Book Review: The First Days by Rhiannon Frater

Egads, I thought when I first started Rhiannon Frater’s novel The First Days, another zombie book?? I adore zombies as much as any of my fellow horror loving freaks, but it seems that every other horror fiction I pick up nowadays is zombie-themed. However, I was excited to check out Frater’s first “officially” published novel. Frater has built up a lot of buzz over the past few years by self-publishing her novels online; in fact, The First Days actually started as a serial and garnered quite a devoted following! I am always stoked to find new authors who offer up new visions of horror, and I was ecstatic to discover that The First Days wasn’t any old, run-of-the-mill zombie novel, but instead offered a fresh take on the popular genre.

The First Days starts with a bang…and the rending and tearing of flesh as one bright morning the dead start coming back to life and devouring the living. Two strangers, Katie and Jenni, must band together to escape the suburbs and the horror of their zombified families and flee to the Texan countryside. The horror doesn’t end there, as they must battle the hordes of fast-moving undead to seek safety and shelter with other survivors in a small fortified town.

The First Days offers zombie fans several new aspects to the genre. First, it is set in the wide-open landscape of the hot Texan countryside. The isolated location seems ideal for this apocalyptic tale and despite the sparsely populated towns dotting the landscape, there are plenty of zombies to overwhelm our heroines. Frater also re-tools the zombie characters a bit as well, giving us the frightful notion of fast-moving, highly aggressive (and sometimes cognizant and intelligent) zombies. While this certainly isn’t a new perspective, it’s still nice to see something slightly tweaked that makes for an all-the-more terrifying read.

The most unique aspect of the novel is that it features two female leads (yay!). They are flawed, have their moments of weakness and sometimes even act a little silly (like crushing on a guy during a zombie siege), but they are also strong women who will do anything to protect each other and when zombies (or people who’ve been bitten and therefore infected) need to be put down, they get the job done. I definitely appreciated seeing strong female characters who were developed so well and who I truly came to admire and cheer on. The rest of the characters were also well-developed, and I especially took a special shine to Juan, a cowboy and resident zombie expert who kept bemoaning the fact that the zombies were fast instead of slow like in Romero’s films.

The First Days is the first book in a trilogy that will be released by Tor Books. The second and third installments, Fighting to Survive and Siege, will follow quickly on the heels of First Days’ July 2011 release. However, they cannot be released quickly enough for me, as I am eagerly anticipating Frater’s next two books in the series!

Available on Amazon!

Black Death (2011)

According to Wikipedia, the Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history and is estimated to have killed 30% – 60% of Europe’s population, reducing the world’s population from an estimated 450 million to between 350 and 375 million in 1400. This has been seen as having created a series of religious, social and economic upheavals which had profound effects on the course of European history. It took 150 years for Europe’s population to recover.

The death and pestilence spread by this deadly plague was of Biblical proportions, and it seems that the dark mark it left upon history would be the perfect material for a horror film. Lucky for us, Magnolia Pictures’ Black Death has risen to the occasion.

The year is 1348. Europe has fallen under the shadow of the Black Death. As the plague decimates all in its path, fear and superstition are rife. In this apocalyptic environment, the church is losing its grip on the people. There are rumors of a village, hidden in marshland that the plague cannot reach. There is even talk of a necromancer who leads the village and is able to bring the dead back to life.

Ulric (Sean Bean), a fearsome knight, is charged by the church to investigate these rumors. He enlists the guidance of a novice monk, Osmund  (Eddie Redmayne) to lead him and his band of mercenary soldiers to the marshland, but Osmund has other motives for leaving his monastery. Their journey to the village and events that unfold take them into the heart of darkness and to horrors that will put Osmund’s faith in himself and his love for God to the ultimate test.

Black Death is a gripping film dealing with issues of faith, temptation, redemption, salvation…all huge issues back in the Dark Ages and still relevant today. It has a bit of Wicker Man-feel, only because of the dark secret the blissful and untouched village hides. It also has a much more somber feel and isn’t a film to take lightly. I liked how the film subverted the usual Christian vs. Pagan dynamic and made the pagans vicious instead of their usual hippie-dippy selves.

Speaking of viciousness, the film also boasts some wicked medieval battle scenes, complete with swords, maces, axes and even an iron maiden, among other torture devices. Despite the bloodshed being far and in-between, I was surprised how bloody the film actually was, especially in contrast to the subdued tone of the film and stark beauty of the cinematography.

The film looks stunning, from the cobblestoned streets of medieval Europe to the dark woods the characters travel through to the sun-dabbled village they finally arrive at. The mostly cold and bleak visuals echo the overall ominous atmosphere of the film. The grand scope of the cinematography makes me wish I had seen Black Death in a theater, but even on the smaller screen its grandiose scope wasn’t lost.

I liked the storyline because it had an epic feel and because of the themes it explored. As mentioned previously, I liked how the Christian vs. Pagan dynamic was flipped, with the pagans persecuting the Christians instead of the other way around. I also liked how the film showed unwavering faith in the characters as they were faced with temptations and challenges. The film ends on a brutal, downbeat note that was definitely disturbing and shows how evil can corrupt even the most faithful.

The actors gave performances equally intense to the storyline and visuals. Sean Bean is especially good as the God-fearing Ulric, but I also liked Eddie Redmayne’s performance as the conflicted Osmund. In my opinion, though, Carice van Houten stole the show as the village’s necromancer Langiva.

Director Christopher Smith has crafted another unique film with Black Death and is definitively one of the most versatile directors of the horror genre. He gave us the spooky Creep, the darkly humorous Severance, the intense Triangle and now the bleak Black Death. His films are always engaging, entertaining and original, and Black Death is no exception.

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The Horde (2010)

The Horde (aka La Horde in its native French), which was released on DVD last week, has been receiving a lot of press lately, both favorable and unfavorable. It seems that horror fans are split on this film – either they hated it with a passion or named it as one of their “best of” picks for 2010. Horror films that split the horror community right down the middle always intrigue me. It really makes me marvel at how people’s perspectives can be so different – one person may have called it the best zombie movie of 2010, but another said it was the worst POS he had ever seen. Surely everyone’s opinion is different, but films that cause such a wide divide in the horror community are even more interesting to me. So, of course I had to see The Horde to decide for myself whether it was a bloody good time or just a waste of time.

The Horde is about a group of vigilante cops that decide to take revenge on a group of gangsters that killed a fellow police officer. They storm the gang’s decrepit headquarters, housed inside a ghetto apartment building, but soon discover they are out-manned and out-gunned by the ruthless thugs. As the gang holds them hostage, a whole new dilemma presents itself as masses of fast-moving zombies start amassing outside the building. Now the remaining cops and gang members must work together to escape the hungry hordes of undead.

The Horde will no doubt delight gorehounds with its bloody set-pieces, but it also includes some timely social commentary on race, class, war, loyalty, etc. that will please more cerebral horror fans. As to the big question – whether I loved or hated the film – truth be told The Horde left me lukewarm. On the one hand I loved all the bloody action that exploded on the screen as well as the social commentary, but on the other hand I felt like I had already seen everything the film had to offer in other, perhaps better, zombie movies. After a tense and promising first act the second and third acts were a bit of a let-down. No matter how much blood and grue were tossed at the screen, no matter how many super-fast, super-strong zombies were mowed down by guns, hacked apart by machete or blown apart with grenades I just couldn’t seem to get into the latter part of the film. Maybe I’m just being a jaded horror fan, but it didn’t feel like enough creativity or originality had gone into The Horde, thus making it seem like any other zombie movie.

People might get upset over the “fast zombie” issue, but I thought it actually made the zombies even more frightening. The zombie makeup was also superb, making the zombies look even fiercer. Another complaint has been about the lack of an explanation regarding the zombie outbreak (the only thing we get is a newscast about an “epidemic” and a military safe zone that survivors should try to get to), but I actually appreciated how they kept the action focused on the building’s survivors and didn’t try expand the action to beyond the apartment building’s walls. The lack of explanation kept the action frenetic and immediate (though some of the action did get bogged down by pacing issues). Another part of the story I enjoyed were the ulterior motives of all the characters and how everyone was ultimately looking out for #1 (with a few exceptions). The relationship between two Nigerian brothers was the most intriguing, but I felt that the focus on the bloody action overshadowed the complex relationships in the end. The ending of the film, while not surprising, was satisfying in its somberness.

