#peterstenson

            I will start off by saying that zombie apocalypse is something I have little to no interest in; I bought this mistake thinking it was an apocalypse book but failed to realize it was about a zombie apocalypse (my mistake).

            This novel about a meth addict and his hodge-podge group of misfit meth addicts during a zombie apocalypse. The novel surprised me in how it kept my interests and kept my questions about the zombies in the back of my mind. The focus was on the meth addicts the entire time and it just so happened they were attempting to survive a world filled with zombies who wanted to eat them. Stenson did an excellent job with his main character, Chase Daniels, making him confusing to the reader as well as Chase himself. He constantly thinks in contradictions which gives him an interesting depth to him that you wouldn’t think a meth addict has. Most of the characters in the story all have impressive depth to them for being meth addicts and the way they interact with one another is refreshing and keeps you enticed in the book.

            The story I split into two different stories, one of Chase Daniels and his group of friends, acquaintances, and enemies, and one of the zombie apocalypse. The zombie story was frustrating to me just like any of the other zombie movies, books, shows, or games. The lack of explanation by stenson on what caused people to turn into zombies is the exact reason why this type of story does not interest me. With this book in particular, the reason for survivors is truly moronic and something I had to look past. Stenson did a good job of distracting me from the nonsensical zombie story with the story of Chase and his interactions with the other characters in the novel. Chase is a truly confusing character and someone that you can relate to at some point in the book. His bipolar like thoughts leaves you wondering who he really is and what thoughts are the true Chase or just the meth.

            Overall, Fiend was a surprisingly great novel about the impact of drugs on you. The use of a zombie apocalypse to show the effects of drugs and what drugs can do to a person and their relationships is truly fantastic. Stenson did a wonderful job in waiting until the end of the novel to show the ultimate effect of drugs on a person without making the ending very predictable.