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Review of Dust of the Dead by John Palisano
Publication Date: June 2, 2015
Description:
Reboot the apocalypse!
For a while, it looked like the living had won. The war against the walking dead lasted almost a decade, but it’s mostly over. There are only a few straggling zombies left to take care of. Los Angeles has returned to its lattes and long commutes. It’s up to a small Reclamation Crew to clean up the Zoms left behind. But when the undead dry up, their skin turns to dust. Now the hot Santa Ana winds deliver a new threat...because the Zoms were only the beginning of something far worse.
Review:
If asked, I would admit that I’m not really a fan of the onslaught of zombie novels out there now, but Dust of the Dead isn’t the typical, rehashed story of an apocalyptic world with humans running, hiding, or killing zombies simply to survive. John Palisano’s fresh approach starts out in Los Angeles AFTER the zombie plague where life has returned to normal. Mike Lane and other members of the Reclamation Crew, deal with the few remaining zombies that hide in the shadows or reawaken in their graves. However, unknown to this small band of government employees, as well as the rest of the populace, the decaying bodies of the living dead and the re-dead (those reclaimed) have a dramatic and terrifying effect on the living.
I was very happy to find that this isn’t really a zombie story—it’s more of a creature feature. Sure, there are zombies poking up here and there, but the altered humans instead become ugly, vicious, strength enhanced monsters. Dust of the Dead is skillfully written, filled with twists and turns, as well as believable characters that grow and change to meet the challenges thrust upon them by this new terror. In this world created by John Palisano, are these monsters a new type of zombie or a new type of human. I look forward to the next book. The adventure continues.
Rating: 5 / 5 Stars.