Title: The Gathering Dead
Author: Stephen Knight
Review: For starts it is your typical zombie story, some unknown antigen is sent into the general population and only one person has the cure and the military is sent to save that person.
The book starts off with the epidemic that has already spread and the military is trying to stop it from spreading outside of New York City. The book has some graphic scenes and some strong language but again it is a Zombie book and if it wasn't graphic I would be very shocked. I have to admit the first few pages had me thinking what I would have done in that situation. I don't want to ruin the story for you.
I really enjoyed the author pulling two elite military groups together and how they need to work together to survive and get the man who has a cure to safety.
The author gives the two lead military men McDaniel’s and Gartrell a back story that follows them though out the book. The author makes the military guys a walking cliché but he made most of them likeable so it didn't annoy the reader. Like most Zombie stories the little band find themselves stuck at the top of a New York City Sky Scraper with danger lurking around every shadow in hopes of being rescued from the top instead of having to fight their way out on the streets of New York City where the dead walk\run. Have you seen the way people run to a buffet? That is how he makes the zombie see the living.
The doctor who they are saving and his daughter, I personal hated and even though they have the cure I couldn't help but want one to get bitten to show a little humanity toward the walking dead.
The author added a interesting element to Zombies that I really quite enjoyed. Most stories have the zombie only dead with the desire to eat but they cannot function unless food "the living" is nearby and for the most part they just wonder around looking for food. He has zombies using the basic skills we all were taught or use every day like opening doors, using keys, shoot guns, and climbing. I like that element because it makes the zombie a little more scary.
Stephen Knight also wrote a Novella Left for dead that follow Gartrell and what happens after most everyone they were transporting is moving to a "safer facility." He is left in the city alone trying to find food and a way out when he meets up with a woman and her autistic son. Again the author used the basic skills of life we learn from young age and gave them to the zombies to make it a bit more frightening. It was a very quick read and it made me think IF it happened and the world was overrun with the dead would I want to survive even though every day would be a fight and my family would never be safe? Would I rather die peacefully if I could, yes.
Review by Guest Blogger Heidi…thanks Heidi for you input.
Publisher: Severed Press; First edition (May 31, 2011)
ISBN: 978-0987104427
Copyright: 2011
Pages: 276
Quick Review: 3 stars (out of 5) because it read like a Zombie movie.
Why I Read It: Suggested to me by another Zombie lover.
Where I Obtained the Book: Bought it for the Kindle.
Synopsis: The Horde Is Always Hungry...
The zombie apocalypse has begun, and Major Cordell McDaniels is given the most important mission of his career: lead a Special Forces team into New York City to rescue the one man who can stop the ghastly virus that reanimates the dead.
But as a growing army of flesh-eating corpses takes over the streets and a violent storm renders airborne extraction impossible, McDaniels struggles to find a way out of the Big Apple. The odds of anyone getting out alive plummet further when slaughtered members of his own Special Forces team join the ranks of the gathering dead... with their military skills intact!
Author Biography: Born in south Texas but raised in various cities across the United States, Stephen Knight has been writing commercial fiction for years. He is the son of a famous radio personality and a former local television producer. After almost a decade working with the U.S. Army, he now lives in the New York City metro area.
Other Reviews:
Paul Salvett interview with the author here.
The Jarius Reddy Blog interview with the author here also.
I'm only an occasional zombie genre lover but have to admit that by giving them basic skills this sounds a heck of a lot scarier!
ReplyDeleteI will definitely keep an eye out for this in shops. Good review, you made this sound like a must read!
If you read this book I do suggest to read the novella Left for Dead. It is a afternoon read and it filled in a few blanks left from the other book. I loved watching Zombie movies but this was my first Zombie book. It was a fun read.
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