Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies (Russel Middlebrook, #3) by Brent Hartinger

Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies (Russel Middlebrook, #3) Reviews

• 
  LenaRibka

  Audible
  
  
  I'm kinda disappointed with the third book. I had noticed that an audiobook had in addition to Josh Hurley, a new, female narrator. But I didn't know that Vanessa Johansson would tell me THE SAME STORY, but from Min's POV.
  
  I am not a big fan of female narrating and even less a fan of reading or listening the same story from different points of view. Especially, when the story itself, comparing to the previous books, is less entertaining and too melodramatic for my taste.
  
  But I like Russel and still it was fun to listen to his thoughts.
  I can't say the same about Min's POV. I found it pretty boring and flat, and after struggling through the half of it, I decided to give up.
  
  
  
  I hope I'll have Russel PURE in the last book of the series.
• 
  Nicole (( lost in the book's world ))

  
  
  
  SO BEAUTIFUL! I really do understand Min...about bisexual! That people do not understand why girl or boy are bisexual, not gay or lesbian. I know that everyone said that bisexual is more like confuse but you do like girl or guy..just both than one. Yeah, I hear you, Min!
  
  Whew...Kevin is biggest idiot...I am so glad that Russ decided to pick right choice to stay in relationship :D I really like Russ and Otto!
  
  Parents ugh.. >,>
• 
  Coenraad

  I loved Brent Hartinger's 'trick' in this third Russel Middlebrook story! Russel, Min and Gunnar (and Gunnar's girlfriend from the previous book) become extras for a zombie movie. And in the style of old-fashioned horror flicks, the book is a double bill.
  
  In the first part, Russel is the narrator, telling us how he meets Kevin, his ex-boyfriend from the first book, again - and how it confuses him tremendously, as he is still deeply in love with his current boyfriend Otto, from the second book, although he lives 800 miles away. To complicate the story, Russel's parents find out he is gay and they are not amused. Or supportive or understanding or anything. Which leads to an interesting conversation with a priest, and Russel behaving in ways that are alien to him. His dad seems to be the light in the tunnel, but Russel must work out his choice on his own. Fortunately Gunnar, who tried fruitlessly to find a girlfriend in the first book, now turns out to be a useful adviser.
  
  In the second part, Min is the narrator, and she tells of her experiences. She meets a potential girlfriend on the movie set, but the relationship provides challenges for Min's clear views on life. She not only benefits from Gunnar's insights, but also from talks with her mother - her parents have a completely different take on Min's sexuality than Russel's. One also understands elements of Russel's story better, given what Min has to add.
  
  Once again, Brent Hartinger weaves an enticing tale filled with interesting characters, convincing situations and important things for all readers to consider.
  
  Brent Hartinger speel 'n boeiende tekstuele spel deur twee van sy hoofkarakters, Russel en Min, kans te gee om hul stories afsonderlik te vertel. Die vriende word ekstras op die stel van 'n zombiefliek, en sowel Russel as Min word gekonfronteer met liefdesverhoudings en keuses vol uitdagings. Hoewel Min met haar ma kan gesels, is Russel se ouers sterk negatief wanneer hulle hoor hy is gay. Hartinger skep boeiende karakters en oortuigende situasies, en laat sy lesers met belangrike sake om te bepeins.
• 
  Janice

  2.5 stars really - becuase I didn't completely dislike it. I just thought that it was too gimmicky - I very much disliked the "flip this book" gimmick and disliked re-reading the same story twice. A sequel to Geography Club that just didn't live up to expectations (but stood on it's own). I did appreciate however that this book is one of the few that had GLBTQ characters without it being an "issue" book. Can't wait for lots more of this type.
• 
  Anna Bi

  good!!!! not as good as the first two books but I still love Russel w all my heart. the dual perspective was interesting and I liked learning about min. gunner is still quirky as ever. plot line was p cool. would recommend if u liked first two books
• 
  Paula´s Brief Review

  Dos estrellas porque no le veo sentido a hacer dos libros con la misma historia, que no contados desde dos puntos de vista porque intentan ser dos historias paralelas y acaba resultando resulta repetitivo hasta la saciedad.
• 
  Lorena Miyuki

  Min's side of the story, OMG, so surprisingly good!
  At first I thought it was boring, even Russel's part. But this is the first book so far that has named the other situations in the other books - Kevin is Kevin again, not "that guy", and Otto is still in, and Em and everyone. The only thing that annoys me is the fact that the Geography Club is no longer relevant or even commented a lot. It is still "that club we founded" and nothing more.
  The surprises in Min's part made the book WAY better than I expected. I like here more now. Let's see the "end" of the story!
  
