Review: Surprising Formula
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 4, 2012
The explosion of zombie fiction has produced a range of quality. All attack the genre with earnest but the vast majority are uninspired and repetitive. Once in awhile an author either finds a new way of approaching the undead or does a stellar job of tackling the common formula. In the case of Cordyceps, author Duncan accomplishes both. He provides a new take on shambling hordes of former living humans that I will leave for you to discover. What I will comment on is how he injects freshness into the situations encountered by the small band of survivors given how the story is framed. The author smartly chooses a plot that has the southern section of Florida cordoned off as that is where the outbreak starts. This gives him a tremendously scary backdrop for the action as we are treated to harrowing scenes of refugees heading north. It is an interesting glimpse into how society may react with many parallels to what happened with Katrina ("the civilized world is only nine meals away from anarchy"). This was an entertaining take on the genre that moved with speed and interest.