Jungle Zombies

Pray For Darkness
by James Michael Rice
328 pages
$2.99 Kindle version

In this novel, a group of tourists find themselves trapped with a tribe infected by zombie ants. Their riverboat captain is killed, leaving them stranded and they have to fight their way back to civilization with a tribe of hungry corpses on their trail.

I love how the book begins with the group in hiding from the infected, and then flashes all the way back to the beginning of their ill-fated adventure in the Amazon jungle. Knowing ahead of time that the group is going to be screwed big-time, and that they have already lost one of their fellow survivors, built up the suspense to a point where I felt I couldn't put the book down, at least, until I reached the part where they are in hiding. It proved to be an incredibly intense read.

Unlike many other authors, Rice does not depend on excessive violence or graphic sexual content to propel the story, but rather creates imagery and characters that will make readers feel as if they too are in the jungle. For the first time in my life, I was actually rooting for ALL the characters, and the ending left me devastated, but thoroughly entertained.

I'm sure there will be some debate on whether or not the infected could be considered zombies, but there is no doubt in my mind that zombiephiles will be pleased with the source of the infection. I also think this novel will appeal to horror fans in general, especially those who enjoy stories that feed on people's most basic fears.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Infected, Cannibals and Zombies: What's The Difference?

One of the oldest debates in the horror community is defining a zombie. Is it someone who simply doesn't have control of his or her free will? Is it someone who is alive but controlled by a virus? Do they have to have died at some point? If they eat flesh and have no self-control, but they are alive, are they a cannibal or a zombie?


The Liger Plague by Joseph Souza might possibly be a new angle in the zombie debate; if the living infected in 28 Days Later fall into the realm of zombies, readers should at least consider adding Souza’s latest creation to the list. The Liger infected are unable to control their actions, they feed on human flesh, and they “hunt” much like traditional hordes. Due to the mysterious nature of the deadly hybrid virus, it’s possible Souza’s first novel in his new series didn’t reveal the entire transformation of the infected.

The majority of the story takes place on Cooke Island, where Tag, an ARMY scientist who specializes in the study of biological weapons, owns a summer home. Just as he is about to join his wife and daughter on the island for an art festival, Tag receives a warning that a new deadly virus is about to be released on the island. What follows is Tad’s struggle to quarantine the island, find his family & fight the infected…not to mention all the survivors looking to gather supplies by any means necessary.

Tag’s two main companions on the island are Fez, a kid who can’t find his parents, and Versa, the most unpleasant character that lives on the island. (If I were Tag, I would have thrown Versa into a crowd of ravenous infected, and been done with her, right at the start.) Tag’s adversaries include a bunch of bikers, some religious nuts, the local law enforcement and the government agents on the mainland. Tag is not by any means the only capable survivor, but he appears to be the only one who understands how much worse the situation will be if the Liger virus finds a way off the island.

Souza somehow manages to paint a sickening picture of the infected (don’t bother eating while you read this novel), while drawing sympathy for the Liger victims at the same time. By allowing the infected to retain the ability to communicate, readers are given a chilling insight into the true horror of the Liger plague.

In the sequel, Lethal Chain, some time has passed since the end of the first novel. The terrorist has his own POV this time, and readers are shown some of his background. Some of the information is revealed through the investigation of two reporters. Swain is one of those reporters, and she believes that Tag has been framed...unfortunately, it appears that Tag's wife thinks he is guilty of unleashing the virus on Cooke Island. In fact, Tag has been blamed for everything, and he is desperate to contact his family, as well as clear his name, but the terrorist keeps playing games with Tag's life. Fez continues to help Tag, and proves to be a reliable back-up time and time again.

I wasn't as impressed with the characters as I was the first time, but I did enjoy the addition of Swain. She and the terrorist seem to have some similarities in their pasts, but she chose a completely different path in life. The multiple storylines keep things interesting, especially when they overlap, but the action isn't as exciting as the first novel, and it felt like the story dragged a little in a few places. When the storylines finally converge, it was almost anti-climactic, but Monica (Tag's wife) proves to be just as much of a bad-ass as her husband.

