Great books start with great characters and a strong narrative voices. The most intriguing plots in the world fall apart when the voice/writing style won’t hold your attention, and the most been-there, done-that plots in the world shine like new pennies when the right voice brings them to life. This, I think, is the gift of the debut author.
Zook Country is about killing zombies. I’m not going to try to sell it to you on that, though. There has been a bit of a zombie craze recently, and maybe you’re into it, but personally I could take ’em or leave ’em. I’ll take this particular zombie book any day.
Ten years ago, metamorphic plague began turning human beings into zooks. Crazed and half alive, their only purpose seems to be to bite, and continue transmitting the plague. Jake Chestnut survived the early years of the disease, but his family didn’t, and when he fought back, his country betrayed him.
Now he and his zook-hutning partner have been hired by a consortium of billionaires to clear some land, but they stumble upon something that isn’t quite right, and when they investigate, people start trying to kill them.
What I loved about this story was, quite simply, Jake. He’s wounded. He’s been kicked down, but come back up. This is told in the first person, from his point of view, and in his voice — which is instantly captivating. Seriously, just read the first couple of pages and see what I mean. There’s a bit of dark humor, wit, irreverence, and the occasional matter-of-factness that these sorts of stories really need. The world sucks, but people are still living. Well, really, they have to. What else would they do?
This is a violent book, but not an unnecessarily violent book — it’s just the reality of the situation. I am not a fan of violence for violence’s sake, and this didn’t bother me. But if you’re one of those who doesn’t like violence at all, this may not be for you.
Otherwise, if you have even a passing interest in science fiction, especially those featuring dystopian realities, you should give this a try. At least read the first chapter, which you can do for free online right here.
Rating: 5/5
Title: Zook Country
Aurtho: Bill Swears
ISBN: 9781606192
Published March 10, 2012