Down the Road: On the Last Day

Bowie Ibarra
Permuted Press (2006)
ISBN 0978970721
Reviewed by Tyler R. Tichelaar for Reader Views (4/07)

“We have to kill her”—thus opens Bowie Ibarra’s second zombie novel “Down the Road: On the Last Day,” set in the same world as his first book “Down the Road,” although the second novel is a stand alone work in itself. This fantastic opening sentence draws the reader in as a father and mother come to terms with knowing they must kill their daughter before she kills them; their daughter has been infected with the zombie disease which in the last few days has begun to spread across the globe.

Numerous characters living in the town of Beeville, Texas are the focus of the novel as they struggle against the zombie threat, having to secure their town, kill zombies, and often put loved ones to death before they turn into zombies. For a good part of the novel, the town has lost contact with the outside world, but then television is restored and the townspeople learn the President of the United States is allowing United Nations forces to enter the country to help secure it. These forces are urging people to go to FEMA security camps where they will supposedly be safe. The people of Beeville, however, feel safe already because they have effectively blockaded their town from zombies entering or any potentially infected humans. With the world in crisis, the US government has broken down, and the United Nations forces appear to be seeking world-domination. When the UN forces reach the town of Beeville, they warn the townspeople if they do not surrender and go to the FEMA camp, they will be considered terrorists. When the people refuse, a showdown occurs.

The novel offers some criticism of government ineffectiveness, in the wake of September 11th and Hurricane Katrina. The novel’s setting in Texas is interesting because Texas is the only part of the United States that was once its own separate country, and once the United Nations is taking over the country, the town of Beeville, Texas remains the last vestige of independent and democratic America, with images of the Alamo and the Waco showdown in the background. The people of Beeville are capable of caring for themselves, but government intervention causes the zombie situation to become far worse for the townspeople.

Overall, the novel is fast-paced and enjoyable to read. The apocalyptic situation reminded me of Stephen King’s “The Stand” but I felt “Down the Road” was actually more fun and better thought out. I felt the beginning had too many characters, and not as much character development as if the book had focused on the viewpoints of just two or three main characters rather than twenty, so that occasionally I could not distinguish between them; however, overall, the multiple characters kept the action fast-paced as the zombie threat was depicted in various parts of the town. I wish more had been explained about how the plague of zombies started. There was a passing reference to the character George Zaragosa, the main character from Ibarra’s first novel. But what happened to him is not really clear from reading this second novel, and I only knew he was from the first novel from reading the advertisements for the publisher’s other books in the end pages. It sounds like George brought the plague into the United States from a visit to Mexico, which suggests further political commentary on the US’s failure to keep its borders secure from aliens.

“Down the Road: On the Last Day” is enjoyable reading for anyone who likes apocalyptic stories and a fast-paced action or horror novel. Those who choose to read at a deeper level will enjoy the novel’s social criticism.

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