Editor’s Note: The author of this novel is one of the most active reviewers on our site. We can honestly say this isn’t biased but would be remiss if it wasn’t mentioned.
Every so often, amidst the plethora of novels based on the subject of the “undead uprisingâ€, you find one that pulls you in and infects you with the need to read the rest of the story. I speak here, of James Jackson’s ongoing, “Up From the Depthsâ€.
I’m a fan of military themed novels and have read many written in said style before. Some I’ve found to be well-done, painstakingly-researched, quality works of reality-based fiction. Others, and no I won’t say which ones (I refuse to bash someone’s work, so I encourage you to form your own opinions.) gave me the impression that their creator was working “off the cuffâ€, were inaccurate in the extreme and poorly done overall. “Up From the Depthsâ€, without a doubt, falls squarely into the first category.
From page one, the novel begins providing you with information much needed later in the story. I encourage readers who crack this puppy open to pay attention. In the words of drill instructors, Gunny Sergeants and Chiefs everywhere “Sit down, shut up and listen, because you will see this material again.â€
Chaos first ensues due to the release of a genetically altered Filovirus in major population centers, worldwide. Yes, I said “releaseâ€. As the story progresses, you learn that the super-bug is nothing Mama Nature came up with, but was actually created in a lab per request by one of the story’s primary antagonists: Nathan Conley. Now, be it the T-Virus from Resident Evil, the “Captain Trips†flu from The Stand, or the infection from the Andromeda Strain; this entirely possible, utterly believable method of bringing about the end of civilization has always scared the living shit out of me. An apocalypse actually engineered by an extremely powerful, well-funded and egotistical individual (read: “a douche-bagâ€) with a solid power base and an overabundance of crazy? You bet your ass it’s possible. Think not? Do a search on E.Coli/Bubonic Plague outbreaks in Germany.
Feeling real safe now, huh?
Unlike some novels, Jackson’s story doesn’t have a super-human “uber characterâ€. There’s no single hero/heroine who somehow, in the middle of zombies chewing up the world’s population; manages to save a city-full of refugees, confronts the villain, and kills large numbers of the infected with a revolver that only holds six rounds, all the while tossing about their long, salon perfect hair. It focuses on groups of survivors not just a single individual. I’m not saying those types of novels aren’t good too, but every so often, it’s refreshing to enjoy a book that gives a broader picture of the events as they unfold, as opposed to a single member or group’s viewpoint. Everyone from the (fictional) President of the United States and members of his cabinet, to Special Forces units fighting their way through cities full of the creatures, to couples living in (somewhat) self-sufficient, “earth friendly†homes are members of the cast. Assassins, contractors, big-hearted gun-running auto-yard owners, call girls, physically abused sister-in-laws, even a group of gutsy teenage “zombie experts†(my personal favorites) who are ready to kick some ass beside the members of a SEAL Team they encounter and advise.
Some people might say “Holy shit! How the hell am I supposed to keep track of all those characters?†to which I reply, do you really want to be spoon-fed every, single bit of your entertainment?? The problem with some (not all!) novels about the hungry dead, is that they focus on a core hero. That’s fine, so long as said character encounters a good amount of other living people along the way and not just the ravenous infected. You know who I’m talking about. Other lone survivors on the run, soldiers, Doomsday cults, idiots you just know (or hope!) will get turned into zombie kibble, your everyday wack-a-doos….the usual suspects. Whoever it may be, it’s always pleasing to toss them into the book, because attempting to progress a story with only a single character, sans family, friends, and foes is (normally) an exercise in folly. I’m not saying it hasn’t been done successfully, I’m saying doing so is rare.
Jackson threw in plenty of armor and armament too. Everything from your basic survival blade to the SSGN Claggett (an Ohio Class “boomer†submarine). AR-15’s to Glock 17’s to Steyr SSG PII rifle’s to Barrett M468’s. He also added elements commonly disregarded in many tales of the undead. AH1A Sea Cobra attack helicopters firing 20mm Gatling guns and turning zombies into pieces of impressionistic art, next-gen Flyer LSV’s (the ones with the steering wheels in the center of the vehicle and not to one side or the other) four-wheelin’ it through the infested countryside and even a modified Boeing 747-400. You might think this strange that I’m actually overjoyed to see seldom used (or mentioned) pieces of military hardware in a novel about man-eating monsters, but I’ll tell you this; picturing a pair of AV8 Harrier jump-jets firing missiles into a massive crowd of the swarming dead and turning them into steaming goop? That gives me a mile-wide smile and a big ol’, zombie-hating stiffy.
He takes you to a boat load of locations as well (no pun intended). Places that you could find if you had the urge to take a look, somewhere on Google Earth. A Nevada facility the U. S. Government officially states “Does not exist†as SEALs prepare for tactical assaults. Jackson puts the reader in the Royal Windsor Hotel in Camberley, Surrey United Kingdom, while tough Ghurkas plan their egress from the city through corpse-filled streets. He takes them into Port Winthrop as survivors fortify the base and turn it into something to withstand the ever present threat of the dead. Since I like doing so in the novels I produce as well, I know exactly how much time (and research!) goes into using real-world structures and locations as opposed to just “winging it†and making up a fictional locale.
Now, I’m not telling you everyone is going to say “Wow! That was the best zombie novel I’ve ever read!†Nor am I going to say that this is the one for you to start with if you’re interested in the genre. Hell, I’m not even guaranteeing you’ll dig it. There has yet to be a book written (fictional or not) that everyone on Planet Earth likes. I’m saying that I enjoyed the time I spent reading this tale of the shambling apocalypse, and that I’m going to make it a point to read the third novel.
Keep your crowbar handy, people…
-S. P. Durnin
Note: at the time that S.P. read Book 1 and 2 it was a trilogy. Events have since transpired to make the trilogy into a longer series.
