Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
St. Martin's Griffin (2009), Edition: Original, 421 pages
Description
Fiction. Horror. Thriller. HTML: From multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author Jonathan Maberry comes a major new thriller that combines the best of the New York Times bestselling books World War Z by Max Brooks and James Rollins' Sigma Force series to kick off the start of a new series featuring Joe Ledger and the Department of Military Sciences. When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week there's either something wrong with your world or something wrong with your skills�??and there's nothing wrong with Joe Ledger's skills. And that's both a good and a bad thing. It's good because he's a Baltimore detective who has just been secretly recruited by the government to lead a new task force created to deal with the problems that Homeland Security can't handle. This rapid-response group is called the Department of Military Sciences, or the DMS for short. It's bad because his first mission is to help stop a group of terrorists from releasing a dreadful bioweapon that can turn ordinary people into zombies. The fate of the world hangs in the balance.… (more)
Media reviews
Anyone who's read Jonathan Maberry's Pine Deep Trilogy, which culminated with last year's BAD MOON RISING, knows that the martial artist-turned-Bram Stoker Award-winning author likes his kill counts in the stratosphere.
User reviews
LibraryThing member SandyLee
A new twist on Jihad. This one has some mad scientist funded by a US billionare to cook up a viral strain that turns people into zombies. Joe Ledger is everybody's dream cop. He oozes muscle and attitude on every page. Toss in a secret government agency and the walking dead and you will be up late
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reading this book. One of my favorites for the year. Show Less
LibraryThing member BeckyJG
Joe Ledger has some really rough patches in his past. You could say he has some scars on his psyche. He's kind of dealt with those psychic scars by becoming a bit of a badass. Okay, he's become the biggest and best badass there is. Good thing he's on the side of the angels, huh?
As Patient Zero
Yes, zombies.
Patient Zero is more military/action thriller than horror novel, although the horror is pretty awesome (and gruesome). The action, though...the action is top-notch and unrelenting. The fast-paced narrative alternates between Joe Ledger's first person narrative, replete with many no-holds-barred battles, and third person narratives from the terrorists' perspective. More than once, after particularly disturbing terrorist chapters, I found myself muttering warnings to Ledger and the DMS through gritted teeth. That's effective storytelling.
As Patient Zero
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opens, Joe is being forcibly recruited by a super-secret government agency called the DMS--the Department of Military Sciences. Run by a mysterious and apparently uber-powerful man called, usually, Mr. Church (a bigger badass, even, than Joe Ledger), the DMS is on the trail of the most horrifying terrorist plot never imagined: biological warfare in the form of a prion disease that creates perfect killing machines out of its victims. Yes, zombies.
Patient Zero is more military/action thriller than horror novel, although the horror is pretty awesome (and gruesome). The action, though...the action is top-notch and unrelenting. The fast-paced narrative alternates between Joe Ledger's first person narrative, replete with many no-holds-barred battles, and third person narratives from the terrorists' perspective. More than once, after particularly disturbing terrorist chapters, I found myself muttering warnings to Ledger and the DMS through gritted teeth. That's effective storytelling.
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LibraryThing member Arctic-Stranger
Take your average action hero, a la Ludlum or Clancy, who is practically perfect in every way that comes with killing the bad guys, and throw in terrorism and zombies.
There are no surprises in this book, but did you expect that? Ledger is the Hero's hero, a superhuman, which makes it kind of
So in many ways this breaks the mold of zombie lit, but all it really does is throw zombies into an action novel.
I liked it, I read it quickly, and now I kind of forget what it was about.
There are no surprises in this book, but did you expect that? Ledger is the Hero's hero, a superhuman, which makes it kind of
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interesting that he is battle zombies. (The zombies are part of a terrorist plot.) Usually the best characters in zombie movies or novels are pretty flawed ordinary people, mostly because zombies are essentially an everyday disease of ennui. So in many ways this breaks the mold of zombie lit, but all it really does is throw zombies into an action novel.
I liked it, I read it quickly, and now I kind of forget what it was about.
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LibraryThing member quickmind
I wanted to like this book. The idea of a patient zero in a zombie-outbreak pandemic is intriguing, even though it was done masterfully in World War Z, so it had to work hard to break new ground. But the outbreak never occurred in an interesting way. This book just felt like it was either written
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for Manly Men doing Manly Things (hooah) or it was a parody of those things. Either way, it was not good. The terrorism angle was boring and surface-level, the romance was unnecessarily and unbelievable, not to mention that between the two female characters, one is the villain, and the other is too overwhelmed by her desire for the main character that it affects her judgment. If it was a parody, it didn't go far enough to truly be a parody. Ultimately it is not something I will re-read or recommend. Show Less
LibraryThing member NovelBookworm
The tagline in Jonathan Maberry’s novel Patient Zero read, “ When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week, there’s either something wrong with your world or something wrong with your skills…and there’s nothing wrong with joe Ledger’s skills. Okay, my interest is piqued. In
I read Patient Zero because I had received Maberry’s second Joe Ledger book for review and liked it enough that I wanted to read his first. (Just a suggestion…read Patient Zero first….The Dragon Factory was great and can stand on its own just fine, but I sort of knew who would survive the whole “world coming to an end” in Patient Zero because I knew who was going to be in The Dragon Factory.) Whatever order you can read them in, if you’re a fan of the genre..and I’m not sure what genre I’m talking about here, sci-fi, thriller, suspense, mystery? I don’t know, but the book has crazy fundamentalist terrorists, crazy mad scientists, evil pharmaceutical corporate entrepreneurs, obscure prion diseases, parasites, and zombies on one side. And on the other, we have enigmatic directors, a team of soldiers saving the world in no nonsense and ballsy ways, techno-geeks aplenty, kickass weaponry and badass techniques. Gruesome in places, hey….it’s got zombies, whaddya expect?
