All over the world, brutal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the impending violence becomes terrifyingly clear.With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it's too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide.
*May Contain Spoilers*
James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge join together to predict the apocalypse in their book, Zoo. Using modern technology as the culprit, animals turn against humans in a war no one see coming. Except Oz, that is. He discovered that animals were slowly, but certainly, turning their aggression to humans, but no one would listen. And now it's too late.
Jackson Oz is the main character of this science fiction thriller. He's a scientist with almost no credibility. Being the underdog will immediately bring readers to his side, especially when his theory of animal aggression turns out to be spot on. Oz is incredibly intelligent, a little 'out-there', honest, and dedicated. Readers will connect with him through his familial love and focus. He wants to protect his family, as would anyone in this world ending situation. His bravery in these terrifying situations is admirable and will allow readers to fear for him and with him as he attempts to find the underlying cause of this anger-outbreak in animals. Though he does show empathy and compassion, I felt at some points Oz was completely disconnected from the people around him, especially in the beginning of the novel. The death of his friend and guide in Africa didn't seem to faze him. Though shock might have something to do with it.
The plot of Zoo is simplistically complicated. All animals in the world are turning against humans with severe levels of aggression. The complicated part lies in the why and how. Jackson Oz predicted this epidemic but was shunned due to the unlikely nature of his prediction. Now, everyone probably regrets that. He teams up with other scientists to brainstorm reasons why this is happening. Oz does eventually figure out the underlying reason and it's a pretty interesting theory. As a reader with a science background, I enjoyed the chemistry/biology aspects. Made sense to me. But I felt really bad that some people refused to participate in the solution leading to... an ending with no resolution. However, the ending does seem accurate. I can definitely see it happening. Overall, interesting read but it didn't hook me as much as I thought it would. I thought it would be un-put-down-able, but the cliffhanger chapters weren't as grabbing as usual with James Patterson.
(Though I really did enjoy the little 45th president detail, hinting at the fact that this is already happening around us...)
Rating: 2.5/5 Cups