Though The Horde had its issues, it certainly didn’t qualify it for “worst of” status. There were plenty other horror flicks to claim that title this year. However, it also wasn’t creative enough to warrant it a “best of” nod either, at least not in my book. If you are looking for a gory zombie flick and can overlook the film’s shortcomings discussed above, then by all means check out The Horde. It’s not a perfect horror film, but it’s a pretty good time for what it is.

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Book Review: Valley of the Dead by Kim Paffenroth

What if Dante’s Inferno was based on truth? What if in his life Dante faced such insurmountable horror that he wrote it all down but had to pass it off as fiction because it was just too unbelievable?

Well, that is the premise behind Kim Paffenroth’s new novel, Valley of the Dead.

From the back cover:

Working from Dante’s Inferno to draw out the reality behind the fantasy, author Kim Paffenroth unfolds the horrifying true events that led Dante to fictionalize the account of his lost years…

For seventeen years of his life, the exact whereabouts of the medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri are unknown to modern scholars. It is known that during this time he traveled as an exile across Europe, working on his epic poem, The Divine Comedy. In his masterpiece he describes a journey through the three realms of the afterlife. The most famous of its three volumes, Inferno, describes Hell.

During his lost wanderings, Dante stumbled upon an infestation of the living dead. The unspeakable acts he witnessed – cannibalism, live burnings, evisceration, crucifixion and dozens more – became the basis of all the horrors described in Inferno. Afraid to be labeled a madman, Dante made the terrors he experienced into a more ‘believable’ account of an otherworldly adventure filled with demons and mythological monsters.
But at last, the real story can be told.

This may sound like another piece of classic literature being updated to include monsters like zombies (see Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, its sequel and a ton of other reconstituted classics), but Valley of the Dead is different. First off, it doesn’t take the original text and warp it to fit the author’s goal. Instead, VotD is an entirely original work, and the only text used from the original epic Inferno are a few lines before each chapter. Author Kim Paffenroth delivers another original, stunning and exciting novel that weaves an epic journey through a zombie-infested landscape with philosophical leanings. Through his story, Paffenroth perfectly captures the sheer ruthlessness of the human race as well as showing their compassion.

The cruelties that the living humans inflict not only on the zombies but on each other are truly shocking. It seems that with each new page Paffenroth has Dante encounter some truly horrific stuff – an army slaughtering innocent men, women and children, rape, cannibalism, witch burnings and many more evil acts besides all the zombie slaughtering going on. However, contrasted against the chaos and depravity are the virtuous lead characters of Dante, soldier Radovan, pregnant peasant Bogdana and monk Adam.

I am not intimately familiar with Dante’s Inferno, so I can’t really say what scenes in Paffenroth’s book take their cue from the classic poem, but the scenes in VotD are truly horrific and quite hellish! I really enjoyed how Paffenroth created such a vivid picture of the surrounding countryside Dante and his companions must traverse to escape the zombies. It starts off with green fields and lush forests, but as they are forced to escape higher and higher into the mountains the landscape becomes more desolate and otherworldly…and yet it seems the undead dwell there nonetheless. Despite the hopeless evil that seems to surround Dante and his friends, they grimly continue on in hopes of escaping the zombies and I was rooting for them the whole way.

As in his previous novels (Dying to Live and its sequel), Paffenroth’s character development is extremely strong. We care for each and every one of the main characters and through their journey really understand who they are and what they stand for. This makes the horrors they must face all the more cringe-worthy and terrifying for the reader. The characters seem to always be in constant danger, whether from the undead, the approaching army and from the strangers they encounter. This creates a tension that makes the book hard to put down! And when the characters do have to stand their ground and fight (which they do plenty of times in the book) we are treated to suspenseful battles.

However, to balance out all the action is the somber tone that permeates the story. Like in Inferno, Dante laments the horrors occurring around him and is disheartened by all the violence. While it isn’t quite Hell in VotD, it’s damn close! The tone reflects this and is more thoughtful, pensive and philosophical. I think this restrained, downbeat tone works beautifully within the confines of the story and perfectly matches the appalling actions that Dante and his friends are witness to.

Valley of the Dead is another stunning novel from Kim Paffenroth that mixes philosophical meanderings with gruesome zombie action and a creative re-telling of Italian poet Dante Alighieri’s inspiration for his most famous work, Inferno. Any fans of intelligent and sophisticated zombie stories will no doubt enjoy VotD!

Available from Amazon!

Dead Air (2009)

If you’ve ever been involved in any sort of disaster, natural or man-made, I’m sure you remember the details vividly. From the unsettling first seconds to the terrifying moments that seem to stretch on forever to the panic that settles in once the dust cleared, any kind of catastrophe is hard too forget! For example, I can clearly remember being in a large earthquake as a kid (it was freaky!) and I’m sure everyone remembers where they were on 9/11. There is just no way to ever forget those feelings of dread and fear.

Well, the film Dead Air taps into the feelings of panic, loss and chaos that occur during a sudden catastrophe. Except that this catastrophe isn’t just any natural disaster, but an organized terrorist bio-attack in every major city in the United States that infects its victims and turns them violent and dangerous. Did I mention it also has the power to bring them back from the dead?

Enter shock jock DJ Logan (Bill Moseley) as he hosts another late-night show on the air. He is joined in the studio by his co-host Gil (David Moscow), producer Lucy (Patricia Tallman) and tech Burt (Joshua Feinman). In the midst of their broadcast, they begin getting strange calls from listeners saying that all hell has broken loose. Apparently, terrorists have targeted major U.S. cities and released some kind of bio-toxin into the air, turning victims extremely violent and even resurrecting them after death. As Logan grapples with the severe situation unfolding outside and across the U.S. while delivering any information to his listeners, he also must face that fact that he is separated from his family by hordes of the infected. He doesn’t only have the infected to fear, though, because the terrorists who released the toxin in his city are converging on the radio station as well…

Dead Air is directed by Corbin Bernsen, probably best known in horror for his role in The Dentist. Bernsen delivers a tense, smart and scary horror film that taps into American’s fears of terrorist attacks. Though the infected in the film are vicious, fast and blood-thirsty, the action is more focused on Logan and what happens inside the radio station. This gives the film a more psychologically terrifying feel as we listen to callers who talk to Logan as beg for help while they are chased by zombie hordes. There is also a whole angle on Logan trying to reach his wife and child on the phone, hoping that they are safe, while debating to leave the safety of the radio station to go search for them. I also enjoyed the side story that followed the terrorists who planted the bomb in Logan’s town as they sought refuge in the radio station building. Kudos to writer Kenny Yakkel, as all of these different tenets led to a very suspenseful, enjoyable film.

Also adding to the success of the film was Bill Moseley’s layered performance as Logan. He first comes off as a prick, as most shock-rock DJ’s are wont to be, but when the excrement hits the fan he shows compassion and concern for his fellow Americans. We also see his strong dedication to his family and how well he performs under pressure. The rest of the cast do a great job as well, and it was a joy seeing Patricia Tallman (Night of the Living Dead remake) in a genre film again! I also enjoyed David Moscow’s portrayal as Logan’s slapstick sidekick and how his demeanor went from kooky to courageous as events unfolded.

Of course, your first reaction to hearing zombies and radio station under siege is to think of the great film Pontypool, but though their descriptions are similar Dead Air is slightly different in terms of tone. Dead Air tackles some heavier issues of discrimination, racism and our biased views on Muslims and people of Middle Eastern lineage. It also plays upon our fears and paranoia (an issue that Logan is discussing on-air when all hell breaks loose). Unfortunately, while this social relevance to current issues really amped up my interest in the film, some people may find the messages somewhat heavy-handed. And by the third act of the film it becomes so heavy-handed that it feels like someone is bludgeoning you with a phone book. I, for one, enjoyed the social commentary, though, and even the bland third act couldn’t really disrupt my love for this movie.

Dead Air is an intelligent horror film that really shouldn’t be overshadowed by its shallow similarities to Pontypool. It offers many smart observations on people’s motivations and human nature in response to chaos and keeps you on your toes with its engaging storyline and varied characters. I’m not sure why its release was delayed so long (it was supposed to see a nation-wide theatrical release in 2007 but was only just released straight-to-DVD recently), but it’s well worth your time!

