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Dead Island is a novel based on the game of the same name that was announced in summer 2011,[1] planned for simultaneous release with the game. The book was written by Mark Morris, an author known for his series of horror and science fiction novels; books he's previously worked on include the universes of Dr. Who, Hellboy and Torchwood. It was published by Bantam Books on September 6, 2011, both in paperback (ISBN 9780857501035) and eBook (ISBN 9781446497302) formats.

Mark Morris has stated: "Having marveled, like the rest of the world, at the stunning trailer earlier this year, I absolutely leaped at the opportunity to write the official Dead Island tie-in novel. This is a rich, exotic world of well-conceived characters, stunning locations and all-out zombie mayhem."

He added "What really attracted me to the project, however, was the fact that behind the nonstop action is a complex and multi-layered plot. I'm hugely excited and massively honored to be a part of the Dead Island phenomenon."

Synopsis[]

What will you do? How far will you go? What will you become? Welcome to Banoi, a tropical island where you can leave the stresses of the world behind… Welcome to the Royal Palms Resort — which offers its guests from around the world the ultimate in luxury and relaxation… Welcome to the holiday paradise where your dreams should come true… but where a nightmare is about to begin… Because a mysterious epidemic has suddenly, and without warning, broken out across the island. The local islanders, hotel guests and workers alike are struck down — only to rise again, craving the flesh and the blood of the still living. For four of the holidaymakers and a handful of others scattered around Banoi who are seemingly unaffected by the plague, they must face the awful, terrifying reality of a zombie apocalypse. Now there is only one thing left to do: survive. Welcome to Dead Island… a paradise to die for.[2]

Plot[]

We are introduced to three of the characters (Sam B, Logan and Purna) as they fly into the island. Xian Mei is a hotel clerk and the first chapter follows the intro cutscene of the game, with Sam B rapping on stage and Logan drunk and hitting on Purna before throwing up in the restroom where Xian Mei is tending to an about-to-turn person. After Logan passes out on a bed, he is attacked, but is rescued by Purna before getting into a mysterious conference call with the four main characters and 'The Voice', Ryder White. Between the three of them, they escape from the Hotel and are rescued by Xian and Sinamoi. They rest at his Lifeguard Station and leave the wounded Logan there before heading to Moresby.

Here they start to see some of the horrors of the zombie apocalypse and they also meet Jin. After pulling her away from her dad who will turn soon, they set off towards the Church, ringing bells and all. After they reach the Church, they find a man named Dani who will go with them to get medicine for an ill man at the Church while also getting them into the Police Station, as he has the codes in his head. Upon getting in, however, they are threatened by three bandits and make a deal to bring them supplies and split what's in the armoury. Taking Jin and Dani as safekeeping, the three of them go off and get the supplies from a nearby supermarket, but upon reaching the Police Station again, they are shot at and Dani's body is thrown from a window before the bandits take their supplies, as well as keep Jin.

Regrouping, Xian suggests heading through the sewers and breaking in that way. Shortly, they are skulking around in the Police Station and, after killing the bandits and rescuing a haunted Jin, they return the supplies to the Church and return for Logan to head into the jungle. After collecting Logan, they arrive in the jungle and shortly afterwards meet Mowen, who reluctantly takes them into the jungle to find the research lab. Mowen manages to get them in and, after talking to Dr West, they agree to meet with the natives and get a tissue sample for West to develop a cure. After saving the natives from a large horde of zombies, Koritoia-Ope leads them to the native's cave and they rescue Yerema, killing him in the process. They take Yerema and the sample to West before being told to come back tomorrow when West will have made some progress. After spending the night in the jungle village, they return to the lab only to find it overrun and all the scientists dead. They rescue Yerema, find out how it happened, and return to Mowen with the cure in tow. Mowen finally leads them to the prison island before heading back to Banoi.

After being let in by White, who has been in constant contact throughout, they make a bargain with the prisoners, led by 'Kevin' or 'Charon'. Kevin leads them through the prison, letting them clear a path through the zombies, before they take the lift and get gassed.

Waking up, Kevin tells them his real name is Charon and that he's been the mastermind behind their whole ordeal across Banoi, with White mostly in the dark. Kevin cuffs them and leads them to White on the roof, but it all goes wrong as Sam B tries to break away and Jin tries to give White the vaccine. Charon shoots her, but White gives all the vaccine to his wife, enraging Charon, who kills him too. Mrs White turns into an Uber zombie and they end up throwing her off the edge of the roof. Still handcuffed, Charon leads them onto an arriving helicopter and they fly away.

Characters[]

Zombies[]

Locations[]

Weapons[]

Trivia[]

  • The book has the only example of child zombies in the series. This is due to it being illegal to portray child suffering and cruelty in games and videos, but is allowed in novels.
  • Several characters have had their names changed or been replaced by others. The most obvious of these is Mother Helen being called Sister Helen and Joseph from the Church being replaced by a man named Dani.
  • Sinamoi in the novel is very different to the game version of himself. He speaks in broken English and is a native to the island, as opposed to game Sinamoi who is, presumably, from elsewhere in Oceana and speaks fluent English.
  • Many notable and well known locations from the game are missing from the book, such as Town Hall and the Lighthouse. This is likely because they are not a part of the main story, so didn't need to be in the book.
  • Conversely, many game characters are missing from the book, including main story characters such as Matutero, Afran and Titus Kabui, who are all integral parts of the storyline. This could be because the author was unaware of them while writing the novel, since it was being written while the game was still in development.
  • The Lifeguard Tower is very different in the book compared to the game. Instead of being a large, two story brick building, the station in the book is a small two room wooden shack lacking even basic equipment. It's unknown why it was changed so drastically from the game.

References[]

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