PUBLICATION DATE: SEPTEMBER 03, 2012

ions…Tigers…Bears…Oh My!

Jackson Oz is a washed up has-been.  Once on the fast track as an up and coming scientist, he has since been known as a “never was”.  With an ape appropriately named, Attila, he has few friends, and fewer acquaintances.  Ever since he dropped out of Columbia University, that seems to be the only thing people remember about him.

From the Mountains in Rwanda, to the Arctic Circle in Russia…it seems everywhere there are animals; the animals are going wild.  In fact, some may say it’s a “Zoo” out there.  Where once lived quietly roaming lion prides, now lurk large male packs on the prowl for their latest kill.  Once this phenomenon moves to the States, it seems that even your average household pets are affected by this scientific abnormality.

What happens when the government gets involved?  Mass chaos.  Can Oz solve the mystery and save the world as we know it?  Only time will tell.  Hopefully in the meantime, he can make a new name for himself in the process!

While I have to admit, James Patterson is a wildly popular author, this is the first of his books I have ever read.  One whom usually stays within the reading “safety” of the Christian Fiction genre, this book sounded too good for me to pass up!

As previously mentioned, some scenes tended to be very graphic when it came to the gore descriptions in the story.  While I understand that they needed to be described to lay a foundation for what was to come, they did not overpower the story, or become too graphic for me to continue.  In a sense, the telling was just right, but still required a warning for others.

The moderate to heavy language, however, was a different story.  This is why I tend to stay clear of mainstream fiction books.  In my opinion, if this book were to have a rating due to language alone, it would be that of the “R” rating.  And more times than not, a different word easily could have replaced the offensive one.

You may be wondering, with all that said, why I still gave this book 4.5 stars?  I believe this story earned that rating on the storyline itself.  While the cons mentioned are due to my own personal preferences, the story was undeniably outstanding!  Patterson and Ledwidge do such a great job in weaving the pieces together, that once I got over the cons, I could not put this book down!  I may even be hoping for a sequel to follow next year!  If one does, you can bet it will be on the top of my reading list!