I have finally finished Caliban Cove, S.D. Perry’s first venture into non-canon original Resident Evil fiction. What is cool about this novel is that it picks up immediately after Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy, and it remains consistent with that story, and how she has written the characters so far. I didn’t expect anything else, but it’s nonetheless something that has to be pointed out. On the general plot of Caliban Cove. I wouldn’t say it’s the most exciting zombie horror drama I have read, but it works as a light, entertaining read, that is saved solely based on being set in an awesome franchise.
Lighthouse horror
You might think the Umbrella corporation would be in trouble after the Spencer estate disaster, with all the murders in Raccoon City, and the smoking ruins of the secret underground lab. That’s not so. If you have plenty of money, and friends in high places, like Umbrella do, you can make most bad things fade away from the public eye. This means that our heroic survivors of the first zombie incident have been forced into hiding, with everyone in the crew camping out at Barry’s place. S.T.A.R.S has been dismantled locally, and are being blamed for the unresolved murders—with the press essentially calling them incompetent, and unfit to serve.
All hope is not lost, as the team has been contacted by David Trapp, the captain of S.T.A.R.S. Exeter branch in Main. Like the original crew, he had concerns about Umbrella, especially after hearing what happened in Raccoon City and to his colleagues. His case lies with Caliban Cove, a remote Umbrella facility in Maine near the foggy coast that must be investigated. However, he needs expert help, because his own team has no experience of this type of dealings (the walking dead type of problem). Rebecca volunteers to go with David, while the rest of the original squad will explore Umbrella’s HQ in Europe.
The premise
That’s essentially the setup for the story. As far as I know (going by the games), only Chris makes it to Europe, for the game Resident Evil: Code Veronica. It is implied that Jill, Chris, and Barry all plan to go, while Rebecca remains with David, but according to canon, and presumably this book series. Seeing as there is a novel based on Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Jill eventually turns down this option and stays in Raccoon City with Barry. But that’s a mystery for a future book review—to discover how S.D. Perry untangles this continuity error.
Two things surprised me with this book. First off, the story, while being set between two pivotal events for the franchise, has little to zero impact on the grand narrative, when it probably should. The implications of what happens are kinda big, but at the same time: it does not matter (more on this later). As what happens next (Raccoon City outbreak) puts everything else to shame.
The second thing that surprised me is that Rebecca Chambers is not the sole protagonist. She is very important to the tale. However, she shares her time in the book equal to David, and the rest of this new team. I expected a deep dive into the psyche of Rebecca, and while we get some of this, I would actually say that the character of David wins out here. It’s an oddity for sure, but David is an interesting character too.
Another thing that must be mentioned, is that the enigmatic Trent (a Perry invented character) plays a crucial part of this investigation, like he did in the first novel. He is a clandestine character, with intimate knowledge about Umbrella, and their secret nefarious ways. Repeatedly dropping hints for our heroes to follow up on. His role in Resident Evil is entirely invented by Perry, but I really enjoy the part he plays. It makes sense Umbrella would have a disgruntled employee somewhere in their structure, someone that is not super villain evil. It also adds another layer of mystery to the books, which is very much approved.
Zombies with guns
I would say the atmosphere is pretty good overall, yet the pacing felt a little off to me, thanks to the group’s initial findings. You see, they don’t encounter traditional flesh-eating zombies and mutants in this tale, at least not for the first part, as the zombies have been trained to use weapons due to a new virus. The tense, claustrophobic horror is replaced with shootouts that didn’t come off as very dangerous. The survival horror segments of the book come very late in the novel, and when that happens, the story perks right up and becomes way more interesting. While gun-zombies hold a certain fascination, considering the franchise and the lore implications. The pacing really faltered here, as said. So, in…
Conclusion
Just like Perry’s The Umbrella Conspiracy, Caliban Cove is not something mind-shattering with new deep revelations, or mind-bending twists to the Resident Evil formula, but what is here works. Even if some parts can feel slow, with a somewhat confusing take on who is actually the lead in this tale of machine gun wielding zombies. While somewhat of an insignificant story, viewed as a whole, it’s a nice light read. Especially if you are curious what happened to Rebecca during Raccoon Cities transformation into a living hell. And more Resident Evil is always pleasant, chiefly when the characters are more low-key, from their counter-parts to the games, from Resident Evil 4 and onwards. I recommend it.
Thanks for reading.
– Thomas
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