The dead have returned to life. But they are not the brainless shambles we've seen before. These are intelligent zombies, although slow moving, capable of setting traps, driving, and worst of all, operating guns. The main sotry is about a father, Jim, trying to reach his son, Danny, who is in an entirely different state. There are a few other side stories, one aboout a prostitute who is a former crack addict, another about the scientist guilty of bringing the plague to life, and an elgerly priest who seems to be just along for the rides, and have religious debates with the other characters.
       For zombie fans, this book is long overdue. Ther are so few serious zombie novels published. The book is very original in that the zombies are intelligent, which adds mountains of suspense to the story. The are able to hide and plot against the characters, just as the characters do against them. Also, the zombies are able to speak, allowing them to saw vicious, twisted things, further instilling fear in the characters. Another twist is that all a person needs to to is simply die to become a zombie; they don't have to be bitten. Even animals come back with intelligence.
       The book does a good job in establishing the kind of relationship Jim had with his son, and why he is trying against all odds to get to him. All the character's stories are well established, their histories explained. It also does a good job in linking the characters stories together, and seeing how their individual personailities, and knowledge, work together.
       Being a horror novel, it has your standard gore and shock horror, which adds to the visual horros. Take this excerpt for example, "He braved a glance at his wound, and found his stomach to be missing, replaced by something that looked like war hamburger." There are vivid descriptions of gory deaths all throughout the book, as well as descriptions of the zombies, which usually involve the phrases, 'rotting flesh' and maggot-ridden.'
       One problem the book has, where it really overdoes it, is the brutality. The book is so brutal to all of the characters, killing them off with no regardes to the relationshup the deader has made with them. There is one example where a bond had been made between the scientist and a mentally challenged young boy. After establishing their relationshop for two-thirds of the book, the author kills him off, and moves on. It also goes a little heavy on the sex, (especially with the prostitute) at times, being far too descriptive. We don't need to hear over and over descriptions of positions, sounds, and feelings
       The last problem the book has, is the ending. I will not give it away, but after some 300 pages of this exhausting struggle, we want more of an ending than it gives us. Hardcore zombie fans will find it reminiscent of the old italian stories, but general readers and lovers of narrative may not be satisfied.

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