THE DEAD TIMES
DEAD ARE COMING...
Extinction Horizon
RATING:
ZOMBIE RATING:
DESCRIPTION:
Building 8, a top-secret army research site housing the latest developments on a cure for a new strain of Ebola, has gone dark and, fearing an outbreak of the virus, an elite Delta Force team known as Ghost is sent in to secure the area. However, to everyone's horror, the virus that escaped is something far deadlier than anyone imagined - one that turns men into monsters, hungry for blood. Where did this virus come from? How did it combine with Ebola so effectively? Is it manmade or natural? These questions need answering and, as the new virus spreads across the globe with breathtaking speed, a new question takes precedence; is there a cure?
MY VERDICT:
The first book in the Extinction series is an enjoyable read, that offers a fairly unique twist on the Zombie genre and is extremely relevant to our times, but is disappointingly predictable. The main factor behind this predictability is the title - by the end, you know humanity is going to be facing extinction - and the synopsis - you know that the people will have to engineer an even more deadly virus to combat the first. A minor curve ball is thrown into the mix half-way through the tale but, it still, can be seen coming a few chapters before the reveal. Still, the action is fast-paced and quickly sucks you in - it doesn't go super-deep into characterisation but you will learn to care about the 'right man in the wrong place' marine Sargent, Beckham, and the 'cold yet emotional' virologist, Kate. I really love how, for the most of the book, each chapter begins a new day in the fictional universe, a counter calling out how long it has been since the viral outbreak started, conveying the urgency of finding a cure and rapidity of the spread of the abysmal disease across the US (and, eventually, the entire world) very effectively. The narrative also features some decent scares, opting for a much-respected overall feeling of dread rather than individual jump scares - something I really admire, firmly rooting the book in the 'horror' category.