Hissers by Ryan C. Thomas is another take on the zombie genre. This is not a bad thing at all. The premise is that a special military project designed to increase a soldier’s ability using a chemical cocktail that contains snake venom but has some adverse effects.
Yeah, I saw that one coming too when I read it and related that info to the title.
But, what happens within the novel is not predictable or cliché. The plane carrying the research scientist, her samples, notes and data along with the general who is directing the program crashes in a rural area. Reminiscent of 8mm, the primary characters of the novel are 14yr old kids caught in that awkward time between junior high and high school.
Connor and Seth, two best friends with a history are more interested in video games, comic books and trying to remain unseen from the jocks that torment them, meet with two girls at the ‘fort’ a slapped together construct created by unknown persons out in the woods. Nicole and Amanita are on their way to a party and are only stopping by to talk to the boys in an effort to get them to come to the party. While at the pallet built fort, they witness the plane carrying the scientist crash into town. Not just crash into the town but literally into the home where the party was at. The results besides the instant incineration of people and friends they knew is the release of the viral samples.
Rushing back into town with the intention to assist in any way they can, they witness survivors from the crash attacking police and firemen. Running from the scene, they attempt to get to their homes only to witness how fast the Hissers have spread through town. Ryan Thomas captures the essence of what it’s like to be 14 again and see the world from a different perspective. Forced to mature beyond their years to survive, the quartet of Seth, Connor, Nicole and Amanita race through the city from one safe place to another all the while fighting off or avoiding the Hissers.
A strange twist of fate puts them back at school and they encounter a survivor from the crash who is uninfected. The general who was in charge of the program. Gravely injured, he tells them about the project and how fast a victim will turn on the condition that they kill him so he won’t become a Hisser. This is a turning point in the novel as the decision to kill him is something that no child should have to face.
The group ends up at the high school where the original plan is to use the old bomb shelter and hunker down until help arrives. Again, fate rears its ugly head and forces them to use the teacher’s lounge instead of the shelter. It’s in that room that they find out something about each other that draws them closer together. Help does arrive but they soon realize that staying in town is not a viable option. Devising a plan to escape, they split up to gather the needed supplies to facilitate said escape and lose one of their own along the way. The three remaining survivors head for safety only to encounter a mutated form of the general. Another of their number is lost and the last two make it to the military camp and safety.(?)
Hissers may not seem like a pure zombie genre as it has genetic mutations as a center point to the plot. However, the reanimation of the dead puts it squarely in the ball park.
Ryan Thomas’ writing is action oriented, full of tension and drama. The characters are real enough that the reader can relate to them and immerse themselves into his work. The plot isn’t lacking in any way and the scenes are laid out perfectly.
Available on Amazon 
