Lesser Creatures by Peter Giglio

Release Date: December 3, 2013
Publisher: DarkFuse

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
The world changed within a split second. People began to rise from the dead and became known as second-lifers. They didn't attack the first-lifers. They were just there - everywhere. With first-lifers footing the bill for the ever-growing number of second-lifers, tensions began to rise and changes were quickly needed before the world descended into a deeper level of chaos.

In the midst of the turmoil, the lives of two first-lifers and an extraordinary second-lifer intersect. One first-lifer is the leader of a new religious movement whose center is the second-life revelation. The other first-lifer is a man who has seen better days and must come to terms with his past. The second-lifer, a being who shouldn't be able to think for herself, evolves into something much more than anyone expected. Their meeting leaves each with a decision to make, the fate of the world dependent upon their decisions.

Review:
I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley and enjoyed the author's different approach to the traditional zombie novel. What begins as a tale of teenage love quickly became a nightmare for the world and its inhabitants. From the blurb given at NetGalley, I knew it wasn't going to be the usual tale of zombie woe but it was a pleasant surprise in many ways.

The story is set in modern day world. There's all the amenities one would see today within the setting of the story. Very little technological advancement has been done around the world because of the plague of zombies, or second-lifers as they're known in the book. With millions of the previously dead walking around, what could possibly go wrong?

Action within the story is fast paced with a few brief respites for the characters to catch their breath or to expand on the situations at hand. For the most part, the human characters are believable and act in realistic ways when faced with the undead. I liked the way the author maintained a sense of humanity with the second-lifers though they were barely cognizant of their own desires or even surroundings at times.

The only real issue I had with the story occurred when Eric cut his hand on a glass. According to the story, the cut was deep enough that he knew it would need stitches. Dressing the wound with a roll of gauze and forgetting about the cut didn't bother me. What bothered me about the scene is that in the next instant, Eric was hopping into the shower and washing with soap with no mention of pain from the cut. There also wasn't a mention of the wound when he went to the bar later that same night. To me, the cut/gash scene felt unnecessary as it didn't add to the story.

Overall, the story was pretty entertaining and provides some good questions about our society today. Many of the questions surrounding the influx of second-lifers could be applied to our present situation with so many people living on the planet already. It was a pretty enjoyable read to spend an evening with, in my opinion. If you like stories that are a little out of the way and decidedly different, this is one you should pick up!

Lesser Creatures by Peter Giglio is currently available in both paperback and Kindle forms. You can purchase a copy from Amazon by clicking the link provided.
Lesser Creatures by Peter Giglio