This is a swerve off the typical path of Zanetti romance, and that is welcome. Officially the first book of the Scorpius Syndrome series, there is a prequel novella that appeared in the anthology On the Hunt. I loved that novella, now Mercury Striking, I didn't love it as much as the novella. This one it's a mix of The Walking Dead and a non religious version of The Stand. Jax Mercury didn't quite appeal to me as much as Rebecca's other heroes, but he fits with the setting and the situation and if he had been any different he wouldn't have made sense. I did love Lynne, she is brilliant, strong, and very caring; she is exactly what Jax needed to be a great leader. Rebecca as always is brilliant with her writing, her characters and her storyline.
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world endsThis is the way the world endsNot with a bang but a whimper.
The Hollow Men
by T.S. Elliot
Stephen King started his epic novel, The Stand, with the end of T.S. Elliot's poem The Hollow Men. I think it applies here also. Or any dystopian novel that is brought on by a virus/bacteria. Six months is how long it took the Scorpius bacteria to wipe out 90 percent of the population. The remain one percent are either sociopaths, killing indiscriminately and most are crazed almost like zombies; they haven't been infected yet or actually survived the initial fever and now are carriers. Lynne Harmony is such a survivor, she is also unique. Lynne was the head of her department in the CDC and when the Scorpius bacteria first fell to Earth in an asteroid she was the first to run tests on it, mutate it. She also was the one to discover the only way to keep the bacteria at bay was Vitamin B. Lynne, however, is in trouble she escaped from the CDC and the Government and went looking for a secret lab that was said to have created a chemical that made the human body produce vitamin B naturally in high enough quantities to keep the bacteria at bay. Lynne's only hope is finding the lab before the government and her only hope in achieving any of this is an ex-special forces/ex-gang member Jax Mercury.
Jax Mercury made his way home to L.A. after the U.S. pulled back all the troops. What Jax found was a gang ridden war zone with civilians caught in the middle. Jax made a stand and pulled together everyone who wanted and took over a portion of L.A. He created almost a safe haven but for the ripper attacks and the gang members constantly trying to steal their supplies.Jax is a complex hero with a deeply scarred past and an arch nemesis out to kill him and everyone close to him. Finding Lynne Harmony was a curse and a blessing. Lynne was the hope these people needed if they weren't so afraid of her, she also had trouble following close behind her that could endanger Jax's people.
A lot happens in the book, gunfights, love, death, suspense, and psychics. Overall, I am very pleased with the book and I can't wait for Raze's book.
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