asses is slightly different. Instead of some horrible natural disaster, pheromone's in the air that make human's kill themselves, mutant creatures that evolve from a nuclear fallout, or a literal dead planet that kills us post-mortem...all of the furry creatures that we share the Earth with are obsessed with ending the human race.
One day, Timmy and Spot are inseparable. The next, Timmy has to blow Spot away because he has become crazed and tries to rip apart his mother. The lions at the zoo that Arnold the zookeeper has taken care of for 8 years suddenly are not interested in the zebra carcass that he gives them, because all they can think about is ripping his face off. Those cute little squirrels in central park don't want your bread crumbs, Karen. They want to eat out your eyes.
All of a sudden, animals are no longer looking to co-exist with humans and maim, disembowel, and shred every unlucky flesh-bag they come across. Why? Well, that would spoil things, now wouldn't it?
In the midst of all of this happening, we have the Government officials who couldn't be bothered with taking action because that would just worry people and take focus away from their next banquet. They abuse their power and position, effectively making this worse. Give a person an enormous amount of power and they will abuse it with zero regard for anyone else.
It was a ride. A somewhat horrifying ride at times. This is one of those books that, when you start reading it, you're thinking "This is so far-fetched! It could never happen!"...and then you start thinking too much and you look at the person walking their dog outside and scream and "AWWWWW!" at the same time while simultaneously bolting your door shut and wishing you could pet the SWEET SMOL BEAN.
*cough*
Oh, and the characters were fine, too. A lot of them died.
(Also, the narrator in the audiobook has no qualms about making legit animal noises when prompted. I'm just sayin'.)
Final rating: 5/5 stars
April 10, 2019
1,5/5*
Da je ovo film sigurno bih ga odgledala (volim te patetične apokaliptične filmove šta da radim 🙃), ali knjiga je jednom rečju - loša.
Da je ovo film sigurno bih ga odgledala (volim te patetične apokaliptične filmove šta da radim 🙃), ali knjiga je jednom rečju - loša.
September 19, 2012
Let me start off by saying that the premise of "Zoo" sounds like a very promising story. It's a techno-thriller set in the present day and explores a mystery illness suddenly spreading around the world that is causing all sorts of mammals to inexplicably attack humans on sight (and smell). From domesticated pets to wild animals, we've suddenly become nature's favorite snack.
In reality, this book should probably be named, "50 Shades of Prey." The writing style leaves quite a bit to be desired. The story alternates between poorly written third person narratives describing various animals attacking humans and tortuous first-person accounts from a "scientist" named Oz -- an arrogant manic drop-out with ADHD from Colombia University who you would probably find calling into Art Bell's Coast to Coast each week. Oh, he also has an insane chimpanzee for a pet.
Anyway, the story opens with two lions from the LA Zoo attacking their keeper (whom they've been familiar with for years) and escaping into the urban jungle known as Los Angeles and generally wrecking some major havoc.
From there, we meet Oz, a self-proclaimed pioneer of a little-known theory called HAC -- human-animal conflict. For roughly the last 10 or so years, he's been tracking every instance of animal attacks on humans and is the only one who notices a disturbing trend: they've been increasing exponentially!
It probably doesn't help that his main / preferred companion is a chimp and he is a chronic homebody. (Interestingly enough, he still manages to have a girlfriend or two in the book.) Coupled with his caustic attitude toward other scientists who looked down upon him (and the constant snarky quips and comments he shares throughout the book), I can't think of a single reason why anyone would have a hard time believing him.
Anyway, all of this leads to an interesting thought experiment: What happens when rats, bats, dogs, and dolphins (all lead by a single chimpanzee) take over the world and potentially lead to the fall of human civilization as we know it, while our only savior is a crazy introvert who knew this was going to happen all along?
Let's just say that I really wanted to like this book. The concept had a lot of potential. Sadly, I found myself wanting to get through this book just so I could get done with it and move onto the next thing on my reading list. The parts describing the animal attacks tried to emulate a Stephen King horror novel while the first-person accounts with Oz were just downright torture to read.
Fortunately for me (and probably for you too), it's a relatively mindless and quick read. I struggled with whether to give this two stars or three stars. The entire story started to unravel and grow more ridiculous toward the end (kind of like this review). Ultimately, I decided to give it 2 stars.
In reality, this book should probably be named, "50 Shades of Prey." The writing style leaves quite a bit to be desired. The story alternates between poorly written third person narratives describing various animals attacking humans and tortuous first-person accounts from a "scientist" named Oz -- an arrogant manic drop-out with ADHD from Colombia University who you would probably find calling into Art Bell's Coast to Coast each week. Oh, he also has an insane chimpanzee for a pet.
