White Flag of the Dead

Author(s): Joseph Talluto

Publisher: Severed Press

Publication Date: 2010

Name of Reviewer: JD Gillam

Review: I don't know about anyone else, but I tire of the endless use of “…….of the Dead” in movies and novels. Titles should have some imagination. But hey, never judge a book by its title or cover. The author explains in a preamble that he got into the zombie genre after reading Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide , which, let's face it, is as good a place as any to start a love affair with our deadite chums.

The story is based around John Talon, a single father due to the zombie outbreak, who strives to survive the aftermath and keep himself and his infant son, Jake, safe from the Enillo virus that has decimated mankind. We have a brief introduction to normality before the brown stuff hits the fan. This is good as, let's face it, we know what the real world is like, so there is no need to bog us down with chapter after chapter of set up before the big reveal. I felt similarities with the film Right Outside Your Door , as I read the description of the speedy breakdown of humanity and authority. Not a bad thing and it always helps that you can understand the motivations behind the main character's actions. Once the proverbial dice have been rolled, the story slows a little as Talon comes to terms with the new world order that has been put into place and carefully considers all his options.

His lack of rashness is understandable considering his vocation before the end of the world, a school administrator. I found his familiarity with guns slightly strange considering his previous job, but was able to put that to one side. Although naming lots of different guns is not a sure way to tell a great tale. There are some nicely described altercations with the zombies (or Z's or Zed's as they become known) and there is a certain ick factor to some of the gore, without being over the top.

The pace starts to pick up when Talon decides to leave the family home and move out into the unknown. I found it quite funny to imagine him riding around on his pedal bike, avoiding the zombie hordes, but as the story progresses, you learn that this was a genius idea by the character. There are lots of other characters that come into the story, with more than your fair share of clichéd zombie story characters, but then it's realistic to expect that if the apocalypse did happen, the best and worst of mankind would rise to the surface in those that survived. The main issue for me here is that the tale of a father and his son trying to survive after a zombie outbreak and meeting and interacting with a whole plethora of characters that he encounters along the way, getting into lots of different and difficult situations has been done before in this genre.

I challenge you to read this book and not have constant comparisons in your head to Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead . That's not a bad comparison to have bestowed upon your first book, but this doesn't quite live up to that billing.

 

Zombie Fear Factor: 2 Brains out of 5

The book seems quite realistic, and the fears of a single father trying to keep his son safe in a world populated by the living dead are evident. Overall, the author tries his best to convey the usual law of the land that human survivors are a bigger threat than the zombies themselves. However, apart from a couple of instances where we are introduced to individuals who have reverted to their baser instincts, the scare factor just isn't there.

Zombie Behaviour: 4 Brains out of 5

These are your common or garden variety zombies. Just how we want them. Slow, dumb and after your flesh. There are a couple of moments where it is hinted that there may be some kind of background evolution going on with the zombies, this is forgotten as quickly as it is introduced. It would be interesting to see where the author wanted to go with this sub-plot, but sadly, we are not going to find out in this volume. There is a fantastically horrible set piece involving zombie heads, but I won't spoil it for you if you want to read the book.

Zombie Threat: 3 Brains out of 5

These zombies are dangerous in groups – again, ticking the boxes that we expect for our favourite flesh munchers, but weak individually. These zombies also freeze in the winter, so in certain parts of the world, they are only dangerous for a few months of the year. When they are able to move around, they can do just what you expect – let your guard down and you're in trouble – but little more.

Gore Content: 2.5 Brains out of 5

There are a couple of wonderful set pieces that push the gore up, and the early descriptions of the reanimated cadavers paint some not-so-pretty pictures. However, when the story concentrates more on the main group, the gore factor is lost entirely and sometimes you forget that this is a zombie story.

Overall Quality: 2 Brains out of 5

Ok, firstly, I have to state that this is Talluto's first book and I salute anyone who has a novel published. However, I feel that it is my responsibility to give a truthful review. Whoever proof-read the book did a poor job. There are quite a few errors in there as you go. BUT, this did not deter me from the story. As the story is told in first person, the characterisation suffers, but when you include literally hundreds of characters, it's hard to make the others stand out, even the main ones. This is especially true when characters pop in from seemingly nowhere and although Talon has spent time with them, as a reader, you may struggle to connect with them all.

The pace of the book tends to get bogged down with repetition and the author does occasionally show ability to kick into high gear – one obvious instance being a rip-roaring final chapter – but it happens on too few occasions. There are lots of loose ends and hints about people and places, but these are unsatisfactorily dealt with. It may be because this is apparently book one of a series, but I'm not sure that I will rush out to follow the future exploits of John Talon and his group of followers.

There are too many better genre books out there waiting to be read first.

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