THE DEAD TIMES

RATING:

ZOMBIE RATING:

DESCRIPTION:

As war rages on, a deadly flu of unknown origin sweeps across the globe, infecting the populace with unholy speed, gripping humanity by the throat and squeezing all life from it - no one is safe. Eight soldiers, treated as expendable by their government and ordered to do the dirty work that cannot go on record, are caught up in this nightmare scenario, locked in a pitched battle, struggling to stay alive as those infected with the flu begin to come back to life, not as the gentle people they once were but as crazed undead cannibals, hunting for the warm flesh of the living.

MY VERDICT:

This book, despite having a fairly bland synopsis, is actually a hugely entertaining read. It does not pull any punches - there are no plot changing revelations - but the story is well thought out, flowing nicely from start to finish. A major highlight for me is the dynamic between the eight soldiers of the SAS-style military squad; they crack jokes at each other's expense and come up with many crude remarks but function extremely well together in a disciplined combat unit, barking orders like "ammo out" or "reloading", making for wonderfully vivid firefight scenes. Another breathtaking point is the detailed description of many of the Zombies. That's not to say the novel is perfect, by any means; the narrative starts to lose its "gusto" towards the end, lacking the momentum spawned by the first few chapters, and it is confusing as to the exact nature of the Zombies - are they slow-moving shamblers, high-octane sprinters or a mixture of the two, formed under different circumstances? The positives more than make up for these drawbacks though, and, without any reservation, I'd definitely recommend this awesome tale to any diehard Zombie-fan.