Review: "Reanimates" the Zombie Genre
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 29, 2012
Wormwood jumped out at me from a review by a prolific Zombie apocalypse blogger. At that point, I was a commercial fiction zombie fan...whatever the masses found appealing (World War Z). Michael McFarland's story opened my eyes to the potential of this genre, with his no-holds-barred, clever approach to the zombie apocalypse.McFarland chose to add several layers of menace to his story beyond the spreading zombie threat. Particularly, he focuses considerable energy describing the thin veneer of community bonds in a suburban setting. Instead of the usual group of conveniently skilled, cooperative survivors, we are treated to a loosely knit group of neighbors, who have to pool their limited skills to survive. Each household is different, with their own agenda and concept of preparing to defend against a horrible threat seen only through inexplicably bizarre media clips. Readers are exposed to the full spectrum of responses. Denial, shock, obliviousness, hardcore preparation...and the unthinkable.Their first foray into town convinces them that a perverse version of Darwinism has emerged as the rule of law in the nearby township and that future trips into town would be ill advised. No zombies have arrived, but in a scene reminiscent of Deliverance, the reader will quickly agree that hunkering down on their secluded street might be the best approach to surviving. Easier said than done, as Deliverance makes house calls. This is where the novel breaks new ground in my opinion...and the ground does break open (as it should in a zombie novel).The zombie rising has an explanation. Nothing earth shattering, but the scientific explanation lends credibility to a genre that typically just thrusts you in the middle of the zombie apocalypse (I enjoy this type of story too...very much so). Without venturing too far into spoiler territory, it takes the neighborhood crew a little time to figure out exactly how the Wormwood virus affects the dead and living.**A quick note. This was the only time I was nearly screaming at the characters and thought I had found flaw in the book. In my mind, I only need to see one reanimation to go into hyper vigilance mode. Even the most competent characters seemed to be slow to react. Still, I have no idea how I'd truly react if I saw one of my neighbors stumble at me from their house.**This slow learning curve pushes the novel into dark territory, even for the zombie genre. There are a few scenes that will be nearly impossible to erase from your memory. One scene in particular. If you are a horror fan, the book is worth reading for this scene alone. Once you figure out how the Wormwood virus works, you can see it coming...but nothing will prepare you for McFarland's masterful description. I was cringing...which is not an easy feat for an author to accomplish (especially with me). Beyond the neighborhood, the novel breaks into the more traditional zombie chase, run and shoot fest...all in scenes that will please hardcore readers of the zombie genre.Overall, this is a solid expansion of the genre that readers should consider, especially if you feel that you are stalling out in your zombie reading. It will "reanimate" your interest.