Notable Reads (Recommendations and Reviews)

"Runner"

Title: Runner

Genre: Science-Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Author: Hannah Hunt

Username: hannahhunt

Summary: Mikie sets out with her friends to put her family back together again. But does her missing mother have Mikie's best interest in mind?

As a Runner for one of the last surviving groups of a global pandemic, seventeen-year-old Michael spends most of her days searching for food and trying not to get bitten by the Virals that hunt in the dark. But when her missing mother starts leaving clues around their camp, she's determined to follow the trail--even if it means trusting the directions of two Virals and leaving her group behind.

Embarking on a treacherous journey from Oklahoma to Florida, Mikie sets out with a Viral body count, a few friends, and the determination to put her small family back together again. But is her mother only asking for a simple reunion or something much more deadly?

Story Link: http://www.wattpad.com/story/5172956-runner-watty-awards-2013

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The most prominent thought running through my mind after I read this summary was, "Yeah, yeah. Looks like another zombie apocalypse story. Very original." Not wanting to simply write it off due to the fact that I'm not a zombie fan, the cover caught my eye and I was compelled to read it, nevertheless.

Yes, I judge a book by its cover. I think a cover speaks a lot about its contents because I've observed that a writer who puts a lot of effort in their work doesn't just rip a copyrighted image off of Google and uploads it . . . or does the unspeakable by creating a junk cover with the Create option on wattpad.

*shudder*

No, they normally take the time to contact a designer or make a decent cover for their story on their own. It's like wrapping a gift and when you open it, all your wildest dreams and wishes come true!  Okay, that was lie, but my point is, I wasn't disappointed with the "wrapping" of this book or its contents.

The zombies or "virals" in Runner are far from your typical, mindless, flesh-eating corpses. I found them to be quite unsettling and found myself scurrying out of my car and into the house rather swiftly at night after reading this particular work . . . Hannah Hunt tactfully hammers out a suspensful and gripping apocalypse story while portraying it from the main protaganist view of Mikie.

Furthermore, this author puts a rather interesting twist on technology and blends it seamlessly into the folds of her plot. The background behind what caused the viral outbreak was also believable and more readily acceptable than a soldier randomly falling into a tar pit. *cough cough* (W.W.Z.)

Yes, overall, I found certain aspects of it to be disagreeable, but it was only due to personal preferences toward characters and their relationships.

The ending made me long for another chapter, but it left me with a sense of hope for them because Hunt somehow managed to get me attached to her characters who happened to be varied, intriquing, and not entirely predictable in the least.

A commendable read, indeed!

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Rating on a Scale of 1 - 5: * * * *