Review: Both Frightening and Hopeful
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 13, 2013
Omega Zero opens with Trent Hazen, former Marine who has seemingly gone bad, dealing Crystal Meth to an undercover agent. He escapes with a bag full of cash that was to go to his supplier and ends up on the run, hiding in the woods. Eventually he runs out of supplies and stumbles back to the world of the living intent on turning himself in just so he can eat. He soon discovers that the world he knew is no longer and staying in the woods might have been the better option. For everyone.In this all-too-plausible scenario given our global world, Ryan Henry has created a fast-paced, thrilling ride into what could happen if a pandemic virus is unwittingly unleashed in our modern world. What would keep us safe? How would survivors protect themselves? What would happen to one's psyche if seeming immunity came with its own price? And ultimately, would survivors rethink their previous lives and use their remaining time for different, less selfish pursuits?Omega Zero is both a post-apocalyptic story and a story of redemption. While not fully fleshed out - shorter stories don't really provide the time or space to do so - the characters are compelling and flawed, as humans typically are. I can easily see this being crafted into a much larger piece of work. The author has a great voice, full command of language and how it works, and has created a world that is both frightening and hopeful.There is very little that scares me when it comes to books - the two topics that freak me out the most are natural disasters and the idea that an illness can create havoc enough to wipe out a large portion of humanity. To say that Omega Zero left me feeling unsettled is an understatement. And that's what I loved about it most.