The Zombie Virus

The Zombie Virus #1

by Paul Hetzer

Hidden inside each of us, buried deep in our DNA are remnants of code from ancient viral infections. Scientists call these pieces of code fossil viruses. Usually this code lies harmlessly inert in a species, and over successive generations, mutations further reduce its capacity to ever code for what it once was. But what if an embedded viral RNA strand remained dormant and unchanged for millennia, only waiting for the correct missing nucleotide to bring it back to life? Dr. Steven McQuinn lives with his lovely wife, Holly and ten year old son, Jeremy in a quiet suburban home in Maryland. A virologist at the U.S. Army’s Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), he has been on the forefront in studying some of the hottest pathogens on the planet, but nothing has prepared him for what he is about to face. Something that everyone in his field once thought of as impossible has happened–a pandemic has spread instantaneously around the planet infecting most of the world’s population. Worldwide, people are becoming sick and falling into deep comas. Only a few seem to be immune. As McQuinn and the research team at USAMRIID race against time to discover what the mystery pathogen is and how it could have infected an entire planet so quickly, the laboratory becomes progressively isolated from the outside world. News stations drop off the air and the team loses contact with outside resources; they are on their own in this seemingly insurmountable fight. It appears that a Pandora’s Box has been opened, unleashing a mindless evil upon mankind. Even USAMRIID is not isolated from the disease and the infection quickly rages through the staff like an out of control wildfire. The real horror reveals itself when the infected awaken from their comas with a virus-ravaged brain that harbors an insatiable fury. The infected are now no more than enraged rabid animals that savagely attack with deadly intent. Forced to leave the facility, Steven rushes home to his family through the post-apocalyptical landscape that has befallen the world. They set out on the road to find sanctuary in the country. Meeting up with other uninfected survivors the growing group will have to fight their way through hordes of infected as they discover that no place is really safe. No matter how prepared you are, how cautious you try to be, your best laid plans are not enough to protect you from the Zombie Virus.

Genres: Zombies

219 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 6, 2015

Reviews

[Irving Drinkwine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a very enjoyable Zombie Series (I'm just going to write one review of both books in the series).
Plot summary:
People all over the world become infected and turn into zombies overnight in a fairly novel way. 10% of the people ( I think that is the figure used in one of the books) are immune to the INITIAL infection but not the secondary infection of "Zombie-ism."
The main character is a PhD in some microbiology field and also, believe it or not, he is a prepper. I hope that is not a spoiler? The story really gets rolling once Dr. Steven McQuinn decides to leave his lab, pick up his uninfected family and head for the hills....well, a farm actually, out in the middle of nowhere. Adventures ensue as they pick up people and lose people along the way to the farm. A mere six hour road trip that turns into months of travel.

I consider the two books in this series to be a light read - I read both in less then a week. However I have two caveats to this. One - Mr.Hetzer talks a bit about DNA, RNA and Viruses at the beginning of the series and several other times. Either Mr.Hetzer has a background in these areas or he took the trouble to do a good job on researching this information. Normally this would make the book a more difficult read, a heavier tomb, but I feel the author presented this information in both an understandable and interesting way. I may be biased myself because of my background, so please let me know what you think about that information he provided regarding "fossil DNA".
The other thing the author did that I usually don't find in a light read is that he invoked some very strong emotion in this reader. Of course I was upset when any of the characters were killed, or as upset as I could be from reading a book (Ol' Yeller/Where The Red Ferns Grow this book is not.) However there were two parts that really upset me, in fact, it made me wish I was there helping to right some wrong. I'll not put what happened down here, but if you read the bookS, you will no doubt know which parts I am speaking of. But despite this pulling on my heart strings I still classify these books as light reads.

Final Verdict: I enjoyed the two books in the series. Well worth the money, in fact I feel I got more the my monies worth. The initial infection was I felt novel and I had not seen it before though I had thought about something LIKE that. The rest of the books was fairly typically of zombie books but what I feel really made these two books much better then most of the zombie books I have read is the fact that I was pulled into the series. I worked with Steven in the lab, rode with him on his way to his family. I crawled with him through the sewers. I was in the book as I read. To me, this is the sign of a very very good book. This sets this series apart from the rest. There were just two books in the series but I do hope that Mr.Hetzer will write another book in the series though I'm not so sure how he would do this given the end of Book 02. But if he writes a 3rd, 4th or 5th book, I'm there. Willingly.


I should note that I read the Kindle Version, I'm unsure if that is important or not.

[Dawn Peers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zombie Virus is a solid, methodical and well-researched addition to a genre that is usually overburdened with half-baked action scenes and infection backstories with the depth of a shallow puddle.

Enter Paul Hetzer, and book one of his Zombie Virus series.

The first few chapters are overwhelming - from the prehistoric origins of the virus, through to the initial human outbreak itself, Hetzer bombards the reader with information - in a good way. The first fifth of the book deals with the outbreak itself, and the efforts of our protag, Steve, in finding a cure for the infection. The infection in this book seems more virulent than most, and people immune to the initial infection are few and far between.

After the science, comes the action - and fans of the genre will not be disappointed with the blood, guts and gore found within. Our protag and his family, picking up friends on the way, must try and make their way out of infected population centres, to the safety of their farm steading to see out the infection.

Of course, things are not that simple.

With great pacing, credible, well-thought characters and a wonderful infection premise, this is a title that will not disappoint genre fans.

[Matthew Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Andromeda Strain" Meets Walking Dead

I really enjoyed this book. Before I loved zombie doom, I loved disease doom. I remember watching "Andromeda Strain" over and over as a kid, so I really appreciated these elements being added to a zombie tale. The start has a very "Darwin's Radio" feel. Don't worry, there is plenty of gun porn and ugly situations, too, but the additional science element hooked me early on.

I also like the fact that, because these zombies are created by a virus, they are actually living beings, not dead, and continue to behave as such when it makes sense: they sleep, they seek shade from the sun, etc., as long as there are not aware of any tasty people to eat.