  [PT-BR]
  É preciso ler os dois livros, as duas versões da história, para entender as entrelinhas de cada uma. Há momentos na parte de Russel que são explicados pela Min e visse-versa. As duas tramas, até então separadas, se afetam por meios surpreendentes. O final compensa o livro todo. Acho que o Brent se especializou em escrever conclusões de cair o queixo!
  
  Capa original, versão Russel.
  
  De qualquer forma, para quem leu os outros dois primeiros da série, não pode deixar de ler esse para partir para o próximo. É de longe o que eu menos gostei, mas ele serve como uma "ponte" entre o "The Order..." e os acontecimentos que serão narrados no (até então) último livro, o "The Elephant of Surprise", que foi o segundo que eu mais gostei.
  
  Esse terceiro volume foi originalmente publicado sob o nome de "Split Screen" em dois livros separados (o do Russel e o da Min, com capas iguais, mas títulos correspondentes aos narradores), porém teve de ser renomeado por questões de direitos autorais. Ambos os títulos conseguem transmitir com bastante clareza o conteúdo, acredito.
  (resenha completa em:
  http://www.marcadocomletras.com/2014/...)
• 
  Ron

  I read this book several years ago, shortly after finishing the first two "Russel Middlebrook" books. The thing I remember most about this book, the thing that made it work for me, was the dual points-of-view. It's rare (or at least it was rare at the time) to see a story for young adults told from multiple viewpoints, and while that isn't exactly the case here, it's close.
  
  Russel and Min's tales are more like two overlapping circles on a Venn diagram than a direct one-to-one parallel, but still, I had fun reading the one with the other in mind. Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies truly is two books in one.
  
  I enjoyed reading Russel's continuing coming-of-age story, as always, but it was Min's tale that stuck with me. Min is such a fascinating, confident, badass female character; it was great to see what goes on inside her head. I loved reading her observations on Russel's life.
  
  Brent Hartinger is my favorite writer of queer-themed YA fiction for a reason. Kudos!
• 
  Jennifer Lavoie

  Years ago I read the first two books in this series, so I was happy to finally get my hands on the third installment with Russel and friends. This book did not disappoint. It is told from both Russel and Min's perspective, and readers get to choose which one to read first. I started with Russel but switched to Min because I wanted to end the book with my favorite character. I was surprised, though, because I ended up really liking Min's side of the story! She had a fresh, unique voice, and I loved her interactions with Leah. Russel's story still was better, and I felt for him and his confusion. It was great to see Otto again, and Kevin, even if he was a jerk in the first book. Though after what Kevin does in this one, I will say that I think he turned around and does love Russel. I hope the author decides to create a spin-off series with Kevin. He deserves some happiness now.
• 
  Sean Kennedy

  (3.5 / 5)
  
  We return to the highschool in this third "Geography Club" book - but Belinda and Ike are still missing, although Kevin comes back as a major character. We have alternating viewpoints this time around, from both Min and Russel - it is best to start with Russel's as Min's "fills in the gaps" and packs a bit of a punch as some loose ends are resolved. Some of the scenes with Russel's parents come across stilted, but they are a minor setback to an enjoyable story.
  
• 
  Dustin James

  This book was a little less entertaining. It was extremely short, and I know it was because of the split-screen with Min's story, but the only problem I had with that is, I wasn't interested reading Min's story. Russel is the character I fell in love with, and I want to know more about his story, not just a little quick blurp and then suddenly Min's story. It didn't seem to push the plot much further either. Sadly it made me less than enthusiastic about it.
• 
  Mauoijenn

  I hate it when I like a book cause it said ZOMBIES on it, then I find out it's a third to a series. DUH! It was a flip and read kind of book. The first half a boys side of the story then flip it and then it's the girls. I read the boys and didn't flip it. Interesting.
• 
  Peter

  The parents. Ohhh the parents.
  
