Deadly Dee's Review of "Broken World"

Broken World by Kate L. Mary

Book Summary

When a deadly virus sweeps the country, Vivian Thomas sets out for California in hopes of seeing the daughter she gave up for adoption. Then her car breaks down and she’s faced with a choice. Give up, or accept a ride from redneck brothers, Angus and Axl. Vivian knows the offer has more to do with her double D’s than kindness, but she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to reach her daughter.

The virus is spreading, and by the time the group makes it to California, most of the population has been wiped out. When the dead start coming back, Vivian and the others realize that no electricity or running water are the least of their concerns. Now Vivian has to figure out how to be a mother under the most frightening circumstances, cope with Angus’s aggressive mood swings, and sort out her growing attraction to his brooding younger brother, Axl.

While searching for a safe place to go, they pick up a pompous billionaire who may be the answer to all their problems. Trusting him means going into the middle of the Mojave Desert and possibly risking their lives, but with the streets overrun and nowhere else to turn, it seems he might be their only chance for survival. 

Deadly Dee's Review

It's not often that I read and review two books in a row favorably, and I'm almost afraid to admit in (like if I do, I'm gonna jinx myself and the next gazillion books I read will totally and completely suck ass) but Kate L. Mary's Broken World rocked. Yes, I said it. It rocked.

To begin with, Mary doesn't rely on blood and guts to draw you in like so many other "end of the world" novelists. Don't get me wrong, the book has plenty of action and excitement. There are some unexpected twists and turns as you get deeper into the story, but it doesn't rely on everyone blowing people's brains out or bludgeoning one another to death right from page one to grab your attention...

The book opens with Vivian, her protagonist, stopping at a nasty greasy spoon in the middle of nowhere to use the restroom, and hovering over the commode (something many of us can well relate to!)

As the story unwinds, even as she finds herself in increasingly more desperate and dangerous situations, there is a sense of reality to what's happening, (unlike some other zombie novels I've read where I'll read a passage and think "wtf?!?") and I found myself growing attached to the characters. Often even if I like a novel, I'll find myself thinking, "Yeah right - that's the first time s/he's ever shot a gun in his/her life and they managed to shoot 8 zombies in a row in the head. Yeah... totally believable!" Instead of asking the reader to suspend their intelligence, Broken World has scenes where characters turn down the offer of a gun because they're too shaken up and afraid to use one, and chose a knife instead (now THAT makes sense to me!)

The editing was tight (hooray!) and there weren't any glaring typos or misspelled words (by now you all know how much I hate when I'm totally into something and have to stop and edit in my head - if it happens more than once...toast. Mary's book flowed... I didn't stop once. To be honest, I forgot I was reading an Indie novel. (I honestly had to double check my email to see if I was reading the right book!)

The only downside to Broken World is that book 2 isn't due out until October...

Maybe a favorable reviewer might get an advance copy...??? Hint, hint, double clue????

Go read Broken World. You won't regret it.

***Where Zombies Come to Read was provided with a free copy of this book for an honest review.

Zombified Interview with Kate L. Mary

Kate L. Mary is the ghoulish gal behind the hot new zombie release. Broken World is her first stab at horror, but hopefully not her last. Let's dig around in her pretty head and find out what makes her tick...

Ang: When were you first bitten by the zombie affliction? Can you take us back to how the infection began? What’s the most difficult part about sharing this ghoulish love as an indie?

Kate: I’ve always loved zombies, I think. Any time I’d see a B zombie movie on TV, I’d want to watch it. But it wasn’t until The Walking Dead became popular that I really figured out the why of it all. The zombie part is cool, but I love how a post-apocalyptic situation can bring people together. People who never would have met or gotten along in different times have to band together to survive. It really helps you see what a person is made of.

I have one other Indie book out right now. A new adult romantic mystery. To be honest, I’m getting a lot more positive attention from the zombie book. People kind of nod and their eyes glaze over when you say the word romance in your book description. But they get excited about zombies! I anticipate this being a much easier book to promote, simply because the genre is so popular right now.

