Deadlocked by A. J. Wise

Deadlocked by A. J. Wise

Publishing House: Unknown

Short Story

Kindle Version

Dave is your everyday guy, working in a large office as a salesman. He is married with kids, two little girls. A slice of bio terror starts the zombie outbreak but (and realistically) no one is aware at first. People are going nuts on the street. All Dave wants to do is get home to protect his wife and children.

That is his only goal throughout this tale and the hell he goes through will—at times—surprise you. There was a lot in this tale that I didn’t see coming. And that can only be a good thing. 

A. J. gives us a story where the main character is weakened, he has a problem and that gives him a real three dimensional feel that has you rooting for him as he makes his way home.

There’s not a lot I can say about Deadlocked as it is a short story, but it is a ripping yarn. I liked the end where the author explains his reasons for a vicious scene involving a bus load of kids and then he tells us his plans to make the short story a serial using other people’s point of view, like the wife, Laura. 

That’s a good idea but as I've already read the ending, I wonder how he can make it something more. I would like to see if A. J. can pull it off, keeping it fresh, even though the ending is known.

I must not say anymore for fear of giving anything away.

76%

Extreme Undead Collection by Armand Rosamilia

Extreme Undead Collection by Armand Rosamilia
Kindle Edition 2011
(c)Rymfire Undead (December 29, 2011) 




Highway to Hell is probably one of the best novella zombie tales I have come across in a long time. We were introduced to zombies that liked to rape, sodomize and kill. And we are introduced to this within the first couple of paragraphs. 


This tale kicks you in the gonads and keeps kicking all the way to the last line. everything went right for the writer and reader in this tale, the set up was fast and the story was going in a fast pace and kept on going without slowing down. This was awesome. 


"Darlene Bobich: Zombie Killer" - the collected short stories of Darlene Bobich leading up to the novella "Dying Days" - Darlene Bobich, Florida sun and zombies... what better combination? 
The collection of shorts in Zombie Killer took awhile to come together as a novella and it wasn't until Dying Days that I was really into this character. The stuff this girl goes through is not for the faint of heart. She blows away her father, a host of others, heads to the mall and finds most of her 'friends' and co-workers holed up in a make-up shop in the mall. The ending of this tale is awesome and I love how the author just rolled past the incident and kept his focus on Darlene. Dying Days tops this off with on the best endings, middles, and beginnings I have seen in a long time. 


I would buy the collection for those two novellas and tales alone. 


But wait, there's more:

Zombie Tea Party is a mix of short stories, some hit the mark several more don't. Some end unexpectedly and others I skipped through. To be honest, the stories I skipped were mostly because I didn't like the characters or felt no reason to follow them through each page to the ending. Others will love these tales. 

Nearly 100,000 words in all and 80,000 of them and frigging awesome and well worth the time and low cost monetary investment. Zombie lovers will rock out on this collection.  

warning: extreme sexual situations, extreme violence... extreme undead...

The Blasphemer by John Ling

The Blasphemer by John Ling
Kindle e-book
Kia Kaha Press (December 27, 2011)

I am a lover of horror and thrillers and sometimes SF. I have read a lot of thrillers in my time from Grisham to Child to Eisler, and I have to say John Ling's The Blasphemer kicked me in the teeth. This is one of the fastest and best books I have read in a long time.

The story is tight and flows. The characters are fresh, apart from two that are a tad cliched but that can't be helped in today's world of reality TV. The 'Kiwi-speak' was spot on and brought a smile to my lips read a language I knew so well.

This would make an excellent movie.

As a side note the author has a few articles in the back explaining what he has discovered in the research for this book, and although the book involves extremists it doesn't focus only on the negative side like so many books and movies do. It's an equal balance. There is one scene that sticks in my mind, it involves a woman breaking free of her religious barriers and an explosive cocktail.

This book is NOT to be missed by any lover of the thriller genre. But note: it is not a character driven novel, it is plot driven and it works well this way, though we do witness one character slowly starting to make a change, questioning his job choice and getting very paranoid.

Grab this book for you kindle and thank me later. You'll love it.

93%
(my highest ever rating for a book)

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%