 |
Picking up where the previous book left off, the sequel continues to follow zombie apocalypse survivor J.D. Nichols surviving in the devastated New York City area. The living dead have all died off, leaving three groups behind fighting for domination: Transmutes that live underground and come out to feed only at night, Half-mutes that have replaced the zombies as the deadliest predator, and groups of human scavengers fighting for survival. One of these groups is particularly ruthless, run by a man named Edward Stone who considers himself the ruler of the entire area. In addition to kidnapping and killing the other survivors, Stone is also abducting children for his own sick desires. J.D. and a new group of allies led by a former actor named Ryan Duncan must defy the hordes of mutants and end the reign of Stone.
Works of zombie fiction have been prevalent across all mediums over the past decade or two, and so it takes a writer with a deep familiarity with the genre to pay respect to its most effective aspects while also not retreading a story that’s already been told. The author demonstrates that expertise, dropping references to movies, books, and video games popular in the genre that make the characters modern and realistic despite their circumstances. Balancing that is the inventive properties of the pathogen that leads to the zombie apocalypse and leads others to mutate into fearsome creatures based on their ethnic heritage. This celebration of the old along with a fresh perspective on a common theme lend themselves to a book full of suspense, action, and gruesome horror that any fan of the living dead will devour.