This is actually a very good book....if you know what you're getting in to when you're reading it.
for me, it was too much espionage and international issues and not enough zombies. It was interesting and I did find the science fascinating but the story and plot didn't rope me in like I'd hoped. ( )

A former police detective and should-have-been special forces member Joe Ledger can't help himself but be absorbed into the latest super secret anti-terrorist agency. His skills as a martial arts expert and guilty ruthlessness are ideal skills to lead a small unit into a zombie infested plot to punish the infidels of the world. Other than that we have the usual roles: two other-wordly beautiful scientists, a figure head for the secret agency who's more composed under pressure than the statue of liberty and various other cast members you can fill in by grabbing random James Bond or Bourne characters.

That's pretty much all you need to know. At least if you're only interested steam-reading through the novel to get through the action parts, which is what I did. It's not my kind of book as you may have guessed from the previous paragraph. I did find myself highly entertained by a number of interesting aspects of this book. First of all you learn more about the author than Joe Ledger. Second, the explanation of how scientists can create zombies almost sounds plausible. The science even feels just as well thought through as any Michael Crichton construction. Finally, the entire book appears to have been written either as either inspired by first person shooters or _targeted to become one. My bet is on the latter.

Regarding the zombie science you'll have to read it yourself because Maberry does a much better job of describing how it works than I could. Maberry himself is very visible throughout the pages. A clear fascination with hand to hand combat can be gleaned from almost every page, but at the same time a sense of shame appears to bleed through. Joe Ledger must be a fairly skinny guy for someone who we learn should have been Black Ops, since he loses his lunch fairly frequently. Having the main character reflect on what he has just done is an admirable goal and a very refreshing one, but it reads as an apology for indulging in writing about detailed killings instead of an honest balancing of remorse vs aggression.

As you read the novel you may experience a sense of deja-vu: where have I seen such events before? The plot structure of the story follows the most common setup of a first person shooter. First there is the introduction and training of the main character (you) in which you learn how to deal with the specially created monsters for your enjoyment. Then you're given a taste of the true legion of badasses that are sure to come soon. After this the big battle with the small fry occurs in which you slay dozens or hundreds, it doesn't really matter how many, baddies, after which you're allowed into the arena for the final showdown with the boss character.

After the first chapter you can already predict in a fair amount of detail how the rest of the book is going to develop. I did keep on reading because I was very interested in finding out more about the writer. An interesting read and worth while if you're a fan of the 'I am Legend' genre. ( )

Not bad. A little less than what I was expecting given the reviews. Took a peek at the next one in the series and have decided to give it a pass. ( )

Interesting stuff. Whole book is like allegory to the zombie itself. Start pretty cool and professional, but without any unreal conclusion jumps. Then we got infection, fear, stutter, stupid moves, faith jumps, inversions and... life after death of course. Really, some staff closer to the ending looked like it was made that way just to put more drama in the available timeframe. Somehow character professionalism evaporates and live very noticeable hole. Still entertaining read anyway.

P.S. It reads like a TV series. I really need to watch that "24" now. ( )

Good zombie novel. Nice mix of the spy genre and horror. Over the top in a few places but I still enjoyed it a lot. A great vacation read, which is where I read it. ( )