Customer Reviews

Domain of the Dead

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

DOMAIN OF THE DEAD is one of those zombie novels that balances nail-biting action with finely-drawn characters. You care about these people. The author also has a deft hand in balancing common tropes of the zombie genre with new twists that keep the story fresh and exciting. Highly recommended.

For some reason I really wanted to read this book. It might have been the cover, I remember stumbling across it on Amazon saying "now that's a cover." I had to get it as soon as I could and now that I've read it I wasn't that disappointed.

We follow a group of survivors holding up in a Costco like warehouse. Sarah, our main survivor, was standing on the roof of the building one morning. She started having thoughts about jumping off the roof to the undead down below, she has lost all hope to live when out in the distance she heard a faint noise. A helicopter comes into her view, excited for seeing the first other group of survivors in years she goes to wake up the rest of the survivors. The big group of survivors decide risking their lives running across the infected town to reach the helicopter in hopes they will be saved.

When only some of the survivors reach the helicopter, they are rescued and taken to a near by military base. The base is located on a military ship known as The Ishtar. When Sarah and the few survivors left land on The Ishtar they are welcomed by Commander Patterson, one of the men in charge. The survivors learn of the true purpose of The Ishtar, it is a research lab looking for any useful information on the virus. A breakthrough was thought to be found but ended up being horror for the remaining survivors. In order to find out what happens to Sarah and what this breakthrough is you'll have to read the book.

One of the real good things about this book is the dialogue. As I was reading I could imagine myself standing next to these characters and listening in. I said this before and I'll say it again I loved the cover. The zombie looks great, the bitten off nose was a real great touch. The zombies are the traditional zombie which is something that I enjoyed, they were slow and would creep up behind you tearing flesh out of your neck.

Domain of the Dead isn't a bad book but it just couldn't really catch my attention the way I thought it would. Yes the dialogue was well written but the story itself was lacking a little. (SPOILER START) This story would have been better if you would have followed Cahz and the rest of the marines when they gave up their seats to the survivors in the helicopter. I thought the book would follow them as they tried to stay alive in the city over run by the dead. That was not the case, the book follows Sarah and the other survivors. We don't really hear anything on Cahz and the marines until the end. (SPOILER END) The characters were mostly two dimensional and I couldn't get a good visual on them. The beginning was great but most of the book was a bit dull and lacking something.

Over all it was a good book, I would have liked it more if the story line was a little different. There's wasn't as much action as I would have hoped. I'll have to give Domain of the Dead 3 Undead Heads out of 5.

Finding high quality Zombie literature is akin to waiting for your favorite song to come on the radio; sometimes,you have to sift through some garbage before you can find the good stuff. Iain McKinnon's DOMAIN OF THE DEAD is good stuff. It's a thunderclap of a novel, taut and lean. McKinnon's spare prose is effective in carrying the reader along at breakneck speed, while still giving you characters to care about. All killer, no filler if you will.
The story starts well after the Zombie uprising, so the characters are already weary and hardened when we first meet them. This allows for a more steamlined action narrative. The action in DOTD is tight and vicious, and doesn't skimp on the zombie goodness. Mr.McKinnon has a good ear for dialogue, giving you characters who seem like they could be your neighbors.
Any drawbacks to this zomie enchilada? Well, yes, but they were minor. The descriptions of what the World's governments looked like after the uprising were unique and some more insight into them would have been welcome. That's the only gripe I really had.
Overall, this is a novel that needs to be in your zombie library. I purchased this book based on the recommendation of a friend, and I can honestly say I was pleased with my buy. I eagerly look forward to getting my hands on more of Mr. Mckinnon's work.

I have reviewed this book on Buyzombie.com awhile back and I think its about time I throw up an amazon review as well for this excellent zombie novel. I have read a lot of zombie novels and not very many of them even hold a candle to Domain of the Dead.

