Partial Review: No Easy Hope

I’ve been one of those people who are called spectators. I enjoy watching from the sidelines and cheer/boo people on. This would be mighty applicable with my fascination for anything zombie-themed. I like watching movies, reading books and even the walkthroughs of epic zombie games like Left 4 Dead and the Resident Evil series. But when it comes to actually being part of a world that is dominated by zombies (think 28 Days Later and The Walking Dead), I am pretty sure I’d be one of the first to freeze up, squeal like a sissy girl and cause myself more harm than good. I’d rather play Plants vs Zombies than play Left 4 Dead, which I know will induce a few white hairs and an increased heart rate.

So I am currently reading this ebook I got from Amazon.com. The title is No Easy Hope (Surviving the Dead) Book 1 by James N. Cook. It only costs around $4 and it’s a pretty easy read. It’s a first person perspective of protagonist Eric Riordan, where he narrates his life in a zombie-infested world. He then takes us back to a few years prior to the outbreak where he meets Gabriel Garrett, former scout sniper in the Marine Corps. To explain without giving up too many details, Gabe was aware of a virus that can kill people and bring them back to life as flesh-thirsty monsters. He and Eric prepared for the inevitable and true enough, when the virus took to the streets, they were capable of defending and caring for themselves.

I’m only 54% done in the novel (according to my Kindle App) but I would like to share that what struck and surprised me the most in the story so far was when Eric was watching the virus spread on TV. It’s that feeling of helplessness as well as frantic anticipation of the bad things that will start coming your way. Despite the fact that the hero had a well-equipped bunker in his semi-isolated home, there is still tension and nervous wonder if you’ll ever survive.
Is this preparation enough?
Do I have enough to last me weeks? Months? Years?
Is this the life I’ll live for the rest of my life?

It was the waiting and wondering that really got to me...how long do you think you’ll hide before deciding to go out into a new world?

...to be continued...