Tooth and Nail - BOOK REVIEW

The world has been ravaged by the Hong Kong Lyssa virus. So many are infected that hospitals have become overrun and require military assistance to control the crowds. Schools and churches have been converted into impromptu clinics to handle the overflow. Labs rush to search for a cure or even a treatment for this mortifying disease as thousands, maybe millions, founder and die. If that is not bad enough, some cases of the virus enter the brain, causing severe fluctuations in behavior. These cases cause the infected to become basically rabid prior to their imminent demise. They attack those they love and anyone else with which they come in contact. Soon, it is realized that the Mad Dogs, as they become familiarly known, begin to spread a highly virulent strain of disease through their bite. In mere hours, infection sets in and more Mad Dogs are created.

Soldiers sent to assist the hospitals soon find themselves alone in a world they don't understand and cut off from the military, even the country. They must fight to survive, and with any luck find and deliver a cure before there is no one left to cure.

I have become a big fan of Craig DiLouie. I love his work. His stories grab your attention quickly and hold it fast. That being said, while I did enjoy the descriptive way in which he described the events occurring around this group of soldiers, I have to say that I was less enthusiastic about the character development in this one. I had a hard time differentiating the characters. The majority of them were soldiers and many of them had very similar traits. It became difficult to distinguish them at times.

Also, while any book about soldiers should contain words and abbreviations that soldiers use, I must admit that on occasion trying to remember all the meanings slowed down my reading a little.

In the end, though, the story itself was worth the time. And, I am sure many people would not find the military terms as daunting as I did. Actually, I ended up reading the book twice, just to make sure I gave it a fair shake, and honestly, the second time through I got a lot more out of it than I did the first time. Craig DiLouie is definitely an author worth the time, and I look forward to reading more of his work in the future.

Reviewed by: Malinda McAteer