The relationship of the mind to the body is the very essence of mind-body problem. What makes us human – the combination of mind and body? Or are these separate entities with their own traits and guiding principles? What about the soul – is that equivalent to the mind? What happens to us if our mind-body components are severed? Would the two “parts” survive? How would we act in a solely physical versus a spiritual realm?

Most importantly, would you expect these questions to be the focal point in a zombie novel?

These and other philosophical questions are the driving forces in Severed, the latest novel by Gary Fry.  A mysterious powder is unleashed in London as part of a terrorist act. Individuals who come into close contact with the substance become infected. And their minds are severed from their bodies – literally. A ghost-like essence separates from the body and floats skyward joining other “souls” in a rotating spiral over the city (check the cover for a cool depiction). The body that remains earthbound has lost all moral restraint – leaving a vicious zombie-like thing that goes on a rampage. Those they bite become severed. The zombie numbers increase exponentially as do the ghost-like souls rotating above the city. London quickly becomes a chaotic mess.

As luck would have it, a university professor whose scholarly focus includes the study of violent behavior from this mind-body perspective is available for consultation (he just lost his position after having a sexual relationship with a student).  Unfortunately, Professor Stephen Hobbs is a narcissistic and hedonistic individual. He destroyed his own marriage with his infidelities and otherwise treated his wife like dirt. Also, he never visits his mother who lives nearby. He is not exactly the type of guy you want on the front lines to figure out how to handle morally unrestrained zombies. But, author Gary Fry makes him our go-to hero – and it is a great choice. Initially unlikeable, Hobbs grows on the reader as more is revealed about him. As his previously repressed memories of his childhood are exposed, you realize there is a conscience in there somewhere, and you just hope his awareness jolts this part of his personality into action in order to save humankind.

Dr. Fry, a psychologist by training, has a lot of fun with psychological symbolism. The zombies are driven to satisfy brutal and self-destructive urges of physical and sexual violence. The moral decay associated with these unconscious drives manifests itself in body parts that rot and fall off at an alarming rate. The ascetically driven spirits floating above the city are drawn to a higher sense of spiritual well-being and moral superiority (they even form the huge rotating halo over London). The strategy (what follows is a slight spoiler – but only in the most general sense) to cure the ongoing disaster involves an antidote (medication), the bolstering of our hero’s inner ego strength, and the appropriate harnessing of moral reasoning. Short-term psychodynamic therapy, anyone?

The author is at his best when his characters are reasoning about the philosophical and psychological implications of the events. The suspense is keenly felt when they struggle with inner demons. While some people might be turned off by the philosophical arguments, I loved this aspect of the story. (As an aside, this inner dialogue is true of his some of his other works including two of my favorites: Menace and Lurker). Dr. Fry is less adept at describing action sequences, however. Characters become a little too reflective of their circumstances when in reality they would be operating on pure adrenalin. When this happens, suspense is disrupted – but this doesn’t occur frequently. For the most part, momentum is maintained throughout.

Overall, I enjoyed Severed – especially the inner dimensions of the characters. I was also thrilled with Gary Fry’s attempt to juggle zombie violence, psychoanalytic metaphors, 17th century philosophy, and Descartes. Have you ever read a novel with this combination before? I haven’t. And, any story that can take a boring academic and transform him into an action hero is okay with me.

I've got to admit that I am both intrigued and excited about the new Godzilla movie coming out this summer. If you haven't seen the trailer or the pictures check out the Godzilla web site. This stems of course from my dinosaur days as a kid. People thought I was weird then - and they still think I'm a tad odd now, so admitting that I am looking forward to this movie is pretty low-risk. The 1998 remake was entertaining but fairly lame. This version has epic written all over it. I hope the filmmakers don't take themselves too seriously. The special effects containing flashes of Godzilla are breathtaking. The monster looks, well, extra gigantic. This will be good for some city crushing and a nice jolt of apocalyptic mayhem. I hope, anyway.  

Trailers for the upcoming season of the Walking Dead have been appearing all over the place recently. I’ve watched them, of course, since I am a fan. The DVR is set up to record all new episodes between now and eternity. The series is well done with a great cast, special effects, and story line. Although, the pace of the series is much too slow at times with seemingly nothing happening for hours on end.

Apocalyptic fiction is hot too, and has been for a number of years now, mostly in the form of zombie novels. The latter have been hit or miss for me, mostly miss to be honest.  If you read one zombie novel, you’ve read them all it seems. That’s an overgeneralization, of course. I can think of a couple of zombie novels that have been quite good. Right off the top of my head is Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry. Actually marketed as a young adult novel, I found the characterizations and the settings to be outstanding. This is one of those novels that actually captures the perspective of a teenager in a horrendous setting. A number of people disliked The Cell by Stephen King, but I really enjoyed it. There is something satisfying about cell phones turning people into zombies, as if they hadn’t already. I’m a university professor and it is not uncommon to see hordes of twenty year olds walking on campus while texting. At times the campus can be eerily quiet with the exception of a faint pattering of thumbs on tiny keypads or screens. Finally, the Swedish zombie novel, Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist, is a favorite simply because it is such a unique take on the zombie genre.

When it comes to non-zombie apocalyptic novels, I can name a number of stellar examples. First (and second if you consider them separately) are the first two books in the Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin. The Passage and The Twelve are powerful novels that excel because they are literary pieces containing startling and well developed characters and imaginative settings. Each character is an individual with emotion, thoughts, and history. Patterns of behavior and motivations are consistent and logical (which is huge in my humble opinion in making a novel work).  The virals (vampires) are brutal, and survival of characters is not guaranteed. Another creative spin on the part of Cronin is his ability to describe this complex world in a non-linear fashion. I cannot wait for the third in the series.

When you consider top stories of the apocalypse, you have to include The Stand by Stephen King. The weaving of that tale is nicely constructed, although I would recommend reading the first edition/version. King later came out with an extended version which contained portions of the narrative that an editor had deleted when it was first published. I can tell you, the editor was right – there was a reason these sections were initially deleted. They added nothing to the story and were downright embarrassing to read at times.

Finally, a truly horrifying end of the world novel that isn’t a “horror” novel – at least on the surface – is Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. Published in 1958, this novel tells the tale of a nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union. I read this as a kid, and the passages that describe the nuclear attack and the immediate panic afterwards are some of the most terrifying words I have ever read. There are scenes that are still seared in my memory. Check out this classic if you haven’t had the opportunity.