Deadweight by Paul Forster
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Horror
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

It was hailed as the answer to the obesity epidemic; a pill that allows you to eat anything you like and still lose weight. Millions were attracted by the promise of a leaner, fitter body, but there was a fatal and unforeseen flaw in this new panacea. A tiny microbe, lurking within, slowly infects the users. In turn they pass the infection to others with a sneeze, a cough or a simple kiss, and before long tens of millions are infected and turned into mindless, shambling wrecks, with the sole purpose of existing to eat. The virus is rampant, reaching into every corner of the globe. Governments collapse and shut down, unable to contain the outbreak, while the army works hard against the unending assault in a desperate bid to stop the dead from total victory. But there are even greater dangers to be faced. A few unfortunate souls suffer with the hunger of the dead but the mind of the living. They are neither dead nor alive, but something in between; something far more dangerous to the surviving humans. And amidst this carnage of the end of the world, in the south east of England, a small group of survivors are fighting on, against all the odds, as they try to stay one step in front of the dead, trying to avoid being the next item on the menu. The question is, in a world now claimed by the dead, what will they have to do to survive?

When a new weight-loss pill comes onto the market no one thinks too much of it. Obesity is a global epidemic and millions of people are looking for a quick pill to make themselves thinner. And this pill becomes extremely popular as it proves to work perfectly in everyone – millions all over the world are quickly losing weight no matter what they eat. But no one knows that the microbe that’s being used in this
pill quickly becomes infectious through a cough, a sneeze, and soon the whole world becomes infected.

I found this to be a really well written and scarily believable book. I think some readers mightn’t like how a lot of the start of this book flips between the present – after the zombies are out there – and how the research and science behind the pills was discovered and let loose. I personally didn’t mind this jumping back and forth because I feel the author has done an amazing job in thinking through the background of the pill and making a really interesting, logical and believable plotline behind it. I felt this really set up the story as a whole and it was such a different spin on the whole “zombie apocalypse” thing that I really enjoyed it.

I also enjoyed how the past and present came together and then merged into the rest of the story. Readers who enjoy longer running series like Walking Dead and Last Of Us should find that this book really fills a gap that these series can leave behind. I found the main characters relatable and interestingly drawn and most importantly for me I found the plot to be gripping and interesting. There are a few sex scenes in this book and while there is some gore it’s kept to a fairly low level to my mind and neither overtakes the story. I would mainly declare this an intricately plotted zombie apocalypse style of book with a fair bit of action and a really good plotline.

Readers looking for an interesting and freshly written zombie-style end of the world book should find this a really good read.