  Another great installment to the Russel Middlebrook series. Picking up not long after Order of the Poison Oak, we see Russel, Min, and Gunnar volunteering to be extras on the set of Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies (I still don't know what a brain zombie is). Who else should show up but Kevin Land, hunky baseball jock and Russel's ex. As if Russel didn't need anymore confusion in his head, he's also navigating a long distance relationship with his boyfriend Otto who lives some 800 miles away at the same time as dealing with lingering feelings for Kevin who is here. Here right now and not hundreds of miles away. But Russel loves Otto. Right? Not to mention his parents finally finding out Russel is gay which adds in more complications to his life. How is he to decide when both guys are great in their own way?
  
  Being a double feature, this also includes Min's version of events and what goes on with her at the time but I'm concentrating on Russel.
  
  Not surprising I loved this book. I love Brent's characters and Russel's universe. I'm jealous that Russel has two suitors to choose from when my love life is literally a tumbleweed rolling across the desert. I felt his pain when his parents didn't exactly react well to his being gay. Brent Hartinger has written a series that enables all of us to live Russel's life as he's living it and it makes you that much more attached.
• 
  Wide Eyes, Big Ears!

  Russel, Min and Gunnar get roles as zombie extras in a small budget horror film being shot in a local high school. Russel is surprised to find that Kevin has also volunteered and even though Russel is going out with Otto, he finds some of his feelings for Kevin have risen from the dead. Meanwhile, Min meets Leah, a cute zombie cheerleader who is not out, and Min find herself struggling to compromise. The previous books have been from Russel’s POV but this book is divide in two with Russel narrating the first half and Min narrating the second half. While it was great to get Min’s take on things and there are major subplots and revelations that only appear in her story, the amount of overlap made Min’s story feel a bit repetitious. Usually an author would swap POV’s each chapter to minimise that feeling. I can see why it was done this way, but I think that works better in film than in books. Josh Hurley and Vanessa Johansson both narrated their books sections well but again, I was being asked to change aural gears half way through a novel and that took me a while to adjust.
• 
  Milton Almará

  Third book: 2 parts, one told by Russel and the other by Min...
  I wasn't expecting much of an entertaining plot because zombies aren't my thing and even though it was just a side of the story IT WAS FOR SURE COOL.
  
  There is so much drama going on in both parts that I loved it. I knew Kevin was going to complicate Russel's relationship and I knew he would even complicate my thoughts on him. Towards the ending of the first part I had made my mind about him (guess what? I WAS WRONG. just wait until you read the second part). I'm so glad that Russel made the right decision even though he will never know what happened exactly that night at the gazebo.
  
  I don't like this new character Leah, for some reason she just reminds me of a female version of Kevin.
  
  Gunnar completely killed it in this one. He was so on poing and in his game. Loved it! He did the right thing all the time and was there for his friends (min and russel) respectively.
• 
  MSJLibrary

  Written for a young adult audience, this novel of high school relationships actually features two stories concerning the same situation, but each told from a different point of view. Both offer perspectives on the complicated relationships of Min and Leah, and Russel and Otto. Min is bisexual, and her girlfriend, Leah (who goes to another school) is still closeted, while Russel is in love with his long-distance boyfriend Otto, but still has feelings for his ex Kevin, whom he goes to school with. This book won a Lambda Literary Award in the Bisexual Category, and is actually part of a series that follows character Russel into adulthood.
• 
  Jane

  3.5
• 
  rika

  i don't know why i stuck with this series but i did. a questionable decision, evidently. why did we ever let men write female characters haha
• 
  Jacob Dickman

  The first part of this book was me in high school with my parents. I love this book so much,it made me reflect on the past and that is a scary thing for me to do.
• 
  Nilda McLaughlin

  fun story, with some real feels.
• 
  Calen

  The retelling in the second part gets old fast and really drags this down. First part is nice though!
• 
  Alana Bue

  I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the others in the series. It was good and I was able to read in one sitting but i felt it was a bit rushed and only on the surface of a story.
• 
  J. J. Diamond

  I loved Hartinger's use of this technique of telling the same story from the point of view of different characters. The second half blew me away with its reveals!
• 
  Riccardo

  Brent Hartinger prosegue con la serie incentrata su Russel Middlebrook e i suoi amici del cuore Min e Gunnar. Per chi non conosce questa serie, è opportuno fare un breve riepilogo di cosa è successo fin qui.
  
