Dead Nations' Army Book One: CODE FLESH (The True Zombie War) [Kindle Edition]

It would be unfair not to mention that this author and I do not have a positive relationship. That is why I waited a considerable length of time before buying (at least I get points for that), reading, and reviewing this book. Oddly enough, I have heard accusations that I reviewed this book under an alias. Good or bad, I ALWAYS review under my name. A review is simply one individual's opinion. So, with that disclosure done, on to the book.

I have the most recent edition with the re-edits, but it is still lacking to the point of distraction. The biggest flaws are in the dialogue and there are simply too many to ignore. Mr. Dale is a journalist, and perhaps the story would have had a better flow if he stuck to story narration. The rules of punctuation differ for dialogue versus simple paragraphs. The repetitive nature throughout was also a bit over done for me. However, it is his style choice and if it works for his audience, then he should not change it simply because others don't enjoy it. He would do well to study Cormac McCarthy, it might give him some ideas that will smooth out his delivery if this minimalist approach is to be his continued choice.

There is a story in there despite the distractions and Dale is unapologetic in his beliefs which are woven throughout. They scream from the pages, and that is perhaps the strongest aspect of this book. It is a societal metaphor, and whether you agree or disagree with his politics, he does present them in a no-holds-barred manner. Again, he has a background in journalism and perhaps would be serving himself and his readers better by ditching the zombie scene and penning actual treatises on political ideology.

While not for me, I believe there is an audience that will appreciate this book. However, Dale would do well to obtain editing assistance.

"I received a free advance review copy from the author"
This is the first novel in the series and it does a wonderful job of setting the pace for the future of the series. You have every emotion in one book and Alan Dale, does an amazing job of writing in a way that you are able to feel the emotions radiate from the pages. I felt everything from love, hate, rage, anger and fear from the words within. I was able to handle the political issues that spread through parts of the book without getting bored with the story line.
If you are looking for something new in a zombie book, well, here you go.

There are several things which set this book apart from the usual zombie fare. Mostly, the layers of depth to the book. As in all the better Zombie books, it is less about the Zombies and more about the metaphors dealing with conspiracies, one world governments, inequalities of resources and wealth. This is book one of a pending series and as such it sets some interesting groundwork for the series which hopefully will follow apace. Of course, there are the experiments gone horribly wrong. Or did they? How much of what happened was intentional and how much was unforeseen? Zombie fans will love that the book hints at a more sinister, more self aware, and more capable Zombie strain which is evolving. This could make for some very interesting times ahead for the poor dwindling masses with a pulse. There is also some unlikely alliances forged in this book between have not and have some groups in reaction to the have it all folks. There is the DNA (Dead Nations Army) itself, an interesting group fighting for the survivors, the New World Order which of course has it's own well funded elite army, and the Independents who are basically rag tag survivors who believe it's better to be a moving target than a buffet table somewhere no matter how good the fortifications.
This book makes good reading with several subplots, little political jabs, and interesting characters. The two main character are a brother and sister who well, it's complicated. Their back story alone could make a pretty interesting novel. Fast paced and ends leaving you hungry (pardon the pun) for the next installment.