Anyway, the story opens with two lions from the LA Zoo attacking their keeper (whom they've been familiar with for years) and escaping into the urban jungle known as Los Angeles and generally wrecking some major havoc.
From there, we meet Oz, a self-proclaimed pioneer of a little-known theory called HAC -- human-animal conflict. For roughly the last 10 or so years, he's been tracking every instance of animal attacks on humans and is the only one who notices a disturbing trend: they've been increasing exponentially!
It probably doesn't help that his main / preferred companion is a chimp and he is a chronic homebody. (Interestingly enough, he still manages to have a girlfriend or two in the book.) Coupled with his caustic attitude toward other scientists who looked down upon him (and the constant snarky quips and comments he shares throughout the book), I can't think of a single reason why anyone would have a hard time believing him.
Anyway, all of this leads to an interesting thought experiment: What happens when rats, bats, dogs, and dolphins (all lead by a single chimpanzee) take over the world and potentially lead to the fall of human civilization as we know it, while our only savior is a crazy introvert who knew this was going to happen all along?
Let's just say that I really wanted to like this book. The concept had a lot of potential. Sadly, I found myself wanting to get through this book just so I could get done with it and move onto the next thing on my reading list. The parts describing the animal attacks tried to emulate a Stephen King horror novel while the first-person accounts with Oz were just downright torture to read.
Fortunately for me (and probably for you too), it's a relatively mindless and quick read. I struggled with whether to give this two stars or three stars. The entire story started to unravel and grow more ridiculous toward the end (kind of like this review). Ultimately, I decided to give it 2 stars.
August 3, 2016
I have to admit that I am like every other James Patterson fan, I see his name as author of a book and I have to read it; but, haven't you wondered how much of these books with co-authors are actually written by him? Since the style of this book is identical to the Michael Bennett books co-authored by Michael Ledwidge, and so dissimilar to the style of other Patterson books, let's finally give credit where credit is due... Ledwidge is brilliant! After all, who else knows how to slip just the right touch of humor into a terrifying situation?
Since the running idea deals with animals amassing and attacking, it's really not a good idea to have the Discovery Channel's "When animals attack" playing in the background. The plot however deals with cause and effect, and people in the know who are shunned as doomsday prophets, until the situation demands attention.
Unlike most of the Patterson books, this novel actually has a moral (ignore any scientific theory until devestation faces you to admit there is something to the theory) as well as significant lesson concerning human perspicacity (as in 99.9% of all humans seem to lack it). Of course, I refuse to write a spoiler, so you'll have to read the book (all the way to the end) to figure out what I mean!
Update, because of the television series I decided to reread this book. Why is it that books are never as you remember them?
Since the running idea deals with animals amassing and attacking, it's really not a good idea to have the Discovery Channel's "When animals attack" playing in the background. The plot however deals with cause and effect, and people in the know who are shunned as doomsday prophets, until the situation demands attention.
Unlike most of the Patterson books, this novel actually has a moral (ignore any scientific theory until devestation faces you to admit there is something to the theory) as well as significant lesson concerning human perspicacity (as in 99.9% of all humans seem to lack it). Of course, I refuse to write a spoiler, so you'll have to read the book (all the way to the end) to figure out what I mean!
Update, because of the television series I decided to reread this book. Why is it that books are never as you remember them?
October 24, 2015
I was expecting more. Not as suspenseful as I hoped and the story was a little forced and predictable throughout. I did enjoy the ending, but, for me, the road to get there was just okay.
April 16, 2024
This book has so many mixed reviews and I can see why, so this first few chapters of the book take place in Africa which was really suspenseful and exciting. Oz the main character is trying to convince the world that something is happening to the animals and it could be the beginning of the end. But of course, no one takes him seriously until it’s too late.
There is some violence/gore in this book but it is played down a little – when the bad guys have claws, teeth and brute strength I would’ve expected more dramatic action/attack scenes.
At times I found this book a bit slow and boring in place, the plot line weakened rather than thickened. Also, there is a massive jump in the timeline – which doesn’t explain how quickly the animals evolve. I don’t want to give any spoilers away either but I find Oz a bit frustrating, I mean he loses two things in his life that he loves and I didn’t feel anything for him because well for one he didn’t deserve them and treated them like rubbish and two he didn’t shed a tear!
"Turns out an apocalypse actually comes on pretty slowly. Not fire and brimstone, but rust and dandelions. Not a bang but a whimper.
"The world was becoming a zoo, without cages."
