“Slow Burn: Zero Day, book 1” is the first book in a series of 7 popular Zombie Apocalypse books that are becoming a modern classic!
Zed Zane isn’t looking forward to asking his mom and stepfather for yet another loan to cover his rent, which will be followed by an inevitable lecture about work ethic—but that particular dread is nothing compared with what he’ll face in the coming days. When he arrives at their house to meet them for lunch, he finds his stepfather having a zombie feast—in his mom’s corpse. Horrified and confused, Zed stabs his stepfather to death, but not before being bitten himself. He wakes up two days later to find his world–and eventually the world at large–in turmoil. After a brief stint in prison and then a quarantine ward, he sees the world go mad–a virus from Africa is spreading across Austin, turning its citizens in flesh-crazed monsters.
It turns out that Zed is a “slow burn”–someone who can be infected but may or may not turn. That adds a certain level of suspense to the story—will the character you come to know and root for become a mindless monster?—though most of what keeps the pages turning is the almost non-stop action, as Zed and a small band of others who aren’t infected try to get to safety and figure out how to survive in a world they could never have imagined.
While there’s been a resurgence in zombie novels lately, “Slow Burn: Zero Day, Book 1” stands out because it’s not just a tale of a survivor–it adds those who are immune to the mix, and the author has a great way with sensory detail that makes the novel come alive. There’s the grisly gore for those who like that in their horror novels, but there’s also excellent characterization (Jerome stands out as a surprising character) and a definite realism to the “flu” and how it affects society. Recommended for those who enjoy the zombie sub-genre, and for those who are looking for an exciting, action-filled read.
Reviewed by Jezelle McLeod
Jezelle is a staff writer and horror book critic.
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