by L.D. King
In 2036 the zombie outbreak exploded throughout the world. Hundreds of thousands of people were being killed daily around the world. Nothing man did could stop the zombies. The zombies moved forward like a conquering army.
For nearly a year, the world as they knew it, had ground to a stop. Every utility, communication and transportation that had existed was gone. They had been replaced with surviving from one day to next.
During that same year the number of zombies had grown. They had been able to kill hundreds of millions or even several billion people worldwide. There was no way to keep an accurate count of the killed and missing. Adding to the zombie killings bandits were killing other survivors for their meager supplies.
The Destruction Begins follows groups of people as they fight to survive the zombie outbreak. They fight for their lives. They fight just to survive. A year of fighting nothing mankind did stopped the zombies. The human race was doomed.
After a year of the killings there was still no relief in sight. If the zombies could not be stopped, and stopped quickly, the human race on the planet Earth would cease to exist.
My Take:
When a group of teens head to New York City for a last getaway adventure before heading off to college, they have no idea they are going to be meeting up with zombies in an abandoned subway they were using as a shortcut. I mean, zombies don't exist, do they?
From that brief encounter in NYC, to a simultaneous encounter in Australia, and similar occurrences at the same time around the globe, zombies have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. And they seem to be on a mission to kill every human still alive. Join us or die. Or rather, die and join us.
The zombies appear to be horrifically mutated and rotting versions of their former selves, lumbering deceptively quickly around ripping people to shreds in a bloodbath of mayhem and death worldwide. There doesn't seem to be any way to stop them. Baseball bats, clubs, and bullets don't even seem to faze them. I mean, how do you stop somebody that's already dead?
From Egypt to Russia, Australia to NYC, they are everywhere at once and taking people down. Is this the last gasp of the human race?
From that brief encounter in NYC, to a simultaneous encounter in Australia, and similar occurrences at the same time around the globe, zombies have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. And they seem to be on a mission to kill every human still alive. Join us or die. Or rather, die and join us.
The zombies appear to be horrifically mutated and rotting versions of their former selves, lumbering deceptively quickly around ripping people to shreds in a bloodbath of mayhem and death worldwide. There doesn't seem to be any way to stop them. Baseball bats, clubs, and bullets don't even seem to faze them. I mean, how do you stop somebody that's already dead?
From Egypt to Russia, Australia to NYC, they are everywhere at once and taking people down. Is this the last gasp of the human race?
Content:
Drug Content:
PG - There seems to be very little in the way of drinking in the novel. That is, there are a few wild parties, and a couple people get out of control, but overall the booze is not present through much of the story.
Violence:
R+ - Zombies are on a rampage, and from the opening paragraphs where people are ripped to shreds, disemboweled and left to die in their own entrails, it's incredibly graphic. If blood, guts, and stench are an issue for you, this is a good one to give a pass on. If it's your thing, you'll be gratified to know that there's a lot of it.
Language:
R - The F-bomb is quite common in this book, milder expletives occur but are not even as common. The language is adult, not teen.
Adult Content:
PG - As gruesome as the violence is, I would have expected a significant amount of adult content, but this book is fairly clean in the regards to sex. In passing some mention is made to characters pairing up but for the most part the sex lives of the characters are completely off set.
Christian content:
Ah, pretty much nada. In fact, the only characters that seem to mention their deity are the Muslims. Not sure how much of that is simple conversation, because prayer rugs or praying towards Mecca wasn't in existence. I don't think Christ came up even as a swear word.
Final analysis:
I'm really not big on horror, though I am not turned off by it. And I rarely give a book low marks just based on the genre, and I won't here either. But while the story line was rather exciting, the shocking level of the gore was almost desensitizing, as common as it was, and many people simply stood there in shock waiting to be the next shredded victim. It took an amazing amount of distance in the book to pass major reveals in the plot, and many of the characters you might get involved in, partially because of their significant backstory, simply ran into a group of zombies and died.
The characters were relatively three-dimensional, though their struggles before the outbreak seemed superficial, vain, and self-indulgent. Some of them were likeable, honorable even. But some just reminded me of the boys in Lord of the Flies; left without restraint, they just went bad. The plot is interesting enough, and the post-apocalyptic backdrop is pretty well described. It's immersive, but the pacing just dragged horribly, and there were far too many characters to follow, all over the world. The author was obviously trying to give a feel for the global nature of the zombie apocalypse, but there was far too much text for the plot, and too much author intrusion into the story line, for me to enjoy the adventure. Three Stars.
The characters were relatively three-dimensional, though their struggles before the outbreak seemed superficial, vain, and self-indulgent. Some of them were likeable, honorable even. But some just reminded me of the boys in Lord of the Flies; left without restraint, they just went bad. The plot is interesting enough, and the post-apocalyptic backdrop is pretty well described. It's immersive, but the pacing just dragged horribly, and there were far too many characters to follow, all over the world. The author was obviously trying to give a feel for the global nature of the zombie apocalypse, but there was far too much text for the plot, and too much author intrusion into the story line, for me to enjoy the adventure. Three Stars.
About the Author:
I have been a resident of Las Vegas for over 46 years. I grew up on a working a cattle ranch near Silverton Oregon. In Silverton High School I was a starting lineman for the school’s football team. During my last two years I became a bull rider with the rodeo. In the late 1960’s I proudly served my country in the U.S. Army.
After my time in the Army was over I moved to Las Vegas for my health. Oregon was just too wet me. My first job in Las Vegas I programmed slot machines for casinos on the famous Las Vegas Strip. In my spare time I started to perform as a standup comedian in the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. As my fame as a comedian grew so did my bookings.
I am an outgoing person. I quickly grew tired of the cubicle. I left my day job of programming slot machines. I started a small construction company building and remodeling homes in Las Vegas. After many years of being a contractor my injuries, the desert heat and I was getting a little long in the tooth. I sold my construction company.
Owning a construction company I was still able to perform as a standup comic. Following the sale of my construction company I took a booking on a cruise ship plying the waters of the Mexican Riviera. Years of late nights and smoky rooms I left comedy for good.
Following comedy I became a residential real estate agent. For the next 25 years of my life I sold homes in Las Vegas.
25 years of being a real estate agent I have recently retired to pursue my writing full time.
Throughout my career as a slot programmer, comedian, contractor and real estate agent I held a private pilot’s license. With a number of relationships with casino host’s in a number of casinos. I offered a unique service to the casino host’s. I would fly their high-rollers or whales to one of the many legal bordellos in Nevada. I did this for many years. As my age crept up on me my injuries that I received as a professional bull riding grounded my career as a pimp. I could still fly, just not with paying customers.
What I am most proud of is being married to my wonderful bride. Our marriage brought 6 children together into a blended family. My hobbies are cooking and building hot rods.
Today, I am a proud husband, father and grandfather to my blended family with 6 children and 4 grandchildren.
Drawing from my various careers I is able to add a unique twist to my novels as I brings them to life.
