Wesley Britton's Blog - Posts Tagged "zombies"
Leslie Charteris, The Saint, and Sci Fi: Mad Scientists, Giant Ants, Zombies, and the Loch Ness Monster
When you think of Simon Templer—Leslie Charteris’s The Saint—odds are you don’t think of science fiction. However, over the decades of his print, radio, TV and film incarnations, sci fi was indeed one of many genres where the “Robin Hood of Modern Crime” found himself involved with strange and bizarre adventures.
In fact, in 1966 author Leslie Charteris claimed he worried about issuing new editions of his older Saint books capitalizing on the fame of Roger Moore whose picture would adorn new TV tie-in paperbacks. In his “Forward” to the new re-publication of his 1931 Alias The Saint, Charteris wondered if he should update the old tales. He admitted the archaic telecommunications and transportation technologies in The Saint’s early adventures had changed significantly. In a similar “Foreword” to his 1965 edition of The Saint Overboard (1935), Charteris said his Jules Verne-like machines used by mad scientists were outdated as quickly as the books went to print, making his futuristic aqualungs and bathyspheres commonplace and uninteresting thirty years later. So Charteris said he was reluctant to bring out new editions thinking readers would be better served by new books with new settings and new topical references. He decided to advise readers to consider his older books “historical fiction” because of the dated references.
He had a point. As chronicled in the opening pages of The Saint in New York (1934), The Saint’s first adventures included thwarting political assassinations and destroying mad scientists who'd created diabolical weapons Templer feared would instigate rather than deter war, situations that often foreshadowed actual historical events culminating in World War II. According to SF editor Martin Greenberg’s introduction to The Fantastic Saint (1982), Templer’s battles with such mad scientists began with 1930’s The Last Hero (a.k.a. The Saint Closes the Case), published just two years after the character’s debut in Meet the Tiger (1928). In The Last Hero, Templer stumbled upon a secret British government installation where he witness the testing of a deadly and mysterious weapon—the electroncloud machine. The machine created a vapor capable of turning anything it touches into ash. As the plot unfolded, Templer discovered the inventor is insane and determines the scientist must die and his formula destroyed to keep it from falling into the hands of “the ungodly”—Templer’s term for his criminal adversaries.
The 1982 Fantastic Saint anthology of six short stories edited by Greenberg includes the most overt sci fi/supernatural Templer adventures originally published between 1932 and 1959 in various magazines. The collection opens with “The gold standard,” which is mostly the usual Saint fare with Templer matching wits with Inspector Teale of Scotland Yard and a criminal who’s kidnapped a gullible scientist who can transform base metals into gold. That machine is the only real sci fi trapping for this quick and rather predictable read. Likewise, the second story, "The Newdick Helicopter" deals with an inventor who purports to have created a helicopter capable of feats no other flying machine can, but this rather unsatisfactory short, short story is really all about a small-time flim-flam.
"The Man Who Liked Ants" is the first of the yarns that really fits the sci fi label with a deranged biologist who has created a race of giant ants the professor believes will inherit the earth and replace man. The story is full of scientific jargon from the professor before Templer steps in to end the frightening and deadly menace.
“The questing tycoon” veers into the supernatural when the Saint rescues a voodoo priestess with prophetic powers before he meets a tycoon who wants the power to create zombies to be his laborers. He tries to make Templer into a zombie not knowing the priestess has created a charm that prevents this before she turns the table on the evil tycoon, the very definition of the “ungodly.”
"The Darker Drink" is perhaps the most difficult tale to categorize except perhaps as a dream within a dream. In it, Templer is alone in a cabin when a strange man named Big Bill Holbrook—maybe that’s his name, he’s not sure--stumbles in, claiming he’s trapped in a dream he cannot escape and the Saint must be part of his dream. Then an entrancing woman joins the mix followed by three gangsters who seem to kill the Saint.
But Templer awakens in the cabin unscathed and finds his way to Holbrook’s home and discovers he has died in bed talking about the Saint. An odd story that’s certainly fantastic and very atypical of the usual Charteris story with a logical conclusion with all loose ends tidied up. Not this time.
Appropriately, the collection concludes with "The Convenient Monster," in which a Scottish policeman asks the Saint to help investigate murders of animals that might be committed by the Loch Ness monster. Templer thinks a bit of human trickery might be involved; in the end, he’s proved half correct. A very human killer is discovered with the device she thought would cover her crimes, but “Nessie” makes a dramatic cameo that Templer witnesses. It’s the monster that takes out the scheming woman who’s been trying to frame him. Or her. Or it. In short, it’s a conclusion with both a plausible solution blended with the fantastic.
The Saint and Science
Once The Saint became a regular TV series, Charteris relied on many other authors to craft new stories, both teleplays and print adaptations he edited for publication. For example, in 1964, sci fi author Harry Harrison wrote Vendetta for the Saint that became a TV movie starring Roger Moore and the novelization of that story. Then, in 1978, Terence Feely wrote a teleplay for the Return of The Saint series, “The Imprudent Professor.” It was a story adapted by Graham Weaver for The Saint in Trouble, a book of two such adaptations. I mention it here as that story focused on a professor who had perfected solar panels long before their common use. The professor’s work was opposed by energy companies not eager for this new technology that would erode their profits even as the Russians do all they can to lure the scientist to work for them in Moscow.
