Zone: A Paranormal Thriller

In this disappointing terror-in-the-skies tale from Dutch author Lance (Pyrophobia), flight attendant Sharlene Thier is carrying more than just physical baggage when she, along with her boyfriend and fellow bursar, Aaron Drake, board a 747 in Los Angeles for the long flight to Sydney, Australia. When the plane’s systems begin failing, and strange things start to happen, they realize that they and the almost 350 other souls on board may not make their destination. The extended details of a handful of passengers’ personal lives seem meant to give heft to the “why” of the evil presence onboard, but they only succeed in highlighting already-cartoonish characterizations. Sharlene is hiding a dark past, which may be tied into the current strange events, but the threads are thin at best, and awkward dialogue and pages full of descriptions of the various airplane systems and their functions certainly don’t help. The simplistic, head-scratching conclusion raises more questions than it answers. (Mar.)