Patient Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel
by Jonathan Maberry
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jonathan MaberryEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-03-03
ISBN: 0312382855
Number of pages: 421
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Book Reviews of Patient Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel
Book Review: "So... what, are we talking about an axis of evil formed by Walgreens and CVS?"
Summary: 5 Stars
It's like Jack Bauer versus the undead, if only Jack Bauer cracked wise even a little. PATIENT ZERO is Jonathan Maberry's unputdownable mash-up of zombie horror and science-on-crack and military/anti-terrorist techno-thriller. Maberry's protagonist, Joe Ledger, is awesome. A Baltimore cop, Joe Ledger survives a zombie attack and gets recruited into the D.M.S. (Dept. of Military Sciences), a clandestine agency answerable only to the Commander-in-Chief and dedicated to eliminating the most extreme threats to America and the rest of the free world.
The zombies here aren't at all supernatural; they're more like those from RESIDENT EVIL in that they were genetically engineered. Joe Ledger and his Echo Team find themselves frantically countering a pathogen-induced virus - created by an insane (but extremely sexy) scientist - which transforms people into zombies (or "walkers"). And to raise the stakes, this scientist is so rat crazy that she's developed several strains of this virus - called the "Seif al Din" (Sword of the Faithful) - with each virus more virulent than the last. The penultimate strain has its victims converting to walkers mere seconds after infection. The final strain is even more insidious. That's part of the reason I couldn't stop reading the damn book. The villains are so nasty and have thought so far ahead. They seemingly had each of the D.M.S.'s moves figured out ahead of time. The good guys were playing catch-up all the way to the end. And, of course, there's a mole in the team.
The story is topical enough in this post-9/11 world; there's a sense of immediacy. Jonathan Maberry grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. The story is told at a breakneck pace, but the writer doesn't skimp on characterization. Joe Ledger is a fully realized protagonist, and he's got his snide all perfected. The rest of the cast - even the villains - are nicely developed as well, from Joe's analyst buddy to the D.M.S.'s resident science whiz, the tactless Dr. Hu. Joe Ledger's unit is composed of frosty soldiers culled from the armed forces, and so we get that hoooah military speak and behavior. The gigantic Sergeant Harvey Rabbit (or "Bunny") is probably my second favorite character here, after Ledger himself. I also thought that the D.M.S. chief, the enigmatic Mr. Church, was enigmatically cool. For some reason, I dig that he loved snacking on vanilla wafers. Just the sheer idiosyncrasy of it, I guess.
Maberry injects science babble that doesn't get in the way of the storytelling. The action is insane, really relentless. Lots of firearms and bullets and tough guys acting tough. Some of my favorite moments - and, with this book, I had tons of favorite moments - had to do with Ledger attempting to put his own stamp on Echo Team. When the teeming undead attack and you're holed up in a corner and it's taking forever for backup to appear, chances are you'll eventually run out of bullets. This happens a few times with our guys, which I think is cool and more realistic than not. There are several times when Joe Ledger's firearms go dry and he ends up having to go one-on-one with the flesh-eaters. Ledger applies his extensive mastery of jujutsu with brutal, visceral results. Maberry writes his fight scenes amazingly well, and you get pumped up reading them. Jack Bauer, should he ever brace Joe Ledger, may drop a wee load in his pants.
Man, do I ever encourage you to read this book and its sequels THE DRAGON FACTORY and the upcoming THE KING OF PLAGUES. Jonathan Maberry is turning out to be one of the finest writers we've got around. His "Pine Deep" horror trilogy is really terrific stuff. And if you're looking for something similar to PATIENT ZERO, I also recommend Larry Correia's Monster Hunter International and Nick Pollotta's Judgment Night: BUREAU 13 - Book One. These last two books are more lighthearted in tone, but they both feature intense moments of monster assskickery.
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