Skip to content

Book Review: Juggernaut

Written By:

Neil Buchanan
juggernauttitle

Book Review: Juggernaut / Author: Adam Baker / Format: Paperback / Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton / Release Date: Out Now

In Juggernaut, prequel to the successful Outpost, we follow Lucy and her group of hardened mercenary’s intent on recovering gold hidden deep in the Iraqi desert. These are a highly accomplished group of ex Special Forces, comparative old-timers in the grand scale of things, and they have had their fill of war. They want out; they want to see their remaining years living in wealth and luxury.

Of course, things are never quite so straight forward. Pretty soon Lucy and her team learn that the gold comes with a price. Something else is buried out there beneath the golden dunes, and it doesn’t take much to be disturbed.

Adam Baker is like a breath of fresh (or should that be foul) air in today’s zombie apocalypse. It takes a lot – quite frankly – to make a novel stand out from the shuffling crowd of wannabes. Being a walking cadaver just doesn’t cut it these days – you need a twist.  Adam Baker, in this regard, comes out trumps. Juggernaut is populated with believable characters, strong dialogue and impeccably researched detail. These characters live, love, fight and betray their way through to the book’s explosive finale.

At its heart Juggernaut is about survival, in this case surviving the zombie menace. It digs into these ill-fated characters and shows us what man is capable of doing if given the most extreme of circumstances. For the zombie enthusiasts amongst us, it delivers the living dead by the bucket load. And with the zombies come the standard tropes of the genre: headshots are the only thing that work, and a bite spells certain death and infection. Juggernaut treats the readers to plenty of big guns, chase sequences, and enough military jargon to make your average jarhead clutch his pants in semi-orgasmic joy. You could walk away from that feeling happy that the zombie plague has been handled in time-honoured fashion. However, Adam Baker delves deeper, and the characters become more than simply talking heads with guns. These are tougher than the tough mercs of the Iraqi war, but they also hate and hope along with the best of us. And if that wasn’t enough, Juggernaut offers a thought provoking view of what war can do to men if given the right motivation.

For fans of Juggernaut’s predecessor, Outpost, we learn a little more about the virus and its origins, not all the answers are explained – rightly so – and one gets the sense of a possible third book in the works.

It’s not all praise though, Juggernaut – like its namesake – takes a while to get going. In the first hundred pages, characters and setting are laid down in intricate detail at the expense of action. But the novel’s slow start can be forgiven, because about mid-way through the tension begins to mount, characters are thrown into ever increasing desperate situations: fighting zombies, the desert, and ultimately each other. Soon the conflict resonates within each page, and it becomes impossible to put down.

If you like zombies and survival horror then this is the book for you. If you like to see just what man is capable of doing when his back is against the wall then this book definitely is the one for you.

Juggernaut offers a new perspective on the zombie apocalypse and is well worth the read.

Read our review of Outpost HERE

Catch up with Adam Baker HERE

Neil Buchanan

You May Also Like...

Short SANTA’S LITTLE HELPER Halfway to Funding

We couldn’t resist the tagline of ‘You’ve heard of Elf on the Shelf, now prepare for Santa’s Little Helper’ and had to check out the Kickstarter for a new short
Read More

First-Look Images and Sizzle Reel for Disturbing Shocker CARA

You can now get your first look at the upcoming disturbing kitchen sink horror film CARA, directed by Hayden Hewitt (Lips) and starring Ellie O’Hara, Johnny Vivash, Laurence R. Harvey,
Read More
chinese remake of anaconda drops trailer

ANACONDA Trailer Grants First Look At Remake Of 1997 Horror Flick

Three sequels and a spinoff-crossover film wasn’t enough for the 1997 creature feature Anaconda, which not only has a new movie in development, but is getting a Chinese remake! From
Read More
black widow star scarlett johansson in talks to lead new universal jurassic world film

Scarlett Johansson In Talks To Join JURASSIC WORLD Film

Another MCU star appears to be taking up the reins for Universal’s new Jurassic World movie: two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson is reportedly in talks to lead the franchise that
Read More

Exclusive Reveal! Titan Comics to Deliver Prehistoric Hysterics in First 2 DUMB DINOS Collection

Titan Comics have exclusively revealed to STARBURST that they’re gearing up to publish the first-ever collection of the hilarious cult digital comic strip 2 Dumb Dinos, and we’re not the
Read More

New Dates For Lovecraftian Key of Dreams

Key of Dreams has announced new spaces for its titular immersive luxury horror event. The critically acclaimed company is known for its overnight experiences that dunk you into a strange
Read More