By Geno McGahee
The term: “Don’t judge a book by its cover” comes to mind with APOCALYPSE DOLL REBOOT by Xavier Cecil. When I received the book, I wasn’t overly impressed with the artwork, but I’m happy to report that the world is painted vividly in this unique story.
We have an interesting zombie meets robot story and it features sex-bots, much like the flick FUTUREWORLD…and this has some of the same imagery. This book really jumped off the page. Cecil was able to write in a way where it is descriptive, but he doesn’t get lost in it. There is a balance between the story and the painting of the world where it takes place.
The zombies are everywhere and they are top priority, but there is an underlying message about discrimination here. The fear of the robots and what they can do if they are too smart and the A.I. is too good is a concern, but desperate times call for desperate measures. This is a battle of survival and I couldn’t help thinking about the movie TERMINATOR and the broken world that they put on display.
APOCALYPSE DOLL REBOOT is worth the buy, especially if you are looking for a good read. This is a very long read, but it doesn’t feel that way. I finished it in a weekend. There is plenty of action, zombies, and more to chew on as you make your way through this journey. The characters are presented in an “anti-hero” sort of way, where they are very flawed but still seem to do the right thing for the right reason.
I recommend this for anyone that is a fan of FUTUREWORLD, TERMINATOR, or RESIDENT EVIL. It has some of the elements of the three mixed in with the world that Cecil has created.
