Official Review: The Heroic Dead by Jason A. Mangano

[Sam Ibeh]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Heroic Dead" by Jason A. Mangano.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Job Tillman decided to join the United States Marine Corps after his 18th birthday to help fight Muslim Jihadists. His decision to join the Marines was hinged on the killing of his brother by a suicide bomber at the New York Times Square. The attack was perpetrated by Al-Sirat, the deadliest Islamic terrorist group after ISIS.

Job Tillman had heard about some secret bioengineering weapons called the Einherjar injection, that turned American dead soldiers into man-hunting, vengeful monsters and used by the US military in her war against Al-Sirat in Libya. He was concerned that if the rumor of the existence of the injection was true, he would have nothing to do with it, as it was against his belief as a person. Did his personal bias affect service to his country when he was deployed?

In The Heroic Dead, Jason A. Mangano created an impressive and captivating horror fiction that kept me glued from start to finish. It evoked an emotional conflict concerning the divide between what is right and what is wrong. Also, the state of uncertainty as to a clear-cut opinion of what is objectively moral or not and how the writer found a middle ground in this conflict were a few of the many reasons this book was a good read. I couldn't help but ask myself, what is the rationale for creating indestructible zombie soldiers to fight Muslim terrorists? Was is that they wouldn't have enough human soldiers to defeat the terrorists? I've heard people say that all is not fair in war. However, this book got me wondering if victory should be obtained by all means necessary regardless of whose ox was gored.

The conflict of morals was seen in the ideological battle between Job and Travis. Job held the belief that even in war, there are saner ways to defeat the enemy without biologically engineered weapons, while Travis saw it as a miracle of modern chemistry. The author also brought this conflict of morals in Muhammed's character, who believed that in their holy war against the Americans, it should be focused on its troops without civilian casualties, especially in women and children. On the flip side, Zaeim, the leader of Al-Sirat, felt a more cruel way to victory was attacking civilians, which would force the hands of the US military and government. These are a few examples where I got engrossed in the moral battles that played out in this book.

One of the main characteristics of horror fiction is the psychological, emotional, and physical response to fear in the reader's mind concerning the welfare of the characters; this book fairly ticks these boxes. With the author's descriptive writing style, the reader will form a strong attachment to the characters and always fear for their well-being. This is seen in the part where Jennifer and Rick were attacked by two locals, who wanted to rob them of their money and camera. The author creates a perfect banquet of the "fight or flight" reaction linked to our evolutionary heritage, which played a significant role in every human's life and of which our ancestors lived and died. This book provides an exciting and gripping tale for all lovers of horror fiction.

The Heroic Dead was an interesting read. It had a lot going for it in terms of suspense, thrill, the novelty of ideas, a sense of consciousness between what's fair or not, and the reader's attachment. I did not find anything I disliked in the book but for the strong use of language, which would not be suitable for young adults. There were no grammatical errors; hence, the book was professionally edited. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because of the simplicity in narration and the ability to paint clear images. I recommend it to those who enjoy horror fiction and dark thrillers.

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The Heroic Dead
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[EudoraMac]

You have depicted the highlights of the moral battles in this book so clearly, I want to find out what middle ground the author finally found.

Overall, this book seems well thought out and developed. Thank you for the concise review.

[Tablito]

I hope the servicemen, Job and Travis, found a common ground given their varying personal beliefs.

[NetMassimo]

An interesting variation on the theme of terrorism that includes food for thought about the ethics and moral elements of this kind of war. Thank you for your great review!

[Harty Muli]

This book sounds intriguing because of the injection that turns one into a zombie. Thanks for the enjoyable review.

[Ada Ling]

"In The Heroic Dead, Jason A. Mangano created an impressive and captivating horror fiction that kept me glued from start to finish" - Good to read about this. Thank you for the detailed review!

[Valkyrie9]

This sounds like a fascinating premise for a military story. I like the idea of mixing zombies with war tales. Thanks for the insightful review.

[TCG]

Was Job Tillman on a vengeful mission? Was that his motive for joining the marine? Sometimes, this always has a negative outcome. Good job.

[Pluma]

Sounds like a thrilling read! The way the author explored the conflict through multiple moral, logical and emotional points of view sounds very interesting. I’m not much into horror, though, so I think I’ll give this book a miss. Thanks for your great review!

[CNganyi]

From this review, I feel like the author used a powerfully descriptive and colorful language that created a vivid image in the reader’s mind. Thanks for the detailed review.

[Ify_Reviewer]

The review is quite comprehensive. The book will definitely be an interesting read. Good job!

[Nisha Ward]

Huh. I'm sort of reminded of the Resident Evil series, which bodes well for this book. I also really liked that no one viewpoint existed without another to counter it.

[Menace Crypto]

Most people are motivated to join the military by a deep desire to prevent the bad things they've witnessed from happening to other people. The book certainly seems very thrilling and I'd love to read it. Awesome job you did on the review. Keep it up.