Review: Dead On Action from Start to Finish
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 14, 2014
When author Devan Sagliani offered me a free copy of this book in exchange for a review, I agreed even though the subject matter really doesn't bite me (pun intended). But just because I'm an orderly person, I started with the first one - "Zombie Attack! Rise of the Horde" - and found it to be quite good, earning 4 stars from me as well.This book continues the adventures  of 16-year-old Xander Macnamara, who lives in a country that has been overtaken by all sorts of not-very-nice creatures, from flesh-eating zombies to killer bikers to neo-Nazis and cannibals. Humans like Xander and his half-brother Moto are under siege at every turn, with Moto running a military base that's trying to reestablish some semblance of order. In "Horde," Xander was separated from Moto and is trying to find him; here, the two have been reunited, and Moto sends  Xander to head up Freedom Town, a civilian colony trying to thrive amid the surrounding chaos. Felicity Jane, a teen-age celebrity Xander met in the first book, is now his bride, and of course she tags along.Things go from bad to worse after a particularly nasty attack, resulting in Xander and Felicity being booted from the colony to be taken back to Moto's base as prisoners. Enter rescuer Sonya, an Amazon-like young woman a few years older than Felicity, who claims to be on their side but somehow isn't very believable and (surprise!) manages to get under Felicity's skin. The real action begins as they make their way back to Moto through all sorts of odd places, from Gold Stake City, inhabited by cowboys and Indians, to a circus.At every turn, their lives are in danger, and the action simply doesn't let up. Somewhere around the halfway point, in fact, I started feeling my age - growing weary of the nonstop run-ins as well as the childish bickering between Felicity and Sonya. Oh, grow up, I thought (that is, until I remembered what our two kids were like at that age).It was a temporary stall because I couldn't quit in the middle; after all, I had a review to write. Quickly, I yanked off my grandma hat and dived in again, but now intent on reading through the eyes of someone much younger. And by golly, the change in perspective worked; almost immediately, I began to get excited once again.  I must also add that, like other books for young adults such as J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" and James Patterson's "Maximum Ride" series - both of which I've read and enjoyed - the quality of writing in both of these books is outstanding. Except for a few dastardly characters for whom it's natural to murder the king's English, I don't recall seeing a single misspelled word or grammatical error, and the story is well thought out. Simply put, that means if you like this genre, it's likely you'll enjoy these books no matter how old you are.Of course, I won't dish on any secrets or how the book ends except to say it's a wild but enjoyable ride. I also like that little life lessons sneak in here and there (dare I say "values"), most often from older brother Moto, like this one: "Always look at your problems head-on if you can. That way you can deal with them on your terms instead of the terms your enemy wants to offer."After reading the first book, I said it would make a great motion picture - and I feel the same about this one. Put a youngish hottie in the role of Xander, in fact, and Sagliani just might have a "Twilight" success story on his hands.Just please, God, don't let it be Justin Bieber.