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mastertorgo's review against another edition
5.0
This book is amazing. Of all the Joe Ledger novels, this one has been my favorite so far. The villain is terrific. It is both hopeful and heartbreaking. This series of books just keeps getting better.
buildhergender's review against another edition
5.0
Another great Ledger Novel.
This one does a great job of talking all the little loose ends that have been going through the series and tying them up.
I think the vice president got off easy.
This one does a great job of talking all the little loose ends that have been going through the series and tying them up.
I think the vice president got off easy.
zade's review against another edition
5.0
This entry in the Joe Ledger saga is a bit different. While it still relies on scientific extrapolation for much of its plot, Maberry does not introduce a new technological nightmare. Instead, he recycles the monsters from past novels in the service of a new criminal antagonist. By doing so, he brings to the forefront the theme that pervades all his work--science may produce monsters, but it is the people who misuse science for their own selfish gain who are the real danger. Both science and violence are tools that can cause great harm or protect what is good; what matters is how you use them and why.
If you've gotten this far in the series without picking up on this recurrent message, Code Zero will make sure you see the light. Like all of Maberry's villains, Mother Night is complex, round, and often surprisingly sympathetic. What makes her different is that she isn't in the super-villain game for money like the antagonists in previous novels. Instead, more than any other bad guy, she is clearly damaged by past experiences and doing her best to navigate through her own distorted perception of herself and her world. The reader's understanding of and compassion for what makes her tick does not make her any less monstrous, but it does complicate the reader's ability to assign evil to a clearly "other" agency. If damaged people sometimes behave in evil ways, how much responsibility do we as a society bear for not protecting them from damage in the first place? And why do some people turn that damage into evil while others turn it into fuel for doing good?
Lest all this philosophizing make it sound like the book is boring, let me assure you that it is classic Maberry. The action starts out with a bang and never lets up. It's a high-speed rollercoaster, hanging-on-by-your-fingernails kind of book. There are battles galore, a mystery with lots of twists and surprises, and Joe Ledger's trademark smart-ass commentary on the whole thing. The worst thing about picking up this book is that you won't want to put it down until you finish it. It's the kind of book you take with you into the bathroom and stay up all night reading no matter what you have planned for the next day. Once you start, everything else will just have to wait.
If you've gotten this far in the series without picking up on this recurrent message, Code Zero will make sure you see the light. Like all of Maberry's villains, Mother Night is complex, round, and often surprisingly sympathetic. What makes her different is that she isn't in the super-villain game for money like the antagonists in previous novels. Instead, more than any other bad guy, she is clearly damaged by past experiences and doing her best to navigate through her own distorted perception of herself and her world. The reader's understanding of and compassion for what makes her tick does not make her any less monstrous, but it does complicate the reader's ability to assign evil to a clearly "other" agency. If damaged people sometimes behave in evil ways, how much responsibility do we as a society bear for not protecting them from damage in the first place? And why do some people turn that damage into evil while others turn it into fuel for doing good?
Lest all this philosophizing make it sound like the book is boring, let me assure you that it is classic Maberry. The action starts out with a bang and never lets up. It's a high-speed rollercoaster, hanging-on-by-your-fingernails kind of book. There are battles galore, a mystery with lots of twists and surprises, and Joe Ledger's trademark smart-ass commentary on the whole thing. The worst thing about picking up this book is that you won't want to put it down until you finish it. It's the kind of book you take with you into the bathroom and stay up all night reading no matter what you have planned for the next day. Once you start, everything else will just have to wait.
charshorrorcorner's review against another edition
5.0
I've revised my rating from 4 to 4.5/5 stars, rounded up to 5 for Goodreads/Amazon.
The Joe Ledger series is a perfect example of how a great audiobook narrator can add to the magic of good writing. When both are combined together as they were in CODE ZERO? It's close to perfection.
Mother Night was an excellent, well drawn character with all kinds of evil levels. Her plans to lead Joe Ledger and his team on a wild good chase worked so well, I was genuinely afraid that I was going to have to say goodbye to a few beloved characters.
Did I have to do that? You'll have to read CODE ZERO to find out! I will say this: that ending had me driving down the highway legit crying.
Highly recommended, (but you should probably read the preceding books in the series first!)
I bought this audio book with my hard earned cash because Joe Ledger, Jonathan Maberry and Ray Porter MADE ME! (I could NOT continue waiting for each volume from the library.)
The Joe Ledger series is a perfect example of how a great audiobook narrator can add to the magic of good writing. When both are combined together as they were in CODE ZERO? It's close to perfection.
Mother Night was an excellent, well drawn character with all kinds of evil levels. Her plans to lead Joe Ledger and his team on a wild good chase worked so well, I was genuinely afraid that I was going to have to say goodbye to a few beloved characters.
Did I have to do that? You'll have to read CODE ZERO to find out! I will say this: that ending had me driving down the highway legit crying.
Highly recommended, (but you should probably read the preceding books in the series first!)