What I will say about this is I did like the ending it is a typical – the humans will screw the world up but to be honest I like these ending because they keep you thinking and leave you with what ifs.
I think I could’ve given the 4 stars if I didn’t love animals so much! It’s a hard read when you get to a chapter with and animal you love especially when it involves violence and gunfire.
I do think James Patterson missed the mark on this one – but I will be continuing with his books.
There is some violence/gore in this book but it is played down a little – when the bad guys have claws, teeth and brute strength I would’ve expected more dramatic action/attack scenes.
At times I found this book a bit slow and boring in place, the plot line weakened rather than thickened. Also, there is a massive jump in the timeline – which doesn’t explain how quickly the animals evolve. I don’t want to give any spoilers away either but I find Oz a bit frustrating, I mean he loses two things in his life that he loves and I didn’t feel anything for him because well for one he didn’t deserve them and treated them like rubbish and two he didn’t shed a tear!
"Turns out an apocalypse actually comes on pretty slowly. Not fire and brimstone, but rust and dandelions. Not a bang but a whimper.
"The world was becoming a zoo, without cages."
What I will say about this is I did like the ending it is a typical – the humans will screw the world up but to be honest I like these ending because they keep you thinking and leave you with what ifs.
I think I could’ve given the 4 stars if I didn’t love animals so much! It’s a hard read when you get to a chapter with and animal you love especially when it involves violence and gunfire.
I do think James Patterson missed the mark on this one – but I will be continuing with his books.
September 16, 2012
Something is making wild animals and house pets go crazy and turn on humans all over the world. I just finished reading this book and it is totally different then most of James Patterson's books. But the book is so different that it compels you to keep turning the pages to see what happens next.
April 29, 2015
This is a book I've had on my Kindle Fire for at least a year (probably two), but I just never got around to starting it. When I heard that it will be the basis for a new 13-episode TV series beginning June 30 on CBS, though, I decided to give it a go. First, I looked at the book reviews; to my dismay, as of late April there were 1,903 at Amazon, and an astounding 413 reviewers gave it the worst possible rating - one star - and the average is only three. Well, that's TV executives for you, I said to myself - who else would decide to take a book with that many lousy reviews and tout it as a must-watch series?
Nevertheless, I was determined to read for myself, and now that I've finished, I learned two things: First, the book probably wouldn't make my Top 200 List of favorites, but it isn't anywhere near that awful. Second, those TV execs may be onto something after all. Think "Planet of the Apes" meets "Under the Dome;" it's got all the hot buttons including animals of every kind in every country - even domestic pets - inexplicably forming packs and turning on humans, who suddenly find themselves being hunted down in a world in which they once ruled supreme.
Enter Ph.D. dropout Jackson Oz, a young biologist (and conveniently, a chimpanzee owner, which takes on significance as the plot unfolds), who begins to notice a sea change in animal behavior. When a major "event" takes place in Botswana, he travels there from his New York City home to see for himself. He narrowly escapes being killed by what appears to be an unusually coordinated pack of male lions, and he saves a beautiful young woman named Chloe from the same fate. They, together with a few like-minded folks, conclude that this is the start of HAC, or Human-Animal Conflict. If the cause isn't found and soon, it could mean the end of the civilized world.
Needless to say, hardly anyone of any importance buys into the theory until it's almost too late, so the scramble to find the reason(s) behind the behavioral shift extends over years - giving Jackson and Chloe time to marry and have a son. Fast-forward to a later time, when the animal attacks have grown more frequent and more vicious (cue up "Twilight Zone"-style background music for the TV series and close-ups of Texas-sized incisors as noses and other human appendages are savagely removed). There's no shortage of action and more than enough blood-and-guts to make for great TV scenes (if the lions and dogs don't get 'em, the rats will) as the race to save the human race from extinction heats up.
I can't explain more without giving too much away, but the reason behind the animals' behavior and the actions required to reverse it are a bit of a strain on the imagination (not to mention more than a little "preachy"). And given what the scientists discover, the ending makes almost no sense to me at all. I'm guessing that's what prompted the dislikes from other readers; I know it's why, even though the book held my attention just about every page of the way, I gave it three stars instead of four.
That said, I'm glad I read it prior to the start of the TV series, and I plan to watch the series debut and see how it goes. I could be wrong, but my bet at this point is that this will be one of very few instances when the movie really is better than the book.
Nevertheless, I was determined to read for myself, and now that I've finished, I learned two things: First, the book probably wouldn't make my Top 200 List of favorites, but it isn't anywhere near that awful. Second, those TV execs may be onto something after all. Think "Planet of the Apes" meets "Under the Dome;" it's got all the hot buttons including animals of every kind in every country - even domestic pets - inexplicably forming packs and turning on humans, who suddenly find themselves being hunted down in a world in which they once ruled supreme.
