Zomcats!

Zomtastic #2

by Jack Strange

President Doughnut has built a wall to keep the Mexicans out of America. But can he keep the zombies out too?

Desperate for help with his “zombie problem,” Doughnut flies out to see the British Prime Minister.

But Britain faces a problem that's far worse than plain old zombies.

Thanks to Henderson, the original zomcat, Doughnut’s visit becomes more eventful than he could ever imagine.

Will ‘The Doughnut’ leave Britain in Air Force One or in a body-bag?


ZOMCATS! Is a satirically dark humour littered with blood, horror and gore.

Zomcats! When their nine lives are up they claw their way back from the dead.

Genres: Horror, Zombies, Humor

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2016

About the author

I'm a writer, these are my books:
http://mybook.to/ChefZombie
http://mybook.to/Zomcats
http://mybook.to/Thatchenstein
http://mybook.to/ConfessionsE
http://mybook.to/manchestervice

Take a look at my author pages with my publishers:
https://www.nextchapter.pub/authors/a...

I write as Jack D McLean. My books were originally written as Jack Strange then re-released as Jack D McLean novels.

I’ve had a very varied career.

Its included working in a morgue, digging holes for a living, shifting heavy things onto trucks and off them again, selling advertising space, writing press-releases, and being a Solicitor of the Supreme Court (in America you’d call that being a lawyer). I’ve done other stuff too.

My favourite authors include Russell H. Greenan, Jerzy Kosinski, Jim Thompson, and Simon Kernick (and a great many more – far too many to mention).
I enjoy parties and I keep myself fit.

I'm married with two adult daughters.
If you want to get in touch with me, you can email me at:
jack-strange@outlook.com
Or contact me on Twitter: @jackstrange11

How I rate books: I just rate them based on whether they had me turning the page. That's it. I don't break them down and analyse plotting, characterisation etc. Please note: there are lots of books out there that are perfectly good books, but I didn't like them. So if I give a book a bad review, don't take my word for it - read at least some of the book and exercise your own judgement!

Reviews

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zomcats! is the follow up to Celebrity Chef Zombie Apocalypse, and one I was happy to discover. The ginger feline, Henderson, was originally brought (back) to life in that book, and he quietly stole the show! This time around, he is the rightful star of the novel. Well, he and the American president which we'll get to in a moment.

In this novel, we follow Henderson's travels as the American president visits the U.K., seeking help with the zombie problem. Since the Prime Minister successfully dealt with the celebrity chef zombies in Britain, President Adolf Doughnut wants to see if he can do the same to the zombies in the U.S. Since the two are in an infantile pissing contest, the Prime Minister makes the President come to the U.K. to get the requested aid.

President Doughnut is the amalgamation of a few different people and is totally hilarious. Just like in the first book, there are plenty of political observations and commentary here. Even though I thought the first one was a bit sharper, the sarcasm and wit are both evident here in Zomcats! as well.

If you are in the mood for a creature feature that contains razor sharp wit as well as bloody, gory and insanely funny zomcat kills, then this is the book for you!

You can get your copy here: Zomcats!

*I was gifted an e-copy of Zomcats! in exchange for my honest review. This is it!*

[Don Gerstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading “Celebrity Chef Zombie Apocalypse,” I thought that the second book would be more of the same. It was, and then again, it wasn’t.

“Zomcats” is the second book in the Zomtastic series written by author Jack D. McLean, which continues with offbeat zombie theme from Book 1. Some of the freshness is gone, which is to be expected with any new idea. However, I wasn’t as caught up in Zomcats as I was with the first book.

Perhaps the reason could have been the political aspects in the story. It might just be me, but having lived through the last three years of humorous attempts aimed at the current President possibly inoculated me against more of the same. The time spent with the zombies is reduced to a minimum and the politicians moved to the front of the stage. The humor introduced by President Doughnut (Book 2) paled when matched with the wit of zombie Floyd Rampant (Book 1). The zomcat “gang” falls between horror and humor, never really reaching one side or the other.

Mr. McLean’s writing style keeps the book’s head above water. Professional at all time, it kept me reading until the end as I gamely hoped that “Zomcats” would take a turn and head for the heights of “Celebrity Chef.” Lovers of anything zombie, readers of quirky books, and anyone who dislikes the current American President will undoubtedly find a higher level of humor in the book than I did. To be fair, every middle story of most trilogies (think: Star Wars movies) is generally the weakest link, which bodes well for the author’s next book in this series. Three-and-a-half stars.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zomcats! by Jack Strange is a funny, crazy, politically incorrect, fantasy that had me snickering along the way through the book. If you need a pick-me-up book that is abnormal, a Monty Pythonish book, look no further. This book is for you. The cat the is brought back from the dead in book one, well he is back. You never knew what happened to him, well now we know! A fun, goofy book that goes from zombie cats, to getting the President involved, and that's when I really started laughing! OMG! I loved this part of the book the best. PERFECT! I was given this book to read and the review was my idea, I was not under any obligation. But it is such a hoot, I have to share. Great British humor that even us crazy Americans can enjoy, LOL. Loved it!