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Carriers (2009)

Am I sick of zombie movies? Well, truthfully, kinda. With the exception of a few entertaining ones this year (Zombieland!), I really wasn’t feeling the gut-munchin’ sub-genre in 2009. It’s not that I hate zombie movies (I in fact LOVE them) but nowadays it seems like everyone is churning out a formulaic film with the same gory set-pieces I’ve seen a billion times before.

So, I was kinda iffy on Carriers, even if “technically” isn’t really a zombie movie (like 28 Days Later, the victims are called the “infected” and have a virus). Like I really need another unoriginal post-apocalyptic movie to put me to sleep! Luckily, Carriers surprised me with its intelligent and emotional take on Armageddon.

Carriers tells the tale of four survivors, two brothers and their two girlfriends, who are making their way across the desolate American landscape after a virus has annihilated most of the population. The virus is extremely contagious and once you are infected and there is no cure and you’re as good as dead. There is not much else to the plot, which pits the survivors mostly against themselves and other humans who are simply trying to survive in a world gone topsy-turvy. There are no big chase scenes, no hordes of infected pursuing the survivors, but, to tell you the truth, I thought this take was refreshing. I liked how the action focuses on the drama that occurs between the still-living characters instead of on the infected.

You can’t go into Carriers expecting it to be another 28 Days Later, Land of the Dead or even Zombieland. It can barely be compared to zombie films, because it really isn’t one itself. There is no breakneck action and it is a very slow moving, quiet film whose intent is to show the horrors of being alone in a world where most people are dead or dying. Writers/directors Alex and David Pastor have created a movie that shows how frightening that loneliness really is.

The direction by the two directors is breathtaking. There are lots of shots of the wide-open road, desolate towns and stretches of empty land as far as the eye can see. When the characters enter buildings that may contain the infected or other squatters, the directors build dread and unease with the claustrophobic and dark settings. They even managed some effective jump scares scattered throughout the film!

The acting is top notch as well. You’ll recognize Chris Pine from this year’s Star Trek as tough older brother Brian as well as Piper Perabo as his girlfriend Bobby. His younger, Ivy League brother Danny is played by Lou Taylor Pucci and rounding out their rag-tag group is Kate, played by Emily VanCamp. Christopher Meloni plays a survivor looking for help for his infected young daughter, but other than a few other people the cast is extremely small. Most of the action is directed towards the four survivors, and they all do a fantastic job portraying a weariness that seems far too heavy for them to endure at their young age.

I know some will complain that nothing happens in the film, but I preferred the horrific drama unfolding with the survivors rather than suffer through another brainless (hehe) zombie/killer virus/end of the world flick. This movie will make you think, could I do that if my life depended upon it? It will make you ponder how scary isolation really is and make you wonder if you could leave your loved ones (or even kill them) if they became infected. How far would you go to survive? Carriers really shows the brutality of the human race but how that callousness comes with a price, even when it is necessary.

Carriers is not your typical horror movie, but in a genre over-saturated with insipid zombie flicks and over-the-top end of the world movies, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A downbeat, bittersweet film to be sure, Carriers is something to check out if you want something a little deeper than the typical brainless horror movie.

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Book Review: Season of Rot by Eric S. Brown

Season of Rot is a book from Permuted Press that contains five zombie novellas from Eric S. Brown. I hadn’t experienced any of Brown’s stories before this collection, so I didn’t know quite to expect with Season of Rot. Apparently, Brown is the go-to guy for zombie advice. He’s written five novels: Cobble, Madmen’s Dreams, Unabridged, Unabashed and Undead: The Best of Eric S. Brown and the upcoming World War of the Dead and Barren Earth. Jonathan Maberry even turned to Brown for expert advice for his book Zombie CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead. Still, even though I am a big fan of Permuted Press I was a bit apprehensive about yet another zombie novel. Luckily, Season of Rot is a fantastic collection of novellas and Brown blew me away with his fast-paced and action-packed stories!

The first novella is entitled Season of Rot, and tells of a group of survivors holed up in the top floors of an abandoned hospital in a high rise building while hoards of the undead crowd around outside. They are running out of supplies and desperately need help…and one day their prayers are answered by a military soldier who promises to come get them and offers them shelter in a military bunker. Yet, this stranger is hiding an awful secret…something that threatens the survivors’ safety.

This was a really gripping, tense story that helped kick off the collection. I really enjoyed the development of the characters (even though most of them have short life spans in the story) and just from this one story I could tell I was in for a treat with Brown’s tales. It immediately threw me into the action and I got all caught up in the ensuing chaos. Plus, I really enjoyed the story of the stranger who suddenly appears and the frightening “transformation” of the undead.

The next short is titled The Queen, and it is my favorite of the novellas. To escape the zombies that have overtaken the world, a group of survivors live aboard a ship called The Queen. When they are low on supplies, they must risk heading to shore and facing the undead…but now it appears that the zombies are getting smarter and are learning to operate machinery…like boats and guns…

The Queen has it all – well-developed characters, a frightening concept (smart zombies?! Lord help us!) and lots of bloody action. I really liked how Brown started with three different stories of survivors, all horrific in their own right (one of them involves the zombies breeding humans for meat!), and then meshed them all together with the survivors meeting at The Queen. The ship setting definitely made it stand out from the standard post-apocalyptic tale and made it much more unique and exciting. Also, the fact that the zombies were smart made it all that more terrifying.

The Wave was next, which features a mysterious wave of energy covering the Earth and disrupting all electronic devices…oh, and turning most of the population into bloodthirsty animals. All forms of communication are down, there is no power and cars, flashlights, etc. don’t work. A small band of survivors head to an isolated military bunker, but with the infected closing in they must make one final stand for humanity…even with the chance that the mysterious wave of energy may have adversely affected the Earth’s sun.

With an unexpected, devastating ending, The Wave definitely had a strong impact. I love how Brown focused on several different survivors in several different locations (with some of them coming together for the finale). The infected are also smart in this one, tricking the survivors and making them give away their location. The infected can also move very fast, a situation that actually makes sense considering the radiation they were exposed to. Overall, The Wave is a very well-done, edge-of-your-seat story with a seriously downbeat, bleakly realistic ending.

Next is Dead West, where the undead have overtaken the Wild West and are eating their way to the eastern part of the United States. Only the Mississippi River stands in their way of eating through the East. A reporter is dispatched to ride into the front-lines of the war to find out just what is happening, but will he be able to make it back at all?

I really enjoyed the Wild West feel of Dead West, but I wish it had felt a little more historical. Take out the horses and it could have just been another zombie story. I just don’t feel that Brown captured that Wild West feel adequately enough. Besides that, though, there is plenty of zombie action to satisfy most undead fans. One particular scene involving undead orphans attacking the cavalry is priceless!

The last story of the collection is Rats. Rats have overtaken the country and command the undead to do their bidding. A group of survivors fights to get to safety, but will the rats be able to reach anywhere they try to hide?

I really loved this story, though I feel the awkward intro could have been left out as it is never mentioned again in the rest of the novella. The rats in question are scary, and there is an underlying theme of demons that gives this end of the world story even more oomph!

Season of Rot on the whole is an exciting, fast-paced read that handles various post-apocalyptic scenarios with gritty realism. The grim outlook feels far more realistic than any false hope survivors would experience in a real-life scenario. Season of Rot is an intense read that really makes me look forward to future novels from Eric S. Brown. This is post-apocalyptic fiction at its breakneck best!

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Book Review: The Estuary by Derek Gunn

Permuted Press’ latest post-apocalyptic book is Irish author Derek Gunn’s zombie tale The Estuary. I haven’t read any of Gunn’s previous works (he is perhaps best known for his Vampire Apocalypse series), but my interest was piqued by The Estuary’s premise. I am usually a big fan of Permuted Press’ release, but I think they really dropped the ball with The Estuary…not to say that it is a bad novel by any means.

The Estuary begins with a covert Nazi mission where canisters filled with a secret weapon are being transported via mini-submarines to the front lines…but a storm takes the mini-subs perilously off course.

Fast forward to the present in the idyllic Irish hamlet of Whiteshead, where John Pender has relocated his family to try and rekindle his marriage and spend more time with his three kids. The idyllic setting is soon shattered when an old mini-sub is unearthed in the dried-up estuary and a mysterious gas leaks out of the long-dormant canisters.