Ang: If you had to dumb down the plot of your book so a zombie could understand, how would you explain it?

Kate: My book is a journey. My characters are trying to survive and figure out who they are, and it just happens to take place during a zombie apocalypse. Basically, all they’re looking for is safety and security. Of course, that isn’t an easy thing to come by, so they run into quite a few road-blocks along the way.

Ang: Describe the lucky survivors who engage with the festering horde of the dead.

Kate: Vivian, my main character, is a stripper who is traveling across the country to see the daughter she gave up for adoption before a virus wipes out the population. She’s had a hard life. Her mom abandoned her and her dad beat her, and she doesn’t really trust people. When she has car trouble, a pair of redneck brothers offers to give her a lift. Axl and Angus are traveling basically just as something to do. They don’t really have a whole lot going on or the motivation to make something of themselves. All three characters have a lot of baggage. I really love characters who are damaged, because it gives the reader a chance to see what they’re really made of. They’re already down, so they can’t go anywhere but up. In a post-apocalyptic world, it’s nice to have characters who manage to find where they belong while everything around them falls apart.

Ang: What was the most important aspect when writing your non-zombie characters? Realism (losers, assholes, and cowards) or fantasy (Rambo or the guy/gal who has a Rambo hiding inside them)?

Kate: Realism, although I like to think there is a bit of Rambo hiding in them too. These are the kind of people who rise to the challenge and refuse to give up. I love the characters who surprise even themselves when it comes to being able to survive, but I had to make it feel real. I have a hard time swallowing those books where one character knows everything and somehow manages to single-handedly bring everyone else in the group through the apocalypse. They work as a whole, each one using their own set of skills and knowledge to get through it.

Ang: Does your book begin just as the zombies start building their paradise or have zombies already gotten things rocking and rotting?

Kate: My book is unique in the fact that it starts before the zombies come. I like to compare the beginning to The Stand (without the religious themes). When I read zombie books that start right as the outbreak happens, I feel like we’re missing a big chunk of the character’s stories. I wanted to explore that a little more and be there with the characters as the world changes, so we could see how they adjusted.

Ang: Zombies are people too. They come in all shapes, sizes, speeds, and smarts. What types of the walking dead inhabit your novel?

Kate: Mine start off slower, but they evolve with the story. I’m a traditional zombie person. I didn’t love the speed demons in World War Z so much. The rotting, mindless, blood-thirsty zombies are the ones I love.

Ang: Will your infection spread to more books and series? How many blood and guts offerings do you predict in your future? How soon can our zombie and human readers expect to see your next festering contribution?

Kate: Yes! I have three books written already, actually. The second book, Shattered World, will be released on October 4, 2014, and Mad World will be available on January 3, 2015. I started the fourth book as well, and it will definitely not be the last. The thing I love about zombie or post-apocalyptic stories is that it doesn’t have to end after two or three books. The zombies aren’t going to die off, so as long as you have at least one character alive, you can keep writing. I have no idea when I’ll stop.

Ang: What is your favorite way to kill a zombie? Shoot ‘em, hack ‘em, poke ‘em, burn ‘em, or something even more fiendish? ***Zombie readers please turn away to avoid having your putrefied feelings eviscerated. 

Kate: There’s a lot of stabbing in my books, mainly because my characters are trying to conserve bullets. I think a blade right in the eye socket is pretty prevalent.

Ang: Do you have a favorite cinematic zombie? Example: My co-blogger Zombie Earl is quite fond of Zombie Roger from the original Dawn of the Dead.

Kate: Well…I’m probably going to have go with Zombie Sophia from The Walking Dead. I’m not sure there was a zombie who made me cry quite like she did. Plus, she’s my four-year-old’s favorite as well.

Ang: Who is your favorite character from The Walking Dead (comics or TV show)?

Kate: I’m going to have to go with the show because I haven’t gotten far into the comics. I’m afraid it’s going to ruin something for me if I read too much!

