Zoo by James Patterson

Zoo was my first novel by James Patterson. I began reading it with high expectations due to the sheer volume of books he cranks out so frequently. I have to admit, though, I was disappointed in Zoo.

Patterson's Zoo has some really strong features. For those of us who sincerely appreciate easy stopping points, this book has 98 chapters and an epilogue. It's absolutely great for fitting in five minutes of reading here and there. However, some chapter breaks seemed unnecessary. One might end with an event of some sort, but nothing too suspenseful. Some chapters might have been more effective blended together.

Author, James Patterson

The plot of Zoo could be summed up to say the world is experiencing an animal apocalypse. Due to humans' lack of care with the environment and their stubborn nature of not wanting to believe warning signs, they've brought on a chemically/environmentally borne "smell" that affects all mammals. Suddenly dolphins, rats, squirrels, leopards, and hippos (oh my!) all have this wasp-like hatred of humans and, as hives, attack humans en masse.

This really could have been exciting. The plot blossomed from a great idea but wilted because of the characters. I felt the characters were dry and "regular" and I also didn't find myself sympathizing with the human experience hardly at all. It seemed no relationships were developed fully enough to care if the protagonist's wife and kids were eaten, for example. There wasn't one character introduced that really struck a line of familiarity with me.

That being said, I'd still recommend this book for a quick read. You could finish it in a couple dedicated nights (one if you're crazy). The fictional science and plot development is interesting. And it'll have you wondering about your own behavior in the environmentally fragile world in which we live and breathe. Just don't open the book expecting to have your heart shredded by an emotional tempest of suffering, courage and hope (like I did, clearly).

You can check Zoo out from your local library or purchase it on Amazon.