Review: TOO MUCH VIOLENCE
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 14, 2014
Having read the truly excellent first book in the Zombie Attack series, Rise of the Horde, I really looked forward to reading Army of the Dead. I was just a little disappointed as this book doesn't contain the level of excellence, character development, and depth as the first book.Army of the Dead starts with a bang, literally. A furious pace of motorbike chases, abductions, vicious fighting and numerous zombie attacks is set right from the start of the book. In fact, there is so much violence in this story that it stopped having the intended shock impact, and only became something I read to try and find a storyline. Brutally murdered children and exploding zombie heads became a sideline and ceased to be horrifying as I read on to see what would happen next to the few characters I actually cared about.Responsibility and marriage seem to have changed Xander. No longer the cute, smart mouthed kid of Rise of the Horde, he is now neurotic, jealous of any man who looks at Felicity Jane, and extremely stubborn. Fortunately he is also very responsible and will sacrifice himself to save others.I absolutely loved the new character, Sonya, who is introduced rather early in the book. A true warrior and excellent handler of animals, she contributes much to aiding Xander and Felicity Jane  with several escapes in the chaotic post Z-Day world. However, the fact that Sonya and Felicity Jane couldn’t get along and fought like cats even while they were in mortal peril, really got on my nerves.Despite the few negative points I mentioned, I still think Devan Sagliani created a wonderfully realistic end of the world scenario. A scary world where cannibalistic motorbike gangs and power hungry Hitler wannabes fight for dominance. A place which had become the perfect playground for crazy scientists. Is it a wonder then when some of these elements decide to raise a zombie army or create genetically engineered monsters for personal gain?During the course of this very fast-moving book, we visit an old western town where a community of actors try and survive, as well as Xanadu, a colony of people who strive for harmony and healing. Apart from all the action, suspense and violence, there are some lovely tender moments in the story.For readers who enjoy nonstop action and loads of violence, I recommend Army of the Dead as your ultimate adrenalin fix. (Ellen Fritz)