I bought this audio book with my hard earned cash because Joe Ledger, Jonathan Maberry and Ray Porter MADE ME! (I could NOT continue waiting for each volume from the library.)
vailynst's review against another edition
4.0
10/15/2020 Notes:
- Rating Raised from 3.5 to 4 Stars
- Mother Night: Eh, I have some trouble believing in how someone like her made it into DMS but that's just one of the plot holes you have to ignore in the series.
- Great action, love the DMS crew and Church really needs to shed some of his mysticism. Then again, I like that he's so mysterious. =)
- Rating Raised from 3.5 to 4 Stars
- Mother Night: Eh, I have some trouble believing in how someone like her made it into DMS but that's just one of the plot holes you have to ignore in the series.
- Great action, love the DMS crew and Church really needs to shed some of his mysticism. Then again, I like that he's so mysterious. =)
eileen_onbooks's review
5.0
One of the things I most enjoy about Jonathan Maberry is his ability to craft thoroughly crazy and yet sympathetic villains. One of my favorite Joe Ledger books, and definitely my favorite Ledger villain.
lilyn_g's review
5.0
One of the better Joe Ledger books.
Mother Night may well be one of my favorite book villains.
Full review up later.
Mother Night may well be one of my favorite book villains.
Full review up later.
leahrosereads's review
5.0
As a fangirl of Jonathan Maberry's work, I very rarely feel he does any wrong when it comes to his novels, and Code Zero is no exception to that. However, I don't feel like I'm being biased in this novel's case. Maberry did a lot right in Code Zero.
The bad guys were extremely bad, Joe and the DMS were behind throughout the novel, and although I yelled at my book when they weren't connecting the dots, I was happy with everything about this book.
Joe and the DMS had to reface a lot of the monsters of their past in this novel, and I loved seeing the Beserkers (The Dragon Factory), seif al din (Patient Zero), and the fast acting diseases from The King of Plagues making their presence known. I really have always wondered what happened to everything that the DMS has come across over the years, so I was happy this book answered that question, even though it was a bloody, disastrous outcome for the DMS.
The big bads in this book were Mother Night and her anarchist children. And boy oh boy was she just an absolute B! I loved how she was developed and the flashbacks of her story. Just phenomenal work all around on this character.
Also, VP Collins makes his presence known in this book, and while we've known he was a bastard since The Dragon Factory, and I've wanted him dead in every book he's been present in,I didn't feel his death was adequate in this. Fucking suicide! Are you kidding me? I wanted him to suffer a horrible horrible death, maybe via a room of walkers or, even more preferably, in a room alone with Mr. Church or Joe.
Outside of the main plot of the story, I really loved seeing Junie and Joe's relationship, but it wasn't overdone, which I was personally thankful for. I want to read about Joe kicking ass, not really the romantic elements of the stories. I like that it's just an undertone of the story, and that you know they love each other, and that's enough.
I also liked seeing Violin in the book, but I wish she and Arklight had been more involved in the story, especially with how thin the DMS was stretched in Code Zero. I thought they could've helped a lot, and maybe Church's pride got the best of him in this book, or he closed himself off even more, after being betrayed.
I did like thatViolin saved Junie's life at the end of the book for Joe, especially since Violin is in love with him.
OK, I'm done. I feel like this review is turning into a rambling mess. Code Zero was amazing, you should read it!
Seriously, go now, get a copy!
The bad guys were extremely bad, Joe and the DMS were behind throughout the novel, and although I yelled at my book when they weren't connecting the dots, I was happy with everything about this book.
Joe and the DMS had to reface a lot of the monsters of their past in this novel, and I loved seeing the Beserkers (The Dragon Factory), seif al din (Patient Zero), and the fast acting diseases from The King of Plagues making their presence known. I really have always wondered what happened to everything that the DMS has come across over the years, so I was happy this book answered that question, even though it was a bloody, disastrous outcome for the DMS.
The big bads in this book were Mother Night and her anarchist children. And boy oh boy was she just an absolute B! I loved how she was developed and the flashbacks of her story. Just phenomenal work all around on this character.
Also, VP Collins makes his presence known in this book, and while we've known he was a bastard since The Dragon Factory, and I've wanted him dead in every book he's been present in,
Outside of the main plot of the story, I really loved seeing Junie and Joe's relationship, but it wasn't overdone, which I was personally thankful for. I want to read about Joe kicking ass, not really the romantic elements of the stories. I like that it's just an undertone of the story, and that you know they love each other, and that's enough.
I also liked seeing Violin in the book, but I wish she and Arklight had been more involved in the story, especially with how thin the DMS was stretched in Code Zero. I thought they could've helped a lot, and maybe Church's pride got the best of him in this book, or he closed himself off even more, after being betrayed.
I did like that
OK, I'm done. I feel like this review is turning into a rambling mess. Code Zero was amazing, you should read it!
Seriously, go now, get a copy!