Daryl is awesome, there’s no way around it. But I do love Glen too. I like how much they both have evolved. Daryl has really learned how to love and value himself over the last few seasons, and Glen has learned how to be a badass. They are both so very different from who they were during the first season, and that’s what makes this genre so great.

Ang: Finally, how prepared are you for the zombie apocalypse that we all know is just around the corner?

Kate: My husband and I joke about it all the time! Not very, I’m afraid. We’d be okay on food for a while because I have four kids and go to Sam’s Club a lot. But, let’s face it, America in general will fare better just because we are so addicted to processed foods. We also have a basement and a pump in our backyard for well water, so that’s a plus. However, we are short on weapons. We have a couple bows, but I’m horrible at archery, and we don’t own any guns. Luckily, we live in Oklahoma, so there are a few gun stores close to us. I’d like to think that I would end up being like Glen and adapt quickly. I would try, that’s for sure.

Tear into Broken World at Amazon.

Hunt down Kate at her blog, FB, Twitter, and the Broken World webpage.

Deadly Dee's Revolting Review of "All Right Now"

Robert Kent's new short story: All Right Now

Book Summary
How can you sneak past a horde of the dead with a screaming baby?

The day Charlie Macomber is born is the first day of the zombie apocalypse. When the hospital in Harrington, Indiana is overrun by reanimated corpses, Charlie's dad must carry his son through the walking dead to safety. But when zombies roam the earth, can anyplace be safe?

A companion novella to All Together Now: A Zombie Story, All Right Now: A Short Zombie Story features familiar characters and sets the stage for the novel.

WARNING: This novella is mean and nasty and intended for a mature audience. It is absolutely not appropriate for younger readers. All Right Now: A Short Zombie Story is a gruesome, repugnant tale featuring horrific acts of violence sure to warp young minds.

 Deadly Dee's Review

I don't know if Robert Kent likes his mother-in-law in real life, but I did NOT like mine. Man oh man, did I identify with Richard, the protagonist in this fast paced short story. Not only does this guy have to deal with being a new father, a wife who has just turned into a zombie, getting his newborn son (and others who tag along) to safety, but he also has to deal with the mother-in-law from hell who (of course) lets him know (loudly) that he doesn't measure up. I seriously wanted to bitch slap her several times. I was actually rooting for him to, and kinda disappointed when he didn't... Kent's portrayal of her, and their relationship was so well-written I could feel the tension between them.

As always, Robert Kent delivers in this short story. His writing draws you in from the beginning, and keeps you involved throughout the story. He fleshes out his characters, and you find yourself in the scenes with them. I honestly don't have a single negative critique about his story, or his style of writing. He's an author I am more than happy to read, and am looking forward to more from him. He keeps the action moving from the first lines right up until the last.

The end of the story had a sweet little tie-in with his novel All Together Now which for me was just the icing on the cake...

Well done, Robert! Well done!

Deadly Dee's Review for "The Ghoul Archipelago"

The Ghoul Archipelago by Stephen Kozeniewski

Book Summary 

After ravenous corpses topple society and consume most of the world’s population, freighter captain Henk Martigan is shocked to receive a distress call. Eighty survivors beg him to whisk them away to the relative safety of the South Pacific. Martigan wants to help, but to rescue anyone he must first pass through the nightmare backwater of the Curien island chain.

A power struggle is brewing in the Curiens. On one side, a billionaire seeks to squeeze all the profit he can out of the apocalypse. Opposing him is the charismatic leader of a cargo cult. When a lunatic warlord berths an aircraft carrier off the coast and stakes his own claim on the islands, the stage is set for a bloody showdown.

To save the remnants of humanity (and himself), Captain Martigan must defeat all three of his ruthless new foes and brave the gruesome horrors of...THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO. 

Deadly Dee's Review

This review took forever for me to write, because it took me forever to read this book. Amazon says it's only 362 pages, but seriously, it felt like at least 2-3 times that. When I was first approached to review this book I checked it out on Ammy and I was really excited because it's gotten so many wonderful reviews. Leave it to me to always be the stick in the mud. 

