A Plague of Zombies

A Plague of Zombies (2012) Diana Gabaldon

This was originally published in the anthology Down These Strange Streets, and is the story that made me look for other Lord John stories.

Lord John (now Lieutenant-Colonel Grey) is sent to Jamaica to look into the unrest there. The governor had requested the military after a rebellion led to the death of an Englishman.

Despite his promotions, Grey remains much the same.

‘You are Lieutenant-Colonel Grey?’

Grey thought it unlikely that there were a plethora of men wearing the uniforms and insignia of a lieutenant-colonel on the premises of the Kind’s House at that very moment, but nonetheless bowed.

‘I heard him… er… speaking to himself. He had begun to drink rather heavily, you see. Quite understandable under the circumstance, don’t you think?’

Grey wished he could drink heavily…

As does his valet Tom.

Tom was fearless in the streets of London and perfectly willing to face down ferocious dogs or foaming horses. Spiders, though, were quite another matter.

With good reason, I say.

As Grey looks into the matter, he discovers that the threatened uprising isn’t quite as presented, and that the death of the plantation owner might also not be as it seems.

Also, there are zombies. Not Night of the Living Dead zombies, but Caribbean zombies, and to be honest, those kinds of zombies are kinda fascinating, albeit disgusting and horrifying.

So I very much enjoyed my re-read of the Lord John stories. I still need to read The Scottish Prisoner, but since that’s only half a Lord John story, I’ve held off, since I’m not particularly interested in the Outlander series, just the Lord John stories.
Rating: 8.5/10

Published by Dell

 
 

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