4 out of 4 stars
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Rating- 4 out of 4
Dead Rage: A Zombie Apocalypse is the third book by Nicholas Ryan which follows Ground Zero and Die Trying. Ryan has been compared to eminent writers of his genre like Max Brooks and keeping in mind his choice of genre is audacious, the author does every justice to it.
The story starts with an old fishing boat Mandrake progressing towards an fierce ocean storm. On the board is a group of fishermen with Steve Bannon as their skipper. After losing complete communication with his harbor, Grey Stone, he plans to return as his thoughts are fueled by suspicions that something is wrong back home. Not all the crew agree with his decision nevertheless execute his orders.
As Grey Stone comes into view, Bannon realizes his fear is taking the shape of a dreaded reality. Through his binoculars he sees the town ablaze. Panic grasps him as he realizes he might not find his wife alive. What he fails to measure is the monstrosity of the situation and how he and his crew are stepping into a combat area with flesh eating zombies. In the course of survival, Bannon ends up in the military camp, unaware of his helpers' own reasons to help him.
Nicholas Ryan is the first zombie author I have read . Though I am just an amateur at evaluating his expert writing, I can only make a trivial attempt at marveling his skills. The author has made a great impact on his readers by escalating even the minutest of details, and unraveling a spectre of mystery. A small example of the author's style of writing is as-
'Black smoke billowed across the harbor, swirling on the breeze and rising high above the burning buildings that lined the wharf...a sudden storm of sparks erupted and he heard the sound of a roof collapse...saw a yacht at its moorings, burning fiercely as the flames licked up the mast and fabric of the furled sails burst alight. He saw dark lumpen shapes floating in the water, and he saw the sky filled with raucous birds'. He writes this as he describes what Bannon sees, bringing alive his imagination with his astounding choice of words.
As the story progresses, so does the intensity. Not knowing what to expect and whom to trust, the readers are jolted into a rush of adrenaline that does not let you put the book down until the end.
The plot of the book is breathtakingly impressive with its twists and turns, and there are several incidents that will push the readers into a mute stupor. Such is the authority he claims by his style of expression and his magnificent detailing which is done with absolute perfection. Even though a lot of terror is infused with the knowledge of the dead roaming in the streets, thirsty for your flesh, the living characters pose deeper mysteries lying within.
However the detailed description of situations is sometimes disorienting and derails the story from its purpose of completion, hence some readers may lose patience. In the end its a great experience and matter of thrill altogether.
******
Dead Rage
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