Yes, it is almost a month since Halloween and I am posting a review of a book about zombies... but how is it almost Thanksgiving already? I have no idea where the past month has gone. At any rate, I have another Rayne Hall edited e-book to review for you today... with the announcement that I was approved for 2 more of her collections for review. Am I excited? Definitely! I really enjoy Hall's anthologies so far. Undead: Ten Tales of Zombies was probably among my favorites of her anthologies so far. I'm not really much into zombies, but this one was quite good.
Blurb: (Taken from Amazon.com)
Welcome to the world of the not-quite-living.
While zombies still have physical bodies, their minds are irrevocably changed. No longer governed by a conscience, incapable of reason, unrestrained by values of right and wrong, they often follow primitive instincts. If their new focus is overwhelming hunger, they let nothing get in the way of their urge to feed.
Confronted by a zombie, how would you defend yourself and those you love? What if it was your friend, relative or spouse, with remnants of their old personality - would you protect them or kill them? Is a zombie an individual with human feelings and rights, or is it a menace to be destroyed?
In this story collection, ten authors share their visions of the undead, each with their own style of storytelling and their own imagination of how ghouls may impact our lives.
Some of these zombies have been infected by virus-spreading bites, some were raised from their graves, and some have chosen the undead state for reasons of their own. Most have their wits about them, but their priorities have changed. They are single-minded in pursuit of what they need... which may or may not be living human flesh.
The authors come from around the globe. They write variously in British or American English, with different word choices, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Their tales range from short flashes to long yarns, from fantasy to science fiction, from funny to macabre and from thought-provoking to scary.
See which story of these ten appeals most to your taste. But beware: Some of these ghouls are deceptive, and by the time you realise the danger, it may be too late.
Story List:
1. IMMUNITY by Jeff Strand
What if the body’s immune system can shake off the infection?
2. GREYWALKER by Rayne Hall
A dying man will pay any price to gain time.
3. LAST CHANCE TO SEE by Tracie McBride
You have twenty-four hours before death becomes permanent.
4. FURZBY HOLT by Jonathan Broughton
Collecting census information in this English village should be an easy job.
5. ANOTHER OLDIE BUT GOODIE by Paul D. Dail
Retirement home resident Margaret is hearing music that no one else can hear.
6. ZOMBIE MOTHER-IN-LAW by Tara Maya
Mama lives in the basement.
7. I’LL LOVE YA, FOREVER, BUT… by April Grey
Faithful to a fault, that’s my Fred.
8. DECISION OF THE COUNCIL by John Hoddy
The year is 2225. Is it safe to reanimate a person from the barbarous past?
9. THE REASON FOR ZOMBIES by Douglas Kolacki
My limbs are not as cooperative as they used to be.
10. FEEDING FRENZY by Matt Hults
These zombies are hungry.
Review
I would recommend this book to any fans of comic fantasy and zombie lovers. If you're familiar with Terry Pratchett's work, I feel a few of these stories will be right up your alley. They certainly were mine. I found nearly all of these stories amusing, with only Decision of the Council being the only story I did not enjoy.
Immunity was short but sweet. Greywalker I found quite good, although the ending was a bit predictable. This one had me pondering the question - is it really suicide if you're already dead? Good question, and one I shall continue to ponder for some time... Last Chance to See I found disturbing, only because I realize this is the ideal of some disturbed individuals, and I felt the characters were jerks. Still, I found it mildly amusing.
Furzby Holt, Another Oldie But Goodie, Zombie Mother-In-Law, I'll Love Ya, Forever, But... and Feeding Frenzy were probably my favorites and I really can't pick just one I enjoyed the most. Feeding Frenzy I felt was a bit long, at least in comparison to some of the other stories, but the ending seemed to come on suddenly. Regardless, I really enjoyed that one.
It is a rare occasion that I cannot find any flaws in a product, and I really don't have anything bad to say about this book. The promotional material is a bit long, but that didn't bother me.
Undead: Ten Tales of Zombies can be purchased on Amazon.com for .99 cents or for free with Kindle Unlimited.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
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