Many of Gareth Wood's Character Rise Without a Pulse: A Book Review

*full disclosure: an online copy of this novel was provided by Permuted Press.

Author: Gareth Wood.

Rise is a novel from Gareth Wood that was released by Permuted Press January 2nd in a Kindle format. The book is told in a journal style similar to Don Roff's Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection. Brian is the central character and Wood wrote this novel as "if some reasonably intelligent person" (Swedish) was exposed to a zombie apocalypse. Full of action sequences and a vast assortment of characters, Rise is the best zombie fiction novel that this fan has read so far this year.

The novel begins with Brian and on the periphery a disease outbreak looms in Africa. There are then reports of riots globally after about two weeks. Apparently, the disease has a diffuse vector. Soon, Brian is packing up his belongings and his sister, Sarah, for a journey into the nearby Canadian wilderness. Traffic jams and the undead slow his escape. Then the novel shifts into a zombie touring holiday with guns. Survivors are picked up and Brian makes contact with a military base at Cold Lake, Alberta. One of the best sequences in the novel is the retaking of Calgary, Alberta where events climax in a rescue situation.

Brian is at the heart of the novel and most of his actions are sound. He seems to bug out a little earlier after media reports of the plague spread. However, he is usually making decisions that are best for the group. Sarah his sister is prominent early in the novel, but her presence dissipates as more and more survivors turn up. One of those survivors is Danny, a young teenage boy. Another is Jessica who is also the woman that Brian eventually marries. In a zombie apocalypse relationships and commitment come quickly especially when you need someone watching your back.

Wood's writing style involves taking little snippets of the zombie apocalypse and showing them in a journal style read. The events take place over months and many of the inserts are short in length as Brian travels from one plague infected town or city to the next. The writing is to the point and direct with most of the entries dedicated to the action taking place. There is a lull midway through the novel involving Brian's marriage. Otherwise, the novel is fast paced and enjoyable to read.

Pick this novel up now if you are a zombie fiction fan for a tour through a zombie infested land. Set in the provinces Alberta and British Columbia, this novel offers a Canadian perspective e.g. few armaments, lots of small towns - to what is an exciting read. Even the last few chapters involving a bandit raid are creating and exploring dangerous situations. Overall, Rise left this reader wanting a sequel and that is almost always a good thing. Check it out for yourself in a novel that was influenced by many of the modern zombie movies in the market including George A. Romero's Land of the Dead.

Overall: 8 out of 10 (150 pages long, realistic, action packed, lots of characters).

*available in Kindle and paperback formats.

Rise at Permuted Press:

Rise at Permuted Press w/Plot Details

An interview with author Gareth Wood is here at Swedish Zombie:

Rise at Swedish Zombie (Interview)

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