It’s not all butt-kicking action though. The author manages to squeeze in a little introspection and a bit of philosophy, which is good, because it’s nice to have a moment to catch our breath. Might be a novel, but sometimes we can find a lot of truth in fiction…
So, summing up, zombies, bio-warfare, uber evil rich dude, crazy terrorists, double-crossing evil plots, mad scientists, the coolest bunch of good guys ever, and did I mention…ZOMBIES…..I loved this book so much that I downloaded a couple of great short stories into my Sony Reader to help fill the “Gotta have my Maberry” urge. I read them…they were great, but did I mention they were SHORT stories. Hmmm….c’mon Mr.Maberry, crank it up, I needs me my Joe Ledger fix. I believe that there is another Joe Ledger coming out next year. But that’s so long to wait. I mean, what if zombies attack before then? Sigh…okay…drumming fingers on the table...I’ll wait…*sigh...this is me…being patient...*sigh
Review copy provided by ME!!
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this novel, the first book in the Joe Ledger series, Joe is a Baltimore detective who has been assigned to an inter-jurisdictional counter terrorism taskforce. Joe is recruited by a super secret organization, the DMS (Department of Military Science) to stop a group of whacked out terrorists from releasing a plague that, and I swear I’m not making this up….turns people into zombies. (Yeah….how cool is that! Terrorist zombies…..)I read Patient Zero because I had received Maberry’s second Joe Ledger book for review and liked it enough that I wanted to read his first. (Just a suggestion…read Patient Zero first….The Dragon Factory was great and can stand on its own just fine, but I sort of knew who would survive the whole “world coming to an end” in Patient Zero because I knew who was going to be in The Dragon Factory.) Whatever order you can read them in, if you’re a fan of the genre..and I’m not sure what genre I’m talking about here, sci-fi, thriller, suspense, mystery? I don’t know, but the book has crazy fundamentalist terrorists, crazy mad scientists, evil pharmaceutical corporate entrepreneurs, obscure prion diseases, parasites, and zombies on one side. And on the other, we have enigmatic directors, a team of soldiers saving the world in no nonsense and ballsy ways, techno-geeks aplenty, kickass weaponry and badass techniques. Gruesome in places, hey….it’s got zombies, whaddya expect?
It’s not all butt-kicking action though. The author manages to squeeze in a little introspection and a bit of philosophy, which is good, because it’s nice to have a moment to catch our breath. Might be a novel, but sometimes we can find a lot of truth in fiction…
So, summing up, zombies, bio-warfare, uber evil rich dude, crazy terrorists, double-crossing evil plots, mad scientists, the coolest bunch of good guys ever, and did I mention…ZOMBIES…..I loved this book so much that I downloaded a couple of great short stories into my Sony Reader to help fill the “Gotta have my Maberry” urge. I read them…they were great, but did I mention they were SHORT stories. Hmmm….c’mon Mr.Maberry, crank it up, I needs me my Joe Ledger fix. I believe that there is another Joe Ledger coming out next year. But that’s so long to wait. I mean, what if zombies attack before then? Sigh…okay…drumming fingers on the table...I’ll wait…*sigh...this is me…being patient...*sigh
Review copy provided by ME!!
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LibraryThing member SheilaDeeth
My son said there was more to this book than he’d expected. He knew there’d be zombies, and assumed they’d just be the McGuffin that centered the tale. Obviously there’d be some clever trick to destroying them at the end. But he was pleased to be wrong, and handed me the book with a strong
Patient Zero of the title is a fleeing terrorist who gets shot and killed. Shortly thereafter he attempts to kill his killer. More specifically, he tries to bite him. Said killer, a cop called Joe Ledger, finds this distinctly dismaying and is soon recruited into a secret government organization tasked with controlling the terrorist threat.
But it’s not that simple. Nobody knows which terrorist group is represented, or how they developed such a sudden talent for science. And who would have the money to finance such a plot?
The story is well-told—a successful mixture of first and third-person fiction that really satisfies. Action scenes are fast and furious and somehow so well choreographed that they make perfect sense. Introspection is also convincingly done, as Joe tries to come to terms with who he is and what’s happening to his world. And the twists and turns of the plot, including clever detective work and solving of mysteries, is intriguingly complex and disturbingly plausible. The science is portrayed with a deft, convincing touch, and the politics is satisfyingly nuanced—no red state, blue state here.
Jonathan Maberry’s characters are fascinating too, from witch-like genius Amirah, to terrorist, to sinister Toys, to slick philanthropist, to scarily skillful soldiers, to psychologist. Like Michael Crichton at his early best, combined with classic horror, with a touch of first-season 24, this reads like watching a movie that you’ll want to recommend to all your friends—or else just to their sons.
Of course, if you don’t like blood, it’s not for you; it does, after all, have zombies.
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recommendation that I should read it too.Patient Zero of the title is a fleeing terrorist who gets shot and killed. Shortly thereafter he attempts to kill his killer. More specifically, he tries to bite him. Said killer, a cop called Joe Ledger, finds this distinctly dismaying and is soon recruited into a secret government organization tasked with controlling the terrorist threat.
But it’s not that simple. Nobody knows which terrorist group is represented, or how they developed such a sudden talent for science. And who would have the money to finance such a plot?
The story is well-told—a successful mixture of first and third-person fiction that really satisfies. Action scenes are fast and furious and somehow so well choreographed that they make perfect sense. Introspection is also convincingly done, as Joe tries to come to terms with who he is and what’s happening to his world. And the twists and turns of the plot, including clever detective work and solving of mysteries, is intriguingly complex and disturbingly plausible. The science is portrayed with a deft, convincing touch, and the politics is satisfyingly nuanced—no red state, blue state here.
Jonathan Maberry’s characters are fascinating too, from witch-like genius Amirah, to terrorist, to sinister Toys, to slick philanthropist, to scarily skillful soldiers, to psychologist. Like Michael Crichton at his early best, combined with classic horror, with a touch of first-season 24, this reads like watching a movie that you’ll want to recommend to all your friends—or else just to their sons.
Of course, if you don’t like blood, it’s not for you; it does, after all, have zombies.
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LibraryThing member Aerrin99
This book is a ton of fun, well-written, nerve-wracking, and different from anything else I've read in the zombie genre. In fact, in many ways this isn't really a zombie book at all.
The focus here is on the terrorism and bioengeering aspects - the disease they create makes what we'd call zombies,
Although the main character is a bit overly "special", I tend to like stories that involve the protagonist taking names and kicking ass in a way I sure never could - and he's got enough heart to keep me interested.
