Dead Sea

Keene's novel records the tale of Lamar Reed, a gay, black man from Fells Point (can we say three strikes against the narrator in the real world?) who finds himself down on his luck before Hamelin's Revenge spreads across the nation, bringing the infected dead back to life - human and animal alike. After gunning down his friend and only surviving neighbor, Alan, Lamar is pushed out of his hiding place by a wild fire, spreading throughout the neighborhood and city. Upon his escape, he comes across two orphaned siblings, Tasha and Malik and a gun aficionado, Mitch. The four of them manage to escape the city, rescued by a motley crew aboard a naval ship turned museum. But the danger doesn't end there as Hamelin's Revenge begins to mutate show more and jump upon species previously assumed to be immune.

Haunted by his past, Lamar is regrettably the "hero" of the story and is told so more than once by a few characters. He doesn't feel like the hero they need, but the hero the book deserves (and that's not a harsh insult whatsoever). It makes him believable. After all he has done to fight the stereotype bestowed upon African-Americans from Fells Point, he feels that he has become exactly what he has fought against for so long. And to top it off, he feels his sexuality is just another thorn on his side. He carries excess baggage that he's unwilling to let go even as the world is literally eating one another.

His journey through it all, leaves him pondering the end. If the hero is supposed to be heroic, lead his flock into safety, bring knowledge forward at the dawn of a new age, then what happens to the hero when the world around him is filled with the groans and moans of the undead and the screams of those who cannot out run them? Who is left to tell the tale of the hero after all is said and done? And exactly why does it matter that he continues on? show less

Lamar Reed is one of few survivors of "Hamelin's Revenge," a zombifying plague referencing the old Pied Piper story because it started with, quite absurdly, zombie rats. Lamar is a perfectly logical choice for a survivor of a zombie apocalypse, being a gay black man I suspect he used to withstanding the onslaught of hordes of mindless automatons.

When his neighborhood catches fire and he is forced to flee, he finds himself at a harbor where he catches a band of survivors casting off in an old ship-turned-museum. Dead Sea follows this lonely collection of people as they deal with isolation and the prospect of dwindling supplies and a world of zombie-infested coast lines.

It's a fairly well-done novel, in my opinion. It has the fast pace show more and excitement you would expect from this type of book written by this type of author but Keen also offers bit more depth than I was expecting, even if it is rather awkwardly implemented. He uses his main character to offer social commentary about various prejudices and stereotypes, but he does this by having the main character discuss them with a child, a ridiculously uninspired way of going about it, though it's no less appreciated. There is also some naval history and an application of Joseph Campbell's monomyth theory, which are both interesting if not also awkwardly applied.

I liked the book though, though I may be bias towards zombie apocalypses (and books written by people who wear Anthrax hoodies in their author photos.) It's fairly well-written and there are some interesting twists that set the book apart from others. Definitely recommend, if you don't cringe at this sort of thing. show less

As a huge horror fan of both films and novels, you may be surprised to find I'm not a big zombie addict. While most of my fellow horror hounds go that route, there has never been much to appeal to me about when it comes to rotting corpses stumbling around looking for brains. That being said, Keene has made quite a name for himself in the literary world as one of the best writers of the zombie sub-genre out there. Deciding to ignore the ending of his last and take it to a new direction, Dead Sea is a captivating experience not suitable for the faint of heart.

From page one it's clear this is a different type of story, as action orientated as a book can get. In every chapter there is a crisis that explodes, nothing being held back: show more tension, fear, violence, and blood. If you're a horror fan this sort of thing will likely be up your alley, as it's far from cheesy and is clearly an intelligent work. There were about a dozen times I thought to myself, how the hell could Keene possibly write the character out of that? It's hopeless! Amazingly things turned around every time, not with stupid cop-outs either, but with pure brilliance.

I don't mean to gush on and on, but when a book keeps making me gasp and tell my boyfriend in detail on how wonderful it is, when it keeps me up half the night and makes me late for work the next day, it's a keeper. I especially loved once they reached the boat and the inevitable slowly happened. I genuinely felt for most of the later munched-on characters, as their personalities had ample time to evolve.

The main hero, Lamar, is not your typical lead - he's a black, gay man in the ghetto trying to do right by the world. Much of the story involves him taking care of two kids he finds along the way of the zombie massacre, feeling like a failure in his own heart, yet unable to back away from responsibility once it's found. The little boy Malik, especially, was adorably sweet with his tough-guy spirit. Each character works ideally, which made it all the more tragic if something happened to them.

For the zombies themselves; whoa! Interestingly Keene decided to have the virus "jump species." First humans, and then slowly others like dogs, cats, etc. Genuinely eerie to have a zombie dog after your tail! I won't go into detail about which species were affected and which weren't (as what happens with them later - or doesn't - is something you'll be wondering for chapters if you ever read this book), but it's fascinating how he adds to and changes the legend around.

Novels that deal with the end of the world have one thing that's easy for them, and that is that it's clear for the reader what the huge obstacle is. Survival is for the fittest, or - in some cases - the lucky. It was nice to note that Keene made the reader question whether survivors were really lucky at all when they had to sit and reflect on what they were surrounded by, who they lost, and what they could potentially become. Just reading one paragraph from this review should tell you I highly recommend this fierce story, but be sure to start reading it early so you can get some sleep! show less

I have had this book sitting on a shelf for at least a year. I wanted to read it, but for some reason I just kept putting it off. I am so glad I finally picked it up and read it.

Keene creates a world full of zombies that is believable. I was pulled right in and felt like it was really happening. The main character, Lamar, is so real. Usually authors make characters too brave and they just don’t seem realistic. Lamar was human and he acted like it, which made him seem even more strong and brave. I loved his flaws.

I also loved the plot and the writing. However, it did have some parts that kind of dragged for me. I was forcing myself through these pages. It paid off though, because in the end, I thought Dead Sea was an amazing book and show more it left me wanting more. show less

The last in the Zombie series is a thrilling ride through the end of days. Keene really writes the hell out of his characters, makes you care and breaks your heart when one of them dies . I love his talent for story telling and my only wish is that he will continue with this "Series". Thanks for the Bad dreams Brian!

After a stellar job with The Rising and The City of the Dead, Brian Keene's newest zombie book falls a little short. It has an interesting plot, and follows a group of survivors as they live on the sea in order to escape the land that is filled with the dead. However, the zombie virus can spread through species, and it appears that all hope will be lost as survivors begin to see the futility of their attempt to stay alive.

Not my favorite Keene novel by any means and more than likely stands as the worst one I've read. However, it still has a semi-interesting plot that falters every now and then, but there are some good points in it. I've seen better, but if you're a Keene, horror, or zombie fan, then you might want to check this out.

Brian Keene writes well, is always an easy read, and I'm a sucker for zombie books so it was only a matter of time before I got around to reading this one. And it didn't disappoint . The story picks up speed immediately and doesn't stop until the last page. The action is easily visualized, the dialogue is natural and the characters are believable. This is another author I'll read as fast as he can publish.

Bonus for Laymon fans: there is a nod to his beast house series. It's subtle, but there.