The gas turns out to be a contagion that quickly infects all those that came into close contact with it. The infected turn into the walking dead who crave the flesh and blood of the living. Soon, the sleepy town is overrun with zombies and the survivors must find a way to safety!

Yet, when the remaining townspeople try to leave town, they find themselves quarantined by the army, who are prepared to use lethal force to contain the virus. The townspeople’s only hope for survival is reaching an old keep that juts up from the sea and is at the end of the estuary. But to get there they must traverse an ocean of the undead…

The Estuary had a very promising premise, but it suffers from a large number of problems that took away from my overall enjoyment of the book. The number one most annoying problem was the amount of typos in the book, which included everything from spelling, punctuation and grammar. For a published novel, the amount of typos in the book is unacceptable. Permuted Press really disappointed me with their severe lack of editing and/or proofreading. The typos are so bad that it doesn’t even appear that the book was proofread at all!

Secondly, I never felt any real connection to any of the characters and had a hard time keeping them apart. The repetition of the characters’ full first and last names every time they are mentioned was also distracting and led me to believe a new character was being introduced. Again, this could have been avoided if a good editor was used, but unfortunately this wasn’t the case.

As for the positives, there were some great action sequences, particularly towards the end of the novel. Gunn is able to write tension-filled scenes that kept me turning the pages. I really enjoyed the dwindling survivors making a run for it to get to the keep and their suspenseful last stand. Gunn’s descriptions of the infected are also excellent. These zombies don’t moan, grunt or make any kind of noise, but just silently stumble around. Their vacant, slack-jawed expressions are pretty darn frightening, especially coupled with the fact that they are so silent. They also aren’t exactly the slow, shambling type of zombies (nor are they fast sprinters), but instead can get to where they want to go pretty quickly. Gunn has created some very frightening monsters, especially since most of the survivors knew them as their former neighbors and friends.

Another enjoyable aspect of the story was the Nazi backdrop. I could have used a bit more on the Nazi’s and the background of the contagion, but the prologue did a good job of giving us a taste of the backstory.

The Estuary could have been a humdinger of a zombie novel, but unfortunately it is brought down by its many typos and lack of editing. Shame on Permuted Press for allowing a book with such potential to be released without proofreading and editing it first!! I really hope they get around to releasing a corrected version of The Estuary…because it really does deserve to be checked out typo-free!

Buy it on Amazon!

Autumn (2009)

A few years ago I had the pleasure of reading David Moody’s melancholic zombie novel, Autumn. It was both thought-provoking and frightening, relying on its solid character development to make readers really care about the three main characters. Moody’s first few pages about a virulent virus that wipes out 99.9% of the population grabbed me immediately before moving into the novel’s more character-driven focus.

Since I had been such a fan of Moody’s novel, I was very much looking forward to the film adaptation. Autumn is a different kind of zombie story, not your typical story featuring zombies craving brains or flesh. I was drawn to its unique style within the novel, but could that style be replicated on screen?

One beautiful autumn day the whole world goes to hell. In a matter of minutes a vicious virus has killed billions of people and left only a few survivors. In one particular town, survivors meet in a building as the world around them falls apart. Dead people lie rotting about the streets and the survivors know that their meager supplies won’t last forever. One morning the survivors suddenly discover that the dead have risen and are walking aimlessly about. They don’t seem to pose a threat, but none of the survivors wants to get too close.

Finally, three survivors – Michael (Dexter Fletcher), Emma (Lana Kamenov) and Carl (Dickon Tolson) – decide that can’t stick around the city anymore and head into the country to find more isolated digs. They wind up at an old farmhouse that seems to be far away from the undead. Yet, it appears that whenever they make any noise, like driving cars or running a generator, the undead are attracted to the sound. Also, the undead appear to be getting smarter and meaner with each passing day…

I was really hoping that this indie film would preserve the feeling I had when reading the book Autumn, but, alas, it just wasn’t meant to be. This Autumn is sloppily filmed, poorly edited and is pretty much a big mess. Even if you haven’t read the book and are just looking for a good ol’ zombie yarn you will be sadly disappointed in Autumn.

First of all, the opening scenes were some of the most anticlimactic I’ve ever seen in a post-apocalyptic movie. Billions of people are dying every second and this slo-mo intro is the best they could do? The main characters aren’t even properly introduced, instead we sorta-see (the editing makes it jumpy and choppy, so you’re not really sure who or what you’re seeing) where they were at the time of the virus outbreak. To catch a viewer’s attention you really need a strong intro, and Autumn’s was extremely weak…and the movie just went downhill from there.

So, not only was the story poorly set up, but there is no attempt to even get to know the three lead characters! One of the biggest strengths of the novel was that we got to know each of the characters, making us care about what happened to them. This film, on the other hand, takes no time out to even develop the characters, therefore I didn’t give a lick what happened to them. All we see are the characters having conversations with each other, but that just doesn’t shed enough light on who they are, who they lost and what they went through. I usually don’t like voice-over narration in films, but in this instance it definitely would have helped at least introduce the characters and their situations. Without getting a feel for the characters, I didn’t really care what the zombies did with them, which killed any potential tension and made the whole film drag.

The whole story, written by Steven Rumbelow (who also directed) suffered because it wasn’t properly set up and the characters were never developed. After those two things happened I quickly lost interest in the film. I think that Autumn is a very internalized and isolated type of story, so it would be hard to adapt it to the screen. On the other hand, I just don’t think the screenplay was constructed carefully enough and the horrible, haphazard editing definitely detracted from any of its good points. The entire film just lacked cohesiveness and a well-executed plot. With so many things against it, it didn’t help that the film’s pacing was very slow and created lots of boredom.

Another negative thing I must mention about the picture was the atrocious sound quality. I could barely hear what the actors were saying so I would jack up the volume, but the next scene would feature some horrible music (oh, goodness, don’t get me started on the awkward score – none of the music throughout the film made a lick of sense – one scene it felt like I was listening to the score for Star Wars and the next scene felt more like the music from Britney Spears’ Crossroads movie…blegh!) that almost blew out my speakers! Filmmakers – get your audio levels corrected before sending out your films!! It’s annoying as all hell to have to turn up the volume to hear dialogue but have to turn it down again during the next scene when the soundtrack BOOMS!

I wholeheartedly support indie films, but only ones that are actually GOOD and worth your time. There are just too many things wrong with Autumn to even tepidly recommend it. Not even a small role featuring David Carradine (the film is dedicated to his memory) can help this film or make it watchable. Though I felt the makeup of the zombies (or “Meatsuits”) was pretty decent (especially a scene featuring an old woman tied to a bed), overall it still looked amateur. Besides the rotting undead, there’s not many scenes of gore or carnage besides a group of zombies eating a dog. Now, I went into the film not expecting to see much blood, but after being bored for over an hour and a half I was expecting a little something-something to spice things up…but sadly things were never kicked up a notch.

Skip this sad excuse for a film and go read David Moody’s Autumn novel instead! You’ll be much more entertained!

Buy the book on Amazon!

End of the Line (2007)

Young nurse Karen (Ilona Elkin) has had a rough night with patients behaving more oddly than usual and has had some startling premonitions (right off the bat we are treated to an unsettling scare). As she boards the nearly-deserted subway, a blond-haired freak harasses her, but good guy Mike (Nicolas Wright) tries to calm her frazzled nerves. Once on the subway, the train breaks down and Karen and Mike are stuck under the flickering lights. They are soon joined by a sweet old lady…but after receiving a message on her cell she tries to attack Mike with a knife made from a crucifix. Other people stuck on the subway are attack by people wielding these knives, as they are all members of a religious cult called The Church of Hope and by killing people they hope to “save” them from the end of the world. Karen and Mike escape and meet up with other survivors as they try to escape the labyrinth tunnels of the subway and reach the surface. Yet, what if the cult is right and death is better than what awaits them?

Filled with surprises, End of the Line is an overlooked horror film that shouldn’t be missed! From the beginning to the end the film is chock full of unexpected, creepy surprises that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Director and writer Maurice Devereaux has crafted an intriguing and entertaining horror film whose images won’t leave my head anytime soon!