The twin tails of terrorists/scientists and the government team trying to stop them meshed nicely, with a few unexpected consequences and some surprises I hadn't quite expected.
On top of it, this zombie-black ops-thriller-tale managed to ask a few questions about humanity and what makes it and the choices we make.
Overall, a very fun read. Recommended if you like the genre!
The focus here is on the terrorism and bioengeering aspects - the disease they create makes what we'd call zombies,
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and that lends its own special brand of 'terrifying' to the general story, but overall this is a story about fighting those who will do horrible things to humanity for their own purposes. Although the main character is a bit overly "special", I tend to like stories that involve the protagonist taking names and kicking ass in a way I sure never could - and he's got enough heart to keep me interested.
The twin tails of terrorists/scientists and the government team trying to stop them meshed nicely, with a few unexpected consequences and some surprises I hadn't quite expected.
On top of it, this zombie-black ops-thriller-tale managed to ask a few questions about humanity and what makes it and the choices we make.
Overall, a very fun read. Recommended if you like the genre!
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LibraryThing member TadAD
Maberry has taken a basic horror concept and applied the dictum "there must be a logical explanation for this" and created a suspense thriller. Terrorists have developed a prion-based parasite that destroys higher brain function in its victims, slows their metabolism dramatically, cuts the pain
Maberry did a good job of it. Despite a few moments of melodrama, the writing is fast-paced and smooth and I was drawn right into the story. There is very little build-up. From the opening concept that “When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week, then there’s …something wrong…" to the final pages of the story, the action is relentless and exciting. Along the way, we are introduced to a number of fairly well-drawn and interesting characters—hopefully, we’ll get to know more about them in the sequel promised in the book’s blurb.
The cross-over from horror to techno-thriller actually works fairly well. Regardless of whether the biology actually makes sense or not, I had neither the feeling of reading a horror book with a really lame explanation for events, nor the feeling of a thriller with a ludicrous terrorist gimmick. The author has done a good job of keeping the technical explanations to the right level: neither mystic hand-waving nor tedious droning of scientific details.
I’m looking forward to picking up the next Joe Ledger book.
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centers and has a terrible drive to reproduce by saliva transmission…effectively, zombies. Baltimore cop Joe Ledger gets recruited into a top-secret government organization to stop the use of this weapon by jihadis.Maberry did a good job of it. Despite a few moments of melodrama, the writing is fast-paced and smooth and I was drawn right into the story. There is very little build-up. From the opening concept that “When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week, then there’s …something wrong…" to the final pages of the story, the action is relentless and exciting. Along the way, we are introduced to a number of fairly well-drawn and interesting characters—hopefully, we’ll get to know more about them in the sequel promised in the book’s blurb.
The cross-over from horror to techno-thriller actually works fairly well. Regardless of whether the biology actually makes sense or not, I had neither the feeling of reading a horror book with a really lame explanation for events, nor the feeling of a thriller with a ludicrous terrorist gimmick. The author has done a good job of keeping the technical explanations to the right level: neither mystic hand-waving nor tedious droning of scientific details.
I’m looking forward to picking up the next Joe Ledger book.
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LibraryThing member aethercowboy
Patient Zero is an anti-terrorist thriller with zombies.
Joe Ledger, the protagonist of this story, is like all the great action heroes: he's cocky, he's witty, he's strong, and he's realistic. He's the narrator for most of the book, and he takes us through several days during which a terrorist
Maberry does a good job mixing the Thriller genre with the Zombie genre, making a page-turning high-tech horror novel full of easy-to-follow jargon and believable scientific explanations for how terrorists put together a disease that turned people into zombies. One complaint, though, is that true zombies shamble and move slowly. The zombies Ledger faces (called "walkers", mostly) are capable of faster motion (or so the verbs used to describe their movements lead one to believe), akin to the "infected" of 28 Days Later, or the "modern zombies" of Dawn of the Dead, etc. But, perhaps as an appeal to zombie purists, they can at times be seen shambling.
This book is the first in a series of books. Where it goes I am interested to see. Maberry drew a very thin line for himself to follow. I can see it going one of several ways.
Perhaps the surviving malevolents will regroup and attempt another zombie themed attack. This could get boring and repetitive.
Perhaps future terrorists will develop a vampire disease, or a werewolf disease, or any other movie monster disease. This, though, risks making Maberry yet another cliched author.
Perhaps the world will resume to normal, and Ledger et al. will hunt down the big game terrorists that threaten the free world. This, though, risks alienating the audience of the first book who picked it up because it had hordes of the undead in itt.
Perhaps Ledger et al. will face off against even more paranormal events. But that was already done, at least once before, in a television series called "The X-Files."
Part of the reason I am interested in seeing where Maberry will go with this series is that I cannot think of a good way to keep it interesting to me (though I found the first book to be very interesting), and I'm hoping that Maberry can.
I recommend this book if you like thrillers and have at least a tolerance of zombie fiction, or if you like zombie stories and have at least a tolerance of thrillers. If you enjoyed books like World War Z by Max Brooks, you'll probably enjoy Patient Zero.
Joe Ledger, the protagonist of this story, is like all the great action heroes: he's cocky, he's witty, he's strong, and he's realistic. He's the narrator for most of the book, and he takes us through several days during which a terrorist
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threat to unleash a zombie plague on the world begins to unfold. Working for the Department of Military Science, a hush hush government agency with unlimited funding and a head who has his hand in everybody's pockets, they mix top scientists, expensive gadgets, and experienced officers to help fight abnormal threats outside the understanding of the other agencies.Maberry does a good job mixing the Thriller genre with the Zombie genre, making a page-turning high-tech horror novel full of easy-to-follow jargon and believable scientific explanations for how terrorists put together a disease that turned people into zombies. One complaint, though, is that true zombies shamble and move slowly. The zombies Ledger faces (called "walkers", mostly) are capable of faster motion (or so the verbs used to describe their movements lead one to believe), akin to the "infected" of 28 Days Later, or the "modern zombies" of Dawn of the Dead, etc. But, perhaps as an appeal to zombie purists, they can at times be seen shambling.
This book is the first in a series of books. Where it goes I am interested to see. Maberry drew a very thin line for himself to follow. I can see it going one of several ways.
