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Book cover of State of Decay
Detective Fiction, Alternate Realities - Fiction, Horror, Social Science Fiction, Other Science Fiction Categories

State of Decay

by James Knapp
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Overview

View our feature on James Knapp’s State of Decay.

Just because you're dead doesn't mean you're useless...

A thrilling debut novel of a dystopian future populated by a new breed of zombie

They call them revivors-technologically reanimated corpses-and away from the public eye they do humanity's dirtiest work. But FBI agent Nico Wachalowski has stumbled upon a conspiracy involving revivors being custom made to kill-and a startling truth about the existence of these undead slaves.

Synopsis

Just because you're dead doesn't mean you're useless...

A thrilling debut novel of a dystopian future populated by a new breed of zombie

They call them revivors-technologically reanimated corpses-and away from the public eye they do humanity's dirtiest work. But FBI agent Nico Wachalowski has stumbled upon a conspiracy involving revivors being custom made to kill-and a startling truth about the existence of these undead slaves.

Publishers Weekly

Knapp's intense debut is a high-adrenaline thriller that takes the familiar zombie story down a radically new path. In a future America deeply embroiled in global conflicts where undead “revivors” are used as soldiers, Nico Wachalowski, a military man turned FBI agent, stumbles upon a weapons smuggling operation while breaking up a ring trafficking in revivor sex slaves. The ensuing investigation leads him into a web of murders, terrorism, and conspiracies. Knapp's writing is sharp and his fast and furious plot twists keep the pages turning. He sets his stakes so high, however, that the book's last section often feels rushed and its resolution is somewhat muddled and anticlimactic. Still, fans of zombie fiction and readers looking for a good thrill will find it here. (Feb.)

About the Author, James Knapp

James Knapp grew up in New England and currently lives in Massachusetts with his wife, Kim. He is at work on the next Revivors novel.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Knapp's intense debut is a high-adrenaline thriller that takes the familiar zombie story down a radically new path. In a future America deeply embroiled in global conflicts where undead “revivors” are used as soldiers, Nico Wachalowski, a military man turned FBI agent, stumbles upon a weapons smuggling operation while breaking up a ring trafficking in revivor sex slaves. The ensuing investigation leads him into a web of murders, terrorism, and conspiracies. Knapp's writing is sharp and his fast and furious plot twists keep the pages turning. He sets his stakes so high, however, that the book's last section often feels rushed and its resolution is somewhat muddled and anticlimactic. Still, fans of zombie fiction and readers looking for a good thrill will find it here. (Feb.)

Library Journal

In the dark future of Knapp's debut, biotechnology has developed the ability to reanimate the dead. More like cyborgs than traditional zombies, "revivors" were first created on the battlefield as a kind of cannon fodder, but now they are used for various legitimate and illicit purposes. Society is stratified, with members of the underclass buying their way up the ladder by selling their bodies to be made into revivors after death. Four characters—an FBI agent, a cop, a cage fighter, and a psychic—come together around a series of strange murders. VERDICTState will appeal to readers who liked Jonathan Maberry's zombie thriller Patient Zero, and fans of gritty sf author Richard K. Morgan (Altered Carbon) will enjoy it as well. Highly recommended.

Book Details

Published
February 1, 2010
Publisher
Penguin Group (USA)
Pages
384
Format
Mass Market Paperback
ISBN
9780451463104

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