Inside the Perimeter

Another side effect to yesterday's events is that now, I have the ol' writing pipeline backed up. So, in an effort to get it back to normal, I will subject you to a second dose of writing today. Helping out is that I managed to finish yet another disturbing piece by relative newcomer Alan Spencer. Having released his first book The Body Cartel back in September 2009, it didn't take long for him to come out with another book in the form of Inside the Perimeter: Scavengers of the Dead.

Inside the Permieter is a departure from The Body Cartel in the sense that this one has more of a B-movie feel to it. Imagine Night of the Living Dead in literary form if zombies had somehow found a way to keep living even after being shot in the head. The central story surrounds Boyd Broman, a detective that was falsely imprisoned for murder and eventually thrown into what is called "The Perimeter" under the premise of finding Hayden Grubaugh and capturing him in exchange for his freedom. However, "The Perimeter" is an enclosed area that is the size of a small town that is infested with zombie-like creatures who can only be killed by being set on fire. Since these creatures are hard to kill, many who are thrown into "The Perimeter" are often prisoners whose sole purpose is to provide parts for the creatures. Aside from a few of the prisoners whose deaths are detailed in single chapter segments, much of the story focuses on Boyd and Hayden, with only a couple of other characters joining the story halfway through to provide some depth to the story. One of the things that makes the book worth reading is that it gives the viewer little time to breathe, as the constant attacks from the zombie-like creatures keep things interesting. One could argue that Inside the Perimeter takes some of its cues from director George Romero, in that the book also includes some social commentary. While it is more obvious than any of the Romero films, it doesn't detract from the overall content of the book.

In many respects, Inside the Perimeter is an improvement in that it focuses more on the central characters instead of bogging down the story with multiple characters. However, like The Body Cartel, there is an inordinate amount of graphic violence that would definitely not be recommended for the younger set or for the weak of stomach.