Zombie
AUTHOR:  Joely Skye
PUBLISHER:  Samhain Press PUB DATE: 
GENRE:  Romance w/ Spec Elements ISBN: 
REVIEWED BY:  JE Armond on 12/01/06 EISBN:  1599981742

Picking up the complex relationship she began in MONSTER, Joely Skye delivers the same emotional punch in ZOMBIE. Even though stilted style and fuzzy character motivations don't dampen the passion between secret agent Josh and psychic mutant Kir, they do detract from the reading experience.

Josh MacKay got a rough introduction to the world of Minders and the government that wants to control them. Sent to capture Kir, a psychic mutant called a Minder, he didn't find the monster the government told him he would, but instead an abused, confused young man to whom he was instantly attracted. However, when the first installment, MONSTER, ended, Kir and Josh were pulled apart, neither one of them certain of the others' feelings.

In ZOMBIE, we find Josh a virtual prisoner of the government, trapped in a compound and fed a steady diet of lies. They've convinced Josh that his feelings for Kir, his attraction to Kir, were all "pushed" on him by Kir's psychic abilities. And now they use Josh as bait, since they still want to capture and control Kir and his Minder friends.

Things get weird when an evil Minder introduced in MONSTER shows up at the compound and makes Josh his slave. Using his psychic skills, he forces Josh to play houseboy and then sex toy, making him believe he likes the abuse. Josh's mind and spirit are just about broken when Kir arrives and whisks Josh away to a remote cabin to heal.

The conflict between Josh and his government handlers, and between Josh and the evil minder Brad, cause all kinds of problems for ZOMBIE. I had trouble believing that Josh would be so passive as to accept his captivity. And I couldn't figure out how Brad set up shop in a government compound dedicated to capturing Minders, and proceed to make Josh his zombie.

But once Kir and Josh were together again, I was able to forgive all the weaknesses of the set-up. Skye really demonstrates the complexity of power exchange as Kir and Josh try to regain trust. It's such a conflicted relationship. Josh, the dominant one, can't trust that he's in control because Kir can make him think, believe or feel anything with just a word. Kir, with this incredible psychic power, only knows how to be submissive. To be in love with someone and not be sure if the love is yours, or forced into your mind and heart -- what a great conflict.

Too bad Skye delivers a flawed execution of that conflict. The writing style is flat, with very little lyricism or demonstration of craft. Was she rushing to get the second novella to market? I don't recall MONSTER suffering from the same problem. The prose read too much like an outline or synopsis, not delivering that rich experience of being pulled into another world.

That being said, though, I can't wait for the third and final installment due out early in 2007, because the conflict is just incredible. I don't want to reveal any spoilers, but holy cow, folks. Skye works the conflict of psychics vs. normals so well, and puts into peril this fascinating Josh-Kir relationship so completely, that she could write the ending in Morse Code and I'd read it.

Skye is certainly a developing novelist to watch closely, and I hope in the future she pays as much attention to telling her glorious conflicts as well as she designs them. So it's a mixed bag review. If the relationship and concept of MONSTER caught your imagination, ZOMBIE is definitely worth the read in spite of its flaws.

Let Me At It, I Must Read Now!