Zurvival Saturday (113) Novella Review: Mutation Z by Marilyn Peake
This week I'll be reviewing the Novella Mutation Z by Marilyn Peake.
Genre: Horror, Zombies
Publication Date: September 16, 2014
Ebola, one of the most feared of the hemorrhagic diseases, has begun spreading across the borders of West African countries. The CDC and the World Health Organization have admitted they are losing control over the disease. Some hint at a possible worldwide pandemic. At exactly this point in time, Emma Johnson graduates from nursing school. She takes a job in an Ebola treatment camp inside Liberia, West Africa. The camp is state-of-the-art. It's run by the CDC and the World Health Organization, and protected by the U.S. military. Emma uncovers a secret about this facility: medical experimentation is being conducted along with treatment. Whether or not Emma can ever escape the camp, she's determined to get the story out. She has intimate knowledge of a biological horror being secretly unleashed upon the world. NOVELETTE. GENRES: Apocalyptic Science Fiction, Zombie Fiction, Conspiracy Fiction, Horror.
Mutation Z was a Novella I jumped wholeheartedly into. Ebola is one of the scariest, yet most fascinating diseases on the planet for me so combining that with a Zombie outbreak is downright terrifyingly awesome. One of the best parts about Mutation Z was the virus itself. Not only is it scary because it deals with Ebola but also because it only works during the full moon. Any other time of day and those injected with the serum would seem just as normal as you or me making them perfect carriers or weapons to spread the virus far and wide. Another thing I really liked about the story was the character of the little boy infected with Ebola. He plays a sort of pivotal role in things and also has the most heartbreaking moments in the entire story but hey, at least he finally gets his wish in the end and considering how much he suffered that (despite the circumstances) was nice to see all things considered. Now although I did like Mutation Z, my biggest issue with the story would have to be its presentation. The front half is loaded with information (normally great) but because it's presented in a very clinical way it also slowed down the pacing of the story for me. I'm not going to lie, at times, I found it boring while waiting for something to happen. However, this all changes in the back half once we learn more about the Virus and were finally shown what happens to those affected by it. Final Thoughts Despite some small pacing issues in the first half of the story, Mutation Z was a fun, ripped from the headlines read that I'm happy to have read. Yes, the characters could have been given more development and sure, I might have liked seeing more Zombies but considering the length of the story I think the Author did a good job. With that being said, I'll be rating Mutation Z by Marilyn Peake ★★★★. *Copy provided for review by Author. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in an which way for providing them. |
About the Author
Marilyn Peake is the author of both novels and short stories. Her publications have received excellent reviews. Marilyn’s one of the contributing authors in BOOK: THE SEQUEL, published by The Perseus Books Group, with one of her entries included in serialization at THE DAILY BEAST. In addition, Marilyn has served as Editor of a number of anthologies. Her short stories have been published in seven anthologies and on the literary blog, GLASS CASES.
Awards: Silver Award, two Honorable Mentions and eight Finalist placements in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, two Winner and two Finalist placements in the EPPIE Awards, Winner of the Dream Realm Awards, and eight Top Ten Finisher Awards in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll.
Follow Marilyn: Goodreads / Website / Twitter
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Out of curiosity, Have you read Mutation Z?
What disease do you feel could be mutated easily into a Zombie virus?
Leave me your answers in the comments below or feel free to tweet me them @Hermyoni
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