Started: 9/23/2007 Ended: 10/11/2007
>>>>>>>>WARNING-SPOILERS AHEAD<<<<<<<<<<<
Synopsis:
Trouble begins when a virus infecting the rat population of New York City begins spreading among animals and humans alike—one bite, one drop of blood or one string of saliva is all it takes to kill its victims, within minutes, and instantly revive them as mindless, flesh-eating zombies. Narrating this grim tale is gay 30-something black guy named Lamar Reed, who makes a hair-raising trip through the carnage of zombified Baltimore before he and a small group of survivors manage to commandeer a Coast Guard ship and get it out to sea. Together, the eclectic group search the coast for a safe harbor; meanwhile, an endless parade of zombies search the survivors' floating haven for a way in. Keene piles on the gory thrills as Lamar and his shipmates struggle through this diseased world, though they can be overly chatty at times (dialoging on everything from religion to Joseph Campbell). Delivering enough shudders and gore to satisfy any fan of the genre, Keene proves he's still a lead player in the zombie horror cavalcade.
Characters:
Lamar Reed: Laid off from work and had to resort to stealing from his ex-employer to pay off some bills; lived in the "projects" of Fells Point, Baltimore; barricaded himself in with one of his neighbors, Alan, when Hamelin's Revenge (name given to the virus) began to spread; on a recon trip outside for food and supplies, Alan, was attacked by a zombie. Lamar had to shoot & kill Alan to prevent him from becoming a zombie
Tasha Roberts: Black 11-12 y/o; mother killed by zombies; found by Lamar and together with her brother, Malik, they head to the harbor to try and escape the zombies & fire that is burning the city down;
Malik Roberts: Black 8 y/o; thinks he is the man of the house since his father was never around; adapts quickly to the chaos & death surrounding him
Mitch Bollinger: DEAD: Bible salesman; gun aficionado; described by Lamar as a leather daddy/bear; Lamar and the Roberts are saved by Mitch on their travels, and together make it to the harbor where they board the USCGC (US Coast Guard Cutter) Spratling as it is preparing to ship off; On board they discover they are accompanied by 20 other escapees; attacked and bitten by Joan; killed by Lamar via gunshot to the head
Ollie Murphy: DEAD: boiler operator; alcoholic; drinks cough syrup to keep sloshed; implied to be killed by Runkle after he became a zombie
Joan Barnett: DEAD: Middle-aged woman who becomes friends with Lamar and his group; dental hygienist; attacked & infected by either Alicia, Basil or the Professor; killed by Tasha via shotgun blast
Cleveland Hooper: DEAD: Black ignorant asshole that antagonizes people; cook at a diner; trouble-maker; assigned to the galley and food inventory; during a convoy to land for supplies at a rescue station near Virginia Beach, Hooper is exposed to Hamelin's Revenge (discovered several zombies that had been tied up to makeshift crosses; the copper wire holding a zombie in place sliced through the decomposing rancid flesh and showered gore all over Hooper); killed by Mitch via gunshot to the head
Tran: DEAD: Asian; does not speak English; assigned to the galley and food inventory; accidentally blew himself up with a grenade after becoming a zombie; explosion caused a breach in the ship's hull and hence caused the Spratling to sink; the remaining survivors had to escape on a lifeboat
Captain Wade Maxey (aka Chief): DEAD: Retired from the Coast Guard; overweight & middle-aged; worked on the Spratling as a curator and tour guide when it became decommissioned as a US Historical tourist site; swallowed whole by a zombie whale
Tum: DEAD: Retired harbormaster; 2nd in command to the Captain; helps pilot the ship; during a convoy to land for supplies at a rescue station near Virginia Beach, Tum is given "Holy Communion" by Reverend Ortega (forced-fed zombie blood and flesh) and contracted Hamelin's Revenge; killed by Mitch via a gunshot to the head
Basil Martin: DEAD: Web-designer; short & balding; loved the zoo his whole life until he found himself trapped in one looking for his wife (zombie food); escaped and found his way to the harbor; contracted Hamelin's Revenge from handling a bloody zombie fish; killed by Lamar via gunshot to the head
Steve Runkle: DEAD: Baltimore City Police Officer; Late 30's, tall, muscular and fit; huge ego and mean-spirited; infected with Hamelin's Revenge by Murphy; after Malik speared him in the back and he was forced overboard from the lifeboat, a zombie shark dragged him under to his death
Steven Williams (aka Professor): DEAD: Retired elderly professor of English literature & mythology; smokes a pipe; contracted Hamelin's Revenge from handling a bloody zombie fish
Carol Beck: Red-headed; quality control manager at a injection molding plant
Stephanie Pollack: DEAD: Diabetic; ran out of her insulin and fell into a coma; eventually died under normal circumstances and never became a zombie
Daniel Ortega: DEAD: Hispanic reverend that went insane; crucified zombies on makeshift crosses; believed he could bring back the dead to life; exposed Hamelin's Revenge to Tum; killed by Mitch via gunshot to the head
Cliff Shatner: DEAD: Student; early 20's; after becoming a zombie-killed by Chuck via a gunshot to the head
Nick Kontis: DEAD: Teenager; found shredded apart; never became a zombie
Alicia Crawford: DEAD: Teenager; wears eyeglasses; after becoming a zombie by either Joan, Basil or the professor, she is killed by Lamar via a gunshot to the head
Tony Giovanni: DEAD: Tow truck driver; attacked & infected by Basil; killed by Lamar via gunshot to the head
Chuck Mizello: DEAD: Forklift driver; attacked & infected by Cliff; killed himself via gunshot to the head
The story concludes with the four remaining survivors (Lamar, Tasha, Malik and Carol) residing on the jack-up oil rig in the middle of the Atlantic. The sea surrounding them is dead now as the majority of sea life has become infected. As a month passes, Lamar notices in horror that Hamelin's Revenge has finally spread to the bird population, causing the survivors to barricade themselves inside. Lamar silently questions to himself on how long their food and water supply will last. The final paragraph has Lamar pondering the evolution of the human race and whether the next step be simply to just open the door?
My Review:
I have to say I was really disappointed with this book. After reading The Rising and City of The Dead by Brian Keene, I was very excited to read his next installment of a post-apocalyptic world where zombies stalk and kill what remains of mankind. The fast pace and impeding doom just were not as evident as in his last books. The characters seemed to prattle on and on about nothing and when the majority of them meet their end, it is done off-screen. The gore level is way down from his previous works and sex was non-existent. I would have to say this story was basically PG-13, which translates as "boring kiddie fare". I read horror for a reason: violence, gore & sex and got little to none on all three counts. Bottom line, there were so many places this story could have gone, but in the end it just fell flat.
Book Score: 7/10
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