“The Imprudent Professor” is by no stretch of the imagination a sci fi story. The solar panels are merely a MacGuffin in a straightforward Soviet vs. Western intelligence power play, a very typical espionage plot. Still, there are things of interest here. For one matter, clearly, Charteris approved of Weaver’s interpretation of the Saint character which included some interesting thoughts on what Templer thought of scientists.
In the first pages of “The Imprudent Professor,” Templer muses on his distrust of scientists, believing most important discoveries were stumbled on to by accident. For every useful breakthrough was an offsetting discovery that brought with it disastrous consequences. On a personal level, Templer remembered it was a mad scientist who destroyed his anonymity in The Last Hero. He admits his knowledge of science wouldn’t fill the back of a post card.
What these notes might tell us about what Leslie Charteris felt about scientists is probably negligible, although it’s fun to speculate about why he was among so many 20th century writers who found egotistical or power-hungry masterminds frequent adversaries for their earthier heroes. The Saint first appeared in the aftermath of World War I and many of his adventures took place in the decades leading up to World War II where Charteris could show his prescience for what was coming. Of course, many of his later stories were set in Cold War contexts where agents of the East and West vied for technological advantages whenever opportunity was laid before them.
So seeing The Saint in fantastic situations, especially when cutting-edge technology could be dangerous to humanity, shouldn’t be surprising, especially for a writer who used a wide palate of plotlines and circumstances to create variety in his yarns. On one side, giant ants and the Loch Ness Monster; on the other, technology that could tip the outcomes of both hot and cold wars. No wonder, from 1928 to the present, we’ve always needed a Saint.
In fact, in 1966 author Leslie Charteris claimed he worried about issuing new editions of his older Saint books capitalizing on the fame of Roger Moore whose picture would adorn new TV tie-in paperbacks. In his “Forward” to the new re-publication of his 1931 Alias The Saint, Charteris wondered if he should update the old tales. He admitted the archaic telecommunications and transportation technologies in The Saint’s early adventures had changed significantly. In a similar “Foreword” to his 1965 edition of The Saint Overboard (1935), Charteris said his Jules Verne-like machines used by mad scientists were outdated as quickly as the books went to print, making his futuristic aqualungs and bathyspheres commonplace and uninteresting thirty years later. So Charteris said he was reluctant to bring out new editions thinking readers would be better served by new books with new settings and new topical references. He decided to advise readers to consider his older books “historical fiction” because of the dated references.
He had a point. As chronicled in the opening pages of The Saint in New York (1934), The Saint’s first adventures included thwarting political assassinations and destroying mad scientists who'd created diabolical weapons Templer feared would instigate rather than deter war, situations that often foreshadowed actual historical events culminating in World War II. According to SF editor Martin Greenberg’s introduction to The Fantastic Saint (1982), Templer’s battles with such mad scientists began with 1930’s The Last Hero (a.k.a. The Saint Closes the Case), published just two years after the character’s debut in Meet the Tiger (1928). In The Last Hero, Templer stumbled upon a secret British government installation where he witness the testing of a deadly and mysterious weapon—the electroncloud machine. The machine created a vapor capable of turning anything it touches into ash. As the plot unfolded, Templer discovered the inventor is insane and determines the scientist must die and his formula destroyed to keep it from falling into the hands of “the ungodly”—Templer’s term for his criminal adversaries.
The 1982 Fantastic Saint anthology of six short stories edited by Greenberg includes the most overt sci fi/supernatural Templer adventures originally published between 1932 and 1959 in various magazines. The collection opens with “The gold standard,” which is mostly the usual Saint fare with Templer matching wits with Inspector Teale of Scotland Yard and a criminal who’s kidnapped a gullible scientist who can transform base metals into gold. That machine is the only real sci fi trapping for this quick and rather predictable read. Likewise, the second story, "The Newdick Helicopter" deals with an inventor who purports to have created a helicopter capable of feats no other flying machine can, but this rather unsatisfactory short, short story is really all about a small-time flim-flam.
"The Man Who Liked Ants" is the first of the yarns that really fits the sci fi label with a deranged biologist who has created a race of giant ants the professor believes will inherit the earth and replace man. The story is full of scientific jargon from the professor before Templer steps in to end the frightening and deadly menace.
“The questing tycoon” veers into the supernatural when the Saint rescues a voodoo priestess with prophetic powers before he meets a tycoon who wants the power to create zombies to be his laborers. He tries to make Templer into a zombie not knowing the priestess has created a charm that prevents this before she turns the table on the evil tycoon, the very definition of the “ungodly.”
"The Darker Drink" is perhaps the most difficult tale to categorize except perhaps as a dream within a dream. In it, Templer is alone in a cabin when a strange man named Big Bill Holbrook—maybe that’s his name, he’s not sure--stumbles in, claiming he’s trapped in a dream he cannot escape and the Saint must be part of his dream. Then an entrancing woman joins the mix followed by three gangsters who seem to kill the Saint.
But Templer awakens in the cabin unscathed and finds his way to Holbrook’s home and discovers he has died in bed talking about the Saint. An odd story that’s certainly fantastic and very atypical of the usual Charteris story with a logical conclusion with all loose ends tidied up. Not this time.
