Dead World: Dead City

Battered by five cataclysmic hurricanes in three weeks, the Texas Gulf Coast and half of the Lone Star State is reeling from the worst devastation in history. Thousands are dead or dying--but the worst is only beginning. Amid the wreckage, something unimaginable is happening: a deadly virus has broken out, returning the dead to life--with an insatiable hunger for human flesh...

DEAD CITY by Joe McKinney was first released in November 2006. Back then, my son was only a year old, so the scene with Eddie Hudson struggling to release his son from the car seat – while zombies closed in around them – really scared the crap out of me. I had no idea that it was going to be part of a series continued years later. I decided to revisit the series to refresh my memory.

Dead City is told from the POV of police officer Eddie Hudson in San Antonio, TX. At first, he tries to keep the peace when a viral outbreak (linked loosely to flooding and corpses resulting from several recent hurricanes) turns people violent and cannibalistic, but when Eddie realizes he is dealing with zombies, his new mission becomes reuniting with his wife and infant son, April and Andrew. It’s hard to believe that the majority of the story takes place in the span of one night…it’s a nonstop thriller with lots of gore from start to finish.

This is one of my favorite zombie series, and I've continued to reread the series over the years. Even though my son is now a teenager, this particular story still hits me hard as a parent.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Some Win, Some Lose

Ruth Miranda, author of the Blood Trilogy, has spoken, and she has chosen S.O. Bailey for our winner this week. (You can read the monster post and comments here.) I'll be giving away autographed books throughout the month. Check back every Monday to find out what the next contest and prize will be. There will also be horror reviews every day to help get you in the mood for Halloween. You'll find every kind of monster, here in the Lair.

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Here's a trick or treat for readers:  UNDEAD IN VEGAS by Stephen A North is the author's latest release. North throws readers across a highway and straight into zombie hell. I had a difficult time feeling any sympathy for Wallace. His desire to please people trumped any common sense he could muster.

The level of denial among the characters is mind-blowing. Even if they couldn't accept a zombie outbreak happening, they could at least acknowledge something very bad is going down. I will give North bonus points for creating such realistic idiots.

The action is the best part of this story. Everything goes wrong for Wallace, which isn't much of a surprise, since his decision-making leaves something to be desired. The ending made me roll my eyes.

I love the Dead Tide series by North, and he's written some great short stories, such as Like A Man and Purchase Order #2113-21A, but I'm not impressed with this novella. I'd really like to see the author return to his original writing style, or try his hand with more sci-fi themes. To be blunt, I'm tired of the broken-down ex-husband characters.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Bloody Brilliant

A SUBURBAN HAUNTING by horror author Matt Shaw is absolutely one of the best ghost stories I've ever read. Everything from the setup to the changes in POV and the writing style in general is very well-done. This is definitely my favorite Shaw story, of the ones I've read. I never saw the ending coming. I couldn't have guessed, if my life depended on it...and the finale is extremely shocking.

Shaw takes a lot of grief over some of his more graphic stories, but if anyone doubts his story-telling ability, they need to read this novel. This storyline is so perfectly written, I'd love to see this book made into a film.

I'm planning to read his werewolf series before the end of year. I strongly encourage visitors to the Lair to click on the tags below, and check out the other titles by Matt Shaw.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Apocalyptic Slavery

A QUIET APOCALYPSE by Dave Jeffery is a very different kind of post-apocalyptic story. There are no zombies, nothing supernatural of any kind...only people enslaving other people. After an illness renders most people deaf, the hearing are hunted down to become servants for the newly hearing impaired. Those born deaf are given a much more terrifying treatment, as they are blamed for the virus which causes the loss of hearing.

Chris begins a journey to find a place called The Refuge, a safe haven for those with hearing. With an injury meant to keep him from running away, he attempts to escape the hunters known as Samaritans. Unfortunately, Chris realizes too late, the blessing of his immunity has become a curse.

This is only the second book I've read by Jeffery, but I love his storytelling. This is one I can recommend to all readers, not just horror fans.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Bizarro Horror

FACIAL by Jeff Strand shows how monstrous people can be. The story flips between the POV of two brothers: one with a cheating wife, and the other with a need for a corpse, as well as the POV of the cheating wife and a personal assistant. There is a lot of dark humor in this novella, giving the story a bizarro element.

Events become even more strange, as the POV exchanges increase, and more is revealed about the problem in the basement. The best way I can think to describe this writing style is Lovecraft and Poe getting high together. Really, really high...and then pranking Stephen King.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Sci-Fi Yeti Battle

RISE OF THE YETIS by Eric S. Brown takes place in a dystopian future, with severely limited resources and corporations controlling every detail of daily life. There is just enough sci-fi mixed to create a desolate crypto-nightmare which stands out from most of the author's previous stories.

Not only is there a lot of action, but the drama between the corporate scumbags and the working class is pretty intense. People either tow the company line or become instantly homeless and starve to death. In this case, workers are forced into a doomed mission to retrieve a creature for the big bosses on the mainland.

The ending is gut-wrenching, literally and figuratively.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Favorite Monster??

October is easily my most favorite month. The weather is cooling down, the insects are dying, and the Autumn colors come out. Of course, October also has my favorite holiday: Halloween. What better way to celebrate than to dive into the horror genre? This week we will begin with the monsters.

I remember a time when the most popular creatures were vampires, mummies and zombies. Over time, all three have evolved in so many different ways, there are no set rules, making many horror stories unpredictable in the most savage and entertaining ways. "Preternatural" has become its own subgenre, with cross-breeding between the various species, including fae (ex: BLOOD series by Ruth Miranda).

We have also witnessed the urban legends, such as Bigfoot, become one of the top killers of both humans and other predators. For example, HUNTERS by Eric S. Brown, which features a battle between two famous forest fiends. Another great twist on a legend is NIKOLIS COLE by Richard Black, centered on a headless horsemen who hunts down street thugs.

Many others have broken into horror from science fiction and crime drama, and twisted entire communities into a monster mash. K.B. Knight has put the town of Greenwood through hell in his series with aliens, hauntings and, coming soon, a serial killer. Lori Titus has created multiple nightmares within the town of Chrysalis. Other authors, such as Stephen A. North and Suzanne Robb, have abandoned the land and unleashed their monsters into the water.

Last but not least, are the stories which brought us new horror icons. Elias Witherow brought horror fans Tommy Taffy, who makes Freddy and Jason look like kittens. Kody Boye introduced readers to the Grays and their pets, and they aren't the kind you'll find in Area 51.

So, which monster is your favorite? Are you a fan of a classic creature or a new abomination?

As always,
AstraDaemon

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In order to win an autographed copy of Zombies Inside by Rebecca Besser and Courtney Rene (unfortunately, only signed by Besser), leave a comment on this post before October 5th. Tell us why you like a particular fiend. Someone will be randomly selected by horror author Ruth Miranda and the winner* will be announced on Sunday, October 6^th.

*giveaway is only open to those living in the U.S., Canada and the UK, due to shipping & handling costs