Thunder and Ashes: Morningstar Strain by Z.A Recht
January 3, 2010
I downloaded the Audible audio book for this hot on the heels of finishing “Plague of the Dead”, Recht’s first book in the Morningstar Strain series.
Finished it today at the gym (Recht’s audio books seem queerly good to work out to) and on the whole I wasn’t disappointed.
Firstly, don’t get me wrong – I wasn’t looking for epic literature listening to these books, and if that’s what you’re hoping for, well, why are you listening to or reading a zombie novel? “Thunder and Ashes”, as with “Plague of the Dead” gives you simply and straightforward action from the outset.
It carries on the stories of Anna Demilio and Francis Sherman, along with a few other stereotype survivors (journalist, soldier, loner, medic) with some expendable “extras” chucked in for good measure along the way. They are looking to find a way to Omaha to a research institute, in order to find a vaccine to the Morningstar virus which essentially turns its victims into zombies.
The only disappointments in this book were the ‘twist’ at the end which I unfortunately saw coming a mile off, and the “American Values” played out where Sherman and his survivors spend half the book assisting saving a town they come across. Still, the action therein is written well enough, and I enjoyed the lot from start to finish.
If you’re an Audible member, then this book is well worth a credit. Really not sure why the price tag on the book is so high on Amazon – it may be worth waiting for it to come down a tad before purchasing the book itself. Still a good 4 out of 5 read.
