A serial
killer called “Pinocchio” is stalking Metro, collecting perfect body parts so
he (or she) can construct a perfect body and be a “real boy.” Pinocchio is
hiding inside the ranks of the “Variant Squad,” an elite group tasked with
protecting the city against a new outbreak of Variant, which in its most
virulent form turns ordinary citizens into skin-eating zombie-type monsters.
And
meanwhile, a billionaire whose personal agenda involves evolving to a new,
Variant-enhanced human 2.0 is manipulating everyone around him to force that
outcome sooner rather than later.
It’s enough
to make anyone go crazy and the people who make up the Variant Squad aren’t the
most solid citizens around. There’s alcoholic Borland who forges a bond with a
troubled orphan who gets under his skin in spite of himself. There’s Beachboy
who numbs himself with sex and drugs and alcohol—“cranking” in Squad parlance.
There’s Hyde, who literally has skin in the game, having lost his epidermis in
the last Variant outbreak. And then there’s Marisol, whose own presentation of
Variant Effect caused her to literally eat part of herself. Singly and
together, these characters are original and memorable, and their interaction is
intense, sometimes hilarious and often truly scary.
As any good
horror novel should be.
GreenMourning is a sequel to G. Wells
Taylor’s novel The Variant Effect, and
while that book was good, this one is great, with every aspect of the story and
characters amped up a notch. The relationship between Hyde and Marisol plays
out in a way that’s breath-taking in its honesty and her “tough love” stance in
the face of his reticence is impressive and admirable. Their interaction alone
is worth the price of the book.
The various
officials who are manipulating events are all very plausible character
constructs, and the goings on at the GreenMourning company are convincingly
conveyed. Taylor knows a little bit about manipulation himself, and he knows
how to whip up his readers with anticipation and mysteries (who IS Pinocchio,
for example) while taking them deep into a story that turns the zombie mythos
on its head.
The novel
ends on a cliff-hanger that will leave readers panting for more. People we like
will die. People we thought we knew will surprise us.
No one is
safe in the world of this book.
And the
Variant Effect is back, and worse than ever.
If you like
your horror cinematic and character-driven, you need to check out GreenMourning.
Here's a minimalist version. Attach it to a package of classic zombie books for a theme present:
