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Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. #6
Tastes Like Chicken
Dan Shamble, zombie P.I. faces his most fowl case yet, when a flock of murderous feral chickens terrorizes the Unnatural Quarter. Also in the caseload, Dan deals with the sinister spokesman for Monster Chow Industries, a spreading contamination that drives vampires berserk, a serial-killer demon from the Fifth Pit of Hell, a black-market blood gang led by the nefarious Ma Hemoglobin, a ghost fighting a hostile takeover of his blood bars…and a cute little vampire girl who may, or may not, be his daughter. With his ghost girlfriend Sheyenne, his bleeding-heart lawyer partner Robin, and his Best Human Friend Officer Toby McGoohan, Dan Shamble is back from the dead and back on the case. The feathers will fly as he goes face-to-beak with the evil peckers. Includes the short story "Road Kill."
270 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 24, 2017
32 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
Kevin J. Anderson
1,015 books3,074 followersYes, I have a lot of books, and if this is your first visit to my amazon author page, it can be a little overwhelming. If you are new to my work, let me recommend a few titles as good places to start. I love my Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series, humorous horror/mysteries, which begin with DEATH WARMED OVER. My steampunk fantasy adventures, CLOCKWORK ANGELS and CLOCKWORK LIVES, written with Neil Peart, legendary drummer from Rush, are two of my very favorite novels ever. And my magnum opus, the science fiction epic The Saga of Seven Suns, begins with HIDDEN EMPIRE. After you've tried those, I hope you'll check out some of my other series.
I have written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and I'm the co-author of the Dune prequels. My original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. I have also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Predator titles (also for Dark Horse), and X-Files titles for Topps.
I serve as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest.
My wife is author Rebecca Moesta. We currently reside near Monument, Colorado.
I have written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and I'm the co-author of the Dune prequels. My original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. I have also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Predator titles (also for Dark Horse), and X-Files titles for Topps.
I serve as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest.
My wife is author Rebecca Moesta. We currently reside near Monument, Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 30, 2019
Another good Dan Shamble novel. Funny and cheesy, these books are right up my alley.
November 9, 2024
We’re headed back to the Unnatural Quarter for the fifth instalment of the Dan Shamble zombie PI series and as always we’re in for a monster of a good time!
This time around we open with Dan and his human cop best friend in pursuit of a demon serial killer. From there it only gets weirder as he deals with monsters disappearing, a suspect monster food company, a gang of blood thieves, vampire attacks and a vampire daughter he never knew he had! The cases don’t solve themselves and as usual Dan’s plate is full (not that he’s hungry).
These novels continue to be fun and humorous. They’re light and feel good, often acting as a pick me up between serious novels. Anderson is deft with a pun and has created a realized world populated with eclectic characters and settings. He also carries over characters from previous books which is a nice touch and keeps you solidly in the Unnatural Quarter, flowing along with the story. Of course some of the storylines are overly silly and at times Dan misses the greatly obvious but that’s par for the course in a world of possessed chickens and meat puppets. If you haven’t suspended your belief the you’re reading the wrong genre.
Tastes Like Chicken fell right in line with the other Shamble tales. Nothing too heavy and some laughs, what more could an urban fantasy fan want?
This time around we open with Dan and his human cop best friend in pursuit of a demon serial killer. From there it only gets weirder as he deals with monsters disappearing, a suspect monster food company, a gang of blood thieves, vampire attacks and a vampire daughter he never knew he had! The cases don’t solve themselves and as usual Dan’s plate is full (not that he’s hungry).
These novels continue to be fun and humorous. They’re light and feel good, often acting as a pick me up between serious novels. Anderson is deft with a pun and has created a realized world populated with eclectic characters and settings. He also carries over characters from previous books which is a nice touch and keeps you solidly in the Unnatural Quarter, flowing along with the story. Of course some of the storylines are overly silly and at times Dan misses the greatly obvious but that’s par for the course in a world of possessed chickens and meat puppets. If you haven’t suspended your belief the you’re reading the wrong genre.
Tastes Like Chicken fell right in line with the other Shamble tales. Nothing too heavy and some laughs, what more could an urban fantasy fan want?
December 12, 2017
Dan Shambles is back!
I’ve been waiting for a new addition to this series for a while now. Another enjoyable comic fantasy book. I hope there isn’t another three year wait before the next one comes out.
