by Adam Baker

Although it is not unusual for a prequel to be come after the start of a series, it is not so common for them to come so close together or without demands from fans (such as Asimov’s Foundation series). Not that reading the books in the wrong order makes are real difference as they are both self-contained, with no linking characters or plot, other than the pandemic’s victims.

What is it about zombies and vampires these days? The horror/fantasy/sci-fi section of book stores seem to be awash with them. I am not fan of zombie stories and am beginning to find them tedious and boring and generally avoid them. However, in Adam Baker’s case I will make an exception. 

Yes, there are hordes of mindless zombies trying to eat and infect everyone they can get their hands on. And yes, the heroes have to fight them off and try to escape to safety. But in both Outpost and Juggernaut the stories are set in remote locations where the environment itself poses as much of a threat as the pandemic being unleashed.

Set in the Iraqi desert in 2005, a group of mercenaries set out in search of a truck load of gold, only to find themselves in the middle of a covert operation that threatens not only their lives, but the whole population of planet earth. 

It was supposed to be one last adventure that would earn them the money to retire. But what Lucy and her team of mercenaries find in the remote Western Desert of Iraq leaves them fighting for their lives in a way they could is never have imagined. And it is not just the zombies they need to watch out for as there are other people involved who have agendas that do not rely on Lucy and her team getting out alive.

Juggernaut is more of an action story with the zombies thrown in as a bonus. The characters are excellent and consistent and the story is exciting and well-paced. There is a lot of detail in the descriptions of the military hardware and it seems to accurately portray the middle east of 2005. 
There are numerous flashbacks to events leading up to the central story with allows the reader to piece together the background to the characters and the plot. Adam Baker is an excellent story teller. The pace of the book remains constant throughout and although not quite as good as his first, it kept me enthraller right to the end, with plenty of twists and an unexpected end. The only disappointing think about the book was that I don’t yet have the next to read. That is on order!

You don’t need to have ready “Outpost” to enjoy this book, but I would recommend reading them both.