The second Zombicide novel from Aconyte Books, Tim Waggoner’s Planet Havoc explores the science fiction setting of Zombicide: Invader, pitting two opposing groups of humans against an insidious, lethal alien menace in an action-packed tale of soldiers, mercenaries, monsters, artificial life and corporate greed. Recruited by the deeply dubious Leviathan Guild for a dangerous mission to a forbidden world, Luis Gonzalez and his team of mercenaries are intercepted by Coalition soldiers patrolling the off-limits system, both crews soon finding themselves stranded on the desolate PK-L10, or Penumbra. As each side waits for reinforcements they’re forced into a wary truce when the planet is revealed to be home to a ferocious breed of aliens known as Neo-Xenos, and the folly of ever venturing into this interdicted system is made abundantly clear.
On the face of things this is a pretty straightforward ‘can they get off the planet before they’re all eaten?’ sort of story, and it certainly has all the characteristics of a classic marines vs aliens action/adventure story. Soldiers and mercenaries alike grumble and bicker, some fighting bravely and others falling quickly to the claws (and creepy blue mold) of the Neo-Xenos, while Luis and his Coalition counterpart Aisha gradually forge a fragile trust in the face of imminent death. There’s an inherent tension between the two crews, with Aisha’s outnumbered soldiers unhappy at siding with outlaws while Luis’ mercenaries know the penalties if the Coalition catch them on Penumbra, while corporate stooge Jena – Leviathan’s rep on the mission – adds a familiar sense of middle-management ‘them and us’. It’s all fun stuff, reading like a bit of an 80s action movie, with relatively lightly-painted but engaging characters, a breezy pace and plenty of action.
There’s more here than just the familiar tropes, though. The film crew sent to observe the mission mostly just get in the way of the soldiers but their incessant editorialising works well alongside Leviathan’s cynical corporate agenda, while the presence of non-human characters – including android Jason on the Coalition crew and cyborg Oren from the film crew – and the Neo-Xenos themselves all allow for interesting alternate perspectives on humanity and its flaws. With a lot of POV characters it’s hard to really grow to care about some of them, but the core characters – Luis and Aisha, and maybe Oren too – have depth beyond the surface detail, as Waggoner sensibly concentrates more on Luis and Aisha’s backstories than delving too deep into the wider Zombicide: Invader worldbuilding. There’s enough context for an enjoyable sense of the broader world, but there’s never any sense of it being forced, or indeed of needing to be familiar with the setting to make the most of this story.
So on the one hand this is a book that pretty much does what it says on the tin. Ok they may not technically be zombies, but the Neo-Xenos fulfil the same purpose, so zombie fans will still have plenty to enjoy, even if this is more action and adventure than horror – there’s quite a lot of violence and death, but very little that’s really gruesome. On the other hand though, Waggoner does a good job of expanding the appeal beyond existing Zombicide fans and making this a genuinely fun, engaging book to read, and alongside all the action there are some interesting and worryingly relevant themes of corporate greed and exploitation, and likewise the human tendency to spread and carelessly dominate. All told this is comfortable, familiar and satisfying with a few unexpected bonuses – for Zombicide fans and general SF action/horror fans alike, it’s very much a fun, easy read in the best possible way.
Many thanks to Aconyte Books and Tim Waggoner for sending me a review copy of Planet Havoc in exchange for my honest opinions.
See also: my review of Last Resort by Josh Reynolds, the first Zombicide novel from Aconyte Books.
See also: the main Aconyte Books page on Track of Words for loads more reviews and author interviews.
Planet Havoc is available now in ebook, paperback and audiobook formats. Check out the links below to order your copy*:
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