Ok, here goes... I had ZERO true interest in any of the characters. I didn't care who lived, who died, who went where, who killed who...whatever. Honestly, there were so many characters, and so little character development, that at first I had difficulty simply keeping track of them all! The story was all over the place, and try as I could, I sensed no true rhyme or reason to the way it was put together. Usually, I find myself waiting for a novel to "get back" to a certain storyline, or a particular character. With this book, I found myself thinking: do I really even want to finish this? Can I review something I've only read half of? I stuck with it because I was halfway through, and I kept waiting for it to get better... but no dice. 

The concept isn't bad (he definitely has his military background down pat), and I feel that if Kozeniewski were to get a better editor, then perhaps he'd have something here, but he's just too all over the place for me. (Maybe everyone else who reviewed him are close friends and family?) This is only his second book, and to me it's very obvious that he still has quite a way to go/grow as an author  - but he DOES have a fertile imagination, and hopefully in time (and with a better editor!) he'll get his act together and produce something I can give a more favorable review to. 

Sorry Steve.

"Blood, Brains, and Bullets" by Sean Liebling

Check out the first book in Sean Liebling's best selling zombie series. Blood, Brains, and Bullets is available at Amazon.


Book Summary
Blood, Brains and Bullets is Book One of the new Blood, Brains and Bullets series by Sean Liebling and starts on day one of the outbreak and continues through the first seven full days after it's apocalyptic climax.

Jay has started his daily routine as a single father of three when the news hits of massive deaths then reanimations from the vaccine distributed by the government to combat the super flu virus that had been sweeping the globe. For Jay, it's irritating because it interrupt's Jay's normal comedic attempts at nailing every sweet piece of ass in the area. Being a survivalist means he has a lot of 'stuff' as you can never have too much and before he can even take shelter in his homemade retreat to ride out the apocalypse, friends start showing up who need his help. Before he knows it, he's forced into the unenviable position of assuming leadership over his community, or what's left of it, and fighting on multiple fronts against the forces of the evil undead, marauders and assassin's of the secret shadow government with a secret New World Order plan. Of course, that plan of theirs doesn't include him and his, so this Marine does what all Marines do best. He kicks ass without bothering to take names, while along the way he happens to fall into the clutches of a girl or three. Women can be very demanding. Even during a Zombie Apocalypse!

Jay is a dedicated self-styled player who gets lucky more often than not, and has a soft spot for children. As one of those survivalist's they always talk about on the news, he's better prepared than most when the shit hits the fan. During the coming days and weeks, he will be forced through circumstances to grow up (reluctantly) and strive his utmost to save his community, while melding close friends, survivors and salvaged military units on the run, from assassination forces of a secret shadow government dedicated to a New World Order through a 200-year-old Eugenics plan. But it isn't over yet, because Jay is a Marine, and he has a few tricks up his sleeve, which he fully intends to implement while accumulating as many girlfriends as possible.

This series will make you laugh hysterically at Jay's womanizing antics while being forced to grow up and act his age, then crying like a baby during scenes of heart rending tragedy and sacrifice, as it depicts real life tragedy and situations. It will also make you cheer when and if the forces of good triumph over those of evil. Written with the help of a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Psychology along with survivalist friends of all stripes, the scenes you will read inside are what really happen in an endgame situation with a comedic spin to it.

This book is a testament to what Good Men can do when Doing Nothing simply isn't an option! The trick you see - is to act quickly and decisively. Being a Marine also helps of course!

Note: This new Permuted Press edition (January, 2014) contains edits and rewrites of previously featured graphic sexual content. While this book is still recommended for mature audiences, the intense graphic sexual content has been revised by the author. Many of the reader reviews for this book refer to the first versions which originally contained graphic depictions of intense sexual situations.

*****

For more information, and to check out some sample pages, please visit Permuted Press's digital catalog page. Also take a bit out of the author's personal website at www.seanliebling.com.

