Author: Z.A. Recht | Release date: Dec-2006 | ISBN: 0978970705 | Review date: 5-Feb-2010

Z.A. Recht’s debut zombie novel, Plague of the Dead: The Morningstar Strain follows two separate tales of survival in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. A virus known as the Morningstar Strain first broke out in the African continent, soon showing up throughout the world. Dr. Anna Demillio, a researcher for the US Army, is among the first to realize the strain’s potential. In corresponding with Major General Sherman of the US Army, she attempts to warn the government of the possible ramifications. Inevitably, Dr. Demillio’s warnings go ignored, allowing the plague to cover the globe.

Meanwhile General Sherman is leading a group of soldiers and refugees in Africa, attempting the block any chance of the strain escaping the continent. When they’re in over their heads, they make way back stateside via a battleship. While all this is going on, Dr. Demillio is in a new predicament of her own in Washington D.C. Both groups find themselves making tough decision and weighing their occupational responsibilities against moral standards. Many situations cause one to really put things into perspective and ponder our own chances of survival in the wake of a global epidemic. The characters accurately reflect how humanity is both neglected and rediscovered in the wake of a global chaos.

Recht’s writing style is descriptive and exciting. The novel is a great thrill ride, from the zombie attacks to the government corruption scenarios. What’s most interesting about Recht’s take on the zombie is that he includes both slow and fast moving infected beings. The virus can infect a living person, causing them to lose their mind. A deceased infected individual can soon reanimate and turn into a braindead zombie. I found this blend to give the story a more unique angle and made the possibility of survival look more grim. I couldn’t help but draw many comparisons to George A. Romero’s zombie films as well as The Crazies. The concepts are very similar with those films, although Recht does manage to make them interesting enough to make the book stand on its own.

While I found the story exciting, there were a few things that I didn’t enjoy. The main thing that I felt held the book down a bit was the dialog. First of all there was a strong use of profanity. Now I’m not easily offended by profanity, but the context in which much of it was used in this book just seemed out of place. Many words and phrases used by the characters seemed very cliche and generic. Aside from the main dialog defects, the story was still strong enough to grasp my interest. The book left off at a perfect spot that made me feel the need to know what happens with our characters next.

This book is the first part of a trilogy, and I will surely be getting the second installment entitled Thunder and Ashes which is already out. Overall, the book has a few minor flaws mainly in dialog but ended up being an exciting read. In a genre that leaves little room for originality these days, Z.A. Recht was still able to create a thrilling and captivating zombie apocalypse survival tale. For fans of zombies and post-apocalyptic survival scenarios, this book is surely one to check out.

Official Morningstar Saga site

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