I’ve been waiting for a new addition to this series for a while now. Another enjoyable comic fantasy book. I hope there isn’t another three year wait before the next one comes out.
January 24, 2023
Another fun outing of the Zombie PI series, tongue as usually firmly in cheek.
April 15, 2018
Things are clucking up in the Big Uneasy!
Kevin J Anderson is back with another volume featuring the whacky world of Dan Chambeux! Fans of the stories know that the “Big Uneasy” has transformed our world. All of the historical monsters and things that go bump in the night are now everyday citizens. For many, death is truly only the beginning…
Dan Shamble, his ghostly girlfriend Sheyenne, his human lawyer partner Robin and best human friend (BHF) Officer Toby McGoohan are up to their usual hijinks! There is a new food supplier to the unnatural quarter. The food is well received by all, but there is something weird about Monster Chow’s representative…
Vampires are going on rampages after ingesting drinks at local blood bars. A gang consisting of both humans and vampires battle it out in the streets with the law. Unaturals of all types have been going missing. Dan and McGoohan have a little vampire girl left on their doorstep, so to speak. And there are feral chickens loose in the street!
Kudos for a lot of crazy, sometimes unsubtle cameos in the story! There is the gang of hillbilly vampires who call themselves “Suck Dynasty!” Are you in dire need of assistance? Just call for the EMTs. In this case, that’s Emergency Mortician Technicians. If you are traveling, you can always count on Hellhound Bus Line. The Bigfeet (their chosen term!) are collecting for their Bigfoot/Yeti Visibility Society. “You have real trouble seeing them!” There’s Edgar Alan Troll, the Less-than-whole Food Market, and many, many more!
This is quite possibly the most fun you will have with a book that has a collection of ghosts, zombies, vampires, werewolves, witches, warlocks, demons, golems, Bigfeet, and much more from the realm of fantasy and horror! I love this series! I give this latest volume five stars plus!
Quoth the Raven…
Kevin J Anderson is back with another volume featuring the whacky world of Dan Chambeux! Fans of the stories know that the “Big Uneasy” has transformed our world. All of the historical monsters and things that go bump in the night are now everyday citizens. For many, death is truly only the beginning…
Dan Shamble, his ghostly girlfriend Sheyenne, his human lawyer partner Robin and best human friend (BHF) Officer Toby McGoohan are up to their usual hijinks! There is a new food supplier to the unnatural quarter. The food is well received by all, but there is something weird about Monster Chow’s representative…
Vampires are going on rampages after ingesting drinks at local blood bars. A gang consisting of both humans and vampires battle it out in the streets with the law. Unaturals of all types have been going missing. Dan and McGoohan have a little vampire girl left on their doorstep, so to speak. And there are feral chickens loose in the street!
Kudos for a lot of crazy, sometimes unsubtle cameos in the story! There is the gang of hillbilly vampires who call themselves “Suck Dynasty!” Are you in dire need of assistance? Just call for the EMTs. In this case, that’s Emergency Mortician Technicians. If you are traveling, you can always count on Hellhound Bus Line. The Bigfeet (their chosen term!) are collecting for their Bigfoot/Yeti Visibility Society. “You have real trouble seeing them!” There’s Edgar Alan Troll, the Less-than-whole Food Market, and many, many more!
This is quite possibly the most fun you will have with a book that has a collection of ghosts, zombies, vampires, werewolves, witches, warlocks, demons, golems, Bigfeet, and much more from the realm of fantasy and horror! I love this series! I give this latest volume five stars plus!
Quoth the Raven…
December 8, 2017
Disclaimer: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Dan Shambles resides in the Unnatural Quarter. It’s the literary neighbor between Dresden Files’ Chicago and Terry Pratchett’s Ank-Morpork.
Sure, there are zombies, ghosts, werewolves, vampires and more, however just because they’re not all alive doesn’t mean they don’t have lives.
Kevin J Anderson has unearthed this series after a hiatus of several years and this is my favorite volume yet.
The seemingly disparate threads and cases all tie together in a pleasingly grotesque finale.
However, the real darling of this book is the introduction of McGoo’s and Shamble’s daughter Alvina. (You read that right.) She has been going through changes lately early onset puberty via vampirization. She really brings the characters together to create a warmth that is often missing from zombies and ghosts.
