It would be ridiculous to expect much from a novelization of a video game. A competently-told but pedestrian adventure story is about the most one could hope for. For the most part, The Umbrella Conspiracy does just that. But it's like eating a burger at a McDonald's: uninspiring. It's certainly not worth reviewing, except for one thing which demonstrates how low standards have gotten in publishing these days.

"...and faced a much smaller room, as bland and industrial as the first. ... So far, the basement levels had offered nothing more dangerous than a lack of decorum..."

Through the novel, the author stresses how luxurious the main mansion is. The basement is, in contrast, extremely plain. But the ignorance betrayed in using the phrase "lack of decorum" to indicate that plainness is rather telling. Decorum has nothing to do with decor (or decoration), as the author seems to believe - and as some editor presumably failed to realize. Well, technically both words share the same Latin root, but the meanings are entirely different:

    de·co·rum
    dəˈkôrəm/
    noun
    noun: decorum
    behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety.
    "you exhibit remarkable modesty and decorum"
    synonyms: propriety, seemliness, decency, good taste, correctness;

    de·cor
    dāˈkôr/
    noun
    noun: decor; plural noun: decors; noun: décor; plural noun: décors
    the furnishing and decoration of a room.
    synonyms: decoration, furnishing, ornamentation; color scheme
    Definitions from Google

Decorum pertains to behavior, specifically human or (at least) sapient behavior - not interior decorating. It just sounds as if it does. But for a supposedly professional writer to include such an error, and for an editor and publishing house to print such an error, is really pitiful.

Another Vacation Read

I’m not sure what to say about this book. I enjoyed it for what it was…I was entertained.

I have a bit of a thing for video game novelizations. I love the Diablo series (currently I’m waiting for the Diablo III expansion pack: Reaper of Souls to be released). I managed to pick up two of those novelizations and I enjoyed those as well.

I decided to pick this book up because I really enjoyed the Resident Evil movie (the first one, of course) and my husband and I have one of the games (don’t ask me which one). So I had some familiarity with the franchise but not very much.

The book was interesting. Like the (one game) I’ve played there were a series of puzzles that the characters had to solve. The familiar zombies and horrible mutated zombie dogs were present and the nasty zombie crows even make a guest appearance. The Umbrella is still the location of the main action and Jill Valentine is a major character.

But that’s where the similarities end. There were a lot differences that bothered me – and I don’t know if the book did its own thing or is truer to the video games than the movie. First, Jill is a S.T.A.R.S. member in the this book – and she’s is one of two women in the book (the other is a younger woman named Rebecca) and I don’t think they speak to each other at all.

But where was Alice? Where was The Red Queen? I really wanted to run into those characters – so I was disappointed – but in being honest…I have no clue where Alice falls in the scheme of things so…

I was also surprised to find that the Tyrant Virus (T-Virus) doesn’t seem to infect people outside of the original infection of the Umbrella employees and test subjects. I kept expecting to run into a zombie S.T.A.R.S. member but that never happened. The book did set a decently creepy tone so I avoided reading it at night.

The book ended on a cliff hanger: A phone call to the deserted S.T.A.R.S. helicopter pilot from a stranger named Trent is the only reason they were saved.

All in all, it’s an entertaining book. Can’t say it’s much more than brain candy but I did enjoy it for what it was. If I run across any more of these books I’ll grab it.