The Way of all Flesh - Tim Waggoner
*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Blacktide has wiped out over 90% of the earths population and only the lucky few have not been affected. Those that catch the virus join the ever swelling ranks of the undead. David is one of the undead, only he doesn't know it.He also doesn't know how he got where he is or what has happened to him or his family either. Kate is his twin sister, still very much alive and currently living with other survivors and using her skills on supply runs. She comes across David one day whilst out with her partner, Nick, but can't make herself put him down.Kate also has other issues in the form of Nick, he is a bona fide serial killer and is biding his time to begin his killing spree again, No. 1 on his kill list is Kate.
Unknown to David and Kate, they still share a twin connection, Kate is convinced that David is still sentient in some way but in letting him go she initiates a massive showdown with the undead and the survivors.
This was a very different zombie read, one that hooked me from the start and kept me engaged up til the last quarter of the book. Unfortunately from then my attention started to waver, the story became too far fetched and a bit silly and I wasn't a fan of the cosmic horror part of plot.
Character wise, I thought the author did a great job with both his main and minor characters and everyone in the book was well fleshed out and given some depth and back story. I especially liked David's character and loved his warped view of the survivors, not just seeing them as meals but as sadistic demons who killed others like him for fun. The world building around his view was fantastic especially when his delusions seemed to escalate and he came upon buildings made out of bone, sinew and muscle. This was one of the best aspects of the book and it was a shame that the author just took it a bit too far at the end.
Wonderful premise and unusual world building but veered off at the end into something that was convenient and silly. Shame as the writing was otherwise great, I'll look forward to reading something else by this author.
