Review: DEADLANDS by Scott A. Johnson

It’s becoming harder and harder to offer up something new in the zombie genre, it’s pretty much all been done. But, Scott A. Johnson has taken a successful stab at it in his new novel “Deadlands”.

“Deadlands” follows brother and sister Christian and Cadence through post-apocalyptic nightmare world. In this dark combination of science fiction and horror the entire world is scorched and ruined. What little civilization is left lives in somewhat primitive underground bunkers hiding from flesh scorching daylight, poisoned air, and most importantly, the living dead. The zombies, referred to as “rotters” in the book, are a product of a last ditch effort by warring factions to build an unstoppable army during the worldwide conflict that turned the earth into "deadland". Of course, this plan backfired miserably. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, a new, mysterious threat has arisen that is destroying the underground cities and wiping out all their inhabitants threatening to put an end to humanity once and for all.

Zombie and post-apocalyptic fans will find a lot to enjoy about this book. While a lot of ideas aren’t particularly new Johnson works hard to put a fresh spin on things. The book is fast paced, action-packed, and well written. Johnson throws in a new--at least to me--twist on the zombie but, I won’t give it away as it’s one of the books major plot points (and a good one at that). My only complaints are that the “emotional” scenes in the book are standard and clichéd and that the book is relatively short. If you’re looking for your next apocalyptic and/or zombie adventure you won’t be disappointed with “Deadlands”.

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