Appropriately, the collection concludes with "The Convenient Monster," in which a Scottish policeman asks the Saint to help investigate murders of animals that might be committed by the Loch Ness monster. Templer thinks a bit of human trickery might be involved; in the end, he’s proved half correct. A very human killer is discovered with the device she thought would cover her crimes, but “Nessie” makes a dramatic cameo that Templer witnesses. It’s the monster that takes out the scheming woman who’s been trying to frame him. Or her. Or it. In short, it’s a conclusion with both a plausible solution blended with the fantastic.
The Saint and Science
Once The Saint became a regular TV series, Charteris relied on many other authors to craft new stories, both teleplays and print adaptations he edited for publication. For example, in 1964, sci fi author Harry Harrison wrote Vendetta for the Saint that became a TV movie starring Roger Moore and the novelization of that story. Then, in 1978, Terence Feely wrote a teleplay for the Return of The Saint series, “The Imprudent Professor.” It was a story adapted by Graham Weaver for The Saint in Trouble, a book of two such adaptations. I mention it here as that story focused on a professor who had perfected solar panels long before their common use. The professor’s work was opposed by energy companies not eager for this new technology that would erode their profits even as the Russians do all they can to lure the scientist to work for them in Moscow.
“The Imprudent Professor” is by no stretch of the imagination a sci fi story. The solar panels are merely a MacGuffin in a straightforward Soviet vs. Western intelligence power play, a very typical espionage plot. Still, there are things of interest here. For one matter, clearly, Charteris approved of Weaver’s interpretation of the Saint character which included some interesting thoughts on what Templer thought of scientists.
In the first pages of “The Imprudent Professor,” Templer muses on his distrust of scientists, believing most important discoveries were stumbled on to by accident. For every useful breakthrough was an offsetting discovery that brought with it disastrous consequences. On a personal level, Templer remembered it was a mad scientist who destroyed his anonymity in The Last Hero. He admits his knowledge of science wouldn’t fill the back of a post card.
What these notes might tell us about what Leslie Charteris felt about scientists is probably negligible, although it’s fun to speculate about why he was among so many 20th century writers who found egotistical or power-hungry masterminds frequent adversaries for their earthier heroes. The Saint first appeared in the aftermath of World War I and many of his adventures took place in the decades leading up to World War II where Charteris could show his prescience for what was coming. Of course, many of his later stories were set in Cold War contexts where agents of the East and West vied for technological advantages whenever opportunity was laid before them.
So seeing The Saint in fantastic situations, especially when cutting-edge technology could be dangerous to humanity, shouldn’t be surprising, especially for a writer who used a wide palate of plotlines and circumstances to create variety in his yarns. On one side, giant ants and the Loch Ness Monster; on the other, technology that could tip the outcomes of both hot and cold wars. No wonder, from 1928 to the present, we’ve always needed a Saint.
Book Review: Zombie Turkeys: How an Unknown Blogger Fought Unkillable Turkeys (Life After Life) (Volume 1) by Andy Zach
Zombie Turkeys: How an Unknown Blogger Fought Unkillable Turkeys (Life After Life) (Volume 1)
Mr. Andy Zach
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (October 17, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1539466752
ISBN-13: 978-1539466758
https://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Turkeys...
Reviewed by: Dr. Wesley Britton
The title of Zombie Turkeys signals this urban fantasy is intended to be entertaining, not to be taken seriously, and likely a comic romp. You can guess there’s lots of clever twists in the story, and happily the execution is more than what readers might expect.
The yarn is fast-moving from start to finish, opening with the first attack of carnivorous red-eyed wild turkeys very difficult to kill. They can quickly resurrect after death and grow back cut-off limbs. They’re led by a tom full of confidence as Zach gives us this tom’s perspectives from time to time as he builds his flock into the tens of thousands throughout Illinois and beyond.
On the trail of the killer swarm is Sam Melvin, investigative reporter for the small-town Illinois Midley Beacon newspaper and blog edited by his future wife, Lisa. She’s motivated to put her paper on the map and exploits the invasion by selling turkey traps, turkey t-shirts, inedible turkey sausages, and ad space on the paper’s YouTube channel where she posts Sam’s videos. Along the way, as Sam recounts his adventures, we get some obvious jokes. We hear choirs of “Gobble, gobble” when the flock goes after the “predators”—mostly we humans. Humans are literally hen-pecked to death. When we hear cries of “The zombie turkeys are coming, the zombie turkeys are coming!,” the reference to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds is more than obvious.
As the setting expands, we encounter some very strange groups. They include the heavily-armed and very secretive Organic Turkey Farmers network of survivalists. PETA shows up at law enforcement press conferences protesting the “inhumane,” aggressive means needed to kill the murderous turkeys like flame-throwers and chainsaws. There’s the Zombie Widows Help Association created for the survivors of turkey attacks who offer advice on how families can gather for Thanksgiving during the carnage across Illinois. When the flock begins to invade Chicago, Second Amendment advocates press Mayor Rob Emmanuel for a loosening of gun control measures. Even President Obama has several cameos, including an aborted Thanksgiving dinner in the city. Perhaps strangest of all is the battle at Soldiers Field where the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, and a stadium of armed fans take on a horde of relentless turkeys.
