This is a post-apocalyptic zombie novel by George Romero and Daniel Kraus. For those of you who don't know, George Romero is the progenitor of the modern zombie film and this book is the final chapter of his career. While he could not complete it before his death, Daniel Kraus has done an admirable job in working with what was there and completing the journey. I'll be honest, you can't tell where one author's voice ends and the other begins.
I am probably a bit biased, as Romero's work has always been a favorite of mine since the mid 1990's. I may have watched his original Dead Trilogy too much in my formative years. Dawn of the Dead is still my favorite movie of all time. That being said, I loved this novel. The book is split into thirds: a meaty (bad choice of words, I know) first and final third, with a middle section to join the two and progress the apocalypse through the years.
While most of this genre focus on the gore and extreme horror, the best zombie media understands that the focus should be on the characters that the zombies are affecting. This novel does just that. It covers the zombie apocalypse from patient zero all the way to decades past the fall of civilization. It follows several characters, some of whom are: Etta Hoffman: a government employee who documents the fall of society, Luis Acocella & Charlie Rutkowski: medical examiners who come face to face with one of the first zombies, Greer Morgan: a young woman trying to survive, and many more. All the characters are interesting to follow and I became invested in each of them, particularly Etta Hoffman.
Don't think this is some cerebral take on zombies like Colson Whitehead's Zone One: there is plenty of gore and violence to satisfy any horror fan, while still providing three-dimensional characters. There's also a rather unique take on zombies themselves that I won't spoil here, but is worth the exploration. There's also some neat Easter eggs for anyone who is familiar with Romero's work sprinkled in here and there.
I recommend this for any fans of George Romero's work or any horror fan in general. It is a worthy capstone to Romero's career and Daniel Kraus has done an excellent job as well. I am now in the process of seeking out Kraus' other works.
I am probably a bit biased, as Romero's work has always been a favorite of mine since the mid 1990's. I may have watched his original Dead Trilogy too much in my formative years. Dawn of the Dead is still my favorite movie of all time. That being said, I loved this novel. The book is split into thirds: a meaty (bad choice of words, I know) first and final third, with a middle section to join the two and progress the apocalypse through the years.
While most of this genre focus on the gore and extreme horror, the best zombie media understands that the focus should be on the characters that the zombies are affecting. This novel does just that. It covers the zombie apocalypse from patient zero all the way to decades past the fall of civilization. It follows several characters, some of whom are: Etta Hoffman: a government employee who documents the fall of society, Luis Acocella & Charlie Rutkowski: medical examiners who come face to face with one of the first zombies, Greer Morgan: a young woman trying to survive, and many more. All the characters are interesting to follow and I became invested in each of them, particularly Etta Hoffman.
Don't think this is some cerebral take on zombies like Colson Whitehead's Zone One: there is plenty of gore and violence to satisfy any horror fan, while still providing three-dimensional characters. There's also a rather unique take on zombies themselves that I won't spoil here, but is worth the exploration. There's also some neat Easter eggs for anyone who is familiar with Romero's work sprinkled in here and there.
I recommend this for any fans of George Romero's work or any horror fan in general. It is a worthy capstone to Romero's career and Daniel Kraus has done an excellent job as well. I am now in the process of seeking out Kraus' other works.