Plague of the Dead
The Morningstar Saga
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4.2 • 155 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
The “zombie apocalypse,” once on the fringes of horror, has become one of the most buzzworthy genres in popular culture. Now, in Plague of the Dead, Z.A. Recht delivers an intelligent, gripping thriller that will leave both new and die-hard zombie fans breathless.
The end begins with a viral outbreak unlike anything mankind has ever encountered before. The infected are subject to delirium, fever, a dramatic increase in violent behavior, and a one-hundred percent mortality rate. But it doesn’t end there. The victims return from death to walk the earth. When a massive military operation fails to contain the living dead it escalates into a global pandemic. In one fell swoop, the necessities of life become much more basic. Gone are petty everyday concerns. Gone are the amenities of civilized life. Yet a single law of nature remains: Live, or die. Kill, or be killed. On one side of the world, a battle-hardened general surveys the remnants of his command: a young medic, a veteran photographer, a brash Private, and dozens of refugees, all are his responsibility—all thousands of miles from home. Back in the United States, an Army colonel discovers the darker side of Morningstar virus and begins to collaborate with a well-known journalist to leak the information to the public...and the Morningstar Saga has begun.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The struggle for survival is relayed with elegance and humility in Ratner's autobiographical debut novel set in Khmer Rouge era Cambodia. Raami is seven when civil war erupts, and she and her family are forced to leave Phnom Penh for the countryside. As minor royalty, they're in danger; the Khmer Rouge is systematically cleansing the country of wealthy and educated people. Escaping their Phnom Penh home aboard a rusty military vehicle, a gold necklace is traded for rice, and literacy can mean death; "They say anyone with glasses reads too much... the sign of an intellectual." Amid hunger, the loss of much of her family, and labor camp toil, Raami clings to the beauty that her father has shown her in traditional mythology and his own poetry. Raami's story closely follows that of Ratner's own: a child when the Khmer Rouge took over in 1975, she endured years under their rule until she and her mother escaped to the United States in 1981. This stunning memorial expresses not just the terrors of the Khmer Rouge but also the beauty of what was lost. A hauntingly powerful novel imbued with the richness of old Cambodian lore, the devastation of monumental loss, and the spirit of survival.
Customer Reviews
Fantastic
Best undead novel I've read in some time. High quality writing, the kind an adult misses when searching out novels revolving around zombies. Downloading the next one now.
Loved it
I really loved this, a real page turner! A different spin from a military view point!
Less than expected
Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve read so many other zombie books and seen more than my share of zombie movies. I just could not see giving more than 3 stars to this effort. It starts out ok, but then struggles because it knows it has a sequel coming. I like continuing storylines, but not a drop and run for the next book. What can I say in its favor? The military references are spot on. I’ve worked with Army soldiers, and this is an extraordinarily good representation of them.