Eviscerating Excerpt from "All Together Now: A Zombie Story"

Fiendish author Robert Kent has good news for zombie lovers. He is working on a new book about the hungry undead. Until Robert delivers his next nightmare-inducing novel, he's provided us a taunting taste of All Together Now: A Zombie Story.

Eviscerating Excerpt

Michelle, Levi, Chuck, and I got back to Harrington this afternoon. It took us four hours to get here from Brownsborough—a trip that used to take 25 minutes by car.

We walked in the fields that run parallel to I-65. We only saw three zombies during the whole walk, aside from Chuck, of course.

The first two weren't a problem.

In our first hour of walking, we came across a green truck lying on its roof, its wheels in the air like the stiff limbs of a carcass.

It was in the center of a field, but we could tell from the thick tracks leading up to the wreckage that the truck had come from the highway.

A side mirror lay in the grass several feet away and I had an idea the truck had flipped over at least twice, breaking off its mirror before rolling to a stop on its back.

Levi wanted to walk around the wreck and I thought that was smart, but Michelle marched straight to it. "They could've packed food or weapons," she called over her shoulder.

That was a fair point.

I hurried to catch up, but I stopped when Michelle brought our only gun out of her jeans and pointed it through the truck's windshield.

She knew not to fire it. A gun's good for getting out of a tight spot, but the shot will draw the attention of every zombie in hearing distance.

I had my bat up, ready to swing before I knew what the danger was.

Then I heard the muffled thumping. There were two corpses pounding on the windshield from inside the truck.

"They're out of food," Levi said.

When I looked where he was pointing I felt faint and my vision clouded with black spots. If this had happened a week ago, I would've thrown up. But I've seen a lot since then.

At first I could see only the zombies lying on the roof of the truck's cab, Mommy and Daddy. Both of them had the dark-rimmed, all-white eyes of the dead, sunken because the pale grey skin surrounding them had gone lax and hung off their skulls like dough.

Mommy was wearing a blue summer dress, stained maroon all down the front. Daddy had broken his neck and his head lolled on his shoulder. An unnatural bulge protruded beneath his jaw and stretched the skin there to near bursting.

Then I saw what Levi meant by "food."

Hanging upside down behind Mommy and Daddy was a car seat. It was still strapped in, despite the seat belt straps on either side having been gnawed through.

The soft grey lining of the car seat was stained red and black and covered in flecks of skin and hair.

They're trapped in there," Levi said.

How can you tell?" Michelle asked.

Levi shrugged. "If they could've got out, they would've. Let 'em starve."

He kept walking. Michelle followed.

I stood a while staring at the car seat, but when I heard a faint crack in the windshield the zombies were pounding on, I got moving.

The third zombie wasn't trapped. He came right at us.

 

To read more, check out All Together Now: A Zombie Story at Amazon.

 

Chase down Robert at his blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Deadly Dee's Review of "Corpse Days"

Corpse Days by Jonathon Kane

Book Summary
Heather Storm is an Agent specializing in all things zombie.  Her mission is to stop a threat aiming to end the world through the rise of the living dead.  She'll need some help; however, since the government is low on funds in this zombie-inhabited world, she'll take what she can get.  Together, her small group of zombie hunters will attempt to infiltrate an expansive organization and take down its malevolent leader.

Deadly Dee's Review

 

Corpse Days by Jonathon Kane is a well written, different zombie novel. (Yay!!) Kane has definitely written a new twist in this genre. The book is exciting, and held my interest from the very first scene.

 

I have to admit, if an author doesn't suck me in by the end of the first page, I'm reluctant to continue. Usually I'll continue to read on, for at least two or three more pages to at least see if it gets any better (I try to give the author a chance to not suck... I want to be fair...) but honestly, I kind of have a rule I go by when I read a book. When I was in high school, I had a teacher who told my class that the best way to judge if a book interested you was to read the first page. If you want to turn the page and see what happens next, chances are you'll enjoy the book. If you couldn't care less, put the book back. For most of my life, this has worked pretty well for me.