I didn't think of Lethal Chain as much of a sequel as an interlude...although it wasn't clear if there will be a third installment. I certainly hope there will be.

I also recommend The Living Dead series by Joseph Souza.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Throwback Thursday: Intrigue, Tragedy and Love

A Triple Knot
by Emma Campion
480 pages
$7.99 Kindle version

Joan of Kent, cousin to King Edward III, is going to be betrothed to a potential ally, but she is not resigned to her fate as a political pawn, especially after her father's execution at the hands of her own kin. She then pledges her love to another man.

Reading historical fiction has always been a personal indulgence of mine, but I get nervous selecting a novel by an author that is unknown to me. Luckily, Campion has an excellent writing style. She allows the emotions of her characters to tell the story, and this works quite well for a plot centered on the drama of personal relationships and unwanted love triangles.

Even when the POV switched between characters, there were no jarring moments as the story flowed between secrets, confessions, confrontations and revelations.

I wouldn't dare compare Emma Campion to Philippa Gregory...I think Campion deserves to be recognized as a talented storyteller in her own right.

As always,
AstraDaemon

A Buffet Of Horror

13 Turns
by Kevin Carr
138 pages
$2.99 Kindle version

This collection includes a dozen stories written by newcomer Kevin Carr: a trapped man, a dog with a special gift, necromancers, death by roller coaster, other dimensions - and that's only some of the stories.

This anthology is great. Several different types of horror are contained within these pages: supernatural, Lovecraft, murder, classic, sci-fi...you get the idea. As Carr explains in his intro, his horror is meant to entertain, and he delivers.

I use Stephen King's writing as a point of reference a lot in my horror reviews, so much so, I worry fellow horror fans will think that's all I read in the 80s, BUT this anthology reminded me of the collections of short stories that Stephen King used to write. Carr appears to be an author who writes horror because he truly loves the genre...he knows exactly how to appease those of us who have literally grown up with the ever-evolving horror genre.

I kind of wish he had left out his notes about his stories, but at least he put them at the end of the book. I'm absolutely recommending this anthology to all horror fans - especially if you want a break from zombies, vampires and werewolves.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Try Listening

Bums
by William Kent Krueger
narrated by Will Patton
27 minutes

Bums is a short story from the collection Twin Cities Noir.

There's something to be said for a talented actor providing the narration: Will Patton brings the characters to life, bringing attention to the various moods and emotions with every word.

As for the story itself, "The Professor" shares the tale of "Kid," a fellow homeless man that is unknowingly manipulated into a terrible situation. The Professor is an introspective man, torn between avenging Kid and using the incident to improve his own homeless situation. Readers are given just enough information about the characters to form a solid idea of what the people are like, but without wasting time on lengthy descriptions. Krueger shows his writing strength by revealing the dark side of human nature and the chance for redemption in just a small dose of storytelling.

If you enjoy stories by James Lee Burke, you'll probably enjoy this short by Krueger.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Prepare To Be Judged

JE Gurley is one of my favorite authors in the zombie genre, and his Judgement Day series is some of his best work:

Judgement Day: Zombie Apocalypse by JE Gurley is a rather exciting release from Severed Press. I thought Ice Station Zombies by Gurley was pretty good, but the author’s new series is far better. This time, through several POVs, readers are shown how survivors are further victimized by various groups after a flu vaccine and a mutated virus mix for catastrophic results.

One storyline follows a doctor trying to retrieve his wife and son from a camp holding people against their will, another storyline follows the escape attempt of some members of the same camp, yet another storyline follows a soldier struggling with his orders, and a fourth storyline follows a group of scientists frantically searching for a cure. Eventually all the storylines converge as all four groups realize that there is more to the zombies than meets the eye, and the military has horrifying plans for the immune survivors. I enjoyed the way the POVs overlapped, so readers get to view certain action scenes with incredible depth.

