Dead Earth: The Green Dawn

I ordered Dead Earth: The Green Dawn because the authors, Mark Justice & David Wilbanks are the host/creators/ex-host of the Podcast of Horror, which I listen to religiously. Since I listen to the podcase for free, I figured buying their book would be a good way of showing support. I figured the book itself wouldn’t be a big deal.

I was wrong, and very pleasantly surprised. Dead Earth: The Green Dawn is a superlative addition to the current zombie-fiction trend. Set in the New Mexico of the near future (2048), it is a story from the perspective of a young sheriff’s deputy named Jubal Slate, as he watches his world come to an end. An infection breaks out, from a disputed source (A military experiment gone wrong? An alien invasion?). Jubal doesn’t know how it begins; he just has to deal with its effects. He watches as a wave of illness sweeps his beloved town, people sicken and die, and then are resurrected as zombies. (Flouting a horror convention, the zombies are referred to as such in this story.) All Jubal can do is try to escape with his fiancée. The story is exhilarating, shocking and funny.

The one complaint I would register is it’s too short. However, this is billed as the prelude to subsequent books, and I’m eager to see them. Dead Earth: The Green Dawn is available through PS Publishing and the Horror Mall.