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 Brian Keene
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The cover text may be a bit misleading regarding the content of this novel. I was under the impression that its a regular "road-movie"-story: Four people with nothing much in common meet, get into a car and drive cross country to rescue Jim's son. But after the four people hadn't met after three quarters of the novel I noticed that someone might have gotten it wrong.
Mr. Keene has really thought the whole szenario through down to the tiniest consequence. If everything that dies turns into a zombie what will happen to the caged animals in the zoo which are no longer fed? What happens to the babies who are no longer cared for by their dead parents? And what about the birds and the insects, once they die? Think about it and its really frightening.
But I have to confess that I've never read a horror novel which was so thrilling and frightening as 'The Rising'. The story goes from one frightening highlight to the next and the ending is a stroke of genius. Its a pity I can't tell you more about it but I'm happy to talk about it with you after you've read the book. Just send me an eMail!
"Nothing stays dead for long. The dead are returning to life, intelligent, determined ... and very hungry. Escape seems impossible for Jim Thurmond, one of the few left alive in this nightmare world. But Jim's young son is also alive and in grave danger hundreds of miles away. Despite astronomical odds, Jim vows to find him - or die trying.
Joined by an elderly preacher, a guilt-ridden scientist and an ex-prostitute, Jim sets out on a cross-country rescue mission. Together they must battle both the living and the living dead ... and the even greater evil that awaits them at the end of their journey."
The four people definitely play important parts in the story. The experiments of Dr. Baker lead to the zombies growing like a virus on earth and that the dead are climbing out of their graves. In contrast to what you've seen in the movies those zombies aren't dumb, slow and easy to overpower but they are intelligent, fast and determined to kill all humans to produce more of their kind. And there seems to be no means to stop them.
It gets a little bit out of hand once the military enters the story. Like always when a society breaks down the military sees itself as the only able keeper of right and order. And its commanded by an absolutely mad General with a well-developed God-complex. Humans are, after all, the cruelest animals and here the General is no better than the zombie. The scenes with the military are the most disgusting in the whole novel and that's too bad. Because it wouldn't have been necessary.
Definitely recommended for everyone who longs for a few sleepless nights. Hopefully the author has some more good stories in store. He already received the Bram Stoker Award 2004 for this book. One dares to hope for good things to come!
[Dorothée Büttgen, July 04]
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