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Biohazard

3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 · rating details · 66 ratings · 13 reviews

The day after tomorrow: Nuclear fallout. Mutations. Deadly pandemics. Corpse wagons. Body pits. Empty cities. The human race trembling on the edge of extinction. Only the desperate survive. One of them is Rick Nash. But there is a price for survival: communion with a ravenous evil born from the furnace of radioactive waste. It demands sacrifice. Only it can keep Nash one s...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published March 31st 2010 by Severed Press

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Dec 09, 2010 Monster added it

Shelves: apocalyptic-adult

It is every person’s worst nightmare—nuclear war—and it’s happened. Whole cities have been completely wiped off the map. Those that are left standing are quickly becoming graveyards. What’s left of the government has instituted martial law. Corpse wagons make regular pick-ups of the dead. Radiation sickness and diseases like cholera and typhus are running rampant through what’s left of the population. Rick Nash’s wife Shelly has just died of cholera. He wants to bury her properly but that’s ill...more It is every person’s worst nightmare—nuclear war—and it’s happened. Whole cities have been completely wiped off the map. Those that are left standing are quickly becoming graveyards. What’s left of the government has instituted martial law. Corpse wagons make regular pick-ups of the dead. Radiation sickness and diseases like cholera and typhus are running rampant through what’s left of the population. Rick Nash’s wife Shelly has just died of cholera. He wants to bury her properly but that’s illegal. After weeks of barely surviving, Nash is in despair and decides to commit suicide. He is stopped by a presence that he refers to as The Shape.

Nash is unceremoniously drafted by the Army to help in the disposal of diseased bodies. He meets a young man called Specs, and after multiple disagreements with the group’s leader, they revolt and head to Cleveland. There they meet Sean, a former hit man for a biker gang out of New Jersey. Sean has been hunting Trogs, people affected by radiation sickness who live in the bombed out cellars and sewers of the city and have resorted to cannibalism. In Cleveland Rick and Specs also learn about the Hatchet Clans and the Children, and have a harrowing run-in with mutated rats. They soon meet another survivor, a young woman named Janie. Rick tells Specs, Sean, and Janie about The Shape and its need for a sacrifice. After attempting to satisfy it unsuccessfully, Specs gets sick and asks to be given over to The Shape. When it finally makes an appearance they are horrified by what they see. The Shape is a living nuclear reactor that destroys its living sacrifices on a cellular level.

Rick realizes The Shape is guiding them and on some level protecting them. The group must make regular sacrifices on the night of the full moon to keep The Shape from turning on them. Along their travels west, for that is where The Shape is guiding them, they are attacked by the Children. The same radiation that killed the adults somehow turned children under the age of ten into walking nuclear waste- if they touch you, you’re dead. The group survives two different attacks by the Hatchet Clans, large groups of people believed to be infected by a fungus who kill everything in their path. During these months on the road Rick has begun having nightmares of a Medusa-like creature bent on the survivors’ destruction. He comes to the realization that all of the places they have been to and the friends they have lost have served a purpose, although he’s not completely sure what that purpose is…..until they stop in Des Moines and meet Price.

Price is a microbiologist who worked for the U.S. Army in a biological lab with Level 4 microbes—the deadliest on the planet. Price explains that not only have people and animals been mutated in some way by the radiological fallout, but germs have too. Price himself witnessed the “birth” of Ebola-X, a deadly super-virus with a 99% infection rate and a 100% mortality rate, which turns its victims into a liquefying mass of toxic waste. This terrifies Rick, and he thinks this is the connection with his nightmares and possibly The Shape, especially after Price tells him about a bioweapons lab in Nebraska. Is this what The Shape has been driving him to? And for what purpose? Tim Curran has managed to scare the hell out of me with Biohazard and there isn’t a zombie in sight. When I was fourteen years old I watched the TV movie The Day After and that scarred me for life. I feared nuclear war because it was a real possibility. Tim Curran has brought all of those fears right back and punched me in the gut with them. The words he uses to describe all that the survivors encounter along their drive west paint an extremely frightening picture from the collapse of civilization as we know it to its final destruction at the hands of a superbug. The end is terrifying and explosive and left me reeling. Biohazard is a very dark look at the aftermath of nuclear war and there is no silver lining. It’s raw and visceral and not for the faint of heart. It will reach into your gut and squeeze as hard as it can, and even when it’s over you will be left feeling queasy. Highly recommended.

