Patient Zero

So I just burned through Jonathan Maberry's 'Patient Zero', and it was damn sweet. Not your typical zombie story, this new take is a high speed ride that delivers a sort of black-ops perspective on battling a particularly nasty flavor of bioengineered zombie goodness.

*Warning* Spoilers

I hope I don't bring up any negative impressions by saying this, but it really reminded me of a 24-like formula, but with Jack Bauer busting zombie heads. Yeah, our protagonist might have been a little ridiculously ninja-like in his skills, but I think it fit the story's Ludlum-esque tone, intrigue, and escalating intensity.

An interesting difference between this take on a zombie scenario, and many others, is that it wasn't an aftermath or unfolding apocalypse. Instead, it was a number of highly intelligent and capable people recognizing the direness of an impending danger, and immediately utilizing every possible resource and tactic to stop the threat in its tracks.

This capacity and willingness to do whatever it took was an interesting and morally unsettling aspect of the the story, and is the reason for my fore-mentioned likening of it to the television show 24. However, I think Mr. Maberry succeeded in not being callous with its application, and he clearly implied the horror and toll of committing these acts.

Along those lines, the psychological shock and trauma of simply fighting the infected was also well addressed. At some point the living may become numb to the horror of battling the undead, but it will not be immediate, or without a price.

Mr. Maberry aptly described teams of highly trained and armed soldiers being torn to pieces because they either didn't grasp the nature of the threat, or the horror of murdering seemingly unarmed men, women, and children at point blank range was just too much to come to take in stride. This was a threat that required an emotionless and mechanical response. Neither of which can be demonstrated by many people.

The zombies themselves were an interesting twist on the concept as they weren't your standard reanimated corpse, nor were they simply living infected. As bioengineered weapons, they were this remarkable example of technically living, but biologically reprogrammed organisms that shut down and negated the need for vulnerable, and normally required, bodily functions. Add to this a short incubation period, high rate of communicability, and compulsive aggression towards the living, and you have one hell of a bio-weapon.

New zombie flavor aside, 'Patient Zero' wasn't so much a story of battling the undead, as a high stakes military, corporate, and terrorist espionage thriller. Mr. Maberry crafts a highly entertaining and frightening read that, zombies or not, brings up a great number of issues that are absolutely real and relevant to our modern world. I highly recommend checking it out.