Probably one of the better she of the world book series I have read. David Moody has managed to create a stark and bleak world full of violence and pain but through it all managed to find a way to shine a glimmer of light and hope though the ash burned clouds. When we were originally introduced to Danny he was like every one else affected by the change, full of hatred and the need to kill. By the end of this book he's managed to regain some of his humanity and ends up saving the day for a few lucky souls. Now that the book is done, I'd really like to know what happens to the rest of the people on the boat. The final book in the Hater trilogy picks up a little while after the events at the end of the second book. It sees Danny McCoyne falling in with another group of Haters who have set up a barely-functioning settlement. It covers his attempts to come to grips with the world that he has been left in the wake of the virtual extinction of the Unchanged.This book is particularly well-written, though not as quick of a read as the other two as a result. Moody does a much better job of creating an environment for the characters to move through in this one than in the first two books. The book has a decidedly post-WWIII book feel to it and Moody effectively nails the pathetic existence of most inhabitants of the world.The problem with this series has always that once the main character becomes the monster he rockets to the top of the food chain – there’s no tension that made the 1st half of the first book so suspenseful because the narrator has nothing to fear. Thankfully, the third book does something to reinject some tension, though it is not the same kind of paranoia “who's a Hater and who's not?” that we saw in the first book. Nevertheless it works. Also to the books benefit is the fact that much of the self-reflection and whining that Danny does in the first two books tends to fade away as McCoyne basically just gives up. This, in a sad testament to how unlikable of a character he was previously, actually made me like him more. The problem remains that the author still continues to sidestep how the Haters are really different from the Unchanged and why they hate them so much. Without even a basic rationale, the premise falters as the reader continually asks “Yes, but why?” In the end, I find that I don't mind as much in this one, primarily because the book comes to grips better with the fact that the characters eventually needed to realize how illogical the entire situation was and there is at least some recognition and discussion of that. Furthermore, the fact that the topic of what comes next has been voiced by several characters in the series up to this point and then basically swept under the rug is finally brought up. Ultimately, I like this book quite a bit more than the first two, even though I originally began reading it simply out of wanting to be a completist. I suspect that I would have given this book more than 2 stars if I hadn't had to wade through all of the problems of the first two (particularly the second) to get to a more polished story. The book also tends to be a bit over long and the last 50 pages feels a bit forced as far as sudden epiphanies
What do You think about Them Or Us (2000)?
Havent left my house since, carry my machet always, sparkle motion....forever!
—deecox55
Above average series. Probably deserves a 4.5 rating over all.
—Kitty