Obviously, looking for clear explanations for why all this is happening is way beside the point. We learn about a Turkey Institute who discover where the infectious bacteria came from and how simple salt water is the needed cure. We hear about the Journal of Turkey Medicine where scientific reports are published. Are there really that many turkeys in Illinois? Hundreds of thousands? Maybe so, but again, making real world connections is way beside the point. After all, here’s how the author describes himself:
Andy Zach was born Anastasius Zacharias, in Greece. His parents were both zombies. Growing up, he loved animals of all kinds. After moving to the United States as a child, in high school he won a science fair by bringing toads back from suspended animation. Before turning to fiction, Andy published his PhD thesis "Methods of Revivification for Various Species of the Kingdom Animalia" in the prestigious JAPM, Journal of Paranormal Medicine. Andy, in addition to being the foremost expert on paranormal animals, enjoys breeding phoenixes. He lives in Illinois with his five phoenixes.
I’m not certain, but Promotions for the urban fantasy seem to include fake online news reports, like an article on zombie turkey attacks posted at Weekly World News, “The World's Only Reliable News.” Other online notices for Zombie Turkey games and pranks go back to 2010, so I don’t know which came first—the turkey book or a very different creative egg. Not surprisingly, during a perhaps overlong denouement in the novel, we see the seeds for a sequel, Zombie USA. Don’t put those flamethrowers and chain-saws away just yet--
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 10, 2016 at:
goo.gl/IqWpSb
Mr. Andy Zach
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (October 17, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1539466752
ISBN-13: 978-1539466758
https://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Turkeys...
Reviewed by: Dr. Wesley Britton
The title of Zombie Turkeys signals this urban fantasy is intended to be entertaining, not to be taken seriously, and likely a comic romp. You can guess there’s lots of clever twists in the story, and happily the execution is more than what readers might expect.
The yarn is fast-moving from start to finish, opening with the first attack of carnivorous red-eyed wild turkeys very difficult to kill. They can quickly resurrect after death and grow back cut-off limbs. They’re led by a tom full of confidence as Zach gives us this tom’s perspectives from time to time as he builds his flock into the tens of thousands throughout Illinois and beyond.
On the trail of the killer swarm is Sam Melvin, investigative reporter for the small-town Illinois Midley Beacon newspaper and blog edited by his future wife, Lisa. She’s motivated to put her paper on the map and exploits the invasion by selling turkey traps, turkey t-shirts, inedible turkey sausages, and ad space on the paper’s YouTube channel where she posts Sam’s videos. Along the way, as Sam recounts his adventures, we get some obvious jokes. We hear choirs of “Gobble, gobble” when the flock goes after the “predators”—mostly we humans. Humans are literally hen-pecked to death. When we hear cries of “The zombie turkeys are coming, the zombie turkeys are coming!,” the reference to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds is more than obvious.
As the setting expands, we encounter some very strange groups. They include the heavily-armed and very secretive Organic Turkey Farmers network of survivalists. PETA shows up at law enforcement press conferences protesting the “inhumane,” aggressive means needed to kill the murderous turkeys like flame-throwers and chainsaws. There’s the Zombie Widows Help Association created for the survivors of turkey attacks who offer advice on how families can gather for Thanksgiving during the carnage across Illinois. When the flock begins to invade Chicago, Second Amendment advocates press Mayor Rob Emmanuel for a loosening of gun control measures. Even President Obama has several cameos, including an aborted Thanksgiving dinner in the city. Perhaps strangest of all is the battle at Soldiers Field where the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, and a stadium of armed fans take on a horde of relentless turkeys.
Obviously, looking for clear explanations for why all this is happening is way beside the point. We learn about a Turkey Institute who discover where the infectious bacteria came from and how simple salt water is the needed cure. We hear about the Journal of Turkey Medicine where scientific reports are published. Are there really that many turkeys in Illinois? Hundreds of thousands? Maybe so, but again, making real world connections is way beside the point. After all, here’s how the author describes himself:
Andy Zach was born Anastasius Zacharias, in Greece. His parents were both zombies. Growing up, he loved animals of all kinds. After moving to the United States as a child, in high school he won a science fair by bringing toads back from suspended animation. Before turning to fiction, Andy published his PhD thesis "Methods of Revivification for Various Species of the Kingdom Animalia" in the prestigious JAPM, Journal of Paranormal Medicine. Andy, in addition to being the foremost expert on paranormal animals, enjoys breeding phoenixes. He lives in Illinois with his five phoenixes.
