Monster Planet reviewed - Spoileriffic
Okay, first. If this hadn't been a Wellington zombie book, I'd have looked right over it on the table. The cover design doesn't do a single thing to sell the book, whereas ZOMBIE NATION had a compelling image and a much more vivid type treatment. The choice of images doesn't really do much for me, either. But then I'm pretty darn fussy when it comes to book covers. I also don't buy *for* the covers, but a good cover will make me consider the book, if it intersects with my interests.
Overall, a solid read. And by solid, I kept reading and wanted to see how things ended up, finishing the book in...four hours or so (too many distractions). I thought all the nods to the previous books were rewarding, rather than obligatory tying off of loose ends. Not that there were too many surprises in that regard (though the connection between Gary and Dekalb was a great touch, and even the irredeemable Gary finds a way to put his selfishness to a greater use.)
Ayaan's transformation from defiant human to submitting lich (okay, perhaps the wrong word, but the right word is escaping me now) was strong and believable. Also, a great illustration of how even the most singleminded determination can be turned around to serve other purposes. Now, whether she was right or wrong is another issue entirely. It's not perfectly clear whether the Tsarevich was going to have his pure goal of reconstruction corrupted -- he never really had the chance. But then he was pretty unequivocal in the means justifying the end (a stance that even Mael didn't take in MONSTER ISLAND.) So maybe Ayaan was duped, and maybe she really was working for the greater good (assuming you hold the reconstruction of civilization as a good thing.)
Equally well-handled was Sarah's growing up and changing, illuminating one of the central and unspoken themes of the book -- that only the living can grow and change; the dead are what they are. Yes, the vast hordes of mindless zombies can be harnessed and focused, but that's not the underlying truth. Take away the lich controlling them, and all of a sudden, using them as mindless labor doesn't seem like such a great idea. But Sarah, being just about the only living protagonist by the end of things, can actually mature and go from being a pushed-around child to an adult capable of grasping her own life. Dekalb can't (or won't) be anything other than a controlling protector, Gary can't be anything other than selfish, Ayaan herself won't accept Sarah's adulthood (leading to her final end). The dead are what they are. They can't see past the end of the world (with perhaps the exception of Nilla.)
So yeah, themewise, plenty of meat to hang on the bones of the plot. But then I also expect this from Dave's work (if he'll pardon the over-familiarity). In terms of action, MONSTER PLANET delivers, of course. There's even some new touches added to make the zombies extra-scary (sawed-off hands replaced by spikes of bone while wearing bulletproof helmets). And, surprisingly, there's a few touches of pure lunacy (liches driving monster trucks and mummies firing shoulder-mounted rockets while riding in a helicopter -- no I can't make this stuff up) that are welcome, even if they distract from a sense of horror. But I'm a purist when it comes to some things.
About the only knock that I can put on MONSTER PLANET is that there weren't many outstanding bits of prose. Dave delivered those in MONSTER ISLAND particularly, but also in MONSTER NATION. Oddly, they didn't seem to be as present in this outing. Maybe I wasn't looking for them, or maybe plot/character took the driver's seat this time. I'm not sure. And yes, I missed them, but only a little. There was plenty else to keep me going with the fresh takes on old monsters and explorations of what it really means to be dead and alive.