Perhaps the surviving malevolents will regroup and attempt another zombie themed attack. This could get boring and repetitive.
Perhaps future terrorists will develop a vampire disease, or a werewolf disease, or any other movie monster disease. This, though, risks making Maberry yet another cliched author.
Perhaps the world will resume to normal, and Ledger et al. will hunt down the big game terrorists that threaten the free world. This, though, risks alienating the audience of the first book who picked it up because it had hordes of the undead in itt.
Perhaps Ledger et al. will face off against even more paranormal events. But that was already done, at least once before, in a television series called "The X-Files."
Part of the reason I am interested in seeing where Maberry will go with this series is that I cannot think of a good way to keep it interesting to me (though I found the first book to be very interesting), and I'm hoping that Maberry can.
I recommend this book if you like thrillers and have at least a tolerance of zombie fiction, or if you like zombie stories and have at least a tolerance of thrillers. If you enjoyed books like World War Z by Max Brooks, you'll probably enjoy Patient Zero.
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LibraryThing member ocgreg34
Baltimore Detective Joe Ledger thinks that the two bullets he fired into the back of the terrorist Java Mustapha during a warehouse raid should have done the trick. But when three government agents show up, escort him to a nondescript building and lock him in a room with the recently re-animated
When I first began to read, I inwardly groaned at the quick portrait of Ledger -- and even his therapist Dr. Rudy Sanchez -- as mens' men, rugged, handsome and always on the prowl for a good-looking woman. Images of those semi-cheesy Sci-Fi Channel movies popped into my head, but they quickly disappeared. After Ledger and Sanchez come face to face with the new threat, something changes, a very subtle shift in both their attitudes. Each still has a bit of that he-man swagger, but it's rational, tempered by what they've seen, by what they know could possibly happen. And I found my self liking them, wanting them to succeed, cheering and fretting with each run-in with the zombies.
On the other side of the character coin, the villains in Patient Zero also started out as the typical "businessman out to make a buck no matter what" and Middle Eastern extremists. Sebastian Gault runs the world's largest pharmaceutical manufacturing operation, and together with the terrorist El Mujahid and his mad-scientist wife Amirah, he plans on introducing the new infection into the U.S., but for purely monetary reasons. But just like Ledger and Sanchez, just when I want to hate him, he realizes what El Mujahid and Amirah are really up to and takes action. Totally unexpected and a great twist, in my opinion.
The timeframe of the story runs only a few weeks, and Maberry creates a real-time feel with the pacing. Very little time elapses between Ledger's second run-in with Patient Zero and his first major zombie fight. The characters don't get a rest and neither does the reader! I was glued to the action, not being able to put the book down because I needed to know what was going to happen next. (I actually read the last 300 pages within a few hours last Saturday, in one sitting.) As for the "battle" scenes, the detailed settings, the cautious approach by Ledger and his team, the zombies themselves being ordinary people, the violent and bloody fights -- just amazing. And I will say, for a horror novel, Patient Zero does a nice job of adding a realistic political thriller into the mix.
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Mustapha, he discovers that he couldn't be further from the truth. Thanks to the results of his second meeting with Mustapha -- actually, a test to see if has the "right stuff" -- Ledger is recruited by the mysterious Mr. Church to join a new, ultrasecret organization known as the Department of Military Science, or DMS. Mustapha, now known as Patient Zero, is the first inkling of a new line of bioterrorism, one that can turn everyday people into zombies, and it's up to Ledger and the DMS to stop the threat before someone releases it in the U.S.When I first began to read, I inwardly groaned at the quick portrait of Ledger -- and even his therapist Dr. Rudy Sanchez -- as mens' men, rugged, handsome and always on the prowl for a good-looking woman. Images of those semi-cheesy Sci-Fi Channel movies popped into my head, but they quickly disappeared. After Ledger and Sanchez come face to face with the new threat, something changes, a very subtle shift in both their attitudes. Each still has a bit of that he-man swagger, but it's rational, tempered by what they've seen, by what they know could possibly happen. And I found my self liking them, wanting them to succeed, cheering and fretting with each run-in with the zombies.
On the other side of the character coin, the villains in Patient Zero also started out as the typical "businessman out to make a buck no matter what" and Middle Eastern extremists. Sebastian Gault runs the world's largest pharmaceutical manufacturing operation, and together with the terrorist El Mujahid and his mad-scientist wife Amirah, he plans on introducing the new infection into the U.S., but for purely monetary reasons. But just like Ledger and Sanchez, just when I want to hate him, he realizes what El Mujahid and Amirah are really up to and takes action. Totally unexpected and a great twist, in my opinion.
The timeframe of the story runs only a few weeks, and Maberry creates a real-time feel with the pacing. Very little time elapses between Ledger's second run-in with Patient Zero and his first major zombie fight. The characters don't get a rest and neither does the reader! I was glued to the action, not being able to put the book down because I needed to know what was going to happen next. (I actually read the last 300 pages within a few hours last Saturday, in one sitting.) As for the "battle" scenes, the detailed settings, the cautious approach by Ledger and his team, the zombies themselves being ordinary people, the violent and bloody fights -- just amazing. And I will say, for a horror novel, Patient Zero does a nice job of adding a realistic political thriller into the mix.
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LibraryThing member kd9
Since my last two Early Reviewers books were less than stellar, I was somewhat worried about this one. But I am happy to say that his book is a great thrill ride.
Joe Ledger is a successful ex-Army policeman about to join the FBI when he is "kidnapped" by a super secret anti-terrorist US government
You have gold plated heroes, evil rich schemers, fanatically religious terrorists, unbelieving bystanders, and a brilliant mastermind (good thing he is on our side) fighting all this evil. This is a non-stop plot with plenty of jujitsu moves for readers of action/adventure novels, plenty of gunfire, and plenty of secret government organizations (and their moles). There is even a bit of discreet romance when the fighting gets to be just too much. I eagerly look forward to the next book in this undoubtedly successful series.
