The Bookwyrm's Review of The Thin Dead Line by Shane Gries

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Rating: 9.5/10 Stars

Plot Synopsis

On a hot July day on the plains of Kansas a US Army mechanized infantry company from the 1st Infantry Division gets a very vague warning order and the young troopers saddle up on their steel beasts to go try to control "civil unrest", whatever that means. Police in a small town start firing on people in self defense, people who seem to have gone violently insane. A prisoner at Fort Leavenworth out on work detail sees a strange murder and is forced to make a run for it. As the situation starts to descend into chaos, confused orders are given, old sins are forgiven in exchange for needed help and the Bradleys and Abrams soldiers fight a desperate battle using every weapon on hand. Chaos reigns in the heartland of America, spreading ever outward.

The Apocalypse written as only a veteran infantryman can, The Thin Dead Line is set as a companion series to the best selling Irregular Scout Team One by J.F. Holmes.

Review

When I heard that there was a spinoff set in JF Holmes Irregular Scout Team One universe by another author, I wasn't sure what to think. Taking on a story in another author's universe and keeping the lore consistent can be a challenge. That said, Shane Gries does a fantastic job creating a new story within the framework of Holmes's world experiencing the zombie apocalypse and the societal collapse around it.

The worldbuilding is consistent with the Irregular Scout Team One books, with a world facing a zombie apocalypse, with all the chaos that entails, as mass death and destruction occur. The government's reaction is haphazard at best, because the chain of command is broken at some point and the military and police are ill prepared to handle the chaos in a world where the living and the dead are hard to differentiate and training is not focused on head shotting zombies who used to be people, with tragic consequences. 

The military portions of the story are completely realistic, because the author's experience as an Army Infantry officer gives him an insight into weapons and tactics that just research couldn't give. Real world expertise in how these units would respond, and how the soldiers and commanders would act add an extra layer of realism. This story is set in Kansas City and the surrounding area, including a small part at Ft. Leavenworth, and we get an idea just how bad a large part of the population turning into flesh eating undead would be and the panic it would cause. It's just done really well, creating tension horror and a surprising amount of moments of sacrifice and heroism.

The characters are just as well fleshed out  The central character is Mark Foley, a soldier who we see start the story deployed overseas, and who has his life ruined when he returns home on R&R as a surprise to his wife, and catches her with another man and things go violently wrong. Mark is convicted of attempted murder after his wife and her lover lie about what happened, and he is sentenced to Leavenworth. Years later, Mark is at the detention barracks, and on his daily work release in the barber shop when an accident happens, and his guard is attacked and killed by a woman he takes to be insane, but is one of our first views of the rampaging undead. Escaping in the MP's uniform and truck, Mark just tries to go to his home in Ohio, and instead is drawn into the chaos of Kansas City falling, and his experiences as a combat infantryman are instrumental in saving people as he joins up with an Army unit in KC as they try and keep the peace, and things fall apart.

The secondary characters are an excellent mix of soldiers, who are truly representative of the kind of characters you'd find in an army unit. They are pushed to the edge of sanity and in a lot of occasions rise to the occasion, even if it means giving their lives to save others. The camaraderie, the gallows humor and the banter among the soldiers is just as real as it gets. It was great to see these characters interact, and bring their interests and histories into the story. The two soldiers comparing what they are going through to a D&D campaign they had was just had is hilarious, and I can see soldiers doing this in real life. I know I would have. The terror and insanity take their toll, and it's interesting how real their reactions are to it. 

There's no villain per se, just hordes of the undead. There might be a little more to them than you'd expect, though, and they are consistent with the zombies in Irregular Scout Team One. So not shamblers, and they horde quickly, and the mechanics of the change to zombies are interesting. Again, it is apparent the author spent a lot of time and effort ensuring continuity within the shared universe.

The narration is handled by the talented Talon Beeson. Not a real shock, since he narrates the Irregular Scout Team one books, and he does the same fantastic job with this one. He brings these characters to life, and brings a depth of emotion to each character. You never have any trouble figuring out which character is speaking, or what they are feeling, since he emotes so well. His narrative pacing is second to none, and keeps the listener engaged throughout. Definitely some of his best work to date.

I think that shared universes with talented authors working to create consistent stories within that universe may be one of my favorite ways of expanding a series. All the way back to the 70's when Robert Aspirin and Lynn Abbey came up with the idea of a shared universe for Thieves World, I have enjoyed the concept. In this case, it is done in such an excellent way, showcasing just how good an overall storyline can be with creative authors writing in different directions, but creating consistent stories that could easily crossover to the other without any conflict. This is a story I highly recommend for anyone who likes zombie stories, military thrillers or just an action packed stories with great characters. Check it out today, you won't be disappointed.