As we get closer to the end of the book, it’s time for some answers. A Plague of Zombies Section 20 tells us who killed the governor.
This is one of those stories where I didn’t see a lot of it coming. I honestly thought Rodrigo believed in the superstitions so much that he was scared. I didn’t expect him to be involved in the entire situation.
I do like that there are some answers, and for once, things are a little more straight forward. We also get to see the debate over who gets justice.
Breaking down A Plague of Zombies Section 20
I’m curious at what the people think zombies are since Lord John Grey had already decided that a zombie hadn’t attacked him. What is actually going on in this story? We don’t get all the details yet, but we do get to find out who was responsible for murder.
Lord John Grey meets with Captain Accompong, and Accompong explains that Rodrigo was the one to kill the governor. It turned out that Azeel, a woman Rodrigo was seeing, was being abused by the governor. Azeel shared that an obeah-man put a curse on the governor to bring him snakes, as snakes represent wisdom, and she didn’t believe the governor had any wisdom.
We also learn that Rodrigo summoned the zombies through a houngan, called Ishmael. It was Rodrigo who stabbed the governor, but Accompong says that Rodrigo is now dead as well. The maroons weren’t happy that Rodrigo summoned zombies, so they paid Ismael to turn Rodrigo into a zombie. This connects to Mrs. Abernathy, who said that a tall black man seemed to control the zombies.
What about Captain Cresswell? He was brought out by the maroons, who wanted to carry out their own justice. John asks for Cresswell to be returned to him so that he could take the man back to England. As an Englishman, he should be allowed to face justice in his own country. I disagree with that, as I do believe if you commit a crime in a country, you face that country’s justice. In this case, Cresswell should face what the maroons believe is a fair punishment.
What about Tom, though? Accompong arranges for Tom to be brought out, who expressed faith that John would come for him. Tom hasn’t been treated well, though, clearly beaten throughout the last three days.
Accompong challenges Grey to the decision of a loa to figureout what to do, and they should have it in the morning. John understandably wants to leave right away. This is risky of John, but he is showing that he won’t back down. He’s also showing that he’s not there to fight but to negotiating.
Could this chapter be adapted for a TV series?
There is so much in A Plague of Zombies Section 20 that connects to the overall story. It is the part that tells us the answers. We learn more about the zombies and the death of the governor. We also learn all about Rodrigo. There is no way of getting around not having this chapter.
I don’t even think there is a way to shorten this. It’s just too important if there was an adaptation.
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