Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #458754 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 296 pages

Synopsis
The outbreak began in 2007. It's now 2112. The crippled U.S. government is giving up in its fight against an undead plague. Military forces and aid have been withdrawn from the last coastal cities, leaving those who choose to stay in the "badlands" defenseless against hordes of zombified humans and animals. It's been a hopeless battle from the beginning. The undead, born of an otherworldly energy fused with a deadly virus, have no natural enemies. But they do have one supernatural enemy. Death himself. Descending upon the ghost town of Jefferson Harbor, Louisiana, the Grim Reaper embarks on a bloody campaign to put down the legions that have defied his touch for so long. He will find allies in the city's last survivors, and a nemesis in a man who wants to harness the force driving the zombies-a man who seeks to build an empire of the dead where America once stood.

Customer Reviews

A brilliant twist on the zombie genre
Empire provides a refreshing look at how zombie stories could and probably should be. From start to finish Dunwoody serves up as many surprises as he does brains and guts.

In a genre that is getting old and tired, rife with the Romero shuffler or the 28 days runner this book provides a welcome variety sadly lacking in today's undead entertainment. Empire deals with what happens 100 years after the dead have won, in a world where humans have only ever known fear and suffering. As a few survivors clutch to old habits and responsibilities there are those that have plans stemming from even older traditions.

The story progresses from the point of view of several groups of survivors, each with their own well-developed backstory. As Empire moves towards its conclusion via rich subplots and twists galore you won't want to put it down.

The Grim Reaper takes on some zombies
I'm not really sure what to make of this story. Basically, if you like zombie novels then give it a go, but if you don't then stay clear. There are some interesting ideas going on, but I found the whole thing a little bit confusing and I had seen most of those good ideas somewhere before.

This zombie story is unusual in that it's set around 100 years after a zombie pandemic destroys a significant portion of the world. Most zombie novels are over within a very short time frame after the outbreak occurs, but in this one there is some sort of civilisation a long time later. There's no apparent end to the zombie menace, but people are basically getting on with things, mostly inside walled cities, and there is some sort of semi-functioning government, army and police force (and even luxuries such rock stars and journalists!), not just people struggling to survive. It's a bit of a grim existance, but it's a lot better than I would have thought possible given the circumstances.

The story is set in a city in Louisiana and features a variety of groups of people. They all have some sort of background and sub-plot, some of which come together as the story progresses. That's great, but some of these sub-plots are never really resolved in my opinion, and there are some very weird characters. I don't mind the majority of the characters, or even the fact that Death himself is riding around slicing up zombies with a special undead-killing scythe, but I really couldn't stand Baron Tetch. He lives in the nearby swamp with one living girl and a group of 'pet' zombies that he has some sort of magical hold over. He reminded me of the 'Monster Nation' and 'Monster Planet' books by David Wellington, but not done as well.

Anyway, I'm rambling a bit. If you're a zombie fan, then by all means read this book. It's not bad, but don't expect a masterpiece.

A bit odd... but it well written
I've read nearly every zombie book out there I guess so I had to read this too. It's a bit odd really with 'Death' riding about killing zombies and some very strange other stuff going on. Well written over-all I guess but not that great on the storyline. I found it a little too easy to put down (and read four other books while this was on the go). But you never know maybe this is just the book for you if you collect 'zombie' and want a departure from the 'science/virus' approach.