A Zombie Novel
by Robert Swartwood
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fyi: kindle version is currently $2.99
by AimeeKay of How can you help?
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In a not-so-distant future, the world has devolved and most of the population has become the animated dead.
Those few that are living are called zombies. They are feared and must be hunted down and destroyed.
Conrad is one of the animated dead. A devoted husband, a loving father, he is the best zombie Hunter in the world.
But when he hesitates one night in killing a living adult, his job is put in jeopardy. Instead of being outright dismissed,he is transferred to a program so secretive even the Government would deny its existence -- and where Conrad soon learns a startling truth about how his own son might be in danger of becoming a zombie.
As living extremists become more emboldened and blow up a Hunter Headquarters, as a power-hungry Hunter becomes more enraged and will stop at nothing to gain absolute power, Conrad begins to question not just his profession, but his own existence.
And before he knows it he is on a journey of self-discovery, remembering a past he was forced to forget, and soon finding himself not only a hunted man, but a man who must now save both his son and the entire world.
AimeeKay says:
Attention people these are NOT your ordinary zombies!!!
And for once they are NOT after your brains!!!
But please don't make the mistake that this means they are any less likely to kill you.
The dead in Swartwood's new novel are just like us. They have jobs, kids, families. The main difference is they simply aren't alive. Instead of dying, they expire. Basically they rot away. The are other differences too. For example they don't see color. Their world is black, white and various shades of grey. They are also taught from a young age to fear the living, or zombies, as they call them. They even play video games where the main objective is to kill impossibly deadly living.
Why are the living so scary? Mainly because they have imagination. A dangerous and destructive force, that is believed to be the reason why the living lost the wars in the first place.It's such a dangerous force any dead person actually showing imagination is to be 'expired' immediately.
Conrad is no different than any other Hunter. Until one night he hesitates to kill a living. That sets into motion a series of events that slowly unravel every truth he has ever learned. Did the 'zombies' really lose the war? If so why is everything in the dead world named after the living? What else is the government hiding? What are the Pandora's cubes? Who keeps creating them and why?
I love what Swartwood has done with Dishonored Dead. It's truly from the dead's perspective. Despite the rotting and falling apart and the whole 'dead' thing, they really are just like us. They love and hate. They keep dark secrets. And they just want to live out their dreams and be happy like any other human being. Their point of view is just a little...well a little off. The way that Swartwood brings that perspective to life, or should I say death, is unique and quite entertaining.
There are some dark parts to this book. For example the torture of a 'zombie' child in an effort to get it's parents to reveal critical information. It is definitely not a kids book. Not just from the blood and gore scenes, there are also a few deep themes running through the book. For example the idea of the living and the dead being able to coexist versus the idea of complete genocide of the living in favor of the dead. These themes do not detract from the story itself though, and if you are looking for a 'fresh' zombie read I would definitely recommend this one!
In compliance with FTC guidelines, I'm disclosing that I received this book for free through GoodReads First Reads.
(I may I recommend everybody should go check out all the awesome first read giveaways they have!)
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Guest post created for October Zombies event by AimeeKay of How can you help?
© 2011. All rights reserved.
by AimeeKay of How can you help?
~-~-~-~-~ guest review ~-~-~-~-~