 

(I totally don't get people who tell me they hate a book, but are going to finish it because they feel they should finish it since they started it. Really?? Why?!?)

 

I eagerly turned every page of Corpse Days, and enjoyed every minute of reading.

 

The two main characters Heather and Stan struggle with real emotions, and aren't portrayed as immune to what is going on around them. That seemed real to me, unlike many other zombie novels out there where people seem to just go around killing indiscriminately, and not caring what is happening much to others. There were some gory scenes, but they are relevant to the story, not just thrown in there to horrify you along the way. The novel has a lot of plot twists, and several scenes that have you on edge or totally take you by surprise (now THAT is good writing!)

 

Kane's writing style itself is very fluid, and I'd be happy to read anything else he writes. Do yourself a favor and check out Corpse Days.

Deadly Dee's Review of "The Most Uncommon Cold"

The Most Uncommon Cold by Jeffrey Littorno

 

Book Summary

Imagine a world in which nothing is as it should be. Those we love no longer recognize us. The basic laws of society no longer apply. And the dead do not remain still. That is the world in which reporter Kevin Turner finds himself. Now finding the facts surrounding the story do not matter as much as simply finding a way to stay alive.

 

 

Deadly Dee's Review

 

This is a very unusual, and confusing zombie book. There were several points in the book where I thought maybe the main character, Kevin, was having a nightmare, on drugs, in a mental institution... or pick your poison, because I sure couldn't figure it out. Small details kept changing, places seemed to shift, and he seemed to go from one emotion to the next with no build up. There were times I was so confused I actually had to go back and reread a few passages thinking I had become confused, but it turned out it wasn't me - it was the book itself that just couldn't seem to decide where it wanted to go. (I'm trying to be kind here by saying book instead of author.) The zombies in the book talked, which was a unique twist (not quite as brain dead as everyone else's zombies...)

 

Unfortunately, I can't find any way to get around the ending, 'cause there was none. None! I thought maybe I'd had a glitch in the DL on my Kindle, but it turns out that Littorno intentionally ends the book basically mid-stream. I don't even know how to describe it... the action is still taking place, there's absolutely zero resolution (not even a lead in to another book) and then bam! You run out of pages. It was like he'd run out of ideas and just stopped writing or something...I've never seen anything like it. It leaves you very unsatisfied and disgruntled. At the very least, finish the book dude.

Zombified Interview with author GB Banks

GB Banks is the deadly dude behind many zombific stories. Now, he and Blaine Hislop have unleashed Zombie George Washington: The Zombie President and His Zombie Army March to Retake DC. GB took time from horrifying grateful readers to allow us to dig around in his brain...

Ang: When were you first bitten by the zombie affliction? Can you take us back to how the infection began? What’s the most difficult part about sharing this ghoulish love as an indie?

GB: Honestly, I’m not sure when I first got bitten. I have loved dark fantasy and horror most of my adult life. I mean between vampires, werewolves, and the ever-present, loveably undead zombies, how could you not love any of them?

The most difficult thing as an Indie is to come up with something fresh and original. Seems like everyone and their mama is writing zombie stories now, and getting one’s head above the writer-filled waters to be noticed is extremely hard.

 

Ang: If you had to dumb down the plot of your series so a zombie could understand, how would you explain it?

 

GB: I’d probably just say: “President. Washington. Resurrection. Army. Corruption. Murder. Pissed. Justice. War.”

 

Ang: Describe the lucky survivors who engage with the festering horde of the dead.

 

GB: This book is actually written from the zombie’s, in this case the clone-resurrected President Washington’s, perspective. As he begins to realize the true reasons he was brought back from the grave, he initiates a plan to take back the government and return it to the people. And without giving too much away, the people respond en masse.

 

Ang: What was the most important aspect when writing your non-zombie characters? Realism (losers, assholes, and cowards) or fantasy (Rambo or the guy/gal who has a Rambo hiding inside them)?

 

GB: While the story is primarily an epic action adventure told from the zombie perspective, realism was the biggest concern because in many ways the story is an allegory for so much of what’s actually going on in Washington, DC today. When President Washington learns that the government is no longer “by the people, for the people”, all hell breaks loose.