Contains: violence and gore, adult language, and disturbing sexual images

Reviewed by: Colleen Wanglund(less)

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Jan 27, 2013 Todd Russell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-person-pov, future, horror, war, post-apocalyptic, lendable-kindle

I'm sort of a sucker for post-apocalyptic tales and this clearly hits my wheelhouse with a Mack truck. The story is narrated in the first person by protagonist Rick Nash who loses his wife to a sickness following the nuclear war. Nash gets drafted to clear out dead bodies and I thought this would be a fun and creative direction for the story, but that path is quickly discarded in favor of following the voice of something mysterious and supernatural called The Shape. The Shape guides Nash and his...more I'm sort of a sucker for post-apocalyptic tales and this clearly hits my wheelhouse with a Mack truck. The story is narrated in the first person by protagonist Rick Nash who loses his wife to a sickness following the nuclear war. Nash gets drafted to clear out dead bodies and I thought this would be a fun and creative direction for the story, but that path is quickly discarded in favor of following the voice of something mysterious and supernatural called The Shape. The Shape guides Nash and his small band of followers on a path west for a hideous price: Nash must offer The Shape human sacrifices.

If I say much more, the story will be spoiled, but suffice to say, it is a city by city survival and slaughterfest.

Not a ton of character development or depth, although Rick Nash does face a few interesting interpersonal relationship conflicts.

I wish the author had provided better landmarks for each post-apocalyptic city to differentiate them. Something like, say, the Space Needle in Seattle. Without these descriptions or significant plot twists at each location, some of the city battle scenes started feeling a bit repetitive. The mutant monsters and radiation effects descriptions were good and very Curranesq (after two books, I've learned Curran is a skilled description writer). Every major city has landmarks and even though the characters intentionally avoid major cities (too hot from the radiation fallout), perhaps there could have been descriptions of landmarks to help me visualize the difference between the cities as the group of survivors makes their way west toward a shocking ending?

And yes, I loved the ending! No worries, no spoilers here, except to say it was totally Twilight Zone. I didn't enjoy the overall story as much as Dead Sea (that is setting the bar pretty high though) and was thinking 3.75 stars until the ending, which elevates it to a strong 4+-star.

You bet I'll recommend this one to horror fans. Curran is two for two with this reader. Shoot, score!(less)

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Sep 05, 2011 Adam Wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Biohazard by Tim Curran is a nice post nuclear war novel. I will say first off that it doesn't match the standards of Tim Curran's dead Sea (doesn't even come close) but it is still a very fun read that tries and succedes at dripping some originality into the very bland and unoriginal stew of apocalyptic horror. It is a strange read and has more depth than most novels like it. I found it to be very emotional through the entire book with difficult choices having to be made by Nash, our protagonis...more

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Dec 02, 2010 Colleen Wanglund rated it 5 of 5 stars

It is every person’s worst nightmare—nuclear war—and it’s happened. Whole cities have been completely wiped off the map. Those that are left standing are quickly becoming graveyards. What’s left of the government has instituted Martial Law. Corpse wagons make regular pick-ups of the dead. Radiation sickness and diseases like cholera and typhus are running rampant through what’s left of the population. Rick Nash’s wife Shelly has just died of cholera. He wants to bury her properly but that’s ille...more It is every person’s worst nightmare—nuclear war—and it’s happened. Whole cities have been completely wiped off the map. Those that are left standing are quickly becoming graveyards. What’s left of the government has instituted Martial Law. Corpse wagons make regular pick-ups of the dead. Radiation sickness and diseases like cholera and typhus are running rampant through what’s left of the population. Rick Nash’s wife Shelly has just died of cholera. He wants to bury her properly but that’s illegal. After weeks of eeking out some semblance of survival Nash has reached the depths of his despair and decides to commit suicide. He is stopped by a presence that he refers to as The Shape that he feels needs him in some way.

In his continued quest for survival in a world destroyed by the bombs Nash is unceremoniously drafted by the Army to help in the disposal of diseased bodies. He meets a young man called Specs and after multiple disagreements with the group’s leader they revolt and head to Cleveland. There they meet Sean a former hit man for a bike gang out of New Jersey. Sean has been hunting Trogs, people affected by radiation sickness who live in the bombed out cellars and sewers of the city and have resorted to cannibalism. It is while in Cleveland that Rick and Specs learn about the Hatchet Clans, the Children, and have a harrowing run-in with mutated rats. The three spend weeks together and soon pick up another survivor, a young woman named Janie. She is a beautiful girl who has not lost her moral compass or compassion. Rick tells the group of The Shape and its need for a sacrifice of some kind. After attempting to satisfy it unsuccessfully, Specs gets sick and asks to be given over to The Shape. When it finally makes an appearance they are horrified by what they see. The Shape is a living nuclear reactor that destroys its living sacrifices on a cellular level. Rick maintains his contact with it but doesn’t understand what The Shape wants from them.

