《Weiss suddenly felt very small. He craned his neck up, stepping backward to fit Titanic into his field of vision. Is this how the ant feels, he wondered, when faced with the enormity of a human?》

《“Duty comes before my safety or yours. You’re givin’ into fear,” Smith said firmly. “Don’t be afraid of the fire, Thomas. Otherwise you’ll miss the chance to be forged in it.”》

Well, I've been wanting to get on something zombie-ish for months since I can't even go on watching The Walking Dead (I know, my life is miserable). So when I came to know about this book I tried to read it as soon as possible!!
I was worried because of the plot since my expectations were high, so I'm glad to say that I liked it! This book was fun to read and quite fast to get through. I found myself getting worried for the characters' safety so I suppose the authors made a really good job, thumbs up! ( )

A cute idea marred by pedestrian writing and an ending straight out of the Twilight Zone TV show. Not one of the good endings. ( )

An interesting alternative history zombie novel where the protagonist is fleeing Germany with a plague he had refined in an attempt to create a cure, whereas they wish to use it as a weapon. In trying to get to America he boards the Titanic and a German agent follows him onboard. During the voyage the scientist is captured by the agent who then releases the plague to test it which rapidly then spreads through the ship.

I thought it was well written and the reason for the sinking was flawlessly tied into the plot line. The ending is quite the cliffhanger and I would enjoy a sequel. ( )

Deck Z: The Titanic
Author: Chris Pauls and Matt Solomon
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
Published In: San Francisco, CA
Date: 2012
Pgs: 222

REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Summary:
A Manchurian plague. A pre-WW1 German plot to eliminate the Russians from a future war before it starts. A scientist realizing the immorality of what is intended with his research. The mightiest ship of her age. An escape. A Russian born Jew acting as a German secret agent to take revenge for the pogrom that killed his family. Iceberg right ahead.

Genre:
Alternate History
Apocalypse
Disaster
Espionage
Fiction
Pulp
Zombies

Why this book:
Zombies.
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Favorite Character:
Theodor Weiss. The moral scientist unwilling to become Oppenheimer in an era before Oppenheimer.

Lou (Louise), she seems tough as nails and a good kid.

Least Favorite Character:
J. Bruce Ismay...was a douche if the stories are true. And he is portrayed in character in this novel with those stories. At every turn, Ismay turns aside from the noble. He is presented here as a horrible character. Not a badly written character, just a coward and a prig.

The Feel:
I wanted to read this because zombies. But the Titantic aspect gives me pause. My misgivings are the same as when I was dragged into the Titanic movie. I hope that the zombies put in an appearance in short order because too much build up can damage a story. Hoping this isn’t one of those, the monster never appears, but is always just off camera stories. Though based on what happened in Manchuria and with the shaman during the cabin escape, I’m guessing that my fear on that account is misplaced.

Favorite Scene:
The near collision between Titanic and New York in Southhampton harbor.

Swashbuckling Captain Smith sliding down the ladder into the hold and decapitating the zombie Man at Arms who was menacing Theodor Weiss.

Pacing:
The pace is good.

Really glad that the story flashed through the cliched “there’s no such thing as zombies” part.

Plot Holes/Out of Character:
With as logical as Weiss is about his reasons for escape and his method, his running straight to the Titanic rings false. He should have known that the spies would have trailed him, or rather been waiting for him. A more circuitous and slower route away from Europe would have served him better and kept him off of the Germans radar.

Uhm...in the middle of the escape from the lower decks, our “heroes” leave Lou behind. Uhm.

Hmm Moments:
Oceanic grave robbers biting off more than they can chew...and not realizing it.

The knife cane...very nice.

Dr. O’Loughlin throwing himself overboard thinking that that would save him from what lies beyond Stage 1 of the plague. Poor bastard will wake up on the bottom of the ocean as a zombie with thousands of miles to shamble across the depths in search of the shore...and life.

Why isn’t there a screenplay?
Does the world really need another Titanic movie? Cameron has that pretty much locked for the next 50 years or so, I’d guess.

Casting call:
Chloe Grace Moretz as Lou.

Christoph Waltz as Theodor Weiss.
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Last Page Sound:
Oh c’mon. Should have left it with the Toxic following the whirlpool of Titanic’s passing. The Vegas anti-climax cheapens Weiss’s sacrifice and Lou’s survival.

Author Assessment:
I liked this well enough to give other stuff by the writers a look.

Editorial Assessment:
Wish someone would have talked them out of the anticlimax...and seen through the forgetting Lou in the lower decks rush to the upper decks.

Knee Jerk Reaction:
glad I read it

Disposition of Book:
InterLibrary Loan
Houston Central Public Library
Houston, TX

Would recommend to:
genre fans
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Another example of modern man overcoming superstition. We have entered an age in which men of science and industry can bend the world to their will.
-Mr. Ismay

"Duty comes before my safety or yours. You're givin' into fear," Smith said firmly. "Don't be afraid of the fire, Thomas. Otherwise you'll miss the chance to be forged in it."
-Captain Smith

Dr. Weiss is sent to Manchuria to investigate the outbreak of a new plague. The plague travels to the patient's brain and eats away at it, causing a violent madness. Dr. Weiss is desperate to find a cure for the plague. The Germans want to use the plague as a weapon. After isolating the "Toxic", Dr. Weiss realizes that his goals and the goals of the German Army are not the same. Dr. Weiss is determined to keep this plague from the Germans and tries to escape on the Titanic.

This book convincingly brings together the doomed voyage of the Titanic and zombies. The conceit of scientists and governments trying to control a plague and use it for their own goals is very believable. The authors obviously put some effort into making the Titanic and its voyage as realistic as possible. They used historical facts, background details, and actual people involved. There was Captain Edward Joseph Smith, J. Bruce Ismay (managing director of the White Star Line), Thomas Andrews (architect of the Titanic), and even the band that continued to play as the Titanic sank. I've come across these details before in other books about Titanic and that made the story seem more real, or at least more believable.

As for the zombie part, the plague spreading in a contained environment, fighting zombies in tight, enclosed spaces and the desperate need to contain the plague all had me on the edge of my seat. I was cringing in the right places, creeped out in the right places and cheering in the right places.

Recommended to:
This was is a fantastic book. If you like zombie stories, give it a try. If you like your historical fiction with a big twist, give it a chance. You won't be disappointed. ( )