I liked how Devereaux developed the cult member’s characters. They weren’t just smiling and singing automatons, but he portrayed their inner turmoil as well. Some of them just couldn’t go through with killing others while others had doubt about what they were doing. Some enjoyed killing and wanted to get their kicks before it was their time to go and others truly believed they were saving the masses from a much more terrible fate. The characters that did suffer a bit in character development were the protagonists. Besides Karen, we don’t know that much about anyone and so it’s a little hard to get fully invested in their predicament.

Still, the lack of the protagonists’ development didn’t damage the story as a whole too terribly. I loved how this is not just a “cult-run-amuck” flick, but something much, much creepier. I don’t want to give too much away, because the film is most effective when you don’t know too much about it, but believe me when I say that there are some jarring, unsettling moments where you’ll be thinking, “what the hell did I just see?” I also liked how Devereaux raises the issue of faith and whom (or what) people place it in. The only detracting factor with Devereaux’s writing is some of the questionable dialogue. Though there are some instances where he tries to ease the tension (like the infamous “I have to take a dump” line), it just doesn’t work and interrupts any kind of dread that had been building.

Despite some cringe-worthy dialogue, End of the Line is an incredibly effective horror film. There are shocking scares aplenty but they are never overdone. Devereaux capitalizes on the creepy factor when we get just a quick flash of something creepy-crawly under the stairs or a flash of someone (or something) down a dark tunnel. Plus, there are plenty of blood-drenched scenes, including a disturbing beheading scene as well as the death of a woman and her unborn baby. All these instances, plus the threat of the cult members, add to an every-increasing sense of dread until the chilling finale.

End of the Line is a little-seen gem of a horror film that definitely deserves more attention. Featuring plenty of thrills and chills, it is definitely worth a look!

Available from Amazon!

Pontypool (2009)

Every day we are bombarded by people communicating around us. Just think about how prevalent the English language is and how often you hear it every single day. Whether it is through the television, the radio or just stepping outside and hearing people conversing, we are exposed to thousands of spoken words every day. Now, what if the words themselves were infected and speaking certain words could turn people into blood-thirsty, raging lunatics? Think about how easily a virus like that could spread and how easily people could become infected!

And that clever little premise, my fiends, is the basis for the fantastically fun and eerily intelligent horror film Pontypool!

Radio personality Grant Mazzy is known for his confrontational and brash attitude. In fact, he was recently fired from his big-city DJ job and the only work he could find was in the tiny town of Pontypool, Ontario. He isn’t happy about being stuck in the middle of nowhere and having to drive through cold, snowy weather to get to work, but it was the only station that would take him. He begrudgingly arrives at the small radio station one morning and things start off pretty normal – he riles up the locals, argues with his producer Sydney Briar (Lisa Houle) and has the station assistant, Laurel Ann (Georgina Reilly) spike his early morning coffee. Then, he talks to the station’s “eye in the sky,” Ken (who isn’t really in a helicopter, but in his car driving around) for the weather report. Ken informs him that there is a mob forming around the local doctor’s office…and things go downhill from there. Grant, Laurel Ann and Sydney are holed up in the station when more disturbing reports come in from callers and weatherman Ken. The reports all say that people are making strange noises, speaking gibberish and turning violent, including eating other people. As the mob gets ever closer to the radio station, can the survivors inside figure out what is happening or is it already too late?

Finally! A horror film with an intelligent and original premise! This is exactly the kind of smart horror film I’ve been waiting for and Pontypool definitely delivers! I love how the film plays with something that hasn’t really been explored much in horror films – the English language. Everyone fears biological and chemical weapons, but what if someone developed a virus that spread through our language? Now that’s scary!!

The film was adapted for the screen by Tony Burgess from his story Pontypool Changes Everything. Now, I haven’t read the book, but I imagine Burgess stayed relatively true to his highly original story, which he must be given kudos for because it translates so well to the screen!The story cleverly builds from the initial mystery of what is going on outside the walls of the radio station to the startling revelation that people are acting violent and cannibalistic to the conclusion that the virus is transmitted via words in the English language. Though the story gets the tiniest bit befuddled towards the end (repeated viewings might clear up some of the confusion), I thought that overall it was a smart, unique script.

I was also impressed at the high levels of tension and dread, especially since the film takes place in mostly one claustrophobic location (the radio station) and we hear the carnage as opposed to actually seeing it. Hearing the strange gibberish of the infected as well as the sounds of screaming and violence over the phone really puts your imagination into hyperdrive and I think this was much more effective than just showing the audience explicit gore (though Pontypool does feature a one noteworthy scene that is cringe-worthy!). Again, this shows just how inventive Pontypool is and hearing the horror unfold as opposed to seeing it reminded me of old radio shows that my grandma used to listen to. I was always amazed at how effective those radio shows were at sending cold shivers down my spine, and Pontypool works in much of the same way.

I also liked how the one location of the radio station gave the viewer a sense of claustrophobia, especially when the infected surround the building and it seems like there is no way out. Director Bruce McDonald did a fantastic job at building dread and tension with the isolated and claustrophobic location.

As for the acting, it was phenomenal! Because there is only one location and only a few characters, we must rely on the three actors playing the characters of  Grant, Sydney and Laurel Ann to capture the feelings of their predicament. All three actors were incredibly believable in their roles, from acting incredulous to stunned to afraid. The absolute stand-out performer was Stephen McHattie as Grant Mazzy. He goes from weary and cynical but brash and incredulous radio DJ to concerned and scared citizen in the blink of an eye. When he realizes that the mob of people isn’t a practical joke or a stunt but truly is dangerous and blood-thirsty, the fear in his eyes is haunting. Lisa Houle as Sydney and Georgina Reilly as Laurel Ann both do a spectacular job as well. They both appear very natural and real in their characters.

Pontypool is an extraordinary film that is as smart as it is entertaining. It has everything going for it, from a strong story, surefire direction to excellent acting. It defies all preconceived genre notions and runs with its unusual storyline. Though Pontypool has some strong similarities to traditional zombie films, I think that comparison sells this highly intelligent film short. Though the infected in this film tend to mob like typical zombies do and eventually eat human flesh, the infected are not reanimated corpses and thus are not traditional zombies. They are something completely different, just as Pontypool is a completely refreshingly unique film.

If you are looking for one of 2009′s most original and intelligent horror films, look no further than Pontypool!

Available from Amazon!

Deadlands 2: Trapped (2008)

In 2006 filmmaker Gary Ugarek’s low-budget, little-zombie-film-that-could, Deadlands: The Rising, was unleashed upon the horror community. I (along with many other critics) raved about this indie zombie film, calling it “impressive” and “unrelenting”.  So you can imagine my excitement at the prospect of watching the sequel, Deadlands 2: Trapped!

In Deadlands 2: Trapped, the government’s secret bio-weapon experiment is about to be unleashed on the unsuspecting citizens of a small Maryland town. Dr. Robert Mitchell (played by Jim Krut, the “helicopter zombie” in the original Dawn of the Dead) believes that the weapon he has developed will create the perfect army, one that never tires and never quits. Meanwhile, as nighttime drops on the small town people are going about their usual business – going to the movies, meeting friends for drinks, etc. They have no idea that the military is quarantining their entire town. Soon, the bio-weapon is released, turning 90% of the town’s population into fast-moving zombies. A group of survivors holes up in the town’s movie theater while they try to form a plan of escape. Can they get through the zombies and out of the town before the experiment ominously concludes at 6am?

Though it seems that every other indie horror film is about zombies, Deadlands 2 is anything but generic. It stands out from the shambling crowds by putting the viewer directly into the action and making you feel like you are right there with the survivors. This immediacy, along with great pacing, good character development and some wicked special FX, make for one fun thrill ride!

The film’s story is very well-crafted and moves at a very fast pace. While Deadlands: The Rising took some time to get started, Deadlands 2 is a take-no-prisoners whirlwind of zombie action! Even so, it doesn’t forsake character development and actually takes the time to make the characters relatable.

The character development of the film, courtesy of writer/director Gary Ugarek, really helps add to the in-the-moment feel of the film. In a short amount of time we feel that we know the characters, which allows us to cheer the good guys and boo the bad ones. The actors did a great job (for the most part) conveying their characters in a realistic manner. They were able to bring their characters to life and really make us care about them.

