Chimera Uprising by Lance Coss

While reading Chimera Uprising, I realised I had never actually read a zombie-style novel before, despite having watched nearly every zombie film and series I can find—especially the Korean ones, which simply do it better on screen. I am definitely a fan of the genre, and this reminded me of Oryx and Crake crossed with The Last of Us, with a dose of Children of the Dust.

The story begins on day zero, much like Fear the Walking Dead, showing how everything first went wrong. CRX-13 was developed as a cure for cancer, designed to rewrite corrupted genetic sequences rather than destroy the cells themselves. However, it does not stop once the cancerous DNA has been corrected. It continues searching for new genetic material and rewriting its hosts, creating chimeras: hybrid creatures formed from multiple species. Unlike traditional viruses or fungal infections, these beings are not merely diseased or parasitic. They are entirely new species.

Two elements stood out for me. The first is the science, delivered primarily through Elena, the geneticist who created CRX-13, and Priya, her trusted colleague. The author, Lance Coss, is a doctor who has also written medical texts, and that background shows. The science feels carefully considered and gives the outbreak its own identity rather than simply repeating familiar zombie conventions.

The second is the human story, particularly the relationship between first responder David and his seventeen-year-old daughter, Nikki. David is the kind of father who stays. Rather than immediately abandoning the city to save himself, he keeps helping people even as they begin to mutate. Only when the situation becomes unsurvivable does he turn his attention towards finding Nikki and working out their next move.

Nikki is just as strong a character. She thinks under pressure and contributes meaningfully to their survival, listening to her father without ever becoming passive. She is not the child who gets herself into trouble at every turn, and I appreciated that.

Possibly the best thing about the book, however, is its pacing. The balance of dialogue and short, quick paragraphs creates a fast, relentless thriller filled with smaller climactic encounters that propel the characters directly into the next danger. Beneath the action, it also raises an unsettling question reminiscent of Oryx and Crake: what happens when science creates something smarter, stronger, and more adaptable than humanity? Do we look for a cure, try to destroy it, or learn to survive alongside it?

A great read, although I do not think the cover does the book justice. It suggests something far more comedic than the tense, action-driven story inside. There is humour in the novel, but this is definitely not a book about a cheerleading lizard with flaming hands.