The themes of family are woven throughout with the characteristic humor and wordplay the series is known for.
Feral chicken attacks, unicorn blood frappuccinos, missing monsters, spell of the month subscriptions salesmen and more await!
Dan Shambles resides in the Unnatural Quarter. It’s the literary neighbor between Dresden Files’ Chicago and Terry Pratchett’s Ank-Morpork.
Sure, there are zombies, ghosts, werewolves, vampires and more, however just because they’re not all alive doesn’t mean they don’t have lives.
Kevin J Anderson has unearthed this series after a hiatus of several years and this is my favorite volume yet.
The seemingly disparate threads and cases all tie together in a pleasingly grotesque finale.
However, the real darling of this book is the introduction of McGoo’s and Shamble’s daughter Alvina. (You read that right.) She has been going through changes lately early onset puberty via vampirization. She really brings the characters together to create a warmth that is often missing from zombies and ghosts.
The themes of family are woven throughout with the characteristic humor and wordplay the series is known for.
Feral chicken attacks, unicorn blood frappuccinos, missing monsters, spell of the month subscriptions salesmen and more await!
October 27, 2018
It has been three years since Kevin J. Anderson released the last Dan Shamble book, which I highly recommend reading if you like mysteries, horror, and dark fantasy. Perfect for fans of Dresden Files and True Blood.
I’ll be re-reviewing the previous books soon, but as a super brief intro to the series, it follows a zombie private detective named Dan who’s part of a large community of supernatural beings that recently have made themselves publicly known to the world.
Dan and his poltergeist girlfriend Sheyanne along with his friends take on various cases both large and small with interesting and sometimes hilarious results.
This book finds Dan meeting his illegitimate daughter, missing people, a demonic serial killer, and a new candy fad that has the town excited. As you can see it’s jam packed with multiple plot threads that tie in together and it all makes sense in the long run. I really loved this one just as much as the others. Just six novels and an anthology so not a huge backlog to get through and hopefully it won’t be another three years before the next one.
I’ll be re-reviewing the previous books soon, but as a super brief intro to the series, it follows a zombie private detective named Dan who’s part of a large community of supernatural beings that recently have made themselves publicly known to the world.
Dan and his poltergeist girlfriend Sheyanne along with his friends take on various cases both large and small with interesting and sometimes hilarious results.
This book finds Dan meeting his illegitimate daughter, missing people, a demonic serial killer, and a new candy fad that has the town excited. As you can see it’s jam packed with multiple plot threads that tie in together and it all makes sense in the long run. I really loved this one just as much as the others. Just six novels and an anthology so not a huge backlog to get through and hopefully it won’t be another three years before the next one.
August 11, 2021
Kevin J. Anderson's books are just like a warm hug: welcome and makes you feel better in these trying times. "Tastes like Chicken" (Dan Shamble #6)is no exception! Dan Chambeaux (or his moniker now, "Shamble" for his zombie afterlife) is a Zombie P. I. working in New Orleans' "Unnatural Quarter" where crime (with humans and others) never stops. A rash of seemingly random "blood rage" attacks has the Unnatural Community on edge, as they quickly dissipate before testing can rule anything out, and with the arrival of a cute (but vampiric!) new ten year old daughter, things take on a harrowing turn when folks also start to go missing... Can Dan, and his human partner McGoo, find out the links to each crime before someone they love gets taken? Read it here! (Comes with a bonus story too... How can you go wrong?) Enjoy!
January 26, 2018
Tastes Like Chicken is punny and delicious, a witty page-turner you won’t want to put down. I started reading this as I was driving to and visiting New Orleans. As I was walking around the French Quarter, it was very easy to imagine myself instead roaming the streets of the Unnatural Quarter searching for a high-end blood drink, doing my best to avoid flocks of feral chickens along the way. KJA does a wonderful job keeping you guessing as to who the real villains of this story are while also introducing a few unexpected twists along the way. Tastes Like Chicken is also full of cleverly placed puns and numerous references to pop culture, some of which I hadn’t thought of in years! So, grab yourself a unicorn frappe, kick back, and enjoy this unnatural tale!
March 24, 2022
These books are just fun.
Nobody's going to make any accusations of literature, but it's easy, it's amusing and satisfyingly is what it is.
