The Newsflesh Trilogy

The Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant is the latest sequence of zombie novels I have read. It has a different take on most zombie stories which marks it out as different. The main characters are all on line reporters (apparently very big in a world with zombies). They hunt down stories around a world partially infested by zombies twenty five years ago. The virus was caused by an attempt at a cure for cancer that turned into a mutated virus turning people into flesh crazed zombies.

It is not cut in the classic mould of the zombie story. There are no shopping malls or waking up just as the outbreak starts. The two main characters are well written and whilst not always likable they come across as people you would like to know.

The three books give a nice story arc which you can really get into. It has a political back story where the team are closely associated with the President and Vice-President on the United States. As well as the zombies there a government agency at work. The Centre for Disease Control has ballooned since the outbreak and has developed a status somewhat similar to the CIA making decisions behind the presidents back.

The virus has been around long enough for the world to change. Buildings have excessive security. There are portable testing kits, a decent bio hazard kit including portable testing kits. Most terrifyingly as all mammals above a certain weight turn to zombies when they die, most people are now vegetarian. Imagine that a world full of vegetarians. i would sooner have the zombies.

My only critique would be that are slightly too many "poignant" deaths of important secondary characters whenever there is a dramatic climax.

If you like zombies, it's worth a read.