I’m not certain, but Promotions for the urban fantasy seem to include fake online news reports, like an article on zombie turkey attacks posted at Weekly World News, “The World's Only Reliable News.” Other online notices for Zombie Turkey games and pranks go back to 2010, so I don’t know which came first—the turkey book or a very different creative egg. Not surprisingly, during a perhaps overlong denouement in the novel, we see the seeds for a sequel, Zombie USA. Don’t put those flamethrowers and chain-saws away just yet--
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 10, 2016 at:
goo.gl/IqWpSb
Book Review: My Undead Mother-in-law: The Family Zombie With Anger Management Issues by Andy Zach
My Undead Mother-in-law: The Family Zombie With Anger Management Issues (Life After Life Chronicles Book 2)
Andy Zach (Author), Sean Flanagan (Illustrator)
Print Length: 275 pages
Publisher: Jule Inc; 1 edition (August 5, 2017)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B0743FQ3QC
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0743FQ3QC
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
I first experienced the bizarre imagination of Andy Zach when I read his Zombie Turkeys: How an Unknown Blogger Fought Unkillable Turkeys (Life After Life Volume 1) which I reviewed for BookPleasures.com on Jan. 10, 2016 at:
goo.gl/IqWpSb
In that romp, blogger Sam Melvin tracked a horde of carnivorous red-eyed zombie turkeys plaguing Illinois in a zombie apocalypse while his boss/ girlfriend Lisa used his blog stories to build her website where the couple hocked all manner of killer turkey merchandise.
Now, in volume 2 of the series, Sam meets a family of human zombies. They’re nothing like the usual relentless undead walkers you’ve come to expect. In Zach’s world, zombie humans don’t mind the changes their bodies went through as the changes are mostly improvements. Lost limbs grow back and bodies don’t quit. In particular, Diane Newby, the undead mother-in-law of the title, becomes a zombie advocate urging her family to share their blood with other people, especially the elderly and disabled, whose ailments are “cured” when the zombie blood transforms them. In addition, Diane “reasons” with savage zombie animals like turkeys and bulls, taming them to behave themselves and obey her commands.
Perhaps not surprisingly, medical authorities and the government are divided on deciding just what the best response to all this should be. Is it discrimination for the NFL and other leagues to ban zombies from sports? What sort of legislation should Congress pass?
If all that weirdness isn’t enough for you, toss in European crime lord Vik Staskas who wants to take over America using hijacked zombie blood. He controls deadly remote-controlled cyborg animals like rats, snakes, and monkeys. They can talk and threaten pilots and ship captains to go where the billionaire wants them to go. Thus begins the war between zombie humans, turkeys, and bulls vs. cyborg snakes, gorillas, and chimpanzees. If all that still isn’t enough for you, well, next comes . . . zombies at sea, vicious killer zombie hula-girls with shapely legs, zombies watching The Night of the Living Dead with the Trumps in the White House . . .
Obviously, Zach isn’t expecting his readers to take any of this seriously. So he doesn’t spend much time developing his characters, describing his settings, or doing anything at all that would slow his fast-moving narrative. Yes, it’s a violent, bloody book with considerable carnage, but carnage of a very cartoonish nature. After all, zombies of any species can’t be killed, and cyborg creatures being smashed, crushed, or blown up aren’t likely to distress any reader’s sensibilities.
So My Undead Mother-In-Law, while not publicized as a YA story, should appeal to a generation for whom blogging is part of their daily life. Zach even asked a less than famous blogger to write the humorous “Foreword” to the book. That’s really what any reader needs to enjoy this strange yarn—a sense of humor and a willingness to lose yourself in a world that never was and never will be. But a world that seems likely to appear once again in yet another sequel.
This review was first published at BookPleasures.com on Aug. 14, 2017 at:
http://dpli.ir/Z1dJCo
Andy Zach (Author), Sean Flanagan (Illustrator)
Print Length: 275 pages
Publisher: Jule Inc; 1 edition (August 5, 2017)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B0743FQ3QC
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0743FQ3QC
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
I first experienced the bizarre imagination of Andy Zach when I read his Zombie Turkeys: How an Unknown Blogger Fought Unkillable Turkeys (Life After Life Volume 1) which I reviewed for BookPleasures.com on Jan. 10, 2016 at:
goo.gl/IqWpSb
In that romp, blogger Sam Melvin tracked a horde of carnivorous red-eyed zombie turkeys plaguing Illinois in a zombie apocalypse while his boss/ girlfriend Lisa used his blog stories to build her website where the couple hocked all manner of killer turkey merchandise.
Now, in volume 2 of the series, Sam meets a family of human zombies. They’re nothing like the usual relentless undead walkers you’ve come to expect. In Zach’s world, zombie humans don’t mind the changes their bodies went through as the changes are mostly improvements. Lost limbs grow back and bodies don’t quit. In particular, Diane Newby, the undead mother-in-law of the title, becomes a zombie advocate urging her family to share their blood with other people, especially the elderly and disabled, whose ailments are “cured” when the zombie blood transforms them. In addition, Diane “reasons” with savage zombie animals like turkeys and bulls, taming them to behave themselves and obey her commands.
Perhaps not surprisingly, medical authorities and the government are divided on deciding just what the best response to all this should be. Is it discrimination for the NFL and other leagues to ban zombies from sports? What sort of legislation should Congress pass?
If all that weirdness isn’t enough for you, toss in European crime lord Vik Staskas who wants to take over America using hijacked zombie blood. He controls deadly remote-controlled cyborg animals like rats, snakes, and monkeys. They can talk and threaten pilots and ship captains to go where the billionaire wants them to go. Thus begins the war between zombie humans, turkeys, and bulls vs. cyborg snakes, gorillas, and chimpanzees. If all that still isn’t enough for you, well, next comes . . . zombies at sea, vicious killer zombie hula-girls with shapely legs, zombies watching The Night of the Living Dead with the Trumps in the White House . . .
