Review: Fortress Britian
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 3, 2014
Most of the zombie books that I've read depict the military as an inept force that is unable to stop the ZA and usually follows a group of lucky civilians in their quest for survival.  Arisen - Fortress Britain, on the other hand, tells the story of ZA through the eyes of the military.  Great Britain had the foresight to begin preparing themselves for the end of the world and welcoming survivors that managed to reach its shores; the fortress island has survived for over two years by using the military and a strict protocol for those that have traveled outside of its protective walls.Instead of being content with just surviving, the powers to be in Britain want to find the cure of the dreadful virus that has almost destroyed the world.  Through the use of special military operating groups comprised of multi-national soldiers from countries around the world, their missions take them to different countries in hopes of recovering data and samples from secret labs that had worked on possible cures or antidotes prior to their demise.  The eight man teams are exceptionally stealthy, armed to the max with special weaponry and often find themselves vastly outnumbered by the zombie horde during these missions.The security of the fortress is breached when a super-zombie exits the destroyed France to England tunnel; this new breed is super fast, doesn't feast on victims - its only interest is in "scratching" survivors, who turn in mere minutes, taking on the fight from within.  After a day, the military claims to have secured the interior of the fortress, but the special zombie has not shown himself since the initial attack.  Was he real or imagined?The second half of the story bogs down without zombie battles as it focuses more on preparations for the next military mission; this one in Chicago, IL (USA).  This lab is located in the middle of the city and surrounded by an estimated 3 million undeads.  Is this a suicide mission for the 8 members of Team alpha?  This mission must succeed as intelligence strongly believes the cure is there.  Other surprises are in store for readers - something I've not read about in any other zombie genre story.The story is well-written but too short; appearing to take a six-hundred page novel and split it up into five smaller books.  I received book one for free on Amazon and will have to spend $2.99 for each of the other books in the series.  I'll download book two after posting this, hoping it holds my interest to the same extent as Fortress.  The characters are likable and have secrets to protect - I hope book 2 exposes them.I'd recommend Arisen, Book One - Fortress Britain to both readers of the zombie genre and military books.John Podlaski, authorCherries - A Vietnam War Novel