Teen/adult zombie apocalypse. I still think Maberry is great at the world-building (also, it turns out he's ace at action scenes) but the character development is somewhat weak--Riot is not given much else than her stereotypical country bumpkin accent (and her anger); and others appear similarly caricature-like. The series-long problems are explained and resolved with some difficulty; this is perhaps my least favorite installment but I still have respect for its author. ( )

Fine, the ends were wrapped up nicely. Whatever. I still hold to my opinion that this was an unnecessary addition to the series. Sometimes the ends don't need to be tied. It's okay to wonder what happened.

I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't had to read this... ( )

Final installment in the Rot & Ruin series. Benny, Nix, Lilah, and Chong in their final test of survival. But this is not just their survival but the survival of life as we know it. Is there a cure? Can they get past the Reapers and the new Zombies? Sanctuary is under attack and so is Mountainside and the other towns left in California. Great action. Twists & turns. Loved the series from start to finish. ( )

Fire And Ash by Jonathan Maberry is the fourth, and last book in the Benny Imura series and like the prior books, this one is full of action, violence, and gore. As the series winds down, Benny and his friends have come full circle and after a horrific battle at Sanctuary, they return to their home of Mountainside in an effort to save that town from the Reapers’ wrath.

The world is slowly changing and a cure for the zombie creating disease has been developed but it will take years before there is an end to the shuffling creatures. In this book, Benny takes the final steps towards maturity and is seriously considering where his life will take him next. His relationship with Nix has also changed and they are about to explore whether they are meant to be soul-mates or if there is only a deep friendship between them.

I enjoyed reading about Benny and his friends and I think the author has finished this series on a high note. There is one more book that connects to these characters, but Bits and Pieces is a volume of short stories that explores the background of many of the other characters that Benny met while travelling the Ruin. If you are into survival stories, I definitely recommend this series. ( )

Have you ever read a chapter so good, you had to put the book down and recover for a moment? There were several of these in this book. There were huge chunks of the story that were so intense, it was almost too much to continue reading... but I had to in order to find out what happened next! I cannot recommend this series enough. I truly hope Maberry chooses to write more stories from the Rot & Ruin - not just from the Imura perspective. ( )