 

Ang: Does your series begin just as the zombies start building their paradise or have zombies already gotten things rocking and rotting?

 

GB: It begins with the zombies as obedient soldiers working for the humans. It’s only later on that they start rocking and rolling (or I guess in this case, shooting and eating!).

 

Ang: Zombies are people too. They come in all shapes, sizes, speeds, and smarts. What types of the walking dead inhabit your series?

GB: These zombies are resurrected clones, the dead brought back to serve as mindless ultimate warriors for nefarious purposes. So technically, “these ain’t your father’s zombies”. But they may be a whole lot deadlier!

 

Ang: Will your infection spread to more books and series? How many blood and guts offerings do you predict in your future? How soon can our zombie and human readers expect to see your next festering contribution?

 

GB: I see at least two more books, but I think it could go on farther than that if the fans really support the story. I also don’t like it when an author takes years between sequels, so I expect that we’ll see ole Zombie George shuffling off in Book II in the first half of 2014.

 

Ang: What is your favorite way to kill a zombie? Shoot ‘em, hack ‘em, poke ‘em, burn ‘em, or something even more fiendish? ***Zombie readers please turn away to avoid having your putrefied feelings eviscerated.

 

GB: Better question: Is there a bad way to kill a zombie? Okay, so maybe death by tickling would be a bit silly, but anyway that involves much violence and copious amounts of blood is fine with me.

 

Ang: Do you have a favorite cinematic zombie? Example: My co-blogger Zombie Earl is quite fond of Zombie Roger from the original Dawn of the Dead.

 

GB: You know, I was just watching the cult classic film Lifeforce last night, and I realized that although the main characters were space vampires, the infection that they spread throughout the human population actually created zombies. And for a film made in 1985, these zombies were really cool! And who doesn’t love Zombie Ed from the end of Shaun of the Dead? And having just recently seen the film Warm Bodies, R has got to be one of my new all-time favorites.

 

Ang: Who is your favorite character from The Walking Dead (comics or TV show)?

 

GB: Rick’s son, Carl, because he’s just totally badass. He’s going to be crazy as hell when he grows up after everything he’s been through, but he’s also going to be the kind of leader it’s going to take to survive in this new undead-infested world.

 

Ang: Finally, how prepared are you for the zombie apocalypse that we all know is just around the corner?

 

GB: If curling up under my bed in the fetal position and whimpering until it all goes away is considered preparedness, then bring on the “Zompocalypse” right now.

 

*****

 

Claw into Zombie George Washington at Amazon.

Miranda Macabre's Review of "The End of the World Playlist"

The End of the World Playlist by Dan O'Brien
*****Currently Free at AmaZon*****

Book Summary
The world as we knew it had ended. Deep in the mountains of the west coast, six men survived. In the town of River’s Bend, these six friends continued on with their lives as zombies inherited the Earth. As they navigated the world that had been left behind, the soundtrack of life continued on.

This is short fiction.

Miranda Macabre's Review

Using song titles as chapter headings seems like a cheap trick when you make nothing out of it. There are no references to the songs in the single chapters, so why the fuck they are mentioned as chapters is anyone’s guess. The only real reference to music is a page, or maybe a page and a half, when two of those dudes discuss which bands and songs should be on a playlist the day the world ends. Or after an apocalypse. That of course the world has basically already ended and we are thrown into the middle of *something* where zombies are everywhere and survivors are few has nothing to do with it. The whole concept in this seems off and less than fitting to what it promises from the book title.

 

It does start good. A single scene with an omnipresent narrator. But the scene itself doesn’t seem to be connected to the rest of the novella. As a standalone it works. As a part of the whole not so much.

