Hater: David Moody
A short horror novel with an interesting claim to fame – self published online, it was movie optioned and picked up by a major publisher.
The story is a twist on the traditional zombie tale. In this case, the zombies are alive, self-aware, and like being zombies and feel justified in what they are doing.
It flirts with allegory but never ties it up neatly. The main character is a jerk, one of those guys who drifts along in life, feeling entitled to everything without working for any of it. He is whiny and dissatisfied, hates his wife and the kids that he doesn’t seem to understand how he acquired. Then something mysterious happens and he becomes extremely strong, and murderously violent to anyone around him who hasn’t also become a monster. A “hater.”
The scenes of violence are detailed and genuinely shocking. A girl beats her best friend to death. A spouse attacks out of the blue. I am not sure I’d want to see all that played out on the big screen.
There are sequels in the works, so the story was left hanging at the end. It’s good enough to make me want to pick up the next ones when they come out.