[Dawn Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very unusual book, very funny, well written and an easy read.Not usually my type of book but a good read.

[Allen Mast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henderson the Zomcat is back. Is the world safe or just a little zombier..., more zombiefied..., got more zombies in it? A fun book. Bloody and fun, with a little fur thrown in. Will Henderson get sent to that litter box in the sky? I ain't telling.

[Mkittysamom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zomcats is a great idea! I love cute fluffy cats as horrific cannibals! The most gruesome looking cat was Henderson: (also one of the first zomcats)
"One of the cats raised its head. It was a big ginger brute of a cat, with a midsection that looked like a circular saw. Its evil eyes seemed to glow a bright red color."
I think that the story was going in too many directions and it didn't quite all come together. And the ending didn't feel like the end.. hopefully there will be a sequel to answer the many questions left unanswered. It was a quick read, slightly confusing but overall funny and enjoyable!

My synopsis and detailed review. Questions, Quotes, and Opinions.
PART I: ENGLAND -CHAPTER 1:
We meet Henderson the "zomcat" stalking a muntjac deer.
"The cat feasted on its corpse then pushed on over the bleak Yorkshire moors, looking for bigger and better prey. Just over the next hill, directly in his path, lay the Yorkshire village of Nobblethwaite."
"He curled up there and fell asleep, and dreamed of his old owner in Croydon, the kindly Mrs Thompson. She’d taken him in when he’d been a stray, and she’d looked after him until he’d been killed in a car accident and then turned into a zombie by Professor Ted Forsyth."
"He’d been run over by a car which had squashed his midsection flat and killed him. The next thing he knew, he was waking up in the cellar of his next-door neighbour, Professor Ted Forsyth, who lived at 41 Acacia Avenue in the London borough of Sutton, near Croydon. Forsyth had built a machine he called the ‘Lazarus Engine’, and he had used it to raise Henderson from the dead. Unfortunately, the process hadn’t quite worked as planned, for it hadn’t truly brought Henderson back to life; instead, it had turned him into a zombie cat, or zomcat. Moreover, it hadn’t done anything to fix his midsection, which remained flat as a pancake and resembled the blade of a circular saw, owing to his vertebrae protruding up from it."

So obviously the story takes place in England and spoofs the politics, culture and hilarious dialect spoken there. As well as common "stereotypes" people often believe.


Locations: Yorkshire,(the moors)
Nobblewaithe Village-( "The CSI began his examination of the crime scene, while the tracker team fanned out in their groups, checking the few roads and gardens in the small village, and established that the threat was no longer present.")

Nodger Hill (steep incline which leadsto Slawit Hall)

Slawit Hall (Bob Slawit lives here. "his home, which was perched alone on the top of the hill, a mile outside Nobblethwaite") (the address described by Bob “Slawit Hall, Nodger Hill, Nobblethwaite.")

Ne’er Do Well (the one lonely pub)

Village bakery ("Marjory Jones, the proprietor of the Village Bakery") (village High Street)

McDonald's

Nab Police Station ("Why didn’t he come to help me?” “There’s been a lot of coppers made redundant from up at the Nab Police Station, Bob. So, Constable Bryson must cover ten villages now. He only comes to Nobblethwaite every second Monday and on Bank Holidays.”)

Accident and Casualty department of the Nab Hospital

Butcher’s shop (village High Street)




Huddersfield-
Nobble Moor
Stonker Edge Farm (home of
Stonker Lane

London Borough of Sutton (near Croydon)-
Acacia Avenue
Croydon-

"Bodmin Moor’s over three hundred miles south of here"- home of the Beast of Bodmin Moor
Barnsley- (where Owen Blackhead grew up)
“Said Bigfucka Briggs. Bigfucka was the leader of the Savages, a teenage gang that had been terrorising the villagers of Nobblethwaite for months." “That lot are the Savages, one of the gangs from the council estate up the road."
Bigfucka Briggs, Nipper Davies, <- the characters names are ingenious!! (There are two cats named "mutha" and "fucka" that appear later in the book.)<\spoiler>

Not finished more edit plus more coming easier to write this down than type on iPad...erg

[Kelly Rickard · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked Celebrity chef zombie apocalypse then you will love this.

Jack Strange does it again with a laugh out loud book about zombie cats. There is lots of driving satire and it's very clever and witty. Also have fun guessing who is a parody of real people.

A very entertaining read

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zomcats is the second in a quirky zombie series but can be read as a standalone novel.

Henderson the cat is hungry. And not in a normal way. Henderson was previously dead and has a circular saw where his abdomen should be due to being put back together by a mad scientist type. Oh and Henderson is a zombie who can infect other cats and humans. Sounds legit, right? Mix this in with heads of state from around the world competing to gain the upper hand in popularity as well as rid themselves of the zombie problem and you have the beginnings of chaos. Is there anyone who can help them?