Joe Ledger is a successful ex-Army policeman about to join the FBI when he is "kidnapped" by a super secret anti-terrorist US government
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organization. He is immediately thrown into a fire fight with actual zombies. Yes, there is a quasi-scientific explanation how a rapacious pharmaceutical company CEO and and a brilliant Middle Eastern terrorist have designed a vaccine to create brain dead, aggressively chomping, living dead.You have gold plated heroes, evil rich schemers, fanatically religious terrorists, unbelieving bystanders, and a brilliant mastermind (good thing he is on our side) fighting all this evil. This is a non-stop plot with plenty of jujitsu moves for readers of action/adventure novels, plenty of gunfire, and plenty of secret government organizations (and their moles). There is even a bit of discreet romance when the fighting gets to be just too much. I eagerly look forward to the next book in this undoubtedly successful series.
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LibraryThing member jerm
Ok, so you know how I am about Zombies. I love ‘em right? Well, I don’t know how much more this book could’ve been written for a Zombie freak, except maybe a few more zombies. Now Bob will say that this is not a zombie book, because the zombies become zombies because of a contagion, not
All in all, a very cool military vs. Zombie effort.
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simply from being Undead, but I say who cares, I’m not gonna differentiate when they come for me. I’ve got my bat ready.All in all, a very cool military vs. Zombie effort.
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LibraryThing member TheCriticalTimes
A former police detective and should-have-been special forces member Joe Ledger can't help himself but be absorbed into the latest super secret anti-terrorist agency. His skills as a martial arts expert and guilty ruthlessness are ideal skills to lead a small unit into a zombie infested plot to
That's pretty much all you need to know. At least if you're only interested steam-reading through the novel to get through the action parts, which is what I did. It's not my kind of book as you may have guessed from the previous paragraph. I did find myself highly entertained by a number of interesting aspects of this book. First of all you learn more about the author than Joe Ledger. Second, the explanation of how scientists can create zombies almost sounds plausible. The science even feels just as well thought through as any Michael Crichton construction. Finally, the entire book appears to have been written either as either inspired by first person shooters or targeted to become one. My bet is on the latter.
Regarding the zombie science you'll have to read it yourself because Maberry does a much better job of describing how it works than I could. Maberry himself is very visible throughout the pages. A clear fascination with hand to hand combat can be gleaned from almost every page, but at the same time a sense of shame appears to bleed through. Joe Ledger must be a fairly skinny guy for someone who we learn should have been Black Ops, since he loses his lunch fairly frequently. Having the main character reflect on what he has just done is an admirable goal and a very refreshing one, but it reads as an apology for indulging in writing about detailed killings instead of an honest balancing of remorse vs aggression.
As you read the novel you may experience a sense of deja-vu: where have I seen such events before? The plot structure of the story follows the most common setup of a first person shooter. First there is the introduction and training of the main character (you) in which you learn how to deal with the specially created monsters for your enjoyment. Then you're given a taste of the true legion of badasses that are sure to come soon. After this the big battle with the small fry occurs in which you slay dozens or hundreds, it doesn't really matter how many, baddies, after which you're allowed into the arena for the final showdown with the boss character.
After the first chapter you can already predict in a fair amount of detail how the rest of the book is going to develop. I did keep on reading because I was very interested in finding out more about the writer. An interesting read and worth while if you're a fan of the 'I am Legend' genre.
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punish the infidels of the world. Other than that we have the usual roles: two other-wordly beautiful scientists, a figure head for the secret agency who's more composed under pressure than the statue of liberty and various other cast members you can fill in by grabbing random James Bond or Bourne characters.That's pretty much all you need to know. At least if you're only interested steam-reading through the novel to get through the action parts, which is what I did. It's not my kind of book as you may have guessed from the previous paragraph. I did find myself highly entertained by a number of interesting aspects of this book. First of all you learn more about the author than Joe Ledger. Second, the explanation of how scientists can create zombies almost sounds plausible. The science even feels just as well thought through as any Michael Crichton construction. Finally, the entire book appears to have been written either as either inspired by first person shooters or targeted to become one. My bet is on the latter.
Regarding the zombie science you'll have to read it yourself because Maberry does a much better job of describing how it works than I could. Maberry himself is very visible throughout the pages. A clear fascination with hand to hand combat can be gleaned from almost every page, but at the same time a sense of shame appears to bleed through. Joe Ledger must be a fairly skinny guy for someone who we learn should have been Black Ops, since he loses his lunch fairly frequently. Having the main character reflect on what he has just done is an admirable goal and a very refreshing one, but it reads as an apology for indulging in writing about detailed killings instead of an honest balancing of remorse vs aggression.
As you read the novel you may experience a sense of deja-vu: where have I seen such events before? The plot structure of the story follows the most common setup of a first person shooter. First there is the introduction and training of the main character (you) in which you learn how to deal with the specially created monsters for your enjoyment. Then you're given a taste of the true legion of badasses that are sure to come soon. After this the big battle with the small fry occurs in which you slay dozens or hundreds, it doesn't really matter how many, baddies, after which you're allowed into the arena for the final showdown with the boss character.
After the first chapter you can already predict in a fair amount of detail how the rest of the book is going to develop. I did keep on reading because I was very interested in finding out more about the writer. An interesting read and worth while if you're a fan of the 'I am Legend' genre.
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LibraryThing member travelinlibrarian
I took this book with me on a flight from Omaha, NE to Panama City, FL and back and it made the hours on the planes and in the airports seem like they just didn't happen. This book takes one part Tom Clancy, one part Joeseph Wambaugh, and one part George Romero and ends up with an intelligent,
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action-packed, zombie thriller with just enough violence, mayhem, and gore to satisfy anyone who loves zombies. Show Less
LibraryThing member MikeKo
A group headed by terrorists have found a way to create zombies and plan on releasing this weapon on the world. Only, Joe Ledger, a Baltimore detective can save us. Hired by the government to lead a fight against the enemy, Ledger shows off his skills from beginning to end. Fast paced, creepy and
An exciting man versus zombie with a military feel story that
keeps you wanting for more. Jonathan Maberry has delivered once again.
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thrilling, you can't stop.An exciting man versus zombie with a military feel story that
keeps you wanting for more. Jonathan Maberry has delivered once again.
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LibraryThing member kayceel
"When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week, then there's either something wrong with your skills or something wrong with your world.
