Xom-B

In the prologue, set in 2052, of this solid zombie thriller from Robinson (Island 731), 10 attack helicopters wipe out unarmed protesters near Manhattan’s Grand Central Station in what’s billed as a preemptive strike intended to kill them “before they even think about killing us.” Delaying the reveal of who exactly is attacking whom works, and the mystery continues as the action moves forward a year and a scientist steals a vial with a virus that could kill billions. The main action, set in 2074, focuses on the struggles of a narrator with the portentous name of Freeman to survive an onslaught of zombies with the aid of a protector, Heap, whom Freeman has never seen without an elaborate exoskeleton. Freeman knows little about his world or its immediate past, when beings known as the Masters enslaved humanity. The resolution isn’t the author’s strongest, and the escaping the undead scenes get a bit repetitive. Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media Group. (Apr.)