Monster Island

It's interesting how the author mentions HIV many times in this story. I believe that it is an excellent comparison to the "Zombie" virus. Prior to more advanced research and breakthroughs on HIV, most infected people with the disease probably felt like the undead living their daily lives, because they had a death sentence on their minds, if not already dying. In the past people felt  perhaps completely hopeless to the disease, maybe the same way that humans in the story feel hopeless against the zombies. You can kill some zombies, but there are so many in the world that your chance of survival is slim to none. Zombies are like the HIV virus, humans are the like the T cells, and the soldiers are like medicine or the immune system. I wonder if later in the story the HIV medications will contribute a cure to the zombie epidemic or stop the effects of the dead coming back to life? 

This story is a lot about survival and adaptation, both are animal instincts. The scientist or doctor in this story changes himself to become the undead to survive, while other people idea of survival is to fight and kill. The doctors way is more con-formative while others are more rebellious. Which is similar to government and control. When a new government takes power the people with in it either conform to it or rebel against it. Some of it is choice. It is interesting to see the scientist go through this adaption to his new body trying to accept his dead body and forgetting about some of his being when he was alive. He learns from this. For example he is hungry he tries to eat snacks and doesn't work, so he tries raw meat and it helps. Adaption and survival are almost entirely the same thing. 

Another form of adaption is the Women's Republic in Somalia, which is a group of very empowered women fight for survival against the aliments, warlords, and the undead! It is interesting to read about how a culture where women maybe oppressed or maybe have no power in their lives, rise up to be forceful, to change into more of a masculine form, to have all the power they want, in times of desperation and change. It ties into gender issues, what is feminine and what is masculine? Is masculinity and femininity just an illusion? Are male and female just assignments given at birth; just different body types and no more? or are there duties that we have to follow/ or can one be the other, or both at the same time? 

So far it's been a great read, can't wait to finish it!