Iain McKinnon has an excellent writing style, using a masterful control of language to bring the reader into his world. The characters are real, and the author writes their dialogue in respect to each character's personality. The zombies are classic Romero style, slow and numerous. McKinnon's descriptions of the undead is something I find admirable, he uses his strong control of language to throw some really gruesome images of the undead at the reader. One of the best aspects of this novel is that the author goes into detail about how a zombie apocalypse can actually occur, and he describes in detail about how the undead came to be and what is the cause of their behaviour. This alone makes this novel stand out from everything else in this genre. The author took the time and effort to construct a viable and solid explanation to a zombie apocalypse and how a society (left in disarray) would truly react. The plot and background to this story is elaborate and well thought of.

This novel wins big points for atmosphere. There were points in this book where I felt a chill down my spine just from the claustrophobic atmosphere that this novel can project. I can't say that very many zombie novels have actually spooked me, but this one sure did.

Are there any flaws to this intelligently written, horrifying piece of zombie terror? No, not really, unless if I were to be nit-picking.

I was a little sceptical when I saw yet another book with the "of the dead" in the title. But I see that it is suitable, because there is definitely a strong bond between this story and Romero's envisionment. Since Romero's classic 'Day of the Dead', he hasn't been able to produce anything quite as good as that and it has left zombie fans hungering for more. Well, if you are left hungry and are in need of some classic Romero-esque terror, than Domain of the Dead is the book that can definitely satiate you.

Iain McKinnon's Domain of the Dead is a fun, fast read set in a traditional Romero universe. The novel delivers on the action with characters that stand out, lots of colorful detail, and frequent humorous touches that lighten things up. Recommended.

Domain Of the Dead starts after the world has been taken over by a zombie apocalypse. A group of survivors have held up in a warehouse, that was once stocked with supplies. Now food shortages are causing them to leave the complex to re stock and face the crowds of the hungry dead that surround them, or starve. Giving up hope that help will ever arrive or will it? Great character development and I look forward to Mr. McKinnon writing a sequel.

A group of people have been surviving in a warehouse for about three years, and they are nearly out of supplies. Two of them on a rooftop spot a helicopter touching down in their area. Despite being surrounded by hundreds of undead, the warehouse survivors decide to make a run for what might be their last chance of rescue. However, the soldiers who have landed are not there to rescue people, but to collect undead specimens, so they are not prepared to take extra people back with them. Some will have to stay behind.

Unlike a lot of other people, I read Remains of the Dead first, so I felt even worse than the characters on the helicopter, knowing what was going to happen to the soldiers and civilians who were left behind. You see, McKinnon had the brilliant idea to write about the same point in time, but each book is from a different perspective. In Remains, the reader stays with the group left behind. In Domain, the reader flies back with the helicopter group to the military ship that never docks.

The three civilians that are rescued are told that they will have to find jobs or be drafted, and they aren't happy about the limited choices. Professor Cutler and Dr. Robertson are conducting experiments to study the nature of the virus; Cutler thinks he may have found a vaccine, but he doesn't follow proper protocol in his lab, and an outbreak occurs on the ship as a result. The three civilians reprieve from the undead is very short-lived (no pun intended).

After having read the two books, I hope that McKinnon writes a third, since both Remains and Domain have some serious loose ends to tie up.

This book changed my life. It got me into the undead in a way G.R. could. Great idea's and this author know's what he is talking about. Down to the T on the aircraft, to the weapons, to the way the world he created smelled like. It burned my finger tips re-reading it, i am on my 7th read, And well, call me crazy, but i am really looking forward to the 8th. Keep it up. (At the end of this Nick ordered three more copies)

A few years have gone by since a cataclysmic event leaving only 15 million humans breathing on the planet. Yet, 6 billion+ are still walking around wanting to bite this smaller number. A group of survivors have lasted by barricading themselves in a "Costco-like" warehouse. Then they hear a helicopter just when supplies are winding down. This sets off a sequence of events that makes for great zombie-fare with some entertaining twists. The cobbled together governments and forces opposing the undead are intriguing but equally are those individuals who have survived through varying means. A sequel is clear in setup and I look forward to it.

I've heard it before and seen it in reviews but the cover of this book really draws you in! The best part is the inside is even BETTER!! As a fan of the horror genre and zombies in particular, I'm always up for a good, fast paced, zombie novel. This did not let me down. I read over 100 pages in about an hour. I could not put it down. Sadly, I now have to wait for Mr. McKinnon's next book! I'm sure it won't dissappoint!