And there's nothing wrong with my skills."
Indeed, there's nothing wrong with Joe Ledger's skills, which is why the 32-year-old ex-army,
_Patient Zero_ is pretty intense. The action starts up quick, and any time we're with Ledger, it speeds along at a delightful and often gory pace (just like I like my zombie stories!). He's clever, tough, a smartass, and a TOTAL badass - I do have a bit of a crush, I must admit.
There are other players, including the terrorist leader, his scientist wife and the money behind the scheme; when we're with them, the story drags a bit, but the chapters are short and we also often get treated to scenes from victims' point of view: freaky, gory and terrifying. LOVED THIS!
And there's nothing wrong with my skills."
Indeed, there's nothing wrong with Joe Ledger's skills, which is why the 32-year-old ex-army,
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soon-to-be-ex-police detective, martial arts expert and FBI recruit is being strong-armed into a secret government agency to fight a very specific terrorist threat: a disease that looks a LOT like...zombies. 'Course, the agency calls them "walkers," but if it walks, moans and bites like a zombie..._Patient Zero_ is pretty intense. The action starts up quick, and any time we're with Ledger, it speeds along at a delightful and often gory pace (just like I like my zombie stories!). He's clever, tough, a smartass, and a TOTAL badass - I do have a bit of a crush, I must admit.
There are other players, including the terrorist leader, his scientist wife and the money behind the scheme; when we're with them, the story drags a bit, but the chapters are short and we also often get treated to scenes from victims' point of view: freaky, gory and terrifying. LOVED THIS!
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LibraryThing member m4marya
In all my years of reading horror, apocalypse and sci-fi books I have never seen the old movie gimmick of a man and woman landing on top of each other in a book. That being said, this book was ok, the only not crazy female character kept getting teary eyed. I found it a bit predictable, very light
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reading, but still enjoyable. Show Less
LibraryThing member stephmo
Patient Zero is a that post-9/11 thriller designed to explain to you exactly what would make a terrorist attack even more frightening. The answer? Zombies.
Joe Ledger is your a-typical special-ops guy with a sketchy psychological past, near super-human fighting skills and a best friend that is part
While the plot may sound like it could fall heavily into cliche, the presence of a competing storyline from the virus inventor point of view brings a much-needed depth of dimension to the story. The 400-page book is actually broken into 125 chapters, so you'll find Jonathan Mayberry flipping you back and forth between story lines very quickly. It's a very clever idea and just as one piece of the puzzle drops into place, Mayberry flashes about 6 more pieces you'll need to place.
Joe Ledger is your a-typical special-ops guy with a sketchy psychological past, near super-human fighting skills and a best friend that is part
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comedic relief and all grounding force (in this case, best-friend and shrink). When he finds himself killing the same terrorist in the same week, he finds himself drawn into the strange world of the DMS and a plot to unleash a Zombie virus onto U.S. soil in the form of a terrorist attack. If they'd only not discovered the likely plant of a double-agent during their trial-by fire, they might have a better-than-slim chance of beating this thing...While the plot may sound like it could fall heavily into cliche, the presence of a competing storyline from the virus inventor point of view brings a much-needed depth of dimension to the story. The 400-page book is actually broken into 125 chapters, so you'll find Jonathan Mayberry flipping you back and forth between story lines very quickly. It's a very clever idea and just as one piece of the puzzle drops into place, Mayberry flashes about 6 more pieces you'll need to place.
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LibraryThing member mikedraper
Joe Ledger is a Baltomore, PD Det. He is part of a team that raids a terrorist hideout and partakes in the shoot out where a number of terrorists are killed.
He is recruited into a new secret agency. DMS Dept. of Medical Science. The man in charge, Mr. Church tells him he must first subdue the man
The terrorists have devised a means where they give a terrorist a pill and when the person is killed, then they come back with an infection. They try to kill everyone they see thereby making them infection also zombie types. DMS call these people Dead Men Walking or Walkers.
In Afghanistan, Sebastian Gault is selling biotechnical info to the terrorists. He owns a pharmacitucal company. He hopes that when these infected people are set loose in America. We will need a cure and the pharmacitucal industry will make billions.
Church tells Joe that two of their response teams were wiped out when they went to the hosp where two walkers began killing people. Everyone in the hosp became infected and when the teams arrived they were taken unaware and killed. Now Joe must form another team to take charge of the fight against the terrorists.
This is a well done dale. Mixes thriller, horror and action novel. Characters are memorable and Joe is called a hero in waiting.
Recommended.
He is recruited into a new secret agency. DMS Dept. of Medical Science. The man in charge, Mr. Church tells him he must first subdue the man
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in the interview room. When Joe enters the room, the man jumps up and tries to bite him. Joe is horrorfied to see that he's one of the men he killed. Now the man is a zombie like person.The terrorists have devised a means where they give a terrorist a pill and when the person is killed, then they come back with an infection. They try to kill everyone they see thereby making them infection also zombie types. DMS call these people Dead Men Walking or Walkers.
In Afghanistan, Sebastian Gault is selling biotechnical info to the terrorists. He owns a pharmacitucal company. He hopes that when these infected people are set loose in America. We will need a cure and the pharmacitucal industry will make billions.
Church tells Joe that two of their response teams were wiped out when they went to the hosp where two walkers began killing people. Everyone in the hosp became infected and when the teams arrived they were taken unaware and killed. Now Joe must form another team to take charge of the fight against the terrorists.
This is a well done dale. Mixes thriller, horror and action novel. Characters are memorable and Joe is called a hero in waiting.
Recommended.
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LibraryThing member titania86
Joe Ledger was just a cop, protecting his country. Afterwards, he is approached by the DMS (Department of Military Science) and has to kill the same man twice. His entire world view goes out of control after that. He joins the DMS and finds out about an insane terrorist plot to release a zombie
This book was a great mixture of military fiction and a zombie novel. Most zombie novels are from a civilian's perspective, so it was interesting to see inside an all-powerful secret government agency in their quest to stop the zombie apocalypse. There is definitely no shortage of zombie carnage. This was one of the bloodiest books I have ever read and I'm no slouch; I've read lots of horror novels
The characters are fleshed out and realistic. Joe is a smart ass, but a dedicated cop with an interesting psychological profile. Grace Courtland was at a first a hard-ass, humorless bitch, but upon further inspection was found to be an emotional person with a tragic past. One of my favorite characters is Rudy, Joe's psychiatrist and best friend. He provides comic relief and a voice of reason for Joe, who is trying to deal with his world turned upside down. The book is in multiple narrations from various characters, including Gault, the greedy supplier of money for the terrorists, and Amirah, his insane scientist lover. The plot from both sides of this war made the book enjoyable to read. It also had me guessing how the two groups would intersect.
