Genesis Z by Everist J Miller takes us to a dystopian world where the zombie apocalypse has already happened and humanity has won, at a terrible cost, though, to society. Following the zombie war, all talk of zombies, even the use of their name, is forbidden. Now, the authorities have come up with a scheme to use zombies to benefit society. Called “volunteers,” the zombies are fitted with skin-tight uniforms and masks to hold their rotting flesh together and a headset that allows the humans to control them and instruct them in laboriously repetitive and boring tasks. The volunteers will do the manual work of rebuilding that humans simply don’t want to be bothered with. On one particular building site, “volunteer” Ray is testing a new prototype headset that will increase the volunteers' abilities to actually think somewhat and not have to be under the constant direction of a supervising human. But, have the developers opened a Pandora’s Box from which there is no turning back? When psychopath Doug decides to take advantage of this new technology to reignite the zombie war that he misses so much, all hell is set to break loose.

What I did like about Genesis Z was its slightly different approach to the zombie apocalypse arc. The idea that volunteers could be used as cheaper, more reliable replacement workers than humans, despite the fact that there was not enough work to go around and many were living in absolute poverty and desperation, is interesting. I’m not sure if author Everist J Miller was trying to draw the comparison, yet I couldn’t help but note the similarity in the opinions towards the volunteers as we see today towards undocumented or illegal immigrants. “They’re stealing our jobs!” versus “But you don’t want to do those jobs anyway.” However, if you want an action-packed, zombie-style adventure, with a bit of a twist from the usual, then this book is just for you. I do warn you though; this story is not for the faint-at-heart. The author pulls no punches when it comes to direct and, at times, disgusting descriptions of the volunteers and their habits and conditions. If you love that sort of thing, you’ll lap this up.

Genesis Z by Everist J. Miller introduces us to a post-apocalyptic world where zombies once roamed. Now, there are volunteers being used to rebuild a city devastated by war. Ray is the meek manager of such a crew of volunteers on a construction site. However, they are actually re-purposed zombies, controlled by technology, but it is a capital offense to call them zombies. Ray struggles to do his distasteful job while enduring the distracted threats of Mike, his boss, and the sadistic antics of his co-worker, Doug, who loves to bully Ray and abuse the volunteers. When the volunteers begin to act independently, Ray’s fear and paranoia overwhelm him, but who is the greater threat, the zombies or Doug?

Genesis Z by Everist J. Miller exudes an odor of dread. The author skillfully builds and maintains that ominous atmosphere, but the zombies hardly seem the worst danger. Even though they have been subdued somewhat, the characters continue to look over their shoulders. Doug behaves like a sadist, which is particularly frightening because he could be just about anyone we meet on the street who, if they were placed in similar circumstances, could be as terrifying and dangerous. The author taps into that daily reality and uses it to great and horrible effect in this story, seemingly reminding us that the true monsters are not the hideous things shambling around in and out of the shadows. They are the everyday people who represent the worst of humanity. For those of us who love a good zombie yarn, look no further! Read this book.