While it bothers me alot that this is the first book of Brian Keene’s that I can’t give a four star review; I can at least say that Dead Sea is not a bad book, but that it is an enjoyable one. Probably where my problem with the book stems from is that knowing Keene’s style and the fact that I’ve read the majority of his books; I was able to predict the ending. Usually Keene spins you around at the end and hits you with a one, two punch. In Dead Sea you get an entertaining story, but in my case a predictable ending.
It’s probably safe to say that Dead Sea is Keene’s tribute to the Romero zombie. Like many of his readers know, the Keene zombies from the likes of The Rising and City of the Dead come to be by the soul leaving a body after death and being taken over by a demon from the void. Dead Sea is a book within itself, and does not relate to either The Rising or City of the Dead. However there is a quick mention of a certain character from the books. Keene seems to like to include stories and character from within his universe. The zombies in Dead Sea are the slow Romero zombies that we all know from the Romero films. However they are not the dead that just rise up from ground for no reason. In this book the zombie curse is a result of a virus that can be acquired if someone with the virus, (simply know as Hamelin’s Revenge) bites you or you get their blood on you in some way or form.
Dead Sea is about a gay black man named Lamar Reed whom is trapped up in his apartment trying to survive the mayhem out on the streets. Lamar lives in the inner city of Baltimore Maryland, and his neighborhood is not know for it’s coffee shops and great hospitality if you catch my drift. After a huge fire breaks out and the zombie hoards raid the streets, Lamar is forced to leave his home and try to fight his way to safety. While trying to make his way to a better place, he finds himself surrounded by the living dead only to be rescued by two young children. A brother and sister named Malik and Tasha. The children agree to move on with Lamar to find a better place as the city is burning all around them. They then find themselves in trouble again only to be rescued by a gun toting bible salesman’s named Mitch. Mitch becomes part of their little family and they find their way together to Baltimore Harbor when they are rescued at the last second by a small group of people whom are going out to sea on a Coast Guard ship known as the Spratling. While on the boat they realize that they are part of a twenty one person crew. For the most part everyone seems to get along, but of course there is always the villain aboard and the book establishes a whole archetype of characters. I won’t give that part away. Anyway the crew tries to get back to land to get supplies and even debates heading out to sea and looking for a new place to start human civilization over. However they soon find out that they have more to worry about than the problem on land. I’ll leave it at that!!!!
Keene as always writes great characters that as a reader you can either relate too or know of a person that is similar to the characters. Keene’s writing as always is top notch and he always keep the plot moving and throws his characters in too hair-raising situations. Keene also adds his elements to the zombie genre, while the characters and zombies can be easily related to Romero’s films; in this book it’s in a more up to date fashion. Keene still is able to keep the story as his own and not make it similar to Romero story like most authors and film makers fail to do with the zombie genre.
While I think that out of all the Keene books I’ve read this is probably his weakest one, it is still a great book. I think a lot of people who enjoy Romero’s movies will love this book, probably better than they did The Rising or City of the Dead. However the reader must keep in the mind the greatness in the story and the originality in which Keene brings to the story and the sub-genre of zombie horror as a whole. Dead Sea is a fun book, one of which brings us to a place never before visited in the zombie universe. While it’s not a typical Keene book, with a typical Keene ending the book is full of great twist and turns as the story moves on. Even though I found the ending to be predicable; I still enjoyed reading the novel in the four days it took me to read it. I tend to read Keene’s books more quickly that any other horror writer out there. Being the slow reader that I am. On that note when Dead Sea hits books stores in late July it’s well worth picking up and giving it a read. Especially if your a big fan of Keene and the zombie genre.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
