Brothers in Arms: The Dynamic Relationship of Benny and Tom in the Rot & Ruin Series
Jonathan Maberry’s Rot & Ruin is a post-apocalyptic story about zombies as much as it is about the dynamic relationship between the main protagonists, brothers Benny and Tom Imura. Events in the novel are set in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, referred to in the novel as the First Night, where people died or were infected and turned into the undead. The then teenager Tom had the option to either stay with his infected parents and would most likely fall victim to the zombies, or save his then baby brother Benny and raise the child as best he could. Tom opted for the latter.
Their world changed following the outbreak. Now, about 14 years later, Benny has grown up to be a difficult teenager with difficulties trusting his brother. The new society dictates that as soon as anybody reaches the age of 15, it’s mandatory to have a job or their food ration will be cut in half. Benny is on the verge of crossing the bridge that takes him into adulthood in the world destroyed by zombies. Tom has established himself to be quite a zombie hunter, which apparently is an actual profession; he’s quite a prolific one at that, too.
Apart from the zombie-slashing actions and bickering teenagers, the dynamic that emerges from the difficult relationship between Tom and Benny also makes for an excellent central point in the story. Benny wants to be a zombie hunter, but it’s not likely that he’s willing to learn the trade from his older brother. This is although just about every single hunter in town regards Tom as one of the most experienced and proficient in the field.
Benny has this twisted idea that Tom is a coward who left their parents to die years ago when the outbreak happened. Perspective matters here: Benny was only a baby when the incident occurred, so he had nothing but an obscured memory of it all. Benny still has no clue about what actually went down during the crucial moment when Tom – being a teenager – had to make what must have been the toughest decision in his life. But Tom has his own reasons to keep the truth from Benny. The combination of those doesn’t really do any good to improve their strained relationship.
Quite a portion of the beginning of the book describes how unlikeable Benny can be. He’s a typical immature character who refuses to see anything beyond the surface level and never gives a second thought about what anyone outside his small circle of existence does. You might go as far as taking him as a bit of a brat – a rude young man without respect for his pretty tolerant older brother.
Benny is also lazy in finding a job. He spends most of his time playing zombie trading cards and talking about his favorite zombie hunter, Charlie Pink-eye. Of course, in Benny’s mind, Charlie is the greatest, coolest, most fearsome zombie hunter of them all. His opinion is about to change soon. In contrast, Tom is depicted as a compassionate and patient older brother with a real knack for obliterating zombies. It’s too bad that he’s also basically a straightforward, sad hero who always sees himself as imperfect.
One day, Benny scores a highly sought-after zombie card of a character named Lost Girl. It doesn’t take long until Charlie Pink-eye, his favorite hunter, violently tries to take the card away from Benny. As if that’s not shocking enough, a simple, calm intervention from Tom quickly sends Charlie away with little problem. And this is where the relationship is improving for Tom and Benny.
As reluctant as he might be, Benny finally comes to his better senses and becomes Tom’s apprentice. Jobs are scarce, and with the threat of losing half of the ration, it’s indeed the obvious thing to do. In the great adventure of the rot and the ruin, Benny learns who his brother really is and the admiration slowly grows. There will be another encounter with Charlie Pink-eye, in which Benny comes to realize that his idol is nowhere near as great as he thinks. In fact, Charlie kidnaps one of Benny’s friends and flees to the Ruins beyond the safety of the community’s fence.
Together, the brothers go after Charlie and try to get the friend back. Tom is always right there on Benny’s side, protecting him from harm, and showing him what it means to be a family. The bratty teenage boy finally gets to learn from his older brother about the complexity of the post-apocalyptic world, survival skills, life lessons, and that everything is not always as it appears to be. Benny can now see Tom as his true protector and mentor. And the revelation about what truly happened in the First Night becomes a turning point that leads to a major emotional reconciliation between the brothers.
We think Rot and Ruin is an interesting take on the otherwise overly-exploited post-apocalyptic zombie story. While many things remain the same such as the mindless undead, food scarcity, fenced communities, mysterious entities, and a human villain, the novel does offer some fresh threads of sympathy and empathy as the main protagonists (but more specifically Benny) undergo character development. The progress is indeed quick, and yet it doesn’t feel rushed.
Do you think the novel gives enough of a backstory about the zombie apocalypse? What does the jumbo jet at the end of the story suggest? We’d love to hear from you.
Other Things You Might Want to Know
Is Rot & Ruin part of a novel series?
Rot & Ruin (2010) is the first in a series, followed by:
Dust & Decay (2011)
Flesh and Bone (2012)
Fire and Ash (2013)
Bits and Pieces (2015)
A few other popular books by Jonathan Maberry:
Stand-alone novel:
The Wolfman (2010)
Deadlands: Ghostwalkers (2010)
Mars One (2016)
Indigo (2017)
Glimpse (2018)
John Maberry is best known for his Joe Ledger novel series, which includes the following volumes:
Patient Zero (2009)
The Dragon Factory (2010)
The King of Plagues (2011)
Assassin’s Code (2012)
The Extinction Machine (2013)
Code Zero (2014)
Predator One (2015)
Kill Switch (2016)
Dogs of War (2017)
Deep Silence (2018)
Joe Ledger – Rogue Team International
Rage (2019)
Relentless (2021)
Cave 13 (2023)
Popular children’s books about zombies:
Peanut Butter & Brains: A Zombie Culinary Tale by Joe McGee
