Book Review: Last Stand on Zombie Island
At a horrifying pace, the author Eger, launches into the story of an Island that becomes hostage to hordes of Zombies. There is enough blood and gore to overwhelm even the heartiest of readers.
Within the first pages it suddenly becomes "normal" to shoot children without so much as looking back. Occasionally the book has the power and suspense of the movie Dead Calm, (1989) but fortunately for the reader, the narrative tends to taper off as a description of terror and horrifying spectre.
Eger describes what each kind of battle scene might be like once or twice and then massages the memory, so that a prickling macabre atmosphere is retained throughout the story. There is no need to continually state what soon became known to be a looming menace.
There is an unfinished "sketchy" feeling to the book and one is caused to wonder whether there are more episodes to come.
Mindless Disconnected Zombie Aura
There is a mindless disconnected aura about the book. This mindlessness is beautifully portrayed within the undead inhumane bodies of Zombies. A zombie, in this context, is a humane who has become infected and becomes both mindless and unable to be killed.
They remain undead unless the assassin can get a clean shot at the monster fair through the skull. The Zombies are described as fairly similar to the cartoon images in the popular computer game.
The reader is swept along by developments which underscore growing awareness that this is not a humorous joke or a game.
The book is fairly technically well written, which allows the reader to suspend scepticism and enter the scenario uncritically. Although it is obviously pure fantasy, for the purposes of the story the script holds together with tangible and credible logic.
To some extent at least the reader can wonder what it would be like to be confronted by hordes of undead attacking and fouling everything and everybody insight, on a godforsaken island from which there seems to be no escape.
Will There Be More?
Within the context of this book the level of violence, coarse language and occasional rampant sexual brutality works. Eger would need to do some serious rewriting if the novel were to be released as a movie. Many would not stay with the length of the unbearably oppressive violence and atmosphere of threat.
It could have enormous potential as an online graphic novel, particularly if the sense of understatement were further transposed into subtle imagery.
Most thrillers build to rapid climax and abate. However this is a story that very rarely leaves respite for the sensibilities of the reader, when the book finishes the story hasn't. It is as though this is just an introduction to a world thwart with conflict.
The reader is left thinking: is this just the beginning of the end of the world?
What Ever Happened to Major Sara "Moose"?
However the real reason why Eger, must write another volume or two is that he hasn't even begun to flesh out the characters. (pardon the pun) For example what happens to Major Sara "Moose" Reynolds and Specialist Wright? Don't we ever find out?
One of the opportunities Eger misses within the context of this novel is the development of characters. The novel has potential to be worked up into a psychological thriller of great depth. This capacity hasn't yet been pursued in Last Stand on Zombie Island.
The novel captures the blatant cruelty and unthinking barbarity of war. It nudges the reader to think about modern potential for mass genocide by germ warfare. It sets up a scenario where a skilful and clever author could pose intense question about marshall law.
Eger dabbles with an overwhelming aspect of moral philosophy. He toys with the question "what will happen in our "armed" world the day that chaos reigns? He alludes to the Novel Lord of the Flies when hinting at this question.
Write into the Potential of Narrative
This is why I suggest Eger, a man who worked in law enforcement and was a trainer for a telecommunications company is urged to write into the potential of this narrative some more.
Develop the characters Eger! Tell us more about what and how they think! Give us a close up look at the reptilian brain of those trapped in a situation of post trauma with no apparent way to escape from that trauma. Give us more. Tell us how they cope with the psychological aspects of your drama.
Christopher L Eger, has been writing nonfiction since 2005 and is a writer for Mississippi Sportsman magazine, Warship International and Eye Spy Intelligence Magazine with some 300 articles in print on military history, offshore game fishing, and naval events.
Book Details
Title: Last Stand on Zombie Island
Author: Christopher L Eger
ISBN: 9781889186474
Necro Publications, 2012
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