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A review by zade
Code Zero by Jonathan Maberry
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.