City of the Dead (novel)

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City of the Dead
Author	Brian Keene
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Horror novel
Publisher	Delirium Books
Publication date	2005
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Preceded by	The Rising

City Of The Dead by Brian Keene was first published in 2005, it is the sequel to The Rising.

[edit] Plot description

The dead are mysteriously turning to life, becoming violent, hateful beings, possessed by demons. The dead aren't the shambling idiots as they are portrayed as in other zombie novels, but they are intelligent, coherent, able to talk and use weapons, and able to do anything they had done in their previous life, also gaining knowledge and memories from their host. The demons are intent on eradicating the human race, and the Earth along with it claiming that humans are favored by the cruel one. Jim Thurmond (The protagonist of both The Rising and City Of The Dead) finally reaches his son and finds him alive. Jim, Frankie, Martin, Danny( Jim's son), and an old man who lost his wife and was cooped up in his panic room, must find shelter from the ever present danger of the undead. The dangers he face will challenge his strength, his knowledge, his wits and everything that he can muster to protect his son Danny from the living dead----who are winning the war against the living.

Elsewhere Ob and his forces grow daily as they move toward mankind's last stand; A self billed indestructible skyscraper. As the undead forces grow humanities final hope becomes dimmer.

[edit] Plot summary

Jim finds Danny alive as the book opens but the living dead so converge on their location. Frankie and Martin join Jim in the house and they are soon trapped in the attic. As they See Danny's neighbor in his panic room across the way the zombies set fire to the house. They rig a ladder between the two houses and everyone but Frankie makes it across, Frankie however has a two story fall into a swimming pool below. Meanwhile Don Martin Jim and Danny regroup and make a run for Dons Ford explorer. Upon escaping the garage they find Frankie fighting zombies in the front yard badly hurt from he fall and shot several times. The rescue her as she goes into shock.

Back in Hellerton Ob has taken Bakes body and is instructing his minions to make a motor pool from all the abandoned vehicles. Ob is distressed that Jim is alive and escaping him, he begins to fantasize killing martin and Jim while is Bakers body. Its here he divulges that the Sissquim can see the life auras coming from the living. Ob is then killed by some hiding guardsmen who he discovers.

Their escape is short lived as Frankie left the keys in the Humvee and the zombies are in hot pursuit. They use the Humvee to force the car into an accident. Jim regains consciousness as zombies are trying to pull Danny from the wreckage and biting his arm. Jim loses it and violently kills the zombie punctuation each blow with a "Dont you dare hurt my son." Martin has been thrown form the car and his head had turned a full 360 degrees around. Jim smashes his head in with a rock as he reanimates proclaiming "God is dead". Jim leads the zombies away distracting them from his party including a very badly injured Frankie making plans to meet them in what looks like an abandoned parking structure. Three is a legless zombie hiding in a car who alerts more zombies to the groups presence. Jim races back to the structure as the group races for the roof. Almost simultaneously a helicopter shows up using a powerful sonic device that kills all the zombie birds and almost kills Jim. They rescue Jim and take him to Ramsey towers.

Ob Reanimates in the A new body that is in great shape. His host died of a heart attack while lifting weights. His old host had knowledge of secret armories for the NYPD as well as the National Guard. He uses this knowledge to help arm his army as he sends for his forces in Hellerton as well as across the country. He also learns that all human life in Europe and Asia has been eliminated.

[edit] References

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