Patient Zero by Jim Beck
by Lori Simpkins
So I read it. And you know what? He was right. The book was pretty darn good, and the only bad thing I can really say about it is that it's a little short and it starts off kinda slow as it explains some background about the character and the procedure he's going through. But that's okay, because it's interesting anyway and gets the explaining stuff out of the way. The first thing that caught my eye is that the story is told from the POV of the zombie virus. I was afraid this would come off as quite silly, but it was done well. It provided a very unique look, something I hadn't seen before, and it was neat how the writer explained what a person went through when his brain started going away. Jim Beck's website -- er, Black Rooster Creation's website, actually (his company, I think) -- claimed that the book was unique in the way it presented its story. And I must say, that's an accurate description, without being too egotistical about it. The story is about a single father who has a brain tumor. He's about to die, but then at the last minute, he's given the opportunity to get some nanorobots put inside him. I expected the robots to become the virus, but they don't (I won't give that part away). Then the main character, Bob, begins to slowly turn into a zombie. What I really liked is how the writer explained things like decay and bad eyesight as real issues that a person might have. And he also showed an outbreak as it happened, which I thought was cool. I wouldn't say that the book is scary, but there are very cool moments and the ending between the dad and his son was perfect. It's also pretty funny in parts, especially the epilogue. The book is rather short, and a quick read, and the writer cuts right to the chase when it comes to description, which I appreciate. This is the writer's first full novel, and while it's not perfect, I'm looking forward to seeing what else he might write. |
