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Monday, February 23, 2009

A Big Mess

I'm an absolute mess. I'm serious. I'm 27 and I feel like I'm falling apart. Course part of it is my lovely bruised toe thanks to my walking into furniture last night. Yeah, my little sister got an earful of that one! And no I was not drinking the Bacardi Watermelons from the night before. I was trying to have a quiet evening testing a muffin recipe and watching a zombie movie, but no, I had to go and maim myself instead. 

And now I've got a crick in my neck from sitting funny while watching that Dutch horror movie. See, I'm falling to pieces here. 

Anyway, sorry for posting so late. I spent my weekend reading Jonathan Maberry's new book, Patient Zero, and absolutely loved it (hence the need for a zombie flick last night). Yep, I dragged it to the gym and even fell asleep over it last night after taking my first insomnia fighting pill (still woke up three times, doc). It's fabulous, the book not the pill. And I just finished it and had to share it with you guys.

It is a bit hard to pin down genre-wise, but in a good way. I think it leaves more room for readers outside of one genre to get attached to an author. A good thing! Maberry is known for his Pine Deep trilogy (Ghost Road Blues, Dead Man's Song, and Bad Moon Rising) and now he's attacking zombies! It's sort of zombie horror meets military suspense meets thriller. I mean there are zombies and there are terrorists who make zombies and then there's the secret government group that fights the zombies. See, the best of all the action worlds. 

Seriously though, it begins with Joe Ledger having to kill the same man twice. The first time, he's on a task force tracking terrorist movement in the states. The second time, Ledger has been brought in to talk about the first incident with a group called the Department of Military Science. Seems that after Ledger killed his man, he didn't actually die. In fact, the guy went on to wreak havoc with the others who tried to drop him for good. Ledger finally succeeds, earning himself a spot with the DMS as their new team leader. But where do the zombies come from and how do you go about fighting an enemy you can't find? It's Joe's job to try and figure that out and his team of fellow badasses are all there to help. But when it begins to look as though one of their own may be in league with their as yet unidentified nemesis, well that just pisses Joe off. 

Patient Zero is fantastic. It's everything you want in a zombie book and so much more. Horror fans will love it and everyone else will, too (well almost everyone, Nicolas Sparks fans should probably avoid it as it's not so much of a heartwarming tale as it is a skin-crawling one). This book totally hit the spot for me and I want everyone to run out and buy it when it comes out next week. 

Oh, and if you're lucky enough to be trying to get back into a shape other than jiggly, like I am (hope you can sense the sarcasm in that one) and happen to take Joe and his zombie foe to the gym with you, I can tell you right now that Guns N' Roses is the best soundtrack! Seriously, I love my gym and one of the reasons is that they play pretty much all 80's cock rock! (Sorry now if that term offends anyone.) 

Happy reading!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Becky...I'd so glad that you loved PATIENT ZERO. And I agree with the hard rock soundtrack suggestion. Joe Ledger's just not an 'easy listening' kind of guy.

The book officially hits stores on March 3, and I just turned in the second in the series, THE DRAGON FACTORY, in which Joe and the DMS face a completely different kind of evil.

Hope that one'll get you through some more gym time!

Jenn's Bookshelves said...

Becky-
I'm so jealous! I've been trying to get a copy of this to review! Sounds like I'll have to wait until the release. Great review..really looking forward to it!

Kelly said...

I totally want to read this book! Zombies, suspense, etc.....just what I love in books. (Only read 2 Nicholas Sparks books....and both of them were...."what the hell" moments for me. The guy makes you care about the stupid characters and then he always kills one off....sheesh! I've seen a couple of his movies too, never again! I sort of wanted to go off myself after seeing Message in a Bottle, ditto for Nights in Rodanthe)

Becky LeJeune said...

Jonathan, thanks so much for you comment and the info. I will definitely be waiting in great anticipation for the next Joe Ledger series and you can bet he'll be my gym buddy then as well!

Vickie said...

I am now SO looking forward to reading this! You always put a great spin on a book. Now I am likening this one to Dan Simmons' CARRION COMFORT. Not comparing, just likening.....I am fairly certain Jonathan Maberry can stand on his own. = )
I have GHOST ROAD BLUES on Mt Git'r'Read...moving up to next read!

Cheryl said...

Good to know that you enjoyed Patient Zero. I have been watching this book

Now I have to read it

Vickie said...

Started GHOST ROAD BLUES last night as my bedside book....after a night of honkin' funky dreams (and not in a good way), the book is now my purse book and I will move THE CASE OF THE MISSING BOOKS - Ian Sansom to my bedside. Yowzah images in my cranium last night! Jonathan can dish it up!