‘The Rising: Deliverance’ – Brian Keene (Deadite Press)

Page Count: 101 Pages

I’m not quite sure what happened, this weekend, but it’s Monday and although I managed to buy several books, I didn’t actually read any… I did managed to pack three boxes of DVDs though, so that’s something :o) Today then sees another trip to the HBR Pile (‘Has Been Read’) and another Brian Keene re-read. The original plan was to read ‘The Rising’ first but I was after reading the ‘Author’s Preferred Edition’ and I couldn’t find my Kindle so… ‘Deliverance’ it was.

Go back to the beginning of the end of the world...

Hell has come to earth as sadistic zombies rampage and massacre the human population. Reverend Thomas Martin has lost his congregation to the chaos but has found two wayward survivors to protect - Becky and John. The three of them have holed up in Martin's church in a desperate attempt for survival. But as supplies run low and civilization crumbles around them, Martin must come to a realization - God has abandoned them. But why?

Is there any chance of hope in this new world? Is there any chance for deliverance?

A quick note to the first time reader… Chronologically, ‘Deliverance’ runs alongside the events of the first few chapters of ‘The Rising’ so I think you could get away with reading ‘Deliverance’ before ‘The Rising’ if that was the book you came across first. There’s enough scene setting here to get you up to speed fairly quickly. From where I’m sat though, it ended up working better for me reading ‘The Rising’ & ‘City of the Dead’ first and then going back and filling in the gaps. Whatever works best for you, I guess. Either’s good :o)

Either way, you’re in for a good read with ‘Deliverance’; a short, sharp burst of zombie action that doesn’t hang around in asking those important questions of its human characters. What will you do in order to survive? And in the face of mounting terror, how long can you hold it together…? Our survivors answer those questions in ways that send ‘Deliverance’ off in directions that may not surprise you but I’d defy anyone not to stay with Martin, John and Becky to the end, they all have a depth to them that I still can’t help but root for them, even after several re-reads.

That second question is answered emphatically in characters who are determined to go out swinging and that gives ‘Deliverance’ a really hopeful tone that complements the two main books. No matter how bad things get, if you can stay on your feet then you have a chance.

Once you’ve finished reading ‘Deliverance’, there are two more bonus stories to get your teeth into (no pun intended, well… maybe a little). ‘The Resurrection and the Life’ offers us a little glimpse into the wider setting of Keene’s ‘Labyrinth’ mythos and an awesome showdown between two heavy hitters. I wouldn’t want to meet Ob personally but it’s always a treat to read about him and we have plenty of that here along with a lesson that while Ob may have come from an earlier universe, he is still bound by the laws of this one. My favourite of the two though is easily ‘The Siqquissm who stole Christmas’ with twice as much Ob, some Toby Genova and Vince Napoli too, all thrown together in a hail of bullets and a ‘Clickers’/Labyrinth Easter Egg that never fails to make me smile. Seriously, every time :o) ‘The Siqquissm who stole Christmas’ crackles with energy and comes with a dose of sly humour that hits the spot even after repeated reads (and now I want to read the ‘Clickers’ books all over again).

So yeah, definitely give ‘The Rising: Deliverance’ a shot if you haven’t already. And if you have, a re-read never hurts ;o)