Tooth and Nail

By Craig DiLouie

"This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, not with a whimper, but a slaughter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Salvo Press
• Release date: Jun 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781627934527

Craig DiLouie

Craig DiLouie is an acclaimed American-Canadian author of literary dark fantasy and other fiction. Formerly a magazine editor and advertising executive, he also works as a journalist and educator covering the North American lighting industry. A member of the Imaginative Fiction Writers Association, International Thriller Writers, and Horror Writers Association, he currently lives in Calgary, Canada with his two wonderful children.

Reviews for Tooth and Nail

[tomblake2000 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow! I don't expect much from a zombie book, but this novel was a thrilling, touching story. I really, really liked it!

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tooth And Nail is Craig DiLouie’s take on a zombie story, and he sets his action in New York City and his focus is on an army company that has been brought back from fighting in the mid-east to aid in the outbreak of a influenza-like disease. At first they are simply deployed as aids to the public, guiding them to the care centers and keeping an orderly flow into the hospitals. Soon however, a twist to this disease starts to show up and eventually multiplies until the army is fighting in the streets for their lives and the very survival of America.At first a small percentage of people undergo a change that turns people into flesh eating creatures, but soon this is happening to more and more of the population. As the soldiers try to complete their mission of rescuing a scientist that may be able to develop a vaccine for this strange yet powerful disease, we see America slowly shut down as this plague spreads. Overall this was a fast moving, action filled story. I enjoyed the focus on the military aspects and how the author showed the soldiers trying to do their duty, while at the same time, worrying about their own loved ones far away. While not technically a true zombie story, this book has a lot of similarities to the movie 28 Days Later, and although the ending was left hanging, probably because there will be a sequel, I would recommend this book to both horror and zombie fans alike.

[sbordage_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very pleasurable book, well written and fast paced. I loved it till the end which has kind of spoiled me from a very good read : It felt like it was a trailer for the next opus.

[magnumpigg · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Last night I finished "Tooth and Nail" and, simply put, it blew me away. I have read quite a few zombie books and many, many military books -- this story excelled at both -- and in the zombie genre is the best I have read. With clear, concise, unbogged-down (is that a word?) prose Dilouie created some very memorable characters that evoked in me genuine empathy. What interested me most was there was no single character exuding that cock-sure "I am the hero here" attitude that defines so many action, thriller, mystery, war, etc, books. In those stories, you just know that character is going to survive until and beyond the end -- and that the plot will return to its stasis.In Dlouie's story, though, all were heros in their own way -- not always sure of themselves...making the hard decisions, both right and wrong -- all of which made them feel real...human. I am glad that by the end of the story, of all those who die fighting, who survive the escape, and who are left wandering the city, no one stands out as the singular, solitary hero. They stood as a group.

[ocgreg34 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

PFC John Mooney and his fellow troops of Charlie Company are recalled from Afghanistan to confront a new challenge on its home ground: a new disease known as Hong Kong Lyssa which gives the victims flu-like symptoms but in some cases turns them violent, almost rabid. The problem is that Lyssa spreads faster than the government thought possible. PFC Mooney and the other soldiers find themselves in New York, guarding hospitals and medical facilities for the ill and those ready to go "Mad Dog" -- what the extremely violent are called. The Mad Dogs are an odd lot - their throats swell, they drip saliva, they grunt and growl rather than talk, and they produce a sickly, sour odor.What the soldiers learn is that their bite is far worse than their smell. PFC Mooney and the rest follow new orders to find a specific hospital somewhere in the city where scientists have created a possible cure and secure the scientists. The problem is the soldiers need to fight their way across the city to find it, through an ever-growing army of Mad Dogs, who live only to infect others."Tooth and Nail" takes the struggle of man vs. zombie-like creatures down to the battle field, showing the fight from the soldiers on the front line. Already tired from the war overseas and being thrown headfirst against a possibly unstoppable foe, author Craig DiLouie manages to describe the toll that the strain and fatigue places on the soldiers and throws the reader right into the thick of things. I liked that about this book, the feeling that I was with them as they cautiously moved along the darkened streets wearing night-vision goggles or running along a hospital hallway chased by hundreds of salivating Mad Dogs. What a great rush, and using the present tense added to the immediacy of events. Sometimes, the military lingo became a bit frustrating and having to flip to the front of the book for the glossary of abbreviations dragged the pacing a bit.The Mad Dogs themselves, while reminiscent of the infected in "28 Days Later", were still unique in their looks and actions: swollen throats, sometimes with body parts missing or torn to shreds, sniffing and threatening like rabid dogs, "hunting" in packs."Tooth and Nail" is a very effective story of humanity toppling over the edge and falling toward an uncertain future. Gritty and violent, it molds itself to the zombie apocalypse well and makes for a great read.