Zombiedead by Ian Woodhead

Zombiedead by Ian Woodhead
Kindle edition
Flayed Bones Publishing (c) 2011

This is the story of Dean, a scientist working in a secret underground lab trying to find a way to extend life. Believing they had found the answer and getting ready to celebrate one of the test mice goes nuts. The head scientist gets bitten and he go nuts a few minutes later. Lock-down is initiated and Dean escapes seconds before the doors lock.

Somehow the virus escapes and rips into London. Dean believes he has the answer and just needs time to work on the formula to prefect it. London is not the right place for that, so he returns home to Seeton.

There are a host of interesting characters in this book. There is Alison, who wants a new life and returns to Seeton, where she was raped by a high school teacher. Why has she gone back there? Revenge of course. There is a pimp and his two minders after Alison and they track her to Seeton. A father who wants to love his son but he is weak willed and folds to the thoughts of others around him. And a frisky senior citizen.

Oh, and the walking dead.

The story overall is quite good. It's gory when it needs to be not when it doesn't. There are several confusing spots where a flashback occurs out of the blue with no indication it's a flashback. There are people in a couple of scenes not mentioned earlier in the scene, they just start getting shot.

This book needs another edit.

But despite these issues, the story is engrossing. It's a plot driven tale and moves fast. For a quick and entertaining read, this is a zombie book to get. It ticks all the boxes.

What would Satan Do by Anthony Miller

What would Satan Do by Anthony Miller
Brother Maynard Publishing
ISBN: 0615540023
paperback Edition
392 pages

I bought this book based on two points:
1. The title is catchy.
2. Several people in Twitter were loving it.

Did I love it? Yes and No. It is a comedy and not to be taken seriously. The story is basically about Lucifer giving up his job in Hell ("Just popping out for a walk") and taking human form and living on Earth. He still has his powers and likes to squash frogs.

Satan is a teacher, who goes on a journey to stop the End of Times, which God is hell-bent on starting. You see, one day, the Devil read the bible and wasn't impressed with the fact he lost in the end, so he has decided not to let it happen. And does everything he can to stop it.

There are a whole lot of interesting characters in this book and the real fun starts after Satan is attacked and loses his memory and hooks up with a homeless dude: The prophet. And we meet the Antichrist.

The situations Satan finds himself in are serious but with a comedic bent. There are some really LOL moments in this book and some groans, but it was a fun read and well worth the time investment. There are a few typos but that's to be expected. The tale is a good one and the ending won't let you down.

All in all, a book well worth investing in and plopping on your bookcase.

83%

 

Humpty Dumpty by Billy Majestic

Humpty Dumpty by Billy Majestic
Revenger Comics, IDW
ISBN: 978-1-61377-068-9
Graphic Novel 88 pages

First off, let me say this book is amazing in graphic detail. The artwork is OUTSTANDING and almost photo-like in several scenes.

This graphic novel was advertised as graphic in content and the reviews rave about the depravity of the story line. One reviewer goes so far as to say, 'how do people think of this stuff?' Another: 'this is sick.' So, with reviews like that, I had to buy and I must say, I was disappointed. Did I buy the PG version by accident? I must have due to the back cover stating what I could not find in the book. The basic story line was in there -- and when I say basic, I mean basic story.

UFO crashes, hillbilly kills all the males, rapes the female (who has a hand type of tongue but doesn't defend herself with it) and takes her captive as his girlfriend. Sheriff gets wind of the cash, goes to investigate. 4 months later, alien chick is pregnant and disguised as a dog escapes and pops out an egg-shell shaped baby. A crazed egg with massive teeth and later...wings. Government agencies show up, capture the egg and end of story.

Judging by the hype and the fact a movie version is coming out, I really expected more. A decent story line with a few sub plots would have been nice and this comic could have been a serial of four or five books. I will watch the movie, but hope it's better than the book.

We'll see.

32%

Richard Castle's Deadly Storm

Richard castle: Deadly Storm (a Derrick Storm Mystery)
Publisher: Marvel
Story and art by: Brian Michael Bendis, Kelly Sue Deconnick, Lan Medina
Graphic Novel. Hardcover edition

Blurb: CASTLE fans rejoice! For the first time anywhere, CASTLE's titular hero Derrick Storm comes to life in the pages of this all-new graphic novel. This "adaptation" of Derrick Storm's first novel adventure takes our hero from the gritty world of the private eye all the way to the globe-hopping intrigue of the CIA. Eisner Award-winning Marvel Architect Brian Bendis and red hot Osborn writer Kelly Sue DeConnick worked closely with CASTLE creator Andrew Marlowe to create the one thing millions of CASTLE fans have been asking for: Their first real Derrick Storm adventure. A wall-to-wall, gritty, witty, globe-hopping detective thrill ride for fans of the hit TV show starring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, as well as fans of darn good comic books.

I'm not a major graphic novel reader. This is my second (first was 30 days of night). As a fan of the hit ABC series, I have bought two of the Richard Castle novels, Heat Wave and Heat Rises. The TV series mentions Derrick Storm on several occasions. So, I thought why not grab a copy and give it a read.

And I'm glad I did. It was better than the 'Heat' books and it moved at a much faster pace. Derrick Storm is a PI who gets hired by the CIA to track down an ex-CIA agent. A 'person of interest' that he was currently investigating of behalf of this agent's wife.

Things are not as they seem in this graphic novel as they are with all episodes of Castle. There are twists, turns and double dealing (better than Castle). There are a few confusing spots in the storyline and there are a few pages were Derrick Storm doesn't look anything like the Derrick Storm on other pages, especially hair colour and facial shape. In a graphic novel it is not just the story that counts, it's the details in the images as we need these to put two and two together and get five.

Overall, the story is pretty good and entertaining (as a story should be).

77%