Obviously, Zach isn’t expecting his readers to take any of this seriously. So he doesn’t spend much time developing his characters, describing his settings, or doing anything at all that would slow his fast-moving narrative. Yes, it’s a violent, bloody book with considerable carnage, but carnage of a very cartoonish nature. After all, zombies of any species can’t be killed, and cyborg creatures being smashed, crushed, or blown up aren’t likely to distress any reader’s sensibilities.
So My Undead Mother-In-Law, while not publicized as a YA story, should appeal to a generation for whom blogging is part of their daily life. Zach even asked a less than famous blogger to write the humorous “Foreword” to the book. That’s really what any reader needs to enjoy this strange yarn—a sense of humor and a willingness to lose yourself in a world that never was and never will be. But a world that seems likely to appear once again in yet another sequel.
This review was first published at BookPleasures.com on Aug. 14, 2017 at:
http://dpli.ir/Z1dJCo
Book Review: Soldiers of ZED: Book 1 - Tripton-Z Series by WR Peden
Soldiers of ZED: Book 1 - Tripton-Z Series
WR Peden
Print Length: 149 pages
Publication Date: July 1, 2017
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B072Q2L4RB
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072Q2L4RB/...
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
Zombies again. The only thing more relentless than zombie walkers coming at ya on the small screen is the never-ending avalanche of zombie novels with a wide variety of approaches from zombie turkeys to zombie tetherball in the high school down the street.
In WR Peden’s fast-paced entry in the genre, we’re quickly tossed into the action when Cordell Banks, an Iraqi war vet and family man with huge gaps in his memory, finds himself trying to escape from a horde of zombies in a downtown hotel. How did he get there? He doesn’t remember. In short order, he’s surrounded by members of the Soldiers of Zed military group who take out the zombies and inform Banks about their private headquarters as the official U.S. Government apparently no longer exists.
In equally short order, Banks rescues a young man named DJ from yet more zombies and the two begin a cross-country journey to find the Soldiers of Zed base and escape from the clutches of another quasi-military outfit calling itself the Silent Soldiers. It’s not clear what the Silent Soldiers want from the pair, but Banks and DJ are continually on the run from them as well as the inevitable seas of mindless but easy to kill zombies wandering pretty much everywhere.
Soldiers of Zed is non-stop action with Banks and DJ, as well as the reader, rarely able to pause to catch our breaths. At such a pace, despite the story being told in the first person (From Banks perspective), we don’t get much reflection or philosophical thought about what it all means. While we know Banks is looking for his family, we see only occasional flashes from his memories and not many emotional tugs regarding the quest.
Mostly, we get a detailed and vivid play-by-play of Banks’s actions, both the planning and then execution.
This isn’t one of those speculative fiction outings with a message or theme or warning. It’s a straight-ahead grim and often grisly roller-coaster of a ride. In the end, Soldiers of Zed is strictly for zombie fans, and there’s no shortage of such folks. I suspect their favorite words in the book will be in the title—book one. Obviously, there’s more to come and if you make it to the cliff-hanger ending, book two won’t arrive soon enough.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Nov. 5, 2017:
http://dpli.ir/09W8Mm
WR Peden
Print Length: 149 pages
Publication Date: July 1, 2017
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B072Q2L4RB
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072Q2L4RB/...
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
Zombies again. The only thing more relentless than zombie walkers coming at ya on the small screen is the never-ending avalanche of zombie novels with a wide variety of approaches from zombie turkeys to zombie tetherball in the high school down the street.
In WR Peden’s fast-paced entry in the genre, we’re quickly tossed into the action when Cordell Banks, an Iraqi war vet and family man with huge gaps in his memory, finds himself trying to escape from a horde of zombies in a downtown hotel. How did he get there? He doesn’t remember. In short order, he’s surrounded by members of the Soldiers of Zed military group who take out the zombies and inform Banks about their private headquarters as the official U.S. Government apparently no longer exists.
In equally short order, Banks rescues a young man named DJ from yet more zombies and the two begin a cross-country journey to find the Soldiers of Zed base and escape from the clutches of another quasi-military outfit calling itself the Silent Soldiers. It’s not clear what the Silent Soldiers want from the pair, but Banks and DJ are continually on the run from them as well as the inevitable seas of mindless but easy to kill zombies wandering pretty much everywhere.
Soldiers of Zed is non-stop action with Banks and DJ, as well as the reader, rarely able to pause to catch our breaths. At such a pace, despite the story being told in the first person (From Banks perspective), we don’t get much reflection or philosophical thought about what it all means. While we know Banks is looking for his family, we see only occasional flashes from his memories and not many emotional tugs regarding the quest.
Mostly, we get a detailed and vivid play-by-play of Banks’s actions, both the planning and then execution.
This isn’t one of those speculative fiction outings with a message or theme or warning. It’s a straight-ahead grim and often grisly roller-coaster of a ride. In the end, Soldiers of Zed is strictly for zombie fans, and there’s no shortage of such folks. I suspect their favorite words in the book will be in the title—book one. Obviously, there’s more to come and if you make it to the cliff-hanger ending, book two won’t arrive soon enough.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Nov. 5, 2017:
http://dpli.ir/09W8Mm
Book Review: Paranormal Privateers: The Adventures of the Undead (Life After Life Volume 3) by Andy Zach
Paranormal Privateers: The Adventures of the Undead (Life After Life Volume 3) Andy Zach
Publisher: Jule Inc.; 1 edition (May 5, 2018)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B07CJP8FYP
https://www.amazon.com/Paranormal-Pri...
