"I've come to you, Doctor, because you know how to find corpses." - Director Osborne

The zombie apocalypse has gone down, at least in the United States, were the Western states are a wasteland filled of resurrected dead while the East is considered the safe zone. Unfortunately for the living the undead have a hankering for human flesh and are still active despite the ravages of decay over time. Marco, a former surgeon, makes a living putting down the re-animated corpses of peoples' loved ones in the West. He remains outside the safe zone in order to track down his wife who he believes has reanimated.

Marco's special abilities in tracking down individual undead corpses haven't escaped the attention of Homeland Security, who have a special request for him. They want him to journey to undead central, California, and "return" the possibly re-animated Roger Ballard, a former colleague of Marco's whose DNA might contain an answer to the undead situation. The problem for Marco is that Homeland Security aren't the only ones who want a bit of Ballard, both internal and external forces are also closing in on California. Added to the problems Marco is going to face are the hungry dead who are forever shambling after the living.

V. M. Zito's first novel mixes in two genres, the zombie apocalypse and the thriller, making for an interesting take on how an apocalyptic yarn should work. While there's plenty of zombie mayhem going down, Zito paints some pages red, there is also an excellent thriller framework in place, involving foreign agents, wasteland scavengers, and political intrigue. The novel could also be read as a road journey, the majority of the action centers around Marco making his way across the wastelands of the Western United States to California, and at a pinch you could problem toss in the notion of Bromance, though to be honest that would be really stretching things. Regardless Zito has all his undead bases covered, and delivers one of those novels that prove bloody hard to put down.

In terms of zombies, and Zito continually calls them "corpses" perhaps distancing his novel from the standard undead fare, we're talking the Romero shamblers here rather than the faster moving variety. They still need to be put down with a head shot and one bite is going to head the victim into resurrection territory. Of interest in a couple of scenes Zito brings to mind Romero's Day of the Dead with Marco having a trap set for any passing undead that effectively recalls the device used to gain specimens for "Frankenstein's" evaluation of the re-animated. Similar to Romero's world, the "corpses" are more dangerous in groups than individually. Look out for a scene involving a train dinner carriage, Author Zito is all over the undead requirements and writes a pretty harrowing sequence that put me in mind of Rick Grimes having to find shelter in an abandoned tank as he was being engulfed on all sides during season one of The Walking Dead. Zito can pen an effective zombie sequence and for mine gets right to the core of what made many of us committed undead fans. If you like an undead rampage then you are in the right place, there's a number of chapters that rock along in rotten splendour, I was high fiving the neighbours I have chained in my attic!

Just a minor point and we'll move on from the zombie aspects, sort of, stop giving me funny looks, the book has the undead, deal with the review folks. Zito does mention how the resurrection outbreak started, and even highlights ground zero, we're talking incarcerated terrorists y'all, but interestingly the reason is thrown on the table in a paragraph that reduces the importance of the why. If you are overrun with re-animated corpses craving living flesh then I guess the reason for the outbreak is less vital than finding a solution. Zito nails this aspect, and once again this reflects Romero's non-interest in giving all the answers, it's the vestiges of humanity's re-actions to the outbreak that are the focal point, not the actual outbreak reason.

While the zombie aspect of The Return Man was most excellent, and the whole concept of people paying to have their undead loved ones "returned" rocked my boat, the thriller framework that Zito develops also had me smiling from ear to ear. Marco isn't quite sure why Homeland Security wants the possibly resurrected Roger Ballard returned, but the reader finds out, and yes there's one hell of a twist coming at you. While North America seems to be the only region suffering from the outbreak there are a number of external regimes very interested in a solution to the situation for their own agendas. Author Zito throws in an international intrigue and action angle that would make Tom Clancy green with envy. I certainly appreciated the expansion of the zombie novel into the international thriller genre.

Just in case that isn't enough for you, Zito finishes off a three course meal with Mad Max style scavengers who are somehow eking out an existence in the wilds of the blighted wastelands. It's a cool aspect that brings the two focal characters closer together as they face an external threat that may poise more danger than the ever present corpse issue. Zito is pretty vivid in his depiction of the "horseman" as mercenaries picking through the bones of the Western states. Got to love the barbarian hordes of a post-apocalyptic landscape.

Out of room here, and I haven't even managed to get around to talking about the writing style, excellent by the way, or the pacing of the novel, no issues from my reading room. So just take it as gospel that we're talking a well written book here that will retain your interest from first page to last page. If you dig the library of the undead than dial in, The Return Man once again proves the whole concept can be taken in new directions, and more importantly can be well written. I had a lot of fun with this book and look forward to where V. M. Zito might go with his next release.

The Return Man is being released Downunder by Hachette in one of those oversized paperback options that has grown on me over the years; sort of includes the comfort of a paperback while hitting hardback page size, making for an ideal read in most locations. What's cool, at least in the Australian edition, is that we don't only get the excellent novel but also an interview with Author Zito in the back, well worth reading folks. You can dial up the Hachette official site, right about here, for additional information, pricing, and release dates, while V. M. Zito has an online blog available right here. Happy hunting kids, go buy the book and tell us what you think.

Bit of homework for ya, is Marco a Shakespearean style tragic figure, or does he fit more in the just doing the do mode of other central zombie genre characters?