Empire: A Zombie Novel by David Dunwoody

I am a huge Zombie Novel fan, currently I am reading a HUGE amount of Zombie books, which is a little crazy considering I am suppose to be reading like to Marketing books for work. But heck, by the time I am done with 10-11 hrs of work a day, I really do not want to go home and read another book about Marketing for a few more hours. I would be able to read them quicker, but I treat them like a text book and I highlight, make notes…etc. Plus, it is so much easier to read on my Kindle (I LOVE my Kindle). HAHA. Anyway, I just finished Empire: A Zombie Novel, and I don’t know. It wasn’t not like many of the other zombie books that I have read. This book was based in the future after the Zombie virus had spread across the world. Kinda like Resident Evil Apocalypse. There are little cities of around the world that have managed to keep the Zombies at bay, but for the most part the world is made up of Dead Lands, area that is overrun with Zombies. The main setting of this book takes place in Jefferson Harbor, Louisiana. A city left with only a few residents. Most of the people have left once the military forces pulled out on command of the president. This story follows a few of the survivors around as they first try to survive and last save a little girl. The author creates a very creative land of the dead. It is in fact a very realistic view of what the world would be like if zombies. The government is still not telling the people the whole truth and still are trying to give off this “false hope” when we all know that it is over. There are the twisted people who are sick and you know….SICK! There are the heros who want to save the world. There are those who are still seeking love, and have faith/or shale we call it hope and those who have given up on everything. If Zombies did attack and rise up, they would destroy and take over everything. It is a very scary thought of having to survive the attack of a dead race that will chase you down. All it takes to turn you into one of the walking dead is a drop of blood getting into your system or a scratch from their nails on your skin or a bit. Imagine the worse, being eaten ALIVE.

A few things about this book really bothered me:

The main 1 was that DEATH yes Death, the Grim Reaper comes up and walks amongst the living and Zombies. He is confused as to why some of the candles of life are not going out, and he finds a way to kill them. The reaper uses the Zombies bones and turns it into his Scythe. Really, do you think none of the humans would have started to carve the Zombies bones into weapons? Hell, death is everywhere, weapons are limited, and bullets are running low. Humans are innovative and creative; they would have tried to use anything possible to turn into weapons. Death also becomes somewhat obsessed or compassionate towards this girl.

2. I am not a big fan about the whole Zombies not dying when they get shot in the head. Every demon of the night has a weakness. Vampires have (depending on the myth) silver, stake to the heart, garlic, crosses, churches, and light. Werewolves again silver and the full moon, or I guess the not full moon. Yet these Zombies have NO weaknesses? No, I don’t think so, everything EVERYTHING has a weakness and with Zombies it has always been destroying the brain. Not so much a shot in the head, but strait up destroying the brain! So with these Zombies having no real weakness unless you consider the ONE that death found and chose not to share.

3. I didn’t like the story of the Doctor, the one who took in all of the children of Jefferson Harbor and then used this “dark power” from the swamp to turn the dead into to quazi-zombies. Able to think and do tasks (somewhat like what the zombies are like at the end of Shaun of the Dead). All of these zombies live in a house run by this twisted little boy who has some kind of sick obsession with the dead and the power that he gets from the swamp. He killed the Doctor and turned him into a zombie and fixes a skull of a dog over his face. I don’t get his whole dark power creating an alternate zombie race. ODD.

4. The back story really wasn’t that good. It didn’t really add up. Yes I got that this was a world of the undead, but it didn’t seem to answer all of my questions. I felt like I was missing important details that would have helped me to understand everything better. I feel like I should have been given more. I didn’t quite understand how thing got to the point that they were at. I needed more.

5. This book was religious. I am not bothered by religion, and actual when I look at myself, I find myself, not so much religious, but very spiritual. I know what I believed but I DO NOT judge other for their beliefs and I NEVER try to force my views on anyone. I am always willing to debate, listen and contemplate others views and I am willing to change mine if it no longer makes since. But this book at some points I felt like it was forcing a God view onto me. I don’t want to have religion forced down my throat (or into my eyes) while I am reading a good, especially while reading a book about zombies. If I pick up a book about Buddhism, Christianity, Muslim or Religion in general then YES I expect to have views pushed towards me. But I read a zombie book for a reason, to escape certain things and to not have to contemplate HUGE questions like faith. I just want to relax.

I did enjoy this zombie book but I guess ever since reading World War Z by Max Brooks, nothing seems to quite match up! So if anyone has any good zombie books, please recommend away, I am always looking for a new good book to read. Heck, I am even willing to go back to Vampires at this point. I needed a break from Vampires after reading Laurell K. Hamilton for so long. She started off so good, but after about 15 books, her story line really started to dry up and I had to put those books down. There is only so many times a hero can defeat the Mother of ALL Vampires, ya know.

But for anyone who enjoys zombie books, this is not one that is a must, but it is a good book. I enjoyed it and if you like zombies as much as I do then I say read it. I love to read, I love zombies and I would pick this book up again. It is a good book and worth reading. I wouldn’t say go and buy it, I would just say rent it from the library or borrow it from a friend. Don’t buy it. I got it for my kindle, it was not very expensive, so I don’t feel like I got ripped off, but I would not read it again. I would lend it to a friend if they were out of books and looking for something to read on a flight.

So out of 10 stars….I would give this book 6!

As I mentioned. I am still looking for a new book to read, so if anyone has any good zombie books to read, please feel free to recommend.