Despite the seemingly endless possibilities of the Star Wars universe, the idea of bloodthirsty zombies seems like a stretch for even George Lucas to try. It's amazing what he'd consider.
Nevertheless, Lucas has found a talented writer in Joe Schreiber (Eat the Dark, No Doors No Windows) to bring his alternative vision to life. The result is Death Troopers, a quick-paced thrill ride full of blood, gore, bodily organs, and a little bit of laughs in between. This is the Star Wars of every horror fan's dreams.
Taking place before the original trilogy, Death Troopers introduces us to the Imperial prison barge Purge, temporary home to some real bantha fodder (prisoners and guards alike). Readers are brought aboard the Purge after its engines fail in a remote star system. When a wrecked and seemingly derelict Star Destroyer is discovered nearby, a team is sent from the Purge to gather parts and equipment to get the ship running again. Only half of the team comes back, bringing with them a lethal virus of "unknown" origin. The virus soon rears its ugly head at the people aboard the Purge, who begin dying grotesquely within hours.
But death is only the beginning. And the half-dozen crew left standing from the outbreak are thrust into a nightmarish struggle for survival. From the cells of the Purge to the corridors of the wrecked Destroyer, the dead are rising with a soulless drive to do one thing: eat anything that walks.
There are two fronts Schreiber delivers on the best in Death Troopers. One of them is the selection of main characters. There's Jareth Sartoris, the sociopathic captain of the guards who views his crewmates and inmates alike, as expendable; Kale and Trig Longo, sibling smugglers who stick together no matter what; Zahara Cody, the compassionate head doctor aboard the Purge who seeks the best for all of the survivors; and Waste, the comically misplaced medical droid who reminds us all of C-3PO. (Also, enjoy an appearance of a well-known Star Wars duo midway through the book.)
The second is the realistic dread of the settings; Schreiber paints an eerie, bloody picture of not one, but two ghost ships where the ravenous could be lurking and drooling nearby. Add to that the usual techno-wonders of Star Wars, and you've got a nice little horror-adventure.
Like I said before, Joel Schreiber brought together an unusual combination in Death Troopers – the undead and Star Wars. It's just a testament to anything being possible in the realm of science-fiction. Death Troopers is a book that, alive or dead, will leave you "hungry" for more.
Publication Information
Author: JoeSchreiber
Publisher: Del Rey Books
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Ryan Greenham - Hi everyone! My name is Ryan Greenham. I am 24 years old, live in Ottawa, Ontario, and am an aspiring science-fiction writer. I have ...
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