Enter Ph.D. dropout Jackson Oz, a young biologist (and conveniently, a chimpanzee owner, which takes on significance as the plot unfolds), who begins to notice a sea change in animal behavior. When a major "event" takes place in Botswana, he travels there from his New York City home to see for himself. He narrowly escapes being killed by what appears to be an unusually coordinated pack of male lions, and he saves a beautiful young woman named Chloe from the same fate. They, together with a few like-minded folks, conclude that this is the start of HAC, or Human-Animal Conflict. If the cause isn't found and soon, it could mean the end of the civilized world.
Needless to say, hardly anyone of any importance buys into the theory until it's almost too late, so the scramble to find the reason(s) behind the behavioral shift extends over years - giving Jackson and Chloe time to marry and have a son. Fast-forward to a later time, when the animal attacks have grown more frequent and more vicious (cue up "Twilight Zone"-style background music for the TV series and close-ups of Texas-sized incisors as noses and other human appendages are savagely removed). There's no shortage of action and more than enough blood-and-guts to make for great TV scenes (if the lions and dogs don't get 'em, the rats will) as the race to save the human race from extinction heats up.
I can't explain more without giving too much away, but the reason behind the animals' behavior and the actions required to reverse it are a bit of a strain on the imagination (not to mention more than a little "preachy"). And given what the scientists discover, the ending makes almost no sense to me at all. I'm guessing that's what prompted the dislikes from other readers; I know it's why, even though the book held my attention just about every page of the way, I gave it three stars instead of four.
That said, I'm glad I read it prior to the start of the TV series, and I plan to watch the series debut and see how it goes. I could be wrong, but my bet at this point is that this will be one of very few instances when the movie really is better than the book.
January 28, 2014
Jesus Christ... James Patterson has sunk to a new low... And he's been to some pretty low points. This book is not only one of the worst James Patterson books I've read, it's one of the worst books I have ever read, period. Here are a few reasons why...
-The main character is afraid that something is making all animals go crazy and become violent, and yet he keeps a pet chimp? And he leaves other people to take care of it? Seriously, how stupid are you?!
-Every character, including Oz, is so bloody stupid. It took the world's top level scientists five years to figure out what was causing the attacks? Seriously? I guessed the explanation at about a hundred or so pages in, and I haven't even finished high school level biology yet...
-On the topic, the final explanation for the attacks isn't very convincing. I mean, I don't exactly know a lot about biology and chemistry, but even to me it seemed a stretch...
-Oz is a robot.
-That five year time skip? What was that?
I could go on and on and on about how bad this book was... the terrible pacing, ridiculous dialogue, dumbass characters, wussy conclusion... But what it all comes down to is that James Patterson is an inadequate writer. He used to be good, before he started putting out a dozen books a year. This book had an interesting premise, that may have been quite an entertaining read if written by an author with a greater degree of talent.
-The main character is afraid that something is making all animals go crazy and become violent, and yet he keeps a pet chimp? And he leaves other people to take care of it? Seriously, how stupid are you?!
-Every character, including Oz, is so bloody stupid. It took the world's top level scientists five years to figure out what was causing the attacks? Seriously? I guessed the explanation at about a hundred or so pages in, and I haven't even finished high school level biology yet...
-On the topic, the final explanation for the attacks isn't very convincing. I mean, I don't exactly know a lot about biology and chemistry, but even to me it seemed a stretch...
-Oz is a robot.
-That five year time skip? What was that?
I could go on and on and on about how bad this book was... the terrible pacing, ridiculous dialogue, dumbass characters, wussy conclusion... But what it all comes down to is that James Patterson is an inadequate writer. He used to be good, before he started putting out a dozen books a year. This book had an interesting premise, that may have been quite an entertaining read if written by an author with a greater degree of talent.
January 26, 2016
I started this story because I was interested in watching the TV series based on this book. I'm not so sure I want to watch it anymore though. I'm usually a huge fan of James Patterson, and for the majority of this book, I was really loving the story line. Then we hit the actual science behind why animals were suddenly attacking humans, and I think I may have literally rolled my eyes. I wonder if Patterson actually did any real research before writing this book. Yes, the book kept me interested. However, the lack of a plausible scientific theory and the way the story ended dropped my rating of the book from 5 stars down to 3. I may still give the TV series a shot since I read somewhere that it is nothing like the book, but I no longer have high hopes.
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