Review: Three – Legends of the Duskwalker, Book 1 / Author: Jay Posey / Publisher: Angry Robot / Release Date: July 30th

Jay Posey has a long CV as a writer in the video game industry, and he brings this experience to bear in Three, a post-apocalyptic brawler which provides solid entertainment while doing nothing special. The titular hero is a strong, silent bounty hunter-type who befriends a woman and her son who are on the run. Too late, he learns that they were part of a notorious criminal crew who will stop at nothing to bring them back. Their only hope is to keep on moving through a wasteland patrolled by packs of screeching zombies.

This is a novel that’s light on its toes, moving breathlessly through a series of narrow escapes and bone-breaking dust-ups, with Three whipping out his trusty blade to hack his way through various genetically enhanced foes as well as throngs of the walking dead. It all happens against a widescreen backdrop of abandoned cityscapes and seedy, cut-throat human enclaves, and for what it is, it’s pretty accomplished.

The problem with it is what feels like an almost wilful lack of originally. Posey has been content to reheat elements from films such as The Book of Eli and mash them up with bits and pieces from various video games, spaghetti westerns and anime. The result is slick, well-crafted but almost anonymously generic. Still, it offers more than enough pulp fiction fun to keep you engrossed while you’re turning the pages.