PLANET HAVOC - Tim Waggoner

I have no idea what it means that this is "A Zombicide Invader Novel" except that is must be part of a series or from a video game or tv show.  I wanted to read this because author Tim Waggoner is one of my newer favorite authors - and he hooked me right away with his dedication...

 This one's for Robert Bloch, who, in his Star Trek episodes "Wolf in the Fold", "Catspaw", and "What Are Little Girls Made of?" created perfect fusions of science fiction and horror.

Having read a fair bit of Waggoner, I can understand his appreciation for these episodes and Bloch's work.  But anyone who mentions three Star Trek episodes in a dedication is okay by me!

The story:

A mercenary crew of misfits, scoundrels, and military personnel work for the guild Leviathan.  They have been sent to a planet, Penumbra, to raid it of a strange new fuel source.  They are pursued by a ship that appears to want to prevent the mercenaries from exploring the planet, and when they get to the area, they discover that a neighboring planet was all but destroyed by an alien race referred to as Xenos. The Xenos are oddly connected to the strange new fuel source.

Can a small band achieve the simple goal that they've been sent out for? Can they fight battles on two fronts?

With a Tim Waggoner book, nothing is straightforward and I love that about his work.  He also gets the horror of a situation absolutely right, bringing the reader in to feel and react just as if it were happening right in front of them.

The characters are somewhat stereotypical - you've got one of each 'type' that you've seen or read in every sci-fi/horror film or book. Mostly because it works and provides some unique and fun differences and contrasts between the characters. I can't say that anyone stood out as especially interesting (maybe Aisha, maybe the shape-shifter?).

There's a little bit of a young YA or middle-school quality about this - admittedly, a lot of that comes right from the start with that cover. But this is pretty dark and I wouldn't necessarily give it to a middle schooler unless I knew they could handle it.

The book is based on a game series - Zombicide: Invasion.  I don't know it.  Never played it. Never even heard of it (again, I read this because it was by Tim Waggoner, not because of what it was about). It didn't exactly make me want to know more about the game, but then I'm not a big co-op adventure game player.

For fast-paced action with a dark twist and a quick read, this fits the bill.  I enjoyed it, but it wouldn't be the book I'd most recommend to anyone wanting to read a Tim Waggoner novel either.

Looking for a good book? Gamers who know the Zombicide universe will be especially interested in this, but anyone who enjoys a fast, dark, sci-fi yarn will enjoy Planet Havoc by Tim Waggoner.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

Planet Havoc: A Zombicide Invader Novel

author: Tim Waggoner

series: Zombicide Invader

publisher: Aconyte

ISBN: 9781839081248

paperback, 352 pages

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