Judgement Day: Redemption by JE Gurley continues the story. In the sequel, readers find out what happened to the group that sought safety at the Biosphere. There is also an introduction of a new group: religious fanatics…ORGANIZED religious fanatics – and they are making life VERY difficult for the groups from the first book. The second installment has much more action than the first, as well as a fast-paced storyline.

What is most interesting about this series is how Gurley tackles the often-debated issue of rotting flesh (i.e., why the zombies don’t just fall apart): the zombies are a stage of evolution among the infected. Underneath their rotting skin, the former humans are transforming into something else far more difficult to kill. The groups of undead also have pack-like traits emerging, with alpha males, and…well, a critical development that I haven’t read in any zombie book in all my life. Basically, the survivors need to stop fighting amongst themselves because they are about to be royally screwed by the worst kind of STD.

Retribution reveals how personal relationships between main characters have unfolded, while adding new characters and storylines that widen the scope of this trilogy. The result is not just incredible action sequences, but also very emotional drama within a three-way battle to exist in a post-apocalyptic world…a battle between those who are immune, those who need a vaccine, and…The Children.

I’m good with how the trilogy winds down, rather than ending with a cut-and-dry finish. It leaves some unanswered questions, but touches base with the surviving main characters.
Gurley’s Judgment Day series does a spectacular job of exploring the mutating zombie virus from several angles.

Jake’s Law is another great zombie novel by Gurley, but the book description doesn’t do it justice. It was non-stop action mixed with the right amount of drama. The focus is more on the personal war between Jake, former law enforcement officer, and Levi, an escaped convict, rather than the zombies, but the undead do have a few key scenes.

The story begins with Levi’s POV, and rotates between the POVs of Jake and two other survivors, Reed and Jessica. Random events bring them together, but revenge motivates them all. Levi wants to rule over the other survivors, but Jake has already laid down the new law of the land, so, while the two men try to kill each other, Reed and Jessica find themselves unwilling pawns caught in the crossfire. What really stands out about Jake is that he is a Type 2 diabetic. I thought Gurley did a fairly accurate job portraying Jake’s medical concerns. I think fans will also appreciate a character that is less than perfect.

If you haven't read any of Gurley's work, I suggest you get started.


As always,
AstraDaemon

Shakespeare, The Womanizer

The Tutor: A Novel
by Andrea Chapin
368 pages
$11.84 Kindle version

This story is set in 1590, the year Queen Elizabeth’s Spanish Armada victory did nothing to stop her persecution of the English Catholics. Katharine de L’Isle is a thirty-one-year-old widow, in a household filled with turmoil. A new schoolmaster named William Shakespeare arrives and disrupts life at Lufanwal. Katharine is at first appalled by him, but soon finds herself drawn into Shakespeare’s verse, in ways that will change her forever.

If not for the drama of the supporting characters, I'm not sure I could have finished this book...the "relationship" between Katherine and William hardly progressed from one chapter to the next. I wasn't expecting them to jump into bed together or anything like that, but it was frustrating to watch two emotionally shutdown people trying to connect over poetry. Unlike other readers, I don't think anything built up between the couple other than heartache and bitter disappointment.

I would have preferred to read more about Katherine's interactions with the other characters; I realize that the point of this novel is the "romance" between Katherine and William, but their interactions always seemed so superficial, aside from their collaborations on the poetry.

If you are expecting anything like Philippa Gregory, don't...best if you don't have any expectations for this novel at all, and just enjoy it for whatever you can get out of it. Although, I am not sure fans of Shakespeare are going to enjoy seeing him portrayed in such an unflattering light. I do appreciate the thought the author put into accounting for Shakespeare's lost years.

My overall impression is that Chapin put too much into attempting to show readers how intellectual she is, rather than cultivating her creativity/imagination into entertaining story-telling.

As always,
AstraDaemon