Voodoo Child: Zombie Uprising is the first book in a new series by William Burke, which is also Burke’s debut as a recognized author. After using his skills to ghostwrite, he’s finally coming out of the shadows and taking his shot at making an impact on the literary community. His first attempt is based on a combination of popular elements, such as zombies, voodoo, medical experiments and a cast of colorful characters. Instead of delivering a thought-provoking and realistic reality where a zombie infestation can possibly wipe out humanity, the reader is sent on a wild ride where zombies spawn from a much darker source.
Voodoo Child: Zombie Uprising is based on a combination of popular elements, such as zombies, voodoo, medical experiments and a cast of colorful characters. Instead of delivering the more “norm” of a thought-provoking and realistic reality where a zombie infestation can possibly wipe out humanity, Burke takes the reader on a wild ride where zombies spawn from a much darker source.
Everything starts with a power hungry dictator on the island of Fantomas. After being outsmarted by his ceremonial sacrifice, who is also his young new bride, the zombie onslaught gets unleashed under her control. But unlike the typical zombie virus created in a lab, voodoo magic lies at the heart of this specific threat. Making matters worse, the new dictator, Lavonia, can’t control her zombies.
Maggie Child is the unsuspecting hero of the story. She’s an army pilot whose helicopter goes down during a mission in Iraq, only to get saved by a demon. But her strange tale of survival gets pushed to the back burner as she finds herself in the grips of a private facility where she undergoes painful experiments. She escapes with a mercenary called Glen and heads for her uncle’s resort, straight into the middle of the zombie wave.
As mentioned earlier, this isn’t the type of zombie apocalypse novel that will have you storing canned food and ammunition. While many authors and filmmakers are trying their best to sell the possibility to their audience, Burke aims at providing nearly pure entertainment – although it should be mentioned that the first zombies were associated with voodoo magic, so Burke might be closer to the truth than the rest.
Dare I say the book is fun and exciting, as opposed to horrific and scary. Thanks to the unlikely characters who lead the fight, along with the well-placed dark humor, I found the experience to be refreshing. The zombies aren’t totally lost where common sense is concerned, but they are just half of Maggie’s worries.
Burke has a very universal style of writing, which is going to appeal to a wide audience, and he’s more than capable of creating suspense in a rather “fun” action environment. I constantly felt the desire to join Maggie in her quest and meet the rest of the characters. The only complaint I have would be that Maggie appears fairly late in the story. The first section is dedicated strictly to Sarafina, a voodoo priestess, and the dictator getting replaced by his new bride. Nevertheless, Burke constructs a very strong leading lady in addition to an interesting supporting cast.
Leaving no room for boredom, Burke packs the plot of the story. In fact, there’s just enough madness going around to keep readers on their feet.
For everyone wanting a feel-good zombie/voodoo magic book, I’m definitely recommending Voodoo Child: Zombie Uprising. I’m also interested to see what Burke has in store for the sequel.
Reviewed by Damnetha Jules
Damnetha is a staff writer, horror book and movie critic.