Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

An inexplicable and ultimately fatal plague has suddenly swept the globe, leaving horror and tragedy in its wake as a grim reminder of how fragile our presumed safety really is. This shocking plague is far from an ordinary virus; this mysterious illness is like nothing the world has ever encountered. This is a plague of living death, an infestation of unparalleled devastation. The dead are rising, are seeking to sate their hunger on an unsuspecting world, are craving destruction, are immune to empathy, are evil personified. They're hungry and they're coming. They will not be deterred. They have no personal limits to the vileness that they enact nor do they have any physical ailments which might overtake them and allow for less destruction. They resemble humanity only in their desiccated form for they no longer have limitations. They can hunt their prey endlessly and nothing known to man can end their quest for living flesh. The ultimate battle has begun. As stunned and unprepared populations suddenly discover what their conniving governments have been hiding from them for so long, it is already too late. The dead mercilessly continue to spread their contamination across the land infecting the few remaining individuals with the deadly virus. As this reign of death and decay prevails, unmitigated panic ensues toppling governments, decimating entire countries, escalating preexisting prejudices, and revealing, in starkly realistic prose, the true nature of humanity from the dismal depths of cowardice and selfish motivations to the zenith of courage, perseverance, and selfless service. This is a fictitious story of our world's struggle against the impossible. This could be our story.

I was impressed with myriad aspects of this novel to such an extent that I feel unable to fully elaborate on the intricacy of the plot and the relevance of the philosophy presented symbolically throughout every aspect of this intriguing and complex tale. While at first, it may simply appear to be a typical zombie story complete with the desiccated forms of decayed corpses shambling over the land in an unending quest to sate their ravenous appetite for human flesh, this element is not foremost in the story. While the entranced bibliophile is presented with several token zombies, this is not the focal point of the story, and I was surprised to note the few zombie scenes and often superfluous nature of the gruesome ghouls in general. At first, I felt disappointed by the lack of undead villains since I typically indulge in such graphic zombie tales. However, it quickly became apparent that the novel was concerned with far more than entertaining sequences of the moaning dead. Rather, the author successfully attempted to impart to the reader a deeper form of thought. The story actually meant something. The disasters that ensued, namely the illogical panic of the world's population coupled with the ineptitude and general selfish nature of myriad governments devoid of concern over their people's welfare and lacking sufficient logic to determine a proper method to deal with the plague of undead, was disquietingly realistic and often evoked to the readers' minds the essential question, what really would happen if something such as this were to transpire? Although the idea of zombies is ludicrous on a logical level that almost anyone can comprehend, the idea of a vicious and incurable plague of some kind isn't so difficult to believe. The zombies were merely a symbolic gesture intended to stand for any such cataclysmic disaster. Therefore, the pertinence of this story is judged by the relevance of its message namely, how should one prepare for future disasters whether it be an impending war or a natural cataclysm. How will others react to these dire circumstances and will panic and selfishness instead of logic govern our leaders? This message is not one to be taken lightly and will place the reader in a contemplative mood. This element of the story alone makes it worthy of a five star rating. Regardless of whether the numerous readers of this tale agree with the author's perspective or not, it is an undeniable fact that this novel will cause the reader to think and to make important decisions.

Many of the historic occurrences referred to in this novel are concerned with current events and the author's elegant satire is not to be missed. His commentary on current events and humanity in general further his message and strengthen the realistic qualities of this disturbing tale of a world suddenly attacked by an unforeseen foe.

As for a scrutiny of the stylistic points employed throughout this novel, only one word comes to mind, faultless. Every element of the story wove together to create the perfect atmosphere of palpable doom with a tinge of hope. Perhaps not all is doomed. The author's elaboration on grief and horror do not detract from his obvious message of the perseverance of humanity and general courage and bravery required to survive and rebuild after such an earth shattering event. Those seeking the human element will not be disappointed in this novel as the author displays both the beautiful and the ugly aspects of people when a situation requires a person to look into themselves deeper than they ever have before.

The chosen style of this novel is a narrative told from numerous survivors of this zombie plague as the author interviews them concerning their experiences. Although this chosen interview style does not allow for in-depth characterization, I felt that it was an appropriate medium in which to convey all aspects of the undead crises from the first outbreaks to the Great Panic through to the conclusion of the war. This chosen interview format allowed the reader to witness how the situation effected different types of individuals from the scientific doctors who witnessed the first cases, to the government leaders who attempted to stifle knowledge of the plague for personal benefit, to the individuals, both military and civilian who found themselves trapped in such extraordinary and apparently hopeless circumstances. This is their story and the reader cannot fail but hear their emotion as it pours off the page engulfing the imagination and transporting the reader into the last days of their world.

The writing style is captivating, as is all other aspects of this truly classic work and, although erudite, the words prove easy to follow. The scientific, almost documentary like, approach further conveys the realistic feel of the novel and the readers must often remind themselves that this is a fictitious account of a world eerily close to our own time frame rather than a historical document reflecting actual occurrences. Still, the possibilities presented in this novel do have an almost disquieting sense of reality despite the absurdities of the living dead. What really would happen if something unpredictable and ultimately fatal were to transpire? What would a plague or an unexpected war do to our world? As the people in this novel fought to survive in their dying world, will we also fight? The possibilities are terrifying.

Countess_Eva