“Land of the Rising Dead” is the sequel of “Amongst the Dead”
If you remember in “Amongst the Dead” we follow Bobby (MD –no, not as in doctor as in Military Dude), Jens, Susanne and Ines. In “Land of the Rising Dead”, we follow Susanne’s ex-husband Fred and Hiro her friend and Fred’s best friend. We meet Fumi and Leiji. Leiji is a doctor! All four come together in hopes of surviving the Zombie apocalypse. This is the same Zombie Apocalypse that is ravishing Europe.
Fred and Hiro are pilots; they arrived in the Netherlands, stay the night, leaving Susanne (a stewardess), and fly out to Japan in an attempt to get home to Australia. They are passengers on the plane to Japan but the pilots get sick and Fred and Hiro take over for an emergency landing. Once in Japan, they won’t be leaving soon. Japan is being over ran by zombies. Leiji is a brilliant surgeon. His hospital becomes over run by the infected, a lot takes place inside the hospital. Fumi a young girl, who after a date at a club goes wrong, is taken to the hospital. They all meet in the hospital.
Fred is worried about getting Hiro home safely to his wife and infant. This seems to drive him in his efforts. I really like how we get to see a side of Fred and Hiro that we don’t usually see when it comes to men. They really care about each other and their friendship is so deep if I didn’t know any better I’d think they were brothers. Fred and Fumi decide to teach each other the other’s language, these parts had me giggling, and they were so cute.
Fumi is a young girl whose father is chief of police. Like all young girls, she’s hanging with the wrong boy, a bad boy of course. He takes her to a club, which is the beginning of Fumi’s bad day. Zombies attack! We watch her grow as we move through the novel. She was a typical girl but by the end, I’m so happy to see she is a strong woman. She knows what’s right and has the mental and emotional strength to do it. As in the “Amongst the Dead” preview, I really appreciate this, especially from a male author.
Fumi, girl; I hope you learned your lesson and no more bad boys!
We meet Fumi’s family for a bit. I connected with her brother Hikaru. He stayed in his own world and when he finally comes out, every falls around him. I’m not going to give you any hints; you’ll have to read it. I was very similar to Hikaru, I lived in my own life, at times, I still do, but his loss made me think of what I stand to lose. I’m sure (if you’re open to the lesson) this scene will touch you as much as it did me.
I was happy to have another character in this novel, Mitsuya. I love history, and this gave me a happy little section of history. Mitsuya is a very old fisherman. He lives on an old-fashioned village, he reminds me of my grandfather. He has that brave old man aura, and you just love him. The fact that he and the others in his village risk their lives (Mitsuya risks his repeatedly, another gives his life) to keep our heroes safe, it’s really touching.
Dr. Leiji Ibuka, a trauma surgeon, not just a surgeon but Head Surgeon. He grew up watching scary monster movies. Leiji is brave, he stands up the Chief Administrator, and no doctor does this. Well not if they want to keep their job. Leiji impresses not only the Chief Administrator, but also the others around him. He tries an unprecedented operation. Actually, he demands it from the other doctor, it is successful for a moment, but we’re dealing with zombies here and this is a whole other department. Leiji always has is doctor eyes open and is learning and pondering. I love it.
There is only one thing you can say about a zombie book or movie for that matter. Stay alive! Do whatever it takes to stay alive. This group of four does just that. They must kill zombies to stay alive and this of course brings in some graphic violence. If we all were honest, we would be killing zombies in whatever way we could, graphic or not if it meant staying alive.
I’ve never been to Japan, but I felt like I was there. Bobby takes his world building very seriously. He researches until he feels like he’s actually there and this comes out in his writing. I love the later end of the book, where we meet an old Mitsuya the old fisherman. His customs are portrayed beautifully. I felt like I understood them. His small antique fishing village reads like poetry, the description is impressive.
I loved this story too. I am even considering watch a zombie movie. Gasp what have these books done to me! Like the first preview. These books need be read, it would be a dishonor if they were never read and enjoyed. If you don’t mind some language, I’d even recommend you let your teenagers read it.
I think girls should read this novel because women are portrayed in such a good light. There is no mention of sexual content in this novel. The females all stand up and fight when the time is right. Fumi is a young girl and she has her phobias and backs away from the killing, but when she’s needed she does what has to be done, and she does it as well as the men. This is something I think all of our young girls need to learn. Being beautiful and smart is good adding in strength makes a woman even better. Ladies, if we are all serious with ourselves there are enough times we want to be strong. This aspect of the novel is so good. I really loved it. I’ve asked my teenage daughter to read them.
When I rated “Amongst the Dead”, I have it 11 out of 10. This novel has the same rating. I give it an 11, because I really enjoyed this story, just as much as the first. (Book 3 is wicked amazing too. The part that’s written so far. Aren’t you jealous?) I am not a lover of zombies or apocalypse stories, but these novels have changed my mind. If you like these sorts of stories, you’ll love this one. If you like, stories were the female lead is strong or brave you’ll love it. If your choice is drama, this is for you.
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Severed Limb Movement
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Mari Wells 