Anderson is a remarkably professional author, he's one of the go to guys for movie or TV tie ins, or if an estate wants to milk something extra from their author relative who isn't producing any more. That's not a criticism. The guy maintains an absolutely solid quality in his books and he's clearly having a blast with the Dan Shambles series.
Deserves to do well, read if you want cheering up or just want a relaxing rest from more challenging fare.
Nobody's going to make any accusations of literature, but it's easy, it's amusing and satisfyingly is what it is.
Anderson is a remarkably professional author, he's one of the go to guys for movie or TV tie ins, or if an estate wants to milk something extra from their author relative who isn't producing any more. That's not a criticism. The guy maintains an absolutely solid quality in his books and he's clearly having a blast with the Dan Shambles series.
Deserves to do well, read if you want cheering up or just want a relaxing rest from more challenging fare.
December 11, 2017
This series is great fun and an excellent read. In this story, Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I., takes on a case of a flock of murderous feral chickens terrorising the Unnatural Quarter. Like all the previous stories in this series, it is a page turning laugh a minute read.
Whilst I received this story free in return for an honest review, I have purchased all the earlier stories and will buy future ones as well. Money well spent I can assure you if you want an enjoyable and easy read.
Whilst I received this story free in return for an honest review, I have purchased all the earlier stories and will buy future ones as well. Money well spent I can assure you if you want an enjoyable and easy read.
September 9, 2024
First time reading an actual book versus audiobook. Phil Gigante stopped narrating & I couldn't stand the new guy - he was exactly zero fun.
But thanks to Phil, I could hear each character's voice in my head. These books are always lighthearted and funny. Definitely excited to catch up on the series.
It always surprises me that that this is the same guy who's helped continue the Dune & Star Wars series. Really flexible writer. 🙂
But thanks to Phil, I could hear each character's voice in my head. These books are always lighthearted and funny. Definitely excited to catch up on the series.
It always surprises me that that this is the same guy who's helped continue the Dune & Star Wars series. Really flexible writer. 🙂
December 31, 2017
This was so much fun to read! I found myself reading this when I was supposed to be doing a lot of other things! (Especially sleeping, LOL) More fun from Beaux, McGoo and Spooky! Can't wait for more!
November 24, 2018
The Dan Shamble series is always a fun quick read . A zombie PI in the unnatural quarter of New Orleans, he solves cases with the help of a human lawyer, an offbeat officer and his ghost girlfriend. I love this series!
September 23, 2022
Fun book with great characters and action
I enjoyed the characters and the crazy antics they got into in this book. If you too enjoy this book, it is good that there is a series to continue the fun. I recommend this book.
I enjoyed the characters and the crazy antics they got into in this book. If you too enjoy this book, it is good that there is a series to continue the fun. I recommend this book.
December 28, 2017
A fun diversion.
January 26, 2018
Such a fun read. I recommend this series to anyone looking for a quick read full of dad jokes that will leave you feeling good with a smile on your face.
June 30, 2018
these are just fun. Classic detective style with a twist and great punny humor.
July 30, 2020
Just as entertaining as the rest, although the humor was chick. (A little fowl.)
May 10, 2024
The little vampire girl was both smart and very cute.
December 13, 2017
This is book was my first introduction to the Dan Shamble novels, though I am quite familiar with Kevin J. Anderson’s science fiction books, as it is my preferred genre. However, that being said I do enjoy fun and comedic writing, of which this novel is full of. I do enjoy reading other zombie related fiction, which tends to be quite apocalyptic in nature, this on the other hand was fun and light hearted, and had me chuckling along the way. It also combines the full spectrum of monsters, including, demons, vampires, bigfeet, chickens, werewolves, etc... trying to live open and "normal" lives mixed with regular humans. This novel brings forth a Terry Pratchett / Monty Python vibe, intermixing monster stereotypes, puns and bizarre situations, conjuring up notions of British comedy that makes it a very fun and light read. Very much a recommended read!
May 22, 2019
In a world full of monsters, you get a broad range of characters and interesting moments with the zombie detective. The book has some very good characters and a lot of funny moments mixed with all the normal monster type of behaviors. A book that you have to try by one of my favorite authors.
August 15, 2025
Another fun read in this series. Looking forward to continuing!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews