I liked the way the book brought the scientific deductive reasoning into the mix much like zombie-maestro George Romero’s “Day of the Dead” and some subtle touches of "Dawn of the Dead". The book discusses scientific findings/observations in bringing the disease to exposition. The signs of the disease are fleshed out and I liked the way they were broken down. The source of the infection is a little more creative and I have to say, it was one of the book’s best assets because of its simplicity. I also liked the way it got into the rules of the undead; ‘fresh’ zombies tend to move a little quicker than the truly decomposed ones and the time of being ‘zombified’ plays a strong factor. The shot in the head isn’t quite as easy this time around, as this shot requires a perfect bullet to the frontal lobe; and yes, blunt solid objects and sharp axes may prove more useful by their ability to simply remove the head.
The book also elaborates the ways to kill the undead as well as the potential natural demise by way of carrion eaters. (Although the question whether animals can carry the virus isn’t exactly answered). It also gives the zombies some character as with the one by the river who was just starving that it began to bite its slightly fresh arm. Some zombies also have their own social order although they are brain dead, they retain several residual memories. I know most movies portray the zombies as not ‘preying’ on one another, well; this book has the guts to question what if?
Our main protagonist meets up with several survivors and they represent the different aspects of society. I liked the way the group of yahoos (who were just simply enjoying the massacre of zombies) was brought into the mix, as they represent the questions if humans should indeed retain control of the earth. There is a lone woman who gets along by traveling with no clear answer to what her goals were. Humanity is limited to ‘pocket’ groups who try to re-establish themselves. They begin by protecting and isolating themselves but these zombies know how to stage a ‘siege’ in a manner that was very intriguing. Zombies exhibit small amounts of intelligence, enough to overrun and spring traps, but again, it all depends on how long they were ‘turned’.
