by Kevin D. Anderson and Sam Stall
Published by Quirkbooks(2010)
253 pages
Okay folks it's time to put your "Geek" pants on and get ready to "Go where no man has gone before." We are talking about combining the worlds of Star Trek with a Zombie Apocalypse, Okay actually just a bunch of fans of Star Trek and a Zombie Apocalypse at a Star Trek convention. Being a huge fan of the Zombie horror genre and a sci-fi nut, this book just screamed at me. I picked up the book and from page one I was hooked. The Star Trek references were excellent and the authors even strategically through in some Star Wars references that make this survival from the flesh eaters fun and exciting. On top of the intelligently placed references the authors even have thrown their own spin into the creation and world of zombies. In this book there are 3 ways to kill them, but let me tell you the Klingon bat'leth is the coolest in this book.
Another aspect of this book is the mult-genre appeal, the authors have combined Sci-Fi, Zombies, Comedy and adventure to create a quest for survival novel. This book takes the best of all these worlds and creates a mashup that seems like it wouldn't work but does and with a lot of fun. To quote one of the characters from this book, Jim Pike (former soldier fresh from Afghanistan), "
Star Trek is all about applying the Federation's high-minded ideals to difficult situations. No matter how bad things get, you're supposed to play by the don't-shoot-first, don't-mess-with-pre-warp cultures, don't-alter-the-timeline rules. But in the zombie univers it's all about jettisoning everything- morality, sentimentality, weaklings - that might keep you from seeing the next sunrise. Because no matter how impeccably you behave, you'll never bring the other side around to your way of thinking. They don't think. They just kill." But by using the rules of the Federation a rag-tag group of Trekkies in costume, a hotel security Guard, an exo-biologist, a videogame creator, and even a woman in a Princess Leia slave costume that spouts out Star Wars references, all battle zombies hoping to make it to the next day before Houston is nuked.
Jim Pike is a bellhop for the Botany Bay Hotel in Houston, the Botany Bay is the home of GulfCon, now in its 5th year, which is billed as the largest Starfleet convention in the Western Gulf Coast Region. He used to be a big Star Trek fan but after two tours of duty in Afghanistan the what-is-it-all-about question has set in and Jim just wants to get by in life not responsible for anything. Jim's sister is a Trekkie and she's bringing her new boyfriend, a videogame creator, to GulfCon to enjoy the festivities and see her brother.
Meanwhile an accident at a military underground bunker near Houston has released a strange virus that animates the dead. Many people are calling in sick and the convention is just beginning to go full force with all sorts of activities. Jim is now being forced to act as security for the Botany Bay and with his un-erring intuition Jim begins to suspect that the world is coming to an end. When the nightfall comes the zombies begin taking on their prey with more fervor and Jim is forced to lockdown the hotel and gather the few survivors and fight to escape the brain-eating zombies.
With tons of sci-fi/Star Trek and comic book references this book is full of hilarious moments and with tons of zombies it is also full of some thrills that will keep you anxious to read the whole book in one night. Some of the fun in this book, if you are a fellow Trekkie are the names used and who they are used for, for example Jim Pike, the lead character, get's his name from Captain Pike, the first captain of the Enterprise (in the original series) and Captain James T. Kirk. And yes there's an awesome "Dammit Jim,.." quote or two.
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