Zombie novels aren't my cup of tea. Preferrably, I enjoy watching movies or playing video games with zombies in it because of the thrill and jump scares. Rot & Ruin is a pleasant surprise. This book has been sitting on my shelves for years and I made a right decision picking it up. It's a refreshing and meaningful dystopia story. It's not just about survival and killing the living dead as Jonathan Maberry digs deeper than that. 
 Our protagonist is a 15 year old boy, Benny Imura . At first he gets on my nerves because he's whiny, immature and sarcastic. He lives with his older brother, Tom Imura. He and Tom aren't close and somewhat mad at him for not saving their parents' lives during the first outbreak. Tom is a bounty/zombie hunter and since Benny couldn't find a job he wants, he introduced him to their family business. 
 Tom is a strong, humble and compassionate man who values humanity. Unlike other bounty hunters, he doesn't blast off zombie brains or kill them in a grotesque manner. He's a Grim Reaper but a gentle one. He showed Benny how he ends the zombies, paying respects in behalf of his clients and talked sense in him. He made him realize that zombies were once humans and should be respected too. Seriously, I love Tom Imura! HANDS. DOWN. 
 After his exposure beyond the fence filled with zombies, Benny improved a lot. He becomes open-minded and more mature. In the end, I grew to love him just like Tom (but I love Tom more haha!). I'm glad the Imura brothers worked out their issues and I'm looking forward reading their upcoming journey.