Book review by Corey
Zero Day
Zero Day starts the Slow Burn series with Zed trying to survive the first days of a fast-moving outbreak in Austin. What begins as confusion and violence quickly turns into complete collapse, and Zed has to figure out who he can trust while dealing with infected people, panicked survivors, and a city that is falling apart around him.
The book moves quickly and does a good job of capturing the chaos of the beginning of an outbreak, when nobody really understands what is happening yet. Zed is reckless, sarcastic, and often makes things harder for himself, but that also gives the story a lot of personality and helps separate it from more serious zombie survival books.
The Goods
- Fast-paced outbreak story
- Zed has a strong personality
- Good sense of early chaos
- Easy to get into
- Sets up the series well
The Bads
- Zed can be frustratingly reckless
- Some characters are lightly developed
- The outbreak setup is familiar
- A few decisions feel unrealistic
- The story ends before much is resolved
My Recommendation
This is a good starting point for readers who like zombie fiction, outbreak stories, and fast survival books with a bit of dark humour. Zero Day is not trying to completely reinvent the genre, but Zed’s personality gives it enough energy to stand out and the early-collapse setting keeps the tension high. If you enjoy watching society fall apart from the very beginning and following a flawed main character who keeps throwing himself into dangerous situations, this is a strong introduction to the Slow Burn series.