The World Itself Departed

by J.B. Beatty

"All I know is that all the rules have changed, and when the sun rises in the morning, this is going to be a completely different world than any world we've ever known. Kind of like school's out forever." "We need to sort this out," I say. "We need to know what we're up against. We need a plan." "I thought we'd just kill the crazy cannibals and survive," Maggie says. "If this were a movie, that's what we would do. But if this we're a movie, we'd both be great looking." But it's not a movie. It's a quest for answers in a world that's been decimated by a zombie virus that has left children and elderly untouched but transformed the rest into raging animals. All except a select few, who don't know why they have been spared...

Genres: Zombies

218 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2017

About the author

True: J.B. Beatty is not my real name. It's my great-great-grandfather's. He married, fathered a daughter, then disappeared off the face of the earth. The family never shared any stories about him, and countless hours of research has failed to turn up anything after his disappearance in the 1890s. Good chance he died a family disgrace. That is, I'm assuming he would have died by now, as he is otherwise 153 years old.

True: The nom de plume is a business necessity. In real life, I am a writer for a national sports magazine and have published award-winning books in that field. My passion, though, is for writing that is a bit more creative. And bloody. And thoroughly irresponsible.

True: Perhaps the genesis of The World Itself series was my realization several years ago that some of my ancestors--including the father of J.B. Beatty--are buried in the Evans City Cemetery in western Pennsylvania. Their tombstones are fleetingly visible in the opening scenes of George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" (1967).

Reviews

[Keith Wittkopp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great take on the zombie genre. I am a horror buff and really enjoy the way the zombies were created. It is well written and hard to put down. I particularly liked the Michigan references.

[Maggies Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another zombie apocalypse that has similar characteristics to the movie Zombieland where there this uber cool, sexy AK-47 toting high school female teenager teaming up with a dorky male counterpart from her high school in this satirical look at what happens when the sheet hits the fan when everyone starts dying from a strain of Flu. As a major fan of horror flicks, I enjoyed the way the characters interacted and found that having a sense of humor can help keep your sanity. If this were a Horror movie, I would have had my brains eaten by now...... sign me up for the next book in this series, I'm hooked!

[Samuel Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a signed copy via a Goodreads Giveaway.

The World Itself Departed takes a new take on the zombie genre, changing the formula enough to be fresh and as self aware as a tale can be when its world is a reflection of our own.

[Aya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down it! I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fiction.

[Carl Spina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love zombie books, and this one is fast-paced and funny right from the start. I like that it is written from the perspective of a teenager trying to find his way in a world gone (more) wrong!

[Paulette Waters]

Great read