 

There are many "fucks" used, and I am not against swearing by any means and certainly not offended, but here the whole word usage seems simply cheap. Right in the beginning of the novel are scenes where the five or six guys who survived whatthefuckever are in the middle of a zombie attack. They are all tense like shit, clearly afraid even but they don’t yell, scream or shout at each other: do the fuck this, or do the fuck that. Nope, they *say* those things. It doesn’t fit to the situations described. Not that the guys really have to be afraid of anything. It gets clear very, very soon that those so called zombies are the dumbest things you can imagine. OK, they are not only dead, but also brain dead, nevertheless I would expect *some* sort of almost logical explanation for their idiocy, alas, there is none. They jump out of nowhere into the middle of the story just to get shot, run over by their cars or to get bolted onto a store register.

 

Awesome.

 

It should be grim, angsty, scary as hell, but since those dudes - can’t even remember their names, they are that kind of guys - are mere voices than characters they are hardly if any at all distinguishable from each other. They all melt into one, and if there are five or six of them, if they are called Dan, Kenny or whatever happened to them doesn’t really matter nor could I care about them. Also that the dialogues are rather wooden and stilted doesn’t help exactly to give them unique features.

 

I can’t shake of the impression that is less a zombie book, but rather a post-apocalyptic view of the world gone wrong. But if you think now "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy you are mistaken as the whole book is off.

 

The zombies could be anything. Call them xyz or a blank space (_____) (insert here whatever you wish for your own amusement) and it’s all the same. Except from some rather gruesome description of arms missing and similar there is nothing that would make them stand out as zombies. If they would not been called constantly "deadheads" I would have never guessed those are indeed, well, zombies.

 

The writing itself is straightforward, raw and gritty, but it’s all telling and every little thing is spelled out while at the same time nothing is explained. There isn’t anything that would I call interesting. Not even the so called psychological insights into a world of survivors. A bunch of assholes who fight each other, talk crap and more often shit their pants.

 

The novel is not without humor. The before mentioned argument about which songs should be played at the end of world is the most remarkable scene. Nor did I expect exactly that they start to talk about Hello Kitty sheets.

 

As a whole it is not disturbing but rather depressing. Unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. The zombie apocalypse has to wait for another day and at the last page are several questions left that need to be answered. The most important one is this one:

 

What’s the fucking point of it all?

Deadly Dee's Review of Zombie Erotoclypse

Zombie Erotoclypse by Tamsin Flowers

 

Book Summary

 

If you're missing The Walking Dead, if you're the slightest bit fond of zombies or if you think they're smarter than we give them credit for, this is the book for you - in Zombie Erotoclypse the zombies have one thing on their mind and it ain't about eating your brain!

Have you ever wondered whether zombies have sex? Fall in love? Lust after humans? The five stories in this red hot collection of zombie erotica will answer all these questions and more. If you thought it was tough being a teenage virgin, try it zombie style or why not take a visit to the club where humans get to have their wicked way with hot young zombies - for a price... Meet the Peeping Zom, who develops an obsession with a hot human blonde. Who looks after new zombies and teaches them the art of zombie love-making? And how would you react if the love of your life came home one evening with a zombie bite?

 

 

 

Deadly Dee's Review
 

I went into this with an open mind. I like books about zombies. I like erotica. I even like books that have zombies, and characters who are fighting the zombies who later go on to have hot sex.

However, after reading this book, what I've discovered is, I definitely do NOT like reading about zombies having sex, and cannot for the life of me figure out how anyone can call it erotic, or erotica.

Zombie Erotoclypse is a series of short stories. They are, for the most part, well written. No glaring typos or grammatical errors that jumped out at me or made me cringe. They are also about zombies - dead, grey, slimy fleshed creatures, getting turned on and having sex. Very detailed, graphic sex.

 

In one story, two zombies get so horny after murdering a man, they kiss with their mouths still full of his blood and brains. This leads to them rushing back to their home, and engaging in wild zombie sex.

 

I dunno... maybe it's just me... but after the visual of a mouthful of shared brains and blood, my "oh yeah baby" meter was set at about negative 8000. I've read plenty of books that have totally grossed me out, but this was... different.

I guess for me, sex just shouldn't be grey and slimy.

 

Different strokes for different folks.  ;)