Michael W. Garza's The Last Infection was published by Severed Press in July 2014.
Information about Michael W. Garza:
Michael W. Garza often finds himself wondering where his inspiration will come from next and in what form his imagination will bring it to life. The outcomes regularly surprise him and it's always his ambition to amaze those curious enough to follow him and take in those results. He encourages readers to peek at his latest work as well as the material he's published in the past. He sincerely hopes that everyone will find something that astonishes, surprises, or simply scares the heck out of you.
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Information about The Last Infection:
The Last Infection chronicles the fall of civilization and the rise of the dead and the evolution of the infected. The series began with one little boy in The Hand That Feeds and ultimately follows the remains of the human race as they struggle for survival in a hostile world they no longer control. Come join what's left of the living as they fight for every last breath.
The infection swept across the country like a tidal wave. Survivors cling to life as the infected own the night and the dead walk the streets. Chris has endured on his own and bumping into Jake and Alicen weren't in his plans. The young brother and sister have plans of their own, but Chris has heard too many promises of sanctuary and infection free zones. Jenn's arrival turns his attention to the one thing he never thought he would face again, hope. They make a pact to reach the kids safe haven, but only time will tell if anyone can survive the last infection.
A REVIEW OF MICHAEL W. GARZA'S THE LAST INFECTION
Zombie and survival horror stories have become increasingly popular during the last decade. Many new novels and stories have been written and are currently being written by various authors. Because this genre is so popular and there are plenty of zombie novels out there on the market, it's nice to see such good and entertaining novels as Michael W. Garza's The Last Infection appear in bookshops.
Zombie fiction tends to divide the readers into two groups - to those who like it and to those who dislike it. I personally think that zombie fiction is at its best good and thrilling entertainment that offers nice escapism for horror readers. I don't read it much, but I do like reading good and well written zombie novels and stories (in my opinion The Last Infection is a good novel and worth reading).
The Last Infection gives a nice and original twist to the zombie genre, because the infected are technically alive and they retain their physical attributes as long as they feed on humans and get blood (after death they become zombies). They're fast and deadly and they have a craving for blood. Nobody knows how or why the transformation began to happen.
In this novel the author writes about the total fall of civilization, the rise of the dead and the frightening evolution of the infected in a thrilling way. This novel is cool and well written zombie entertainment that will appeal to everybody who likes zombie fiction and enjoyes watching zombie films.
Here's information about the story:
The story begins in Denver that has turned into a postapocalyptical wasteland where the infected and the undead roam the streets and have invaded the buildings. At the beginning of the novel Alicen and Jake Bradley are in a parking garage and are surrounded by the infected. They're separated from their parents and try to escape the infected and hear how their parents are dying in the hands of the infected... Chris West is in the mall and awakes to find himself surrounded by the infected and has to escape from them. He soon runs into Alicen and Jake. He also meets Jenn and his life begins to change... (This is all I'll write about the story, because it wouldn't be fair to reveal all the happenings to the readers.)
Here's a bit of information about the characters:
- Jake's is Alicen's big brother. Alicen is 8 years old and Jake is 12 years old. They want to find their Aunt Debra and Uncle Mike who live in Catalina.
- Chris is an interesting character, because he has a bit shady past (he's had an addiction and he had to detox alone, but now he wants to stay alive). He hasn't cared for anybody else for a long time, so his life changes totally when he meets the children and Jenn.
- Jenn is from Kansas City and has travelled all the way to Denver. She wants to find her parents who live in Las Vegas.
Michael W. Garza writes believable about how Chris has stayed alive and hasn't cared about anybody but himself for a long time. Because he has heard about safe places and infection free zones, he doesn't care much about anything until he meets Jenn and the children. It was interesting to read how Chris had to learn to care about other people again.
The character interaction is good in this novel. It was interesting to read how Chris, Jenn, Jake and Alicen communicated with each other and how they got to know each other. It was also interesting to read about how they reacted to other survivors and what happened when they met other people.
The characters' journey through the postapocalyptical landscapes is exciting and offers thrilling moments to zombie fans, because the characters get into trouble while trying to reach a safe place. The author delivers interesting surprises and shocking moments for his readers by writing about what happens to the characters during their journey.
Survival in a world where civilization has collapsed isn't easy and Michael W. Garza shows it well in this novel. He writes fluently about what people do to survive. His descriptions of what happens to people and how the infected prey on the humans are brutal and shocking. He also shows how brutal and ruthless people can be to other people when there's nothing left of the normal society and its rules.
By focusing mostly on the four main persons - Chris, Jenn, Jake and Alicen - the author is able to write tight survival horror drama. Reading about what happens to the children makes the story dramatic, because it's normally much more shocking to read about children's anguish and fears than about adults' problems.
Michael W. Garza writes fluently and skillfully about postapocalyptical landscapes. His descriptions of the landscapes feel accurate and believable. He also manages to create a threatening atmosphere, because the world is full of the infected and the undead and the living don't have much hope unless they're tough and willing to do whatever is necessary to survive the harsh conditions.
The events that take place when the characters meet Mr. Walker are powerful scenes. In my opinion the author has succeeded well in creating a menacing atmosphere in these scenes. I won't write more about these scenes, because I want to avoid writing spoilers, but I'll mention that they're well written scenes.
The Last Infection is a nicely action-packed novel that's full of action and sticky situations. In my opinion the action scenes and the non-action scenes are in good balance. Although there's quite a lot of action in this novel the author also manages to add a bit of depth to the story by writing about the characters and their feelings.
According to the information found on the author's official website, the author has started the outlining phases of the follow up to The Last Infection, so everybody who enjoyes reading this novel will soon have a chance to read what happens next. I personally look forward to reading the sequel, because it'll be nice to read what happens next to the survivors.
The Last Infection can be recommended to both newcomers and experienced readers, because it's good and intriguing entertainment from start to finish. Newcomers will most likely enjoy the fast-paced story and the brutal happenings while experienced readers will enjoy how well the author writes about the characters and what happens to them.
If you enjoy reading zombie survival horror stories, you can't go wrong by reading The Last Infection, because it offers all the goods in a thrilling package full of action and survival drama. It's an entertaining and fast-paced novel for all zombie fans.
I give this novel strong four stars for its entertainment values and thrilling atmosphere. I liked it very much, because the author moved the story fast forward and knew how to keep the reader interested in the story.
My final words are:
This novel is good and well written survival horror entertainment!