This book was very engrossing and attention-grabbing. If you like action, zombies, and the military, I would recommend that you read this book.
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virus on United States soil. Joe has to head a team of talented military men that he barely knows to foil the terrorist plan that could end the world.This book was a great mixture of military fiction and a zombie novel. Most zombie novels are from a civilian's perspective, so it was interesting to see inside an all-powerful secret government agency in their quest to stop the zombie apocalypse. There is definitely no shortage of zombie carnage. This was one of the bloodiest books I have ever read and I'm no slouch; I've read lots of horror novels
The characters are fleshed out and realistic. Joe is a smart ass, but a dedicated cop with an interesting psychological profile. Grace Courtland was at a first a hard-ass, humorless bitch, but upon further inspection was found to be an emotional person with a tragic past. One of my favorite characters is Rudy, Joe's psychiatrist and best friend. He provides comic relief and a voice of reason for Joe, who is trying to deal with his world turned upside down. The book is in multiple narrations from various characters, including Gault, the greedy supplier of money for the terrorists, and Amirah, his insane scientist lover. The plot from both sides of this war made the book enjoyable to read. It also had me guessing how the two groups would intersect.
This book was very engrossing and attention-grabbing. If you like action, zombies, and the military, I would recommend that you read this book.
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LibraryThing member TerryWeyna
The summer I turned 30, I went to Great America with my two sisters and one brother-in-law. We rode The Screaming Eagle rollercoaster, one of those wooden rebuilds of old-time coasters, which (at the time) had the longest drop on the first hill of any rollercoaster in the world. As we reached the
You’re probably wondering what this story has to do with Patient Zero. Well, substitute reading this book for riding that rollercoaster. It has all the same thrills, scares, horrifying drops and corkscrew turns. And I loved it at least as much as I loved The Screaming Eagle.
Jonathan Maberry is the Stoker-award-winning author of Ghost Road Blues, Dead Man's Song and Bad Moon Rising, all of which I now plan to read as soon as possible, because damn, this guy can write. In an age when horror is said to be dead, Maberry is breathing new life into the genre, along with Joe Hill, Laird Barron and John Langan. It seems to me that we’re headed for an age of horror unlike anything we’ve seen since the days when Stephen King had a million imitators, all of whom were publishing books with black and red covers. The only difference is that – at least for right now – the quality of the books on the shelves is very high indeed.
The premise of Patient Zero is that zombies are the newest terrorist threat. Yes, I know, zombies. I’m not a fan of zombies myself, but in Maberry’s hands, they actually make a kind of sense. Using a technique borrowed from science fiction, Maberry explains zombies as a prion disease made communicable by a genius of a scientist who just happens to be an Islamic fundamentalist set on destroying the United States. Or wait -- is the villain really the scientist, or someone else? Someone with a more American point of view having to do with profit? There is no shortage of evildoers in this novel.
The viewpoint character is Joe Ledger, a Baltimore police detective who is recruited by a shadowy federal agency fighting terrorism by all means possible, known as the Department of Military Science. (The Constitution and other legal protections don’t seem to have much play here, and in fact seem ludicrously naïve.) Ledger isn’t quite superhuman, but he comes close: he is astonishingly fast and never hesitates in completing his mission, no matter the obstacles thrown in his path. Either he thinks extremely quickly, or he simply turns off his brain and moves; it’s hard to tell which. Fortunately, though, he’s got brains as well as reflexes, and he is a delight to read in his first-person narration of the efforts of the DMS to fight the zombie threat.
The only flaw I can identify in this book is that an obvious clue goes unraveled by the very smart people in the DMS until the absolute last minute. Even then, the tension generated by Maberry’s sharp writing is only accentuated, as the reader thinks, “Come on, come on, don’t you get it?” and mentally urges the characters to figure it out.
Blurbs on the book suggest that it is the first of a series. I do hope so. Ledger will be an interesting character to follow, rather in the vein of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, only in the horror genre rather than the mystery/thriller genre. I hope that Maberry has the success that Child has enjoyed, because he deserves it.
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top of that hill, my sister turned to me and said, “It’s been nice knowing you.” Sure enough, that first drop about killed me; even worse (or better, depending on your perspective) was the series of corkscrew turns at high speed that came toward the end of the ride. I screamed so much that I completely lost my voice. Of course we rode the thing at least twice more that day. I had a ball.You’re probably wondering what this story has to do with Patient Zero. Well, substitute reading this book for riding that rollercoaster. It has all the same thrills, scares, horrifying drops and corkscrew turns. And I loved it at least as much as I loved The Screaming Eagle.
Jonathan Maberry is the Stoker-award-winning author of Ghost Road Blues, Dead Man's Song and Bad Moon Rising, all of which I now plan to read as soon as possible, because damn, this guy can write. In an age when horror is said to be dead, Maberry is breathing new life into the genre, along with Joe Hill, Laird Barron and John Langan. It seems to me that we’re headed for an age of horror unlike anything we’ve seen since the days when Stephen King had a million imitators, all of whom were publishing books with black and red covers. The only difference is that – at least for right now – the quality of the books on the shelves is very high indeed.
The premise of Patient Zero is that zombies are the newest terrorist threat. Yes, I know, zombies. I’m not a fan of zombies myself, but in Maberry’s hands, they actually make a kind of sense. Using a technique borrowed from science fiction, Maberry explains zombies as a prion disease made communicable by a genius of a scientist who just happens to be an Islamic fundamentalist set on destroying the United States. Or wait -- is the villain really the scientist, or someone else? Someone with a more American point of view having to do with profit? There is no shortage of evildoers in this novel.