I started reading this book with no expectations as I had downloaded it because of the title and had not read the blurb. I was pleasantly surprised! Goofy, funny, snarky and downright mad is the order of the day in this book. Be prepared for swearing and violence but with lots of clever use of innuendo and puns. The dig at politicians and their egos was so true and I can well imagine the truth in some of the scenarios. There are a few things thrown in from the first book and hints about where the book is going next so I did find a few scenes confusing when they didn’t lead anywhere.

Overall a silly book in the best of ways. Gladly there were minimal editing mistakes. Take it with a pinch of salt and read it for the giggle.

[Sarah Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like Henderson. It’s not his fault he was turned into a zomcat (zombie + domestic puss), and why wouldn’t he go to Yorkshire where four-footed food roams wild? The gang who get drunk in the Ne’re Do Well pub are human? Well, yes, but bullies and no loss. They’re all dead, but one is “deader than the rest”.

Jack D McClean has an irreverent sense of humour that cannot fail to have readers laughing on both sides of The Pond, except possibly the residents of Huddersfield in the UK, but, since Mr McClean hails from the town, maybe they’ll forgive him.

Zomcats is gory in the extreme – not for the squeamish – but who could resist US President Doughnut complete with his trademark red baseball cap? He reminds me of another incumbent of the post… British Prime Minister Camenblert is also vaguely familiar, and not for his self-declared Churchillian stance, and who could the Russian leader, Putrid, be?

No matter. Join the battle to keep the Mexican celebrity-chef zombies from scaling President Doughnut’s wall and accompany him on a State Visit to England that includes a festival of locals dressed as zombies clog-dancing in Huddersfield’s town square. Better still, stay and enjoy the party without him, or hire a helicopter.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zomcats is the follow up book to celebrity chef the zombie apocalypse and it is so good. In this book Henderson who wasn’t the main star and book one has rightfully become the main store and book too. This book involves the American president doughnut who I lovingly call President dumbass and the UK Prime Minister. The United States is having problems with zombies and even though the president put up a wall to keep Mexicans out of America it is doing nothing to stop the growing population of zombies. So president donut what’s the come to the UK to see how the Prime Minister handled the zombie apocalypse little does President donut know there’s a zombie cat on the loose in the UK and he will eventually catch his notice. This book is so funny and so very good. I listen to the audio version and the narrator did such a good job he did so good with the different voices and even the female voices I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who likes dark humor, you will definitely enjoy this as well.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't read the previous novel in the series before starting this one, as I though I had seen that this one could be read on its own. There were elements from the previous book that didn't necessarily make sense when they first appeared, but before long enough was explained so that reading the first book was not necessary.
A story that never takes itself seriously, the humor was amusing, but in perfect British fashion, mostly (very) dry humor throughout. I never had an LOL moment, but I was relatively amused. While I was disappointed that the whole zomcats plot was really less than half the story, more of it really being a continuation of the original zombie problem, I did find the best part of the novel being the spot on send-up of American politics from around 2018 with the fat and idiotic president Adolf Doughnut who utterly summarized the US's political problems to a tee.

[Grace Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious cast of characters and chuckle-worthy one liners. The names of the politicians were hilarious and the posturing and power plays were fantastic. Clever social observations were woven seamlessly through the increasingly bizarre chain of events. There were some great scenes contrasting the UK/US way of life. I wanted a bit more focus on Henderson because he was one of my fave characters from Celebrity Chef Zombie Apocalypse but I enjoyed the way it played out, nonetheless. It was great when the story threads began to come together towards the end resulting in some "Aha" moments. A riotous read.

[Laura Ruetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun zombie book, it starts off with Henderson, a very unusual cat who quickly sets off a chain of events in a small town. The book bounces about a bit, from England to the US, and throw in some political satire, zombie chefs, and more, and you get a fun read. I hadn't realized that this was a follow up to another book, but you don't need to read the first book about the zombie chefs to find this fun, wacky and enjoyable. Only negative is that it meanders a bit much - a bit all over the place but still funny and enjoyable.

[Jenelle Compton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was trying to explain this book to my boyfriend. He told me I was ridiculous. I had to explain that I was suuuuper tired of zombies, they are overdone and kinda boring. But this book makes them ridiculous and hilarious. Ridiculous is the appeal!
Henderson was my favorite in the first book, so to have him be the star of this was the best thing I could have hoped for.
I really enjoyed this. This series makes zombies fun again lol.

[Edwardky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. Funny as could be. Loved Henderson.

[Clint Walker Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read loved the way the author mix humor in with horror!

[Phil Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows on with some of the characters from Jack's other book Celebrity Chef Zombie Apocalypse but focuses on Henderson the cat as he infects other cats and attacks the American Presidential and British Prime Ministerial parties.

I love Jack's writing styles as the chapters are short and the book can be read quickly and easily and was looking forward to this book based on his previous one mentioned above. Unfortunately I didn't feel that the storyline was really developed through out the book as much as it should have been, which made me question if one existed. It would've been great to expand the characters in the book which would've helped. The book is an interesting read and has lots of funny bits throughout I just found it hard to get into.