There are lots of improvements over the original in regards to the overall look of the film. The film looks much more polished and professional, which is amazing considering the budget was around a measly $6,000. The nitty-gritty indie feel is still there, but this time around more care was taken in setting up camera shots, giving it a very professional sheen.

The special FX and makeup even look better, especially the bite and trauma wounds. The fast-moving zombies look amazing as well. Though some people might prefer the traditional shambling zombies, I think the fast ones are appropriate in the context of the story. Plus, they are quite startling and scary!

Adding to the scary, frenetic atmosphere is a chilling score by Gary Ugarek. This really helps set an ominous mood throughout the film, complementing the action that happens on-screen.

Deadlands 2: Trapped shows steady improvement over Deadlands: The Rising and is one fast-paced and entertaining zombie flick! Deadlands 2: Trapped is one indie zombie flick that couldn’t come higher recommended. In fact, check out both Deadlands: The Rising and Deadlands 2: Trapped…they are both destined to become cult classics!

I can’t wait for Deadlands 3…

Available from Amazon!

Book Review: Dying to Live - Life Sentence by Kim Paffenroth

Poignant zombie novels that really make you think are hard to come by. Most z-books focus on zombie attacks, blood, bodies being ripped limb from limb, blowing stuff up and so on. If any emotion is involved it is usually the gruff and macho kind that lasts only for a few sentences. Not to say that there’s anything wrong with those books. Lord knows I love a violently visceral zombie book as much as the next girl, but it’s nice to come upon a book that has brains as well as zombies!

Dying to Live: Life Sentence is Kim Paffenroth’s second novel in the Dying to Live series. While Dying to Live took place during the immediate fall out from the zombie apocalypse, Life Sentence takes place 12 years later where people, both alive and undead, have begun adjusting to their tough new world. Chapters switch back and forth between the story of Zoey, a child raised in the post-apocalyptic world going through the rites and rituals to become a full-fledged member of her community, and the story of Truman and Lucy, two smart zombies who can understand humans, read, play musical instruments and don’t randomly attack humans. As both Zoey and the zombies grow within their new roles, their paths and fates become intertwined.

The smart zombie storyline was intensely interesting and I kind of wish the whole novel had been focused solely on Truman and Lucy. I loved how they learned things and were able to read and even play the violin! It brought a whole new human element to the zombies and really made you think, just what if zombies had feelings and emotions and memories? The characters of Truman and Lucy had so much dimension and depth that truthfully I liked them more than some of their human counterparts!

Then of course was Zoey, who really grew on me as the book progressed. Though only twelve, she behaved like a well-trained soldier. She was born after the zombie apocalypse (or pretty much smack dab in the middle of it) so she never got to experience the luxuries of the old world, like ice cream and television, many of her elders talked about. Also, she never really got to experience childhood. In a way, she is almost like the zombies because she was robbed of a normal life (or normal death in their case). The parallels Paffenroth draws between her and the zombies elevate the novel into something much more intelligent than the standard zombie gorefest.

Besides the intriguing new characters, Paffenroth peppers the book with characters from Dying to Live, including Milton, Jack, Will and so on. Despite the many returning characters, the nice thing about Life Sentence is that you don’t have to read the first book to comprehend what is going on (though reading the first book helps you understand how much the survivors have gone through and gives you a deeper understanding of each returning character).

The book has a few grisly scenes, but its focus really isn’t on the gore but on characters’ interactions with the world around them. There are quite a few exciting stand-offs between zombies and/or other survivors and even a scary attack on Zoey and other women by a group of bandits that more than make up for the lack of viscera.

Dying to Live: Life Sentence is a satisfying read that you won’t be able to put down! Despite a few typos and the misuse of the word ‘til, I really have no complaints. Kim Paffenroth’s writing transports you to the desolate corner of the world where the book is set and really challenges you to contemplate more deeply on humanity. The message of hope is hard to miss here, but in a predictable pool of zombie novels that think gore is enough to entertain, Dying to Live: Life Sentence’s poignancy is more than welcome.

Available from Amazon!

Book Review: After Twilight - Walking with the Dead by Travis Adkins

Travis Adkins’ After Twilight: Walking with the Dead is his 2008 follow-up to last year’s Twilight of the Dead. Though I haven’t yet read Twilight, Walking with the Dead is a very enjoyable, fast-paced book that can almost stand on its own.

Years after the zombie apocalypse a group of survivors have holed themselves up behind the fortified walls of Eastpointe, which used to be a resort. People live there in relative safety and comfort. The community has its own farmlands, people live in their own houses and they’ve even established a kind of government to keep order. The community utilizes a special ops unit called the Black Berets when they need to go out into the zombie-infested world for supplies. The Black Berets are skilled in combat against the flesh-eaters, but when they don’t come back from escorting a mysterious doctor to retrieve a cure, people start to worry.

Yet one Black Beret is slowly making his way back to Eastpointe…with a plan for revenge against those that nearly cost him his life.

Travis Adkins has a very clear, very direct style of writing that makes reading Walking with the Dead a pure pleasure. The pacing of the novel is very quick and once you start reading it is hard to stop! I also liked the way Adkins introduces the characters and shows us just who they all are. This makes it easy for readers who haven’t read his previous work to familiarize themselves with his characters. I also enjoyed how we get glimpses of different characters’ pasts, which gives us a better understanding of who they are and what they believe in.

Adkins dialogue is very realistic and most of the characters’ actions are believable. With that being said, the only character’s actions I didn’t find believable were Vaughn’s. Since he is such an integral part of the story, this is a huge problem. Perhaps his motivations and his personality were better explained in the first book, but his actions just didn’t ring true in Walking with the Dead.

There were also some plot holes that never got wrapped up, unless of course they were already covered in the previous novel. The storyline involving Vaughn’s sister/lover never really goes anywhere and is dropped towards the end of the book. Perhaps Adkins is waiting for his third book to resolve this and some of the other plot points.

On the plus side, the villainous betrayal of Eastpointe and the infiltration of its walls by the moaning hordes of zombies is quite exciting and will keep you on the edge of your seat! The gore is vividly described and the narration of the fight scenes is expertly done!

Despite its flaws, After Twilight: Walking with the Dead is a highly enjoyable, fast-paced and exciting z-novel that’ll have you drooling for more!

Available from Amazon!

Book Review: Moonlight by Keith Knapp

Keith Knapp’s novel Moonlight takes the post-apocalyptic zombie story and turns it on its head, giving us a fresh and exciting new voice in horror fiction.

First, the electricity goes out. Then people find out that cars, cell phones, portable radios, watches and clocks have improbably stopped working. A darkness soon begins spreading across the Chicago area and surrounding suburbs. People are turning aggressive, violent and homicidal…and when they are killed, they just get right back up and attack again, moaning “No more room.”

With modern society crumbling, a dark man in a trench coat appears, intent on turning the world into his own personal playground of hell. A few survivors, including an alcoholic writer, a mayor, a psychiatrist, an artist and a pregnant woman, band together to try and stop the dark man from spreading his darkness any further…or is it already too late?

Moonlight is a very enjoyable and quick read, despite the seemingly long page length (the novel is 500 pages, but the spacing and font are pretty big, so no worries). Also, instead of taking a clichéd look at a post-apocalyptic world, Knapp shakes things up a bit with a different story that features plenty of twists. Also, the villain is very intimidating and the “zombies” (if you want to call them that, though these reanimated corpses are organized, retain their memories, can talk to and manipulate people and are basically puppets of the dark man in the trench coat) are vicious and scary, not at all like the aimless, shambling dead you’re probably used to.

The gore is also nicely done. Knapp uses very effective and descriptive passages to describe the ever-present carnage. The book if pretty graphic, so hardcore horror fans won’t be disappointed!

As for the characters, Knapp has the main characters developed enough so that you actually care about them. I found myself rooting for the rag-tag team and actually concerned that they make it out alive. There are also a few twists with some of the characters that will definitely surprise you! I also liked the realistic reactions the characters had to the world’s impending doom. No one had any easy answers and many characters made bad decisions that resulted in others’ deaths.

The story is well-written and expertly paced. There is never an instance of boredom and everything moves at a quick clip. I did feel like the big showdown at the end was a bit rushed and anticlimactic, but I was still pleased with the book overall.