The viewpoint character is Joe Ledger, a Baltimore police detective who is recruited by a shadowy federal agency fighting terrorism by all means possible, known as the Department of Military Science. (The Constitution and other legal protections don’t seem to have much play here, and in fact seem ludicrously naïve.) Ledger isn’t quite superhuman, but he comes close: he is astonishingly fast and never hesitates in completing his mission, no matter the obstacles thrown in his path. Either he thinks extremely quickly, or he simply turns off his brain and moves; it’s hard to tell which. Fortunately, though, he’s got brains as well as reflexes, and he is a delight to read in his first-person narration of the efforts of the DMS to fight the zombie threat.
The only flaw I can identify in this book is that an obvious clue goes unraveled by the very smart people in the DMS until the absolute last minute. Even then, the tension generated by Maberry’s sharp writing is only accentuated, as the reader thinks, “Come on, come on, don’t you get it?” and mentally urges the characters to figure it out.
Blurbs on the book suggest that it is the first of a series. I do hope so. Ledger will be an interesting character to follow, rather in the vein of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, only in the horror genre rather than the mystery/thriller genre. I hope that Maberry has the success that Child has enjoyed, because he deserves it.
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LibraryThing member choochtriplem
A good story about a terrorist plot to beat the US...by using zombies! The book was okay, but kind of corny in some spots. I think I just need to realize nothing is going to top 'World War Z' when it comes to the zombie book genre. Still a good read though.
LibraryThing member crazybatcow
It has a similar tone to the early Joe Pitt books by Charlie Huston (the later ones in that series became preachy, but the early ones were hard-azz and justice-giving).
I really like Joe Ledger. He knows how to "teach 'em a lesson" and that's really the only reason why I read books like this - not
And there is a lot of that butt-kicking going on here - terrorist plot within terrorist plot and violence and guns and guts and zombies trying to get their teeth into some fresh victims. It is set in the "real world" and the science behind it all doesn't go as far into the improbable as I wish it did.
I'm starting the next in the series now. (Though it's worth noting that this story is completely resolved within this book and there are no loose ends dangling around.)
I really like Joe Ledger. He knows how to "teach 'em a lesson" and that's really the only reason why I read books like this - not
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for "world-building" or "political commentary"... just to see someone kicking azz. And he does it all for the right reasons too. Imagine Jack Reacher in a black ops organization.And there is a lot of that butt-kicking going on here - terrorist plot within terrorist plot and violence and guns and guts and zombies trying to get their teeth into some fresh victims. It is set in the "real world" and the science behind it all doesn't go as far into the improbable as I wish it did.
I'm starting the next in the series now. (Though it's worth noting that this story is completely resolved within this book and there are no loose ends dangling around.)
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LibraryThing member thehistorychic
Read for FUN!
Overall Rating: 5.00+
Story Rating: 5.00+
Character Rating: 5.00+
Audio Rating (not part of the overall): 3.00 (Wasn't my favorite in audio--switched to paper half way through)
First thought when finished: This book did for me the same thing The President's Vampire did--gave me my
What I Loved: There wasn't much I didn't love about this book! Patient Zero had heart-stopping action that any thriller junkie would love. It had a fantastic lead character, Joe Ledger, that any fan of conflicted heroes would love. He reminded me of a cross between Jason Bourne and Jack Baeur---lethal, cunning, and yet still had a heart. It also had fantastic side characters that you can't help but adore, suspect of being of moles, and care for in every aspect. I wont' go into any individual detail because a huge part of the fun of this book is the back-seat detective game you have going in your head. Seriously, I was sure I figured it out a couple of times. Of course, that means that I was also wrong a couple of times :) I can't say enough about this book. It is just FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!
Audio Review: I love audiobooks but this one just did not work for me. I listened to about half of the story in audio then switched over to paper. I just don't think there was enough urgency in the narrators voice. I have listened other books Ray Porter has done and they were excellent. So I think it might have been my urgency keyed up feeling and not necessarily the narrators. So bottom line, Ray Porter is an excellent narrator but this book didn't work for ME in audio form! Hope that makes sense because if you skip a book that has Ray as a narrator you are missing out on some true narration genius.
Final Thought: Not everyone will like this book but if you are a fan of Paranormal Thrillers---you will LOVE IT!
Overall Rating: 5.00+
Story Rating: 5.00+
Character Rating: 5.00+
Audio Rating (not part of the overall): 3.00 (Wasn't my favorite in audio--switched to paper half way through)
First thought when finished: This book did for me the same thing The President's Vampire did--gave me my
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action/thriller love coupled with my paranormal love! *sigh* I am in love with Joe Ledger!What I Loved: There wasn't much I didn't love about this book! Patient Zero had heart-stopping action that any thriller junkie would love. It had a fantastic lead character, Joe Ledger, that any fan of conflicted heroes would love. He reminded me of a cross between Jason Bourne and Jack Baeur---lethal, cunning, and yet still had a heart. It also had fantastic side characters that you can't help but adore, suspect of being of moles, and care for in every aspect. I wont' go into any individual detail because a huge part of the fun of this book is the back-seat detective game you have going in your head. Seriously, I was sure I figured it out a couple of times. Of course, that means that I was also wrong a couple of times :) I can't say enough about this book. It is just FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!
Audio Review: I love audiobooks but this one just did not work for me. I listened to about half of the story in audio then switched over to paper. I just don't think there was enough urgency in the narrators voice. I have listened other books Ray Porter has done and they were excellent. So I think it might have been my urgency keyed up feeling and not necessarily the narrators. So bottom line, Ray Porter is an excellent narrator but this book didn't work for ME in audio form! Hope that makes sense because if you skip a book that has Ray as a narrator you are missing out on some true narration genius.
Final Thought: Not everyone will like this book but if you are a fan of Paranormal Thrillers---you will LOVE IT!
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LibraryThing member OClvl3
I love a good zombie story, and this is a GREAT zombie story. It is nice to see a story that is at least some what plausible. Joe Ledger is a likable lead/hero who I was rooting for during the whole story.
Awards
Bram Stoker Award (Nominee — Novel — 2009)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009-03
Physical description
421 p.; 5.55 inches
ISBN
0312382855 / 9780312382858