| Regan has some serious problems. She just broke up with her girlfriend and is forced to move in with her brother because she has nowhere else to go. She can't find a job. She can't even afford a new amp for her guitar. To make matters worse, there was an accident at her brother's company. It seems nanoites, microscopic robots that are suppose to cure diseases in humans, have had an unforeseen effect. So now, on top of everything else, Regan has to deal with a city completely infested with zombies! Such is the basic premise of AZU-1: Lifehack, by Joseph Picard. Hardcore fans of the zombie genre, rejoice, because there is plenty of zombie fun to be had. The walking dead are in full force in this novel, forcing Regan and a small band of survivors to use every ounce of their wits, and any makeshift weapon they can find, to survive (I believe this may be the first incident of a zombie "killed" by a fast food menu board). But for all the potential zombie-loving fun this book has to offer, there are two serious issues that keep all but the most devoted zombiephile from becoming completely involved in the story. The first issue would be fixed by a good proofreader. While a certain number of typos are expected in any book regardless of publisher, this book is riddled with typos, grammar errors, awkward sentences, weird spacing, and nonstandard punctuation. The author has a tendency to CAPTIALIZE EVERYTHING when an exclamation point is all that is needed. All of this becomes a distraction to the reader. The second issue is pacing. Part of what makes a zombie book a zombie book is the growing sense of isolation and dread that envelops the characters. But the sense of isolation and dread is lost in a story as the author blasts through scene after scene with such a speed that you never have a chance to really grasp what is happening on more than a cursory level. After the first few chapters, the zombie presence becomes almost boring as Regan dispenses of mob after mob without much thought. We don't get the good internal struggle. We don't even get very good descriptions of the kills or the rotting hordes of undead. Everything blurs by so quickly we don't get much at all. There is a lack of attention to detail that keeps the reader from becoming fully engaged with the characters and the story. Hardcore zombie fans will want to add this to their collection, but casual horror and sci-fi readers may be disappointed. |
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| AZU-1: Lifehack Joseph Picard ISBN 978-14-728-4655 Softcover,296 pages |