My only other complaint isn’t with the story itself, but with the novel’s title, Moonlight, which doesn’t really make sense in the context of the story. I hate that it makes an otherwise excellent book sound like a teenybopper vampire novel!

Other than those quibbles, Moonlight was a very entertaining read! I highly recommend it to all horror fans that want quick and breezy reading material that doesn’t skimp on the gore.

Available on Amazon!

Book Review: Bestial - Werewolf Apocalypse by William D. Carl

Author William D. Carl bursts upon the horror scene with his ferociously non-stop, action-packed debut novel, Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse. Carl goes straight for the jugular by immersing the reader in a world overrun by werewolves, where a few remaining souls must fight tooth and nail (and fangs) for their very lives.

The book opens in the middle of a turbulent bank heist, but as soon as the full moon comes out people begin to change. Somehow, an experiment has gone wrong and a lycanthropic air borne virus has been unleashed on the populace of Cincinnati. Most people turn into werewolves, but there are a few that are miraculously immune to the virus. A group of unlikely survivors band together to escape from the thousands of bloodthirsty werewolves ravaging the city, but a military quarantine is intent on keeping anyone from leaving the perimeter, infected or not. Can the survivors find a way out of the devastated city before it’s too late?

I was hooked on Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse from page one! I don’t consider myself much of a werewolf fan (partly because there has been such an absence of good werewolf horror material lately), but finally, William D. Carl has made werewolves scary again! Not only does the fur fly fast and furious in the novel, but Carl actually takes the time to focus on characterization. Each character has a backstory, emotions and feelings, so in a short amount of time you find yourself caring deeply about each character. It’s not hard to cheer on homeless teenager Christian, sassy and strong Chesnya or even thief-with-a-heart-of-gold Rick.

Even the werewolves, though ferocious and frightening, also gained my sympathy. After ripping apart prey all night as werewolves, humans are usually horrified when dawn approaches and they realize they’ve viciously eaten their loved ones. Some embrace their new bestial selves, but most go insane with thoughts of what evil deeds they’d committed the night before. This glimpse of the humanity of the werewolves really adds depth to a book that could have easily been just a rip ‘em up gorefest.

I also enjoyed Carl’s descriptions of a quickly deteriorating society. After the virus outbreak Cincinnati is quarantined from the rest of the world and every man, woman and child, werewolf or human, are on their own. There are no cops, no firemen, no government or order to speak of – it’s everyone for themselves. Though lasting only a short three days and nights of the full moon cycle, this demolishing of “the norm” really affects people quickly and Carl portrays this breaking down of society in devastating detail.

Also devastating is the carnage left behind by the werewolves. Gorehounds won’t be disappointed with the extremely graphic and bloody scenes described by Carl. Not only that, but the tension that Carl creates will keep you on the edge of your seat! One scene in particular where three characters meet – two seek refuge from the werewolves in an armored truck while another tries to escape from a collapsing high-rise building and they all eventually come together – will have you biting your nails in anticipation and suspense!!

Horror fans can’t go wrong with William D. Carl’s Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse. It’s an action-packed thrill ride that invigorates the werewolf subgenre and isn’t afraid to bare its teeth.

Available from Amazon!

Book Review: Thunder and Ashes by Z.A. Recht

These days, zombie stories are a dime a dozen. It seems that just about every other horror book out there is about the walking dead. Authors must continually work harder to bring their fans something new and something they can really sink their teeth into.

Amidst all the zombie fiction, Z.A. Recht has unleashed his new installment in the Morningstar Strain series, entitled Thunder and Ashes. Thunder and Ashes is the sequel to Plague of the Dead and picks up three months after the end of the first book.

In this post-apocalyptic tale, most of humanity has been wiped out by the virulent Morningstar Strain, a virus that turns the infected into raging, cannibalistic flesh-eaters and reanimates the dead! Only small groups of survivors remain. One of these is a group of soldiers and civilians lead by General Sherman who is fighting its way across the country to get to Omaha to meet up with Dr. Anna Demillio, who may have the answer to infection.

Besides battling hordes of the undead, they must also fight off raiders who would kill them just for their supplies and a group of rogue government agents who are determined to kidnap Dr. Demillio so they can lay claim to her research for the vaccine.

Thunder and Ashes is a straightforward zombie tale that avoids social commentary or philosophical meanderings for a more direct and visceral approach. It’s a perfect summer read for when you need something that doesn’t require much thought (hey, I mean that in a good way!) and are just looking for some action to fill your time. We are treated to lots of skirmishes, not just with zombies (though those are fun, too) but also with other human beings. There is one passage in particular where the group lead by General Sherman faces off against a bunch of bandits and raiders that reminded me of a good ol’ Western shoot ‘em up!

The gore is also pretty cool throughout. There is everything from bloody zombie attacks to gunshot wounds to bombs going off and so on…All in all, lots of action going on most of the time! I also enjoyed how author Recht used both fast infected (“sprinters”) as well as slow, reanimated zombies (“shamblers”). The threat of the fast infected really added to the suspense and tension of the book!

On the down side, the character development in the book is weak and pretty much most of the characters are interchangeable. The dialogue all sounds the same and each character doesn’t have a strong enough voice to stand out amidst the large cast of characters. Also, the story isn’t that original and suffers a bit from clichés and stereotypical situations.

Still, Thunder and Ashes is an enjoyable and breezy read for zombie fans, even if you aren’t familiar with Recht’s first book in the series, Plague of the Dead. If you want an easy summer read that features plenty of blood and guts, check out Thunder and Ashes.

Available from Amazon!

Colin (2008)

Hailing from Britain, Colin is a touching, yet no less visceral, one-of-a-kind zombie film that turns the tables on the audience by presenting the film from a zombie’s point of view. The debut film from Nowhere Fast Productions and filmmaker Marc Price, Colin reinvigorates the zombie subgenre with its unique, bloody and meaningful story.

The zombie in question is the title character of Colin (Alastair Kirton), who becomes a zombie after being attacked in an apartment kitchen. Once his violent transformation is complete, he attempts to open the door to get out…but his stiff hands can’t work the handle. Night passes into day and he is still trying to get through the door. He finally gets out when he becomes enraged and accidentally trips and falls through a window (this little bit of humor works marvelously in the film, and there are sprinklings of subtle humor throughout the rest of the film). Once outside, Colin shambles around a city that looks post-apocalyptic. Smoke rises in the distance, gun-fire crackles at random, stray newspapers and dead bodies litter the streets and screams are heard regularly. Even when Colin runs into his family, who is still trying to stay alive and is overjoyed with finding him, the reunion is bittersweet. Colin shows no recollection of who they are and is only interested in their flesh. As the world comes crashing down around Colin, all he can do is continue to shamble onwards towards some vaguely familiar, unforeseen goal.

Colin is a stark, beautiful film that packs ample depth and emotion into its zombie storyline. Besides the storyline about Colin’s family, which is heartbreaking in itself, there is also a subplot that flashes back to when the outbreak first occurred and shows how Colin really became infected and what became of his girlfriend. This segment is shown towards the end of the film and nearly had me bawling at its emotional scenes.

Besides the emotional punch, the film also packs a visceral one. The gore here is ample and messy – oozing wounds, chomped off ears, a feast of fresh intestines, blown apart zombies – Colin certainly doesn’t disappoint in the grue department! Even the zombies are impressive and full of character! Each one seems to tell a story as they are all costumed differently and have different wounds. The makeup effects, done by Michelle Webb, were also well done. As Colin decomposes, his face clearly shows the decay. There are also nifty things done with someone’s face that gets partially blown off. All the effects look very believable, realistic and utterly fantastic, which is impressive considering the low budget of the film.

The film’s direction and cinematography are equally impressive. There are some truly memorable shots, including some time-lapse photography showing skyscrapers framed against a deep blue sky, completely empty streets of London and a spectacularly shot scene showing zombie-Colin being transported with a burlap sack on his head – but the scene is shot from under the sack, giving us a view of Colin’s reactions. There are also two explosive, action-filled scenes. One involves zombies surging through a home (and the survivors trying to fight them off) and another involves an epic street battle between zombies and humans. On the down side, the film makes ample use of the “shaky cam” technique. The good news is that it works very well 80% of the time, but the bad news is that it wears out its welcome towards the end of the film.

