Editorial Content for One Yellow Eye
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What makes a zombie a zombie? Conventional horror wisdom is that a blood-borne virus infects someone bitten by a zombie who then becomes a virus host --- a zombie themselves. While many zombie flicks and stories focus on gruesome attacks, zombie mannerisms, and the survival of the uninfected, ONE YELLOW EYE takes a different approach. In it, Leigh Radford delves into the medical origins of and possible cures for a zombie outbreak in London as her protagonist tries to save a loved one --- and maybe the world.
"ONE YELLOW EYE is an interesting take on classic zombie tropes, and Radford combines those tropes with others pertaining to pandemics.... A dark romance with plenty of science drama, dread and heartache, Radford’s debut novel shows a lot of promise."
Kesta Shelley loves her work, but she loves her husband, Tim, much more. At the hospital, she spends her days over the eye piece of a microscope in the oncology department but also has a background in pathology and virology. Often more comfortable with specimens in the lab than socializing with people, Kesta always relied on Tim to bring her out of her shell. But just when it looked like the horrific zombie outbreak had run its course in London, Tim was bitten and Kesta found herself alone. Well, not quite alone: she still had work, her closest friend, Jess…and Tim. When Tim began to change after being bitten, Kesta made the impulsive decision to keep him at home, even as a dangerous, yellow-eyed, unblinking zombie.
Now Kesta is leading a double life. While at the hospital, trying to appear her usual hard-working self, she is always thinking about Tim and how she can steal medical supplies and medicines to take care of him. Jess notices her becoming distracted and unkempt, and how much she is drinking these days. When Kesta is finally offered a spot, along with her boss, to work on Project Dawn --- the top-secret program designed to understand and then create a vaccine and cure for zombieism --- all she can think about is how it may bring Tim back to her.
Of course, Project Dawn is not quite what Kesta expected, and her world continues to unravel. Her neighbors are complaining about the noise in her apartment, Jess is increasingly concerned, the ethics of her work are complicated, and she is consumed with trying to determine the source of what appears to be a species-jumping virus.
Radford takes a deep dive into the fictional research, testing and experimentation as Kesta and her colleagues try to understand where the outbreak came from, how it is transmitted, and how to prevent it from continuing to spread. In a city where many lives are lost and the sense of safety is destroyed, every moment Kesta works at Project Dawn is vital.
ONE YELLOW EYE is an interesting take on classic zombie tropes, and Radford combines those tropes with others pertaining to pandemics. Less horror and more thriller, it offers some compelling and realistically flawed characters. Kesta is brilliant, manic and obsessive. The grief she is trying so hard to avoid is being prolonged each day as she struggles to keep Tim “alive” and with her. Here, zombies are more than their virus --- they’re all too human and worthy of love.
A dark romance with plenty of science drama, dread and heartache, Radford’s debut novel shows a lot of promise.
Teaser
British scientist Kesta Shelley has spent her life looking down the barrel of a microscope rather than cultivating personal relationships. But that changed when she met Tim. So when he was one of the last people in London to be infected with a perplexing virus that left the city ravaged, Kesta went into triage mode. Though the government has rounded up and disposed of all the infected, Kesta is able to keep her husband (un)alive --- and hidden --- with resources from the hospital where she works. As she races against the clock, her colleagues start noticing changes in her behavior and appearance. There are whispers of a top-secret lab working on a cure, and Kesta clings to the possibility of being recruited like a lifeline. But can she save her husband before he is discovered? Or worse, will they trigger another outbreak?
Promo
British scientist Kesta Shelley has spent her life looking down the barrel of a microscope rather than cultivating personal relationships. But that changed when she met Tim. So when he was one of the last people in London to be infected with a perplexing virus that left the city ravaged, Kesta went into triage mode. Though the government has rounded up and disposed of all the infected, Kesta is able to keep her husband (un)alive --- and hidden --- with resources from the hospital where she works. As she races against the clock, her colleagues start noticing changes in her behavior and appearance. There are whispers of a top-secret lab working on a cure, and Kesta clings to the possibility of being recruited like a lifeline. But can she save her husband before he is discovered? Or worse, will they trigger another outbreak?
About the Book
In this heart-wrenching and unique spin on the zombie mythos, a brilliant scientist desperately searches for a cure after a devastating epidemic while also hiding a monumental secret --- her undead husband.
How far would you go to save your marriage? For British scientist Kesta Shelley, there is no limit.
Having always preferred the company of microbes, Kesta has spent her life looking down the barrel of a microscope rather than cultivating personal relationships. But that changed when Kesta met Tim --- her cheerleader, her best friend, her absolute everything. So when he was one of the last people in London to be infected with a perplexing virus that left the city ravaged, Kesta went into triage mode.
Though the government has rounded up and disposed of all the infected, Kesta is able to keep her husband (un)alive --- and hidden --- with resources from the hospital where she works. She spends her days reviewing biopsy slides and her evenings caring for him, but he’s clearly declining. The sedatives aren’t working like they used to, and his violent outbursts are becoming more frequent. As Kesta races against the clock, her colleagues start noticing changes in her behavior and appearance. She is withering away, self-medicating with alcohol, and has stopped attending her mandated ZARG (Zombie Apocalypse Recovery Group) meetings. Her care for Tim has spiraled into absolute obsession.
There are whispers of a top-secret lab working on a cure, and Kesta clings to the possibility of being recruited like a lifeline. But can she save her husband before he is discovered? Or worse, will they trigger another outbreak?
Audiobook available, read by Sofia Engstrand