The small group of survivors pick up Carl and Texas Slim. Rick realizes The Shape is guiding them and on some level protecting them. The group must make regular sacrifices on the night of the full moon and in some way it’s to keep The Shape from turning on them. While in Indiana they run into mutant mosquitoes that bleed their victims dry, sand storms that pin them down for days, and dust storms that carry enough radioactive material to burn a man to ash in minutes. Along their travels west, for that is where The Shape is guiding them, they are attacked by the Children. The Children were created by the same radiation that killed the adults but somehow it turned children under the age of ten into walking nuclear waste. If they touch you you’re dead. They pick up Gremlin and Mickey who are both told about The Shape and what they know of it so far. They manage to survive two different attacks by the Hatchet Clans large groups of people believed to be infected by a fungus and who kill everything it their path. During these months on the road Rick has begun having nightmares of a Medusa-like creature chasing them and bent on the survivors’ destruction. Rick comes to the realization that all of the places they have been to and the friends they have lost have all served a purpose, although he’s not completely sure what that purpose is…..until they stop in Des Moines and meet Price.

Price is a microbiologist who worked for the U.S. Army in a biological lab with Level 4 microbes—the deadliest on the planet. Price explains that not only have people and animals been mutated in some way by the radiological fallout but so have germs. Price himself witnessed the “birth” of Ebola-X, a deadly super-virus with a 99% infection rate and a 100% mortality rate. It turns its victims into a liquefying mass of toxic waste. This terrifies Rick and he thinks this is the connection with his nightmares and possibly The Shape, especially after Price tells him about the bioweapons lab in Nebraska. Is this what The Shape has been driving them to? And for what purpose?

Tim Curran has managed to scare the hell out of me with Biohazard and there isn’t a zombie in sight. When I was fourteen years old I watched the TV movie The Day After and that scarred me for life. I feared nuclear war because it was a real possibility. Tim Curran has brought all of those fears right back and punched me in the gut with them. The words he uses to describe all that the survivors encounter along their drive west paint an extremely frightening picture from the collapse of civilization as we know it to its final destruction at the hands of a superbug. The end is terrifying and explosive and left me reeling. Biohazard is a very dark look at the aftermath of nuclear war and there is no silver lining. It’s raw and visceral and not for the faint of heart. It will reach into your gut and squeeze as hard as it can, and even when it’s over you will be left feeling queasy.
(less)

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Aug 31, 2011 Andy rated it 4 of 5 stars

The last man on Earth sat alone in a room.
There was a knock on the door...
- from the world's shortest horror story (Frederic Knock)

I'm a fan of TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It) stories, and as well suffer a compulsion to read dark stories regarding what I'm doing. So, J.A. Jance stories when I'm flying, The Perfect Storm for boating, avian influenza for hospital visits... You get the picture. With the onset of Hurricane Irene I had to find a good TEOTWAWKI book and found it with B...more

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Dec 24, 2010 Arne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Disturbing and insanely gory apocalyptic horror.
Nuclear power has wiped away civilization and what's left of the survivors die because of extremely nasty diseases ( Ebola X - holy crap ! ), are mistreated by the army or are attacked by extremely nasty clans of mutants straight out of Fallout or are eaten/burned/torn to shreds by creations that resemble the BOW's of Resident Evil.
Tim Curran takes all of these elements and blends together a dark tale about humanity literally getting splattered acr...more

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Oct 29, 2010 DJMikeG rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was the first book I have read by Tim Curran, and I was very impressed. His take on a post-nuclear apocalyptic America is basically like a snowballing nightmare. Its starts horrifically then continues to get worse. This is really nightmarish, disgusting and disturbing stuff, and I would only recommend it to readers of iron will and iron stomach. This is dark, nihilistic horror, but I feel like Curran's heart is in the right place. This scenario makes me wish for world-wide nuclear arms deac...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Kristin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-books

Quite a whirlwind of a read. I got it on my Kindle Fire and couldn't stop reading it. Descriptions to make your hair stand on end. Scary apocalyptic vision this writer has. One word of caution-the ending does suck. But the ride getting there still made up for it. I hated when it was finally over.

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May 16, 2012 Joecon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Okay---Overuse of verbs, adverbs, & adjectives. It's good to be descriptive but not overly so. Really wanted to give it 4 stars, but I just couldn't. Wanted to quit reading it a few times, but it kept my interest enough to continue on. In a word----AVERAGE!

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Apr 08, 2013 Michel Clasquin-Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Non-stop post-apocalyptic gross-out. Just when you think the character has reached new depths of inhumanity, the next wave of horror descends. Do not read on a full stomach. That said, it's well done.

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Jul 11, 2012 Bill Davis rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book sucked big time. Don't waste your time reading it.

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Mar 22, 2012 AH marked it as to-read

Shelves: kindle-freebies, own-not-read

Kindle free download 3/22/12.

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Jan 17, 2011 Nikki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror-extreme-horror, a-dark-read, own-it-pb-or-hc

4 1/2 Stars - A great horror read!

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May 23, 2013 Brigit rated it 3 of 5 stars

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