Monday, December 29, 2014

D. J. Molles: The Remaining

In D. J. Molles' debut novel, he shows that the United States government is prepared for everything, even when the world and human population is coming to an end:

In a bunker under his home, Captian Lee Harder awaits instructions that this was another false alarm and he can return to his normal life in the world above; the word is not coming to an end. Above him on the surface the people of the United States are being plague by a new disease that turns the infected into a zombie like creature. Harder has no new information and time is running out on his last contact with his superiors. His mission it to restore order in the United States. Let people know that the government still exists  as the people who have been able to survive not only have to face off against the zombies but also those people who will take an advantage in this situation. Harder's mission objectives are: SUBVENIRE REFECTUS. TO RESCUE AND REBUILD both of which are easier said than done.

First off I liked the book, it had the right mix of action, world building and character interaction however, I wish that the book was longer, only 201 pages in my Nook, it felt like it was more part one of a book than a book by itself. I do not know if the other books are longer, and I was really enjoying how the story was going that I guess you can say I was disappointed when the book ended, just felt there should have been more to the first book especially as this is a series.

Captain Lee Harder was an interesting but odd at the same time. I mean he has all of this military training and had served in Afghanistan, but yet there were times where he was portrayed as naive in what he should be doing. I understand not knowing the full extent of the outside world as he was put away at the beginning of the threat, he just did not seem to be thinking like a solider all the time. Maybe this can be attributed to shock and that is has finally happened or that the book is very short that Molles was unable to completely flesh Harder out as a character. I hope in the future books Molles is able to better define Harder as a character. We also get very little about the secondary characters as well, so maybe he will grow them too.

Molles introduces an interesting concept of having trained military personal who are sequestered into a bunker beneath their homes when there is a world crisis. Their job is to show that the United States government is still functioning. I think this actually could happen as you think about that USA government will want to be prepared for everything, maybe even zombies, lol, so who am I to say that this is a far fetched concept. even if it is far fetched it is interesting nonetheless. It also made me wonder where all the doom day preppers are in this world, maybe we will still run into them.

I personally liked Molles interpretation of zombies. They do not immediately become the slow moving slobbering zombies that we see in many of the stories, but rather they maintain some of their human brain and motor  skills that they can use to their advantage at the beginning, so you never know what type of zombie that you are going to be facing. They also revert back to a more primitive state where they form groups and there is an Alpha in that group that calls the shots. I find this type of zombie not only interesting but terrifying as well and I look forward to see how Molles develops them further in the series.

I like that Molles showed that it would not take long for people to degrade themselves to ensure their own survival. If you are fans of J. L. Bourne's Day By Day Armageddon series, then I think you will like this book as well. I look forward to seeing what happens next but I do hope that the book is a little longer as it felt like only part of a book.

Enjoy!!!!
If You Like This,
Check These Out Too:
http://j9books.blogspot.ca/2011/01/sophie-littlefield-aftertime.html  http://j9books.blogspot.ca/2010/12/jl-bourne-day-by-day-armageddon.html  http://j9books.blogspot.ca/2011/11/jonathan-maberry-patient-zero.html

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