That, my fellow fiends, is about the only complaint I have of this fantastic indie film. There is little dialogue throughout the film, but if you think watching a zombie shamble around could get a bit boring, think again! Writer/director/producer/editor Marc Price wisely injects plenty of action into the film, including scenes of survivors duking it out with hordes of the undead! Despite the fact that Colin is a flesh-eating ghoul, you’ll find yourself rooting for him rather than any survivors. I really grew attached to him (Alastair Kirton puts on an amazing performance, which helps you sympathize with his character), especially after the ear-eating scene where he takes a victim’s Walkman to listen to! These zombies are stumbling around, but it is like they are searching for bits and pieces of the human lives they lost. Colin is especially infused with remnants of his humanity and his journey is heart-wrenching to watch.

I think I can safely admit that Colin is the only zombie movie ever to bring me to tears with its moving storyline. It’s not mushy (unless you count the gore), but Colin will definitely have you counting your blessings and being thankful for the loved ones around you. This low-budget film has reinvented the subgenre and shows that humans, not zombies, are the real danger.

Colin is truly one of the best indie films so far this year and I urge you to check it out should you be lucky enough to track it down.

Book Review: Eternal Vigilance: From Deep Within the Earth

We all know the vampire subgenre has gotten a little stale and hokey. It seems that everyone is creating shallow vampire characters that serve as little more than coat hangers for the gothic clothes and opulent lifestyles that their writers hang on them. A vampire story with strong characters and a storyline that involves more than bodice-ripping and throat-slashing seems hard to find nowadays…which is why it was such a pleasure to be so enthralled by our very own Gabrielle Faust’s Eternal Vigilance: From Deep Within the Earth. Faust takes the time to develop her characters, both vampires and humans, and to also create a post-apocalyptic story that is as entrancing as it is terrifying!

Tynan, a vampire that is many centuries old, awakens from a hundred year sleep to discover the world has been ravaged by many years of war. A technologically advanced organization called The Tyst now rules the world with an iron fist and its highly sophisticated artificial intelligence. The only resistance against The Tyst is the Phuree, a group of nomadic warriors that plan on stopping The Tyst’s evil plans. For, you see, The Tyst has learned that vampires exist and seek knowledge from an ancient and horrifying vampire god that would make them immortal. Tynan must help The Phuree to stop The Tyst from fulfilling their nefarious scheme to save both vampires and humans alike…and ultimately save the world he is so bitter over.

That is an extremely rough and shallow synopsis of a novel that delves deep into characters, motivations and backgrounds. To write a proper synopsis that covers the many events of the novel would take much more room than I have! Faust is thorough and comprehensive in her approach, covering Tynan’s back story as well as other characters’ without ever slowing the story down. She gives us a crystal-clear picture of what life is like after the Tyst takeover, describing the crowded and smelly market places in the city overrun by Tyst surveillance as well as the remote and dusty nomadic camp of the Phuree. Her poetic descriptions paint a vivid picture of both characters and settings as well as letting us delve deeply into Tynan’s mind.

The most commendable aspect of the novel are the well-drawn characters. The story is told from Tynan’s perspective, but Faust fills her story with many other well-rounded and memorable characters. There’s Tynan’s beautiful human lover, Jasmine, his vampire creator/enemy Phelan, and the strong-willed Phuree leaders, among many others! The characters are so exquisitely developed and have so much depth that you can’t wait to read the next page to see what they do next. Everything rings true with the characters, especially the philosophical and strong-willed Tynan.

The story itself is engaging. Faust has an elegantly poetic way with words, elevating the story of survival to a romantic level. The ugliness of the stark, post-apocalyptic world is in sharp contrast to the refined prose that graces the pages of Eternal Vigilance. Don’t confuse “refined” with “stuffy,” though, because the novel moves at a fast pace, catching you up in the story and refusing to let go even when the novel ends, leaving you thirsty for the next installment of Eternal Vigilance.

With her first installment of Eternal Vigilance, Faust has opened the vein to a new and exciting vampire mythology and I can’t wait for what blood-red prose she spills for us next!

Available from Amazon!

Doomsday (2008)

Neil Marshall is known for scaring the pants off his audience. His previous two films, the frightening The Descent and the suspenseful Dog Soldiers, showed us his skill with the horror genre and both films were acclaimed by critics and fans alike.

Marshall’s third film, Doomsday, is a fast-paced, sci-fi action thriller that is very different from his first two efforts. It shows his diversity as a writer and director and shows he can pull off a high octane, visually arresting and wholeheartedly entertaining post-apocalyptic action thriller.

In the year 2007, a deadly and incurable virus quickly infected most of Scotland. It spread as easily as the common cold and within days thousands upon thousands were infected. Fearing that the virus would spread into England as well as the rest of the world, the government quarantined the “hot zone” by constructing a huge wall around Scotland, leaving hundreds of thousands to die from the so-called “Reaper” virus. For thirty years no one re-entered the quarantined zone, but when the virus resurfaces in London, a military team led by Major Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra) is sent into the former hot zone to try and find survivors and hopefully a cure.

When they arrive in what is left of Glasgow, they discover a large band of cannibalistic marauders who see them as nothing more than dinner or as a way out of the quarantine zone. They also track down a former doctor (Malcolm McDowell) who may have the cure but prefers to live a medieval sort of life in a castle deep in the Scottish Highlands.

Can the team find a cure and make it out of the post-apocalyptic landscape alive? They only have 46 hours and a whole lotta butt-kicking to do before we find out!

Perhaps you’ve read some of the nasty, and I think, unfair, reviews and are hesitant to check out Doomsday…but I’m here to set the record straight and tell you that Doomsday is one hell of a ride that needs to be seen!!

Now, if you go in expecting the claustrophobic tension of The Descent or the sudden scares of Dog Soldiers, you will be let down…but Doomsday is an entirely different movie-going experience than Marshall’s previous two films. This one is loud, brash and in-your-face unapologetic about its influences, like Mad Max, Escape from L.A. and even (to a lesser extent) 28 Days Later. This film is Marshall’s celebration of and homage to the style of films he loves. In fact, if I had to choose one word to describe Doomsday, it would be “celebration,” as opposed to “homage.” I believe this is Marshall’s dream film and after the success of The Descent he was finally able to make it (lucky for us!).

Doomsday is insanely entertaining, from the opening scene of the “Reaper” virus outbreak and the bloody assault at the military blockade to the marauders rowdy arena show and BBQ to the exciting ending car chase! Most surprising was the high level of gore liberally sprinkled throughout the film. Marshall giddily features some gleeful grue, from people suffering the bloody explosive effects of the virus to getting squashed by military vehicles to a cute rabbit getting a little too close to the perimeter wall. And let’s not forget the many scenes of impressive hand-to-hand combat!

Actress Rhona Mitra certainly gets my vote for badass of the year! She is ripped in this movie and kicks the crap out of a lot of guys and gals alike! Her scenes of combat (and there are more than a handful) are impressive. I especially liked when she did battle with a hulking, armor-clad lad nicknamed “The Executioner.” The rest of the cast didn’t quite last nearly as long as she did, but they all did a grand job as well. However brief, it was nice to see some familiar faces from Marshall’s other films thrown into the mix as well.

The direction and cinematography are amazing. Everything going on can be clearly seen, even though use of the “shaky cam” is sometimes used. In the few instances the shaky cam is used, it is used properly and you can clearly tell what is happening, not a small feat when capturing the furious action in this flick. Equally impressive is the overall look of the film. The set and production designs are amazing to behold. The abandoned, decomposing city that nature is slowly taking back is a sight to see as is the punked out, skull festooned marauder arena and the medieval castle where the doctor rules as king. All of these clashing styles create a vivid picture of the different types of societies that have arisen out of the ashes of the “Reaper” virus.

The only complaints I have of the film are the believability of some scenes and several plot holes. There are some instances where things become way over the top and even border on comedy. I believe this was intentional by Marshall to create a larger than life, outrageous picture, but sometimes you can only suspend believability so much. Still, that being my only complaint of the film, I have to say I was thoroughly entertained by Doomsday.

If you are looking for a fun, visually stunning and exciting post-apocalyptic action thriller, Doomsday is your film. If you are looking for another Descent, consider opening yourself up to something new and different from writer/director Neil Marshall that really shows off how versatile he can really be.

Available from Amazon!