REVIEWED: CONCRETE JUNGLE BY BRETT MCBEAN
CONCRETE JUNGLE by Brett McBean / December 2010 by Tasmaniac Publications / 209 pp. / Signed Limited Edition Paperback
Synopsis:
It’s late. A few remaining shoppers head for the multi-story car park after attacking the sales at an adjacent shopping center.
However, they become trapped in the underground bunker when, incredibly, trees start to sprout from beneath the car park, transforming the concrete structure into a ruined, maze-like cavern.
Unable to find a way out it becomes a struggle for survival, for not only does the car park continue to transform back into a jungle, wild animals have begun to appear, governed by hunger under the foliage canopy. Now the humans must fight to survive – not only Mother Nature, but a foe just as deadly…each other.
With bonus Jungle stories from Nate Kenyon and Tim Kroenert.
Cover art by Steve Crisp. Internal illustrations by Keith Minnion.
My thoughts…
Concrete Jungle was a fun read. After the first twenty pages the pacing is great, and the characters are well-rounded and entertaining. There are some great surprises along the way, too, but for the most part it’s pretty predictable and by the numbers.
The characters were definitely the strong point. The protagonists are all real and have enough depth to really care about, and the antagonist is one wicked and despicable dude. There were several times I wanted to punch him in the throat. This is the first in a trilogy so it’s hard to judge the story when it’s far from over. Yet this book works pretty well as a stand-alone. Looking forward to more to see how the entire story plays out.
It also includes two good short stories by Nate Kenyon and Tim Kroenert, as well as great interior artwork by Keith Minnion.
Recommended.
-Lee Thompson
http://alongthispathsodarkly.blogspot.com
PURCHASE A COPY HERE
March 6th, 2011 at 8:38 am
Niiiiiice. I like the thought of punching someone in the throat!