Review by New York Times Review
Here Bunny, Bunny: Holly Madison, the former Playboy Playmate and star of the E! reality show "The Girls Next Door," about life at the Playboy Mansion, hits the hardcover nonfiction list this week with a tell-all memoir, "Down the Rabbit Hole," new at No. 2. The book paints a fairly tawdry picture of Madison's years as Hugh Hefner's girlfriend - or, more accurately, as the "No. 1 girlfriend" in a volatile harem rife with infighting, sexual competition and petty jealousies over money and favors. (I told you it was tawdry.) Hef has accused Madison of "rewriting history," a claim she shrugged off in a recent interview with The Associated Press: "He doesn't have any mental or emotional power over me anymore," she said. "He's somebody that I look back on as somebody who treated me really poorly, who I tried to convince myself was a great person but I don't think is. And I don't want negative, toxic people in my life anymore." All of this is a good excuse, if you needed one, to dig up a copy of Gloria Steinem's 1963 exposé of the Playboy Club in New York City, where she briefly assumed a false name and went undercover in the standard satin costume, complete with ears and a rabbit tail. "A middle-aged man in a private guard's uniform grinned and beckoned," Steinem wrote. '"Here bunny, bunny, bunny,' he said, and jerked his thumb toward the glass door on the left. 'Interviews downstairs in the Playmate Bar.'" Madison might recognize the world Steinem was writing about, even if it had less silicone than she's used to; evidently, the bunnies of Steinem's era padded their bosoms with plastic dry-cleaning bags. Lions and Lambs: After seven weeks on the hardcover fiction list, James Patterson's novel "14th Deadly Sin" (written with Maxine Paetro) falls onto the extended list - but Patterson can breathe easy, because here he comes with another novel, "Truth or Die" (written with Howard Roughan), new at No. 3. Meanwhile, his 2012 novel "Zoo" (written with Michael Ledwidge) is No. 3 on the mass-market paperback list, and back in the news as the inspiration for a dystopian series, also called "Zoo," on CBS. The idea is that animals the world over have started turning against humans - think of "The Birds," only with lions and bears, even pet cats and dogs. If that premise sounds familiar, you may be remembering John Jeremiah Sullivan's excellent 2008 essay-story hybrid, "Violence of the Lambs," which originally appeared in GQ and likewise imagines a global animal uprising: "Across numerous species and habitat types," Sullivan wrote, "we are seeing, in crudest terms, animals do things we haven't seen them do before." Through a publicist, Patterson told me he wasn't familiar with Sullivan's work. If you're not either, what's stopping you? "Violence of the Lambs" is included in his 2011 essay collection, "Pulphead," and it would make a great way to spend the evening if you're not inclined to watch "Zoo." 'I don't want negative, toxic people in my life anymore.'
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [July 12, 2015]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Just when everyone (well, almost everyone) thought the world was ending due to global warming, here comes another threat to keep us up at night: animals behaving badly . . . very badly. Zoo is the newest thrillfest from the prolific fiction factory that is James Patterson et al. Something unnatural is causing normally placid animals to savagely attack humans all over the world. First, it begins with animals in the wild, like lions, elephants, and dolphins; then moves into neighborhoods, with raccoons, rats, and bats; and then finally into our homes, with man's best friend becoming man's worst nightmare. This animal violence catches the scientific establishment by surprise, except for Jackson Oz, a biologist who had been predicting these attacks for years but had been labeled a crackpot and mocked by his colleagues. The savage attacks quickly escalate to the point where martial law is imposed and people huddle inside fortifications to hide from what were once cute and fluffy fellow mammals but are now preternaturally alert and vicious monsters. Unfortunately for humans, the solution to nature's onslaught may be one that is equally as unacceptable. High-Demand Backstory: As with all Patterson novels, this one will surely rocket to the top of the best-seller list, so be sure to stock a sufficient supply of copies.--Gannon, Michael Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh my! In this thriller from Patterson and Ledwidge, all members of the animal kingdom, from true predators to man's former best friends, decide that humans are what's for dinner. The book's follows narrator, Jackson Oz, an environmental biologist who has lost his reputation, his university position, and nearly all of his money trying to warn the world about just such a cataclysmic disaster. Reader Jay Snyder provides Oz with a touch of breezy optimism-at least early on-that takes the edge off the grim slashing and that occurs in the alternating third-person descriptions of man-beast encounters. Snyder also delivers a fair amount of suspense, as Oz embarks on a desperate search for the cause of and the antidote to the sudden worldwide wilding. And while the book's conclusion may strain credulity, Snyder's Oz presents his case so positively and persuasively that it's not until the final disc plays-when all the dogs and cats and rats have returned to their natural states-that anyone is likely to care. A Little, Brown hardcover. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Patterson and Ledwidge (Now You See Her) team up again for another fast-paced thriller. This time, however, instead of the usual man vs. man conflicts, the authors pit man against nature. Animals all over the globe have begun to behave strangely, apparently coordinating attacks against humans, but when biologist Jackson Oz tries to explain this to the world, he is considered a crackpot. Only when the animal attacks become more frequent and the daughter of the U.S. president is killed does the government call in Oz to figure out why. Jay Snyder narrates, conveying the intelligence and self-deprecating humor typical of a Patterson protagonist, as well as the suspense and quick pace necessary to move the action along. VERDICT Though a bit of a departure for Patterson, this work has enough of his usual storytelling elements to keep fans satisfied. Michael Crichton buffs also may enjoy.-Theresa Horn, St. Joseph Cty. P.L., South Bend, IN (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