  Il primo libro, Geography Club, introduce il personaggio di Russel Middlebrook. Sedici anni, esce con Trish ma in realtà è gay e ha una relazione segreta con il quarterback Kevin, il ragazzo più popolare della scuola. Kevin però fa di tutto per non far uscire allo scoperto la verità, fino ad arrivare al punto di allontanarsi da Russel e prenderlo in giro per mettersi al sicuro dal giudizio degli altri. Russel conosce Min, bisessuale, che ha fondato insieme a un paio di amici (tra cui la sua ragazza di allora) il Geography Club, gruppo di sostegno per teenager gay, scegliendo appositamente un nome così fuorviante per non destare l'attenzione dei compagni di scuola.
  
  Nel secondo libro, The Order of The Poison Oak, Russel, Min e Gunnar trovano lavoro in un campo estivo e i tre si trovano a dover gestire un gruppo di ragazzini più o meno problematici a seconda dei casi. In questo periodo Russel ha l'occasione di consolidare il rapporto di amicicia con i suoi amici, capire più da vicino che cosa voglia dire essere un outcast (NdT emarginato) grazie anche all'aver vissuto a stretto contatto con dei ragazzini sopravvisuti a incendi e/o ustioni, invaghirsi di Web, un ragazzo che in fondo si scoprirà essere opportunista ed egoista, e incontrare colui che sarebbe diventato il suo nuovo ragazzo e che ha sempre avuto sotto gli occhi, Otto.
  
  In questo terzo capitolo della serie, il punto di vista della narrazione è duplice. Il libro infatti è diviso in due parti: la prima raccontata dagli occhi di Russel, la seconda dagli occhi di Min. Il lettore può decidere se cominciare da una parte e passare all'altra, o viceversa, o ancora leggere prima una e poi l'altra.
  Se da una parte qualcuno potrebbe obiettare che in alcuni casi vengono narrati gli stessi episodi cambiando solo il punto di vista del narratore (e quindi risultare ripetitivo), d'altro canto è interessante osservare come una situazione che può apparire identica ai più abbia invece delle sfaccettature di significato differenti a seconda di chi la vive. Oltre a costituire un valido strumento per scoprire fatti che ci erano stati preclusi leggendo solo una versione della storia, questo messaggio rappresenta il trait d'union dell'opera di Hartinger: l'interpretazione dei fatti non è univoca. Ciò è ribadito anche da una frase pronunciata da Min, che ribadisce come, nonostante lei, Gunnar e Russel possano partecipare insieme come figuranti alle riprese del film Attack of the Soul Sucking Brain Zombies, tuttavia ognugno avrà un'esperienza diversa e personale.
  
  Da un lato, scopriamo così come Russel viva il rapporto con Otto, che vive a 800 miglia di distanza e riesce a vedere solo in occasione del giorno del Ringraziamento. Dall'altro lato scopriamo come anche Min abbia conosciuto qualcuno: Leah, una ragazza di cui inizialmente non si fida troppo a causa della diversità delle personalità e dal fatto che Leah non abbia fatto coming out. Tuttavia, grazie anche ai consigli di una mamma eccentrica, Min capirà che per amare ed essere amati è necessario anche fare un passo e tendere la mano, accantonando per un attimo le regole che si è seguiti per tutta la vita.
  
  Due aspetti mi sono piaciuti in particolare di questo terzo capitolo: scopriamo finlamente i genitori di Russel, tanto legati al figlio prima di sapere che fosse gay (anche se un po' troppo tradizionalisti) quanto decisi a tutto dopo la rivelazione pur di fargli "cambiare idea", fino al punto di mandarlo a colloquio con il prete per cercare di usare l'influenza di quest'ultimo per far tornare Russel sulla retta via.
  Infine torna Kevin, che nel frattempo ha fatto coming out a scuola, non senza forse averne pagato le conseguenze in qualche modo, decidendo inoltre di ristabilire i rapporti con Russel dopo che quest'ultimo li aveva chiusi in Geography Club. Kevin risulta in questo caso essere un personaggio più articolato di come eravamo stati abituati a conoscerlo e, se da un lato forse ci dispiace per come possano andare a finire le cose per lui, ci chiediamo se sia veramente finita qui o se, come qualcuno in rete spera, ci possa essere un futuro spin-off dedicato proprio a lui.
  
  Suggerisco di leggere prima la parte dedicata a Russel e, in seguito, quella di Min.