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
Paranormal Privateers is my third go-around with author Andy Zack. First, I read his bizarre Zombie Turkeys (How an Unknown Blogger Fought Unkillable Turkeys) (2016). Next came My Undead Mother-In-Law (The Family Zombie with Anger Management Issues) (2017). As the titles suggest, Zack’s world of zombie animals and people aren’t meant to terrify readers. Instead, Zack is out to amuse and entertain us with the most unusual situations and scenes most of us will ever experience on the printed page.
Paranormal Privateers continues the weirdness with a handful of returning characters and the type of zombies few of us would want to kill, destroy, or dismember. They’re, for the most part, super-heroes with superior strength, resistance to diseases like cancer, and the ability to regenerate limbs and other body parts. These zombies don’t want to lose these abilities so they carry around vials of infected blood to make sure they have the means to become a zombie again in case somebody cures them.
This time around, a crew of zombies has a presidential commission and a super-yacht to take on missions the U.S. Military can’t. Their leader is the impatient Diane Newby, the “Undead Mother-in-Law” of the previous volume. She fiercely leads her comrades as they battle Somali pirates, Crimean human slavers, and London terrorists in Harrods department store with the aid of huge zombie bulls. (Talk about a bull in a china shop!) then, a more serious scenario pulls together three storylines as the zombie team infiltrate a North Korean nuclear facility. One of these storylines centers on a North Korean defector who first becomes a zombie, then a Christian, and then he does his best to spread both in a prison camp.
Along the way, the heroic zombies and their human allies must suffer with the schemes of Sid Boffin, a 120-year-old criminal genius who wants to rule the earth and destroy all zombies with viruses carried on fly feet. Despite his efforts, Diane and her group fight on even after losing their zombie strength and regenerative abilities.
And then . . . we get an alien spaceship bringing powerful aliens to earth. It’s almost a completely different book from that point forward, beginning about 2/3 of the way in Paranormal Privateers.
All three volumes of the “Life After Life” series so far are fast-paced romps with minimal character development full of quirky humor and off-the-wall satire. While not billed as YA novels, I see no reason why young adults wouldn’t especially enjoy these yarns. There’s much about blogging, Skype, and other contemporary matters throughout all the adventures. How about a Kickstarter campaign to fund a cure for the anti-zombie virus? Political correctness? Say “paranormal people,” not “zombies.”
No reader needs to read the previous books to jump into the action, although it wouldn’t hurt to read My Undead Mother-in-Law first to get some character background. But all you need to get into the quirky world of Andy Zack is to have a healthy sense of humor and the willingness to travel to a world that never was and never will be.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Aug. 6, 2018:
https://waa.ai/acSL
Publisher: Jule Inc.; 1 edition (May 5, 2018)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B07CJP8FYP
https://www.amazon.com/Paranormal-Pri...
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
Paranormal Privateers is my third go-around with author Andy Zack. First, I read his bizarre Zombie Turkeys (How an Unknown Blogger Fought Unkillable Turkeys) (2016). Next came My Undead Mother-In-Law (The Family Zombie with Anger Management Issues) (2017). As the titles suggest, Zack’s world of zombie animals and people aren’t meant to terrify readers. Instead, Zack is out to amuse and entertain us with the most unusual situations and scenes most of us will ever experience on the printed page.
Paranormal Privateers continues the weirdness with a handful of returning characters and the type of zombies few of us would want to kill, destroy, or dismember. They’re, for the most part, super-heroes with superior strength, resistance to diseases like cancer, and the ability to regenerate limbs and other body parts. These zombies don’t want to lose these abilities so they carry around vials of infected blood to make sure they have the means to become a zombie again in case somebody cures them.
This time around, a crew of zombies has a presidential commission and a super-yacht to take on missions the U.S. Military can’t. Their leader is the impatient Diane Newby, the “Undead Mother-in-Law” of the previous volume. She fiercely leads her comrades as they battle Somali pirates, Crimean human slavers, and London terrorists in Harrods department store with the aid of huge zombie bulls. (Talk about a bull in a china shop!) then, a more serious scenario pulls together three storylines as the zombie team infiltrate a North Korean nuclear facility. One of these storylines centers on a North Korean defector who first becomes a zombie, then a Christian, and then he does his best to spread both in a prison camp.
Along the way, the heroic zombies and their human allies must suffer with the schemes of Sid Boffin, a 120-year-old criminal genius who wants to rule the earth and destroy all zombies with viruses carried on fly feet. Despite his efforts, Diane and her group fight on even after losing their zombie strength and regenerative abilities.
And then . . . we get an alien spaceship bringing powerful aliens to earth. It’s almost a completely different book from that point forward, beginning about 2/3 of the way in Paranormal Privateers.
