Review: Great "end of the world" story with interesting, strong character
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 23, 2011
H5N1 Code Name: Greed by Jacqueline Druga is a novel about the day-to-day existence of a woman, Lisa, who is the last person alive in Cleveland. Lisa spends her days in a fortified house which she jokingly calls "The Palace." She survives by foraging for food and killing the half-dead infected who are the only other inhabitants of the city. Naturally immune to the virus which ravaged America and caused people to lose rational thought, Lisa has made it her mission in life to kill as many of the infected as she can. They stalk and taunt her, laying in wait for her to make a mistake or for a weakness to appear in her defenses. Lisa is an interesting, believable, and sympathetic character. Her story is told via a series of flashbacks in the form of a journal, and tension builds as things get worse and worse for her.This well-written story reminded me of "I am Legend" with a female protagonist. It completely pulled me in; the scenario that plays out is believable and scary. The infected are not really zombies; they are somewhere between live and dead, and still retain some thought and feeling. As Lisa, the character in the book, writes:"I hate them. I hate them all. They are not who I am, or those who have died. They are somewhere in between. I can recall being scared of the fact that I could become one of them. When I knew that wasn't going to happen, my entire attitude changed. From fear to contempt. From tolerance to loathing. I could care less if they all died, or if I killed them. The reaper of destruction chased them down, but they escaped its clutches only slightly. Now, it seems they run from my clutches. Life as I knew it ended over the course of a summer. We are what's left, and that's a shame. I fear they will be the next generation. A tomorrow, filled with `them'."So, the story is especially chilling because the "zombies" are plausible; it is also chilling because the character is a normal person, not some superhero. It is easy to relate to her and get caught up in the events that occur (to the extent that I stayed up all night reading). And because Lisa is such a likeable and plausible character, I felt personally vested in her survival. I want her to make it! My only complaint is that the story ended. Hoping a sequel is forthcoming!