Book Review: Salby Damned by Ian D Moore

Let me begin by saying that I’m not into zombies. I’ve never watched an episode of The Walking Dead, I never watched Night of the Living Dead, and I hate it when people call the Wights in A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones “zombies”. Wights are not zombies! They don’t eat the brains of the living to survive, and they didn’t fall into an undead state because they were bitten by one of the undead.

Sorry, I just had to get that out of my chest. By the way, did I mention that I’m not into zombies?

Okay, so I guess you might ask “Why did you read Salby Damned, if you hate zombies so much?” Well, I did it because it was my job, in truth. Author Ian D Moore was kind enough to trust me with the Spanish translation of Salby Damned. And, while I don’t care for zombies, I’m a sucker for thrillers revolving around major, evil plots brewing in high places. If you’ve read my books, you know what I’m talking about.

So you can imagine my surprise when I found that zombies aren’t the stars of the show in Salby Damned. Here, the undead take a backseat to major schemes involving underground military compounds in the UK, where lethal bio-chemical weapons are developed in secret, and shady, greedy corporate types who are willing to do just about anything to make a juicy profit for themselves.

Caught between the undead and these earth-shattering conspiracies, we find some very interesting characters: the world-weary soldier-turned-freelance-reporter Nathan Cross; the brilliant and brave scientist Evelyn Shepherd; the pragmatic and honorable Lieutenant Doctor Charles Fitzgerald and his heroic team of scientists; and Tom and Holly Lloyd, an adorable couple of kids that could turn into some zombie’s meal at any given time.

It’s hard to say more about Salby Damned without giving too much away. This is how good I found this book's shocking twists and turns. One thing I can and will say though, is that Moore is brilliant at providing his work with good balance between action, suspense, and his characters’ more quiet moments of dialogue and reflection.

What I liked about this book:

The zombies, and the reason why they came to be, are believable. This is because Moore found a brilliant way to turn perfectly normal, healthy human beings into savage, frenzied killing machines in a way that makes sense from a realistic, scientific perspective.

Although Nathan Cross and Evelyn Shepherd are the protagonists, Salby Damned features more of an ensemble cast of characters, and they’re all brilliant. When you delve into these people’s inner thoughts, you can see why they do the things they do, and even the most insignificant minor character or extra is compelling.

Then there are the twists and turns in Salby Damned, which I found extremely satisfying, as I said before. This book definitely has a little bit of everything for everyone:

You want to read about the savage carnage brought about by a Zombie Apocalypse? Check. You want to discover a thrilling investigation into a major crime committed by mysterious, unknown parties? Check. You want to experience exciting battles and confrontations? Check. You want to be moved by touching scenes involving some of the best traits of the human condition? Check.

What I didn’t like about this book:

While the action is amazing, most action scenes are condensed in certain parts of Salby Damned, which Moore could’ve distributed better throughout the book, I believe. I would’ve also liked to get a closer look at the spread of the Zombie Apocalypse across England. But this is a minor complaint, as Salby Damned focuses on the more intimate experiences that the main characters are going through in their little corner of the UK.

Conclusion:

When you’re capable of making someone like me forget that I’m supposed to be reading a novel about zombies, you are doing something right. I have Ian D Moore to thank for this, and I’m sure you’ll be thanking him too, once you’ve read his brilliant Salby Damned.