Jam

One of most original end-of-the-world scenarios is in this book. I have not read Mogworld, which many people seem to relate to when reviewing this one. Basically, a bunch of Brisbane residents woke up to find the city under a layer of organic-eating strawberry jam. I got a kick out of it as I've been to Brisbane a few times and I know exactly which streets the whole thing takes place in.

It starts off promising, carrying a humourous undertone like a comedy sitcom. The inital band of survivors are drawn from eccentric stereotypes. It's kind of charming in a silly way, but as story progresses,mthat charm starts to fade. I'm of the impression that the book doesn't know what it wants to be. Funny or serious? It just ended up neither. Yes, some of the jokes and references are genuinely funny, but I was hoping for more.

The characters start off endearing then they become a bit annoying. It's hard to emphatise with the protagonist when he's basically the resident fool and weirdo. There's really no character growth either, especially considering the apocalyptic event. It's just one steretypical personality after another. Granted, this wasn't meant to be a serious story, but it tried to be, so I can't help thinking of the lack of elements usually found in a more serious story.

The ending just comes barreling at you like a slasher film where the last few characters are killed off one after another. And given their not-very-likable personalities, it's hard to care. The finale feels unsatisfying, probably because I was hoping another character would be one of those who survived. But by then, I just wanted to finish the book and be done with it. All in all, it's a light read that starts off promising. It just unfortunately peters out before the end. I gave it an extra star for the novelty of the idea and some genuinely funny bits.