Nerds That Geek Book Review: ‘Ex-Patriots’

Written by Scott Edwards 

​July 4th, five years after the Exes started to bring terror to the nation, the group at the Mount sets up a celebration for the survivors that are housed within the complex’s walls. St. George and Stealth sit upon the wall watching as their wrath partner Zzzap puts on a fireworks display just outside of the atmosphere. The celebration is not only about their independence, but the group’s survival from the last battle with the Seventeens along with their ex-counterparts that were controlled by their fallen leader, Peasy. 

A majority of the Seventeens moved into the Mount after their defeat and had agreed to work within the system put in place by the Heroes, but some of them do not feel as if they are being utilized to their fullest capacity yet. Like young Caeser, the Driver, who is able to meld into any vehicle that has an engine and take control. This sparks a heated discussion about the usage of their new arrivals between St. George and Stealth, why not utilize these young fighters on their scavenger runs and on the walls to protect the city? Stealth is still not sure, and as being the leader of the Mount, she has little trust for anyone that has not proved themselves yet, at least to her.

The group heads out onto their next scavenger run and everything seems to be going fine, until they notice a Predator Drone overhead that seems to be tracking the movements of their group. Zzzap follows the drone back to its base and reports back to the Mount with the news. It returned to an active military base. Excited about the news that there are more survivors and a possibility to receive some help, the Hero group wants to relay the news to the rest of the community in the Mount, but Stealth still remains hesitant. What if this is a trap? What if they come in and take our power away? What if they want to remove us altogether? Stealth’s worries for everyone’s wellbeing in the Mount may be noble, but she is losing her fanfare with survivors.

Helicopters move over the Mount, filled with soldiers from Section 456, lovingly called the Unbreakables, led by Captain Freedom. These are the biggest, fastest, strongest men any of the Heroes have encountered outside of super humans. The Unbreakables came out of the latest super solider program called Project Krypton, improving normal men into unbeatable, super strong soldiers that would only do right for the country and its values. Although the project was shut down when the country collapsed, this group has stayed together with the help of a liaison named John Smith.  Smith looks around the battered living areas of the Mount and is taken back to see that one of his past contacts, Cerberus, has been living in the Mount since the outbreak. Earning a bit of trust, Smith convinces the team to come visit the base and see what help he and his band of super soldiers can provide for their future. But his real intentions for offering ‘help’ will not be revealed until it is far too late.

In Peter Clines second installment, Ex-Patriots takes you on more of a ride than Ex-Heroes. You are already bought into the heroes, so now you are thrown into their upcoming challenges to keep their survivors alive and prospering. Any help should be good, but with a government entity coming into their home, they have no reason to trust or respect the call of martial law that is laid down before them. The super soldiers, followed by their creator Dr. Sorensen are looking to rebuild the country with the help of the heroes, or at least one. The base is being also manned by Exes with little control units called Nests created by the good doctor, but what is unknown by everyone is the deal the doctor made to make this invention work. 

Another fun zombie novel by Clines. You are able to get your action, adventure and comedic feel from this book and you would not want it any other way. Following the hero’s along with the wise cracking Zzzap, you are willing to keep the pages turning to find out what will happen with their resistance to the man, the exes and a fallen leader. Sit back and enjoy as zombies get taken out, but don’t you worry, there are always enough left for another sequel. 

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