A City Infected Book Review
Kyle Runner is a cop for the sole reason of supporting his
daughter even though they have a strained relationship because of his
separation from his adulterous wife. Kyle lives in New York City years after it
is infected with a virus that produces a variety of zombies. Instead of running
and hiding like in typical zombie movies and books, the humans have adjusted.
They are armed and most times more dangerous than the infected. A corporate
giant, Crest Hominal, has emerged and the government is a joke.
Kyle is infected in the first chapter. He hopes to be gunned
down by the chief of police thereby securing the pension that would take care
of his daughter after his death. But Kyle doesn't get gunned down and he
doesn't become a zombie. (There is a great surprise here.) He instead enters
the twisted world of Crest Hominal.
I really liked the world building. This is a very creative
New York City. I liked that the people are not holed up in the country
surrounded by a fence waiting for food supplies to run out. People are living
everyday lives--even if it's a bit twisted. Of course New York City is cut off
from the more desirable infection-free
places beyond the "fire." (There is great description and
foreshadowing about it that I liked a lot.)
In the infected area you do what it takes to survive even if
it means becoming a police officer. Corruption is everywhere, goes from top to
bottom and everyone has an opportunity to rise. Kyle takes his opportunity to
rise in Crest Hominal for his daughter while still trying to be the "good
guy." Kyle is funny and has a twisted sense of humor. ("Twisted"
--There's that word again. Seriously I couldn't think of another more fitting
word.) I was laughing out loud at the stuff he was doing and saying. My
favorite was when he went to see Senior and did his own pat down. You have to
read it to know what I'm talking about. I also enjoyed the "monsters"
and "superpowers."
As far as the storyline, I had to knock off 2 stars: One
because I had an overall feeling that I was missing a lot. I attribute this to
Mr. Northington, a genuinely unique character that spoke like a walking
dictionary. I could've liked him but he frustrated me. I could only guess what
the heck he was saying for a large portion of the book. I would have never
finished reading if I stopped to look up every word he said. Even then, I
honestly don't think I would've understood. He was an essential character and
that's what frustrated me the most. I got the jist of what happened, but I felt
out of the loop on what was going on underneath it all. I really would've liked
to know.
I took off the other star because I didn't really know what
the plot was. Kyle's driving force was his daughter, but I had no clue what he
was supposed to be doing to secure her future. Although all the places and
people he met that involved his "job" were entertaining, I still
didn't get all of it. I chalk some of that up to Mr. Northington's impressive vocabulary.
Then Kyle risks everything and faces "monsters" for what? Ask Mr. Northington because he has all the answers. Maybe
I should've put his dialog in Google translator. (smile) But seriously I
thought Kyle should've come out better in the end hero-wise. I think he gets
jipped.
To sum up: This is not the genre I usually read. But I liked
the concept, creative characters and "zombies." Kyle is an original
and funny character. But I was just incredibly lost on the plot details. Also,
beware of the strong erotic elements if that's not your thing. However, it made
for an interesting plot device.
Rating 3/5
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