actovgod's review
5.0
5/5 in zombie-books category.
I'm quite sad to see this book getting poor reviews, due to its theme or way it was written. I mean, if you don't like zombies, just don't read it.
However, as a true zombie enthusiast I have to say that this book is a true masterpiece. It a true example of what a zombie book should be WITHOUT UNNECESSARY details like:
a) shitty (and usually teenage) love stories
b) stereotypical "I used to suck at life but now my gaming time has paid off" characters
So, why has this book earned 5 stars?
a) IT'S REALISTIC - it follows a group of people, mostly what remains from US Army, so it's believable that they actually score headshots and are able to walk as much as they do or that they have specific knowledge. Also, there is no endless ammo.
b) THE VIRUS THING IS EXPLAINED - this is what is usually lacking in most zombie books, no one tells you anything about the virus. However, here you have explained how it happened, why, the research thingies and an idea to make a vaccine. Also, it's important to mention that virus is explained quite realistically, one can notice that the author had read something about virology.
c) IT FOCUSES ON THE IMPORTANT THINGS - like staying alive, looting and some "big picture" plans like finding a vaccine. Other zombie novels often revolve too much around unimportant things like love or finding some lost third cousin that you probably seen once instead of just trying to survive. The relations between characters are just briefly described.
d) CHARACTERS ARE NOT RETARDED - of course, until you are completely sure about how the virus is passed on, you are going to do some stupid things, but once the characters have realized how one gets infected they stopped being retarded. Also, a lot of people shot themselves when they realized they are going to get infected, when they suspected that someone was infected - they quarantined them and so on. Also, once they realized its the headshots that do the job - they shot them there, simple.
e) FAST AND SLOW ZOMBIES - perfectly explained and there are both types in the book with a realistic explanation as well.
f) GORE - perfect amount of gore, there are few scenes, but not a lot. Because author realized that he is not writing a Rob Zombie fan-fiction, but a normal book.
To conclude, if one has read the previous book in the serial [b:Plague of the Dead|46723|Plague of the Dead (Morningstar Strain #1)|Z.A. Recht|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388184699s/46723.jpg|45818], one would notice how much has the author perfected his style. The descriptions are not as brief as in the first book, there is less military speech and so on.
P.S. BOOK CAN BE READ WITHOUT READING THE #1 IN THE SERIAL, BECAUSE AUTHOR EXPLAINS THE IMPORTANT EVENTS FROM THE PREVIOUS BOOK IN THIS ONE, IF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THOSE EVENTS IS IMPORTANT FOR THE NEW ONES.
I'm quite sad to see this book getting poor reviews, due to its theme or way it was written. I mean, if you don't like zombies, just don't read it.
However, as a true zombie enthusiast I have to say that this book is a true masterpiece. It a true example of what a zombie book should be WITHOUT UNNECESSARY details like:
a) shitty (and usually teenage) love stories
b) stereotypical "I used to suck at life but now my gaming time has paid off" characters
So, why has this book earned 5 stars?
a) IT'S REALISTIC - it follows a group of people, mostly what remains from US Army, so it's believable that they actually score headshots and are able to walk as much as they do or that they have specific knowledge. Also, there is no endless ammo.
b) THE VIRUS THING IS EXPLAINED - this is what is usually lacking in most zombie books, no one tells you anything about the virus. However, here you have explained how it happened, why, the research thingies and an idea to make a vaccine. Also, it's important to mention that virus is explained quite realistically, one can notice that the author had read something about virology.
c) IT FOCUSES ON THE IMPORTANT THINGS - like staying alive, looting and some "big picture" plans like finding a vaccine. Other zombie novels often revolve too much around unimportant things like love or finding some lost third cousin that you probably seen once instead of just trying to survive. The relations between characters are just briefly described.
d) CHARACTERS ARE NOT RETARDED - of course, until you are completely sure about how the virus is passed on, you are going to do some stupid things, but once the characters have realized how one gets infected they stopped being retarded. Also, a lot of people shot themselves when they realized they are going to get infected, when they suspected that someone was infected - they quarantined them and so on. Also, once they realized its the headshots that do the job - they shot them there, simple.
e) FAST AND SLOW ZOMBIES - perfectly explained and there are both types in the book with a realistic explanation as well.
f) GORE - perfect amount of gore, there are few scenes, but not a lot. Because author realized that he is not writing a Rob Zombie fan-fiction, but a normal book.
To conclude, if one has read the previous book in the serial [b:Plague of the Dead|46723|Plague of the Dead (Morningstar Strain #1)|Z.A. Recht|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388184699s/46723.jpg|45818], one would notice how much has the author perfected his style. The descriptions are not as brief as in the first book, there is less military speech and so on.
P.S. BOOK CAN BE READ WITHOUT READING THE #1 IN THE SERIAL, BECAUSE AUTHOR EXPLAINS THE IMPORTANT EVENTS FROM THE PREVIOUS BOOK IN THIS ONE, IF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THOSE EVENTS IS IMPORTANT FOR THE NEW ONES.
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