All three volumes of the “Life After Life” series so far are fast-paced romps with minimal character development full of quirky humor and off-the-wall satire. While not billed as YA novels, I see no reason why young adults wouldn’t especially enjoy these yarns. There’s much about blogging, Skype, and other contemporary matters throughout all the adventures. How about a Kickstarter campaign to fund a cure for the anti-zombie virus? Political correctness? Say “paranormal people,” not “zombies.”
No reader needs to read the previous books to jump into the action, although it wouldn’t hurt to read My Undead Mother-in-Law first to get some character background. But all you need to get into the quirky world of Andy Zack is to have a healthy sense of humor and the willingness to travel to a world that never was and never will be.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Aug. 6, 2018:
https://waa.ai/acSL
Book Review: Oops!: Tales of the Zombie Turkey Apocalypse (Life After Life Chronicles Book 4) by Andy Zach
Oops!: Tales of the Zombie Turkey Apocalypse (Life After Life Chronicles Book 4)
Andy Zach
Publication Date: January 2, 2020
Publisher: Jule Inc; 1st Edition (January 2, 2020)
ASIN: B0825G9MPG
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0825G...
You'd think after three oddball novels, Zombie Turkeys (How an Unknown Blogger Fought Unkillable Turkeys), My Undead Mother-In-Law (The Family Zombie with Anger Management Issues), and Paranormal Privateers, that Andy Zach would have exhausted all the comic possibilities in his world of killer zombie turkeys and superhero zombie humans.
You'd be wrong. How about flying zombie pickles? Zombie zucchini? Zombie caterpillars? (How can you tell a zombie caterpillar from a normal one? Andy Zach can tell you.)
How about being injected with zombie blood which can cure any ill, regrow any lost limb, and be quickly cured with a widely available antidote? Who needs insurance with that sort of help? How about organizing a zombie worker union at Amazon when zombies can outperform robots? And suggest the story is based on two real people, Anthony and Ravan Jones who contribute the foreword to the book? Or zombie residents of a nursing home taking over the place?
But all this silliness is just part of what Andy Zach has collected in Oops. He has included other short stories by other authors like "The Story of Sound" by Olivia Smith and his own "A Phoenix Tale" before diving into his zombie world. Then he offers a batch of stories based on his other book series featuring disabled middle-schoolers who become superheroes, the Secret Supers. Oh yea, there are the aliens who first appeared in Paranormal Privateers who are defeated by zombies working for the U.S. Government. The aliens can provide you legal assistance in the form of a sexy avatar who looks exactly like Marilyn Monroe.
If you're getting the impression that one Mr. Andy Zach has a wide and wild imagination, you are on the right track. One obvious audience for his quirky tales is the YA readership, especially for all the contemporary references like video gaming and computer lingo. But even grumpy old sixty-somethings like me can have a lot of fun with Andy's characters, scenarios, and plots. I'm still laughing at the image of migrating flying zombie pickles. Hard to get more original, unique, or surprising than Zach's "Life After Life" series. Have some fun with Andy Zach in 2020!
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Sept. 15, 2020:
https://waa.ai/uCUJ
Andy Zach
Publication Date: January 2, 2020
Publisher: Jule Inc; 1st Edition (January 2, 2020)
ASIN: B0825G9MPG
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0825G...
You'd think after three oddball novels, Zombie Turkeys (How an Unknown Blogger Fought Unkillable Turkeys), My Undead Mother-In-Law (The Family Zombie with Anger Management Issues), and Paranormal Privateers, that Andy Zach would have exhausted all the comic possibilities in his world of killer zombie turkeys and superhero zombie humans.
You'd be wrong. How about flying zombie pickles? Zombie zucchini? Zombie caterpillars? (How can you tell a zombie caterpillar from a normal one? Andy Zach can tell you.)
How about being injected with zombie blood which can cure any ill, regrow any lost limb, and be quickly cured with a widely available antidote? Who needs insurance with that sort of help? How about organizing a zombie worker union at Amazon when zombies can outperform robots? And suggest the story is based on two real people, Anthony and Ravan Jones who contribute the foreword to the book? Or zombie residents of a nursing home taking over the place?
But all this silliness is just part of what Andy Zach has collected in Oops. He has included other short stories by other authors like "The Story of Sound" by Olivia Smith and his own "A Phoenix Tale" before diving into his zombie world. Then he offers a batch of stories based on his other book series featuring disabled middle-schoolers who become superheroes, the Secret Supers. Oh yea, there are the aliens who first appeared in Paranormal Privateers who are defeated by zombies working for the U.S. Government. The aliens can provide you legal assistance in the form of a sexy avatar who looks exactly like Marilyn Monroe.
If you're getting the impression that one Mr. Andy Zach has a wide and wild imagination, you are on the right track. One obvious audience for his quirky tales is the YA readership, especially for all the contemporary references like video gaming and computer lingo. But even grumpy old sixty-somethings like me can have a lot of fun with Andy's characters, scenarios, and plots. I'm still laughing at the image of migrating flying zombie pickles. Hard to get more original, unique, or surprising than Zach's "Life After Life" series. Have some fun with Andy Zach in 2020!
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Sept. 15, 2020:
https://waa.ai/uCUJ
Wesley Britton's Blog
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“The Blind Alien is a story with a highly original concept, fascinating characters, and not-too-subtle but truthful allegories. Don’t let the ...more
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