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Zombies and Shit
Battle Royale meets Return of the Living Dead in this post-apocalyptic action adventure.
Twenty people wake to find themselves in a boarded-up building in the middle of the zombie wasteland. They soon discover they have been chosen as contestants on a popular reality show called Zombie Survival . Each contestant is given a backpack of supplies and a unique weapon. Their be the first to make it through the zombie-plagued city to the pick-up zone alive. But because there's only one seat available on the helicopter, the contestants not only have to fight against the hordes of the living dead, they must also fight each other.
Zombies and Shit is Mellick's craziest book to date. A campy, trashy, punk rock gore fest that is as funny as it is brutal, as sad as it is strange. An edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that twists the zombie genre into something you've never seen before, but always wanted to.
This edition features an introduction by master of horror BRIAN KEENE.
Twenty people wake to find themselves in a boarded-up building in the middle of the zombie wasteland. They soon discover they have been chosen as contestants on a popular reality show called Zombie Survival . Each contestant is given a backpack of supplies and a unique weapon. Their be the first to make it through the zombie-plagued city to the pick-up zone alive. But because there's only one seat available on the helicopter, the contestants not only have to fight against the hordes of the living dead, they must also fight each other.
Zombies and Shit is Mellick's craziest book to date. A campy, trashy, punk rock gore fest that is as funny as it is brutal, as sad as it is strange. An edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that twists the zombie genre into something you've never seen before, but always wanted to.
This edition features an introduction by master of horror BRIAN KEENE.
292 pages, Paperback
First published October 17, 2010
31 people are currently reading
1379 people want to read
About the author
Carlton Mellick III
118 books2,143 followersCarlton Mellick III (July 2, 1977, Phoenix, Arizona) is an American author currently residing in Portland, Oregon. He calls his style of writing "avant-punk," and is currently one of the leading authors in the recent 'Bizarro' movement in underground literature[citation needed] with Steve Aylett, Chris Genoa and D. Harlan Wilson.
Mellick's work has been described as a combination of trashy schlock sci-fi/horror and postmodern literary art. His novels explore surreal versions of earth in contemporary society and imagined futures, commonly focusing on social absurdities and satire.
Carlton Mellick III started writing at the age of ten and completed twelve novels by the age of eighteen. Only one of these early novels, "Electric Jesus Corpse", ever made it to print.
He is best known for his first novel Satan Burger and its sequel Punk Land. Satan Burger was translated into Russian and published by Ultra Culture in 2005. It was part of a four book series called Brave New World, which also featured Virtual Light by William Gibson, City Come A Walkin by John Shirley, and Tea from an Empty Cup by Pat Cadigan.
In the late 90's, he formed a collective for offbeat authors which included D. Harlan Wilson, Kevin L. Donihe, Vincent Sakowski, among others, and the publishing company Eraserhead Press. This scene evolved into the Bizarro fiction movement in 2005.
In addition to writing, Mellick is an artist and musician.
Mellick's work has been described as a combination of trashy schlock sci-fi/horror and postmodern literary art. His novels explore surreal versions of earth in contemporary society and imagined futures, commonly focusing on social absurdities and satire.
Carlton Mellick III started writing at the age of ten and completed twelve novels by the age of eighteen. Only one of these early novels, "Electric Jesus Corpse", ever made it to print.
He is best known for his first novel Satan Burger and its sequel Punk Land. Satan Burger was translated into Russian and published by Ultra Culture in 2005. It was part of a four book series called Brave New World, which also featured Virtual Light by William Gibson, City Come A Walkin by John Shirley, and Tea from an Empty Cup by Pat Cadigan.
In the late 90's, he formed a collective for offbeat authors which included D. Harlan Wilson, Kevin L. Donihe, Vincent Sakowski, among others, and the publishing company Eraserhead Press. This scene evolved into the Bizarro fiction movement in 2005.
In addition to writing, Mellick is an artist and musician.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
February 4, 2023
The best thing about this book, in my opinion, is how plausibly the author manages to render such a seemingly far-fetched plot. Granted, we may be a ways off from a future quite so bleak, but as popular entertainments grow ever more cruel, as society falls ever closer to collapse, and as corpses find ever more ways to rise and walk again (bio weapons, solar flares, Joan Rivers, etc), a world in which the poor are forced to fight the dead for the amusement of the rich eventually becomes inevitable!
The relationships between the characters are often quite interesting and unexpected, and the bits of backstory peppered throughout provide merciful breaks from the brutal main plot, while at the same time tying it all together. Sure, there's the occasional lapse into wooden description/dialogue, and there are moments where readers might wish for a little more show and a little less tell, but Zombies and Shit delivers on most everything it promises overall.
Recommended for fans of zombies, shit, Mr. T, Battle Royale, and something called 'the hunger pangs.'
3.5 stars
The relationships between the characters are often quite interesting and unexpected, and the bits of backstory peppered throughout provide merciful breaks from the brutal main plot, while at the same time tying it all together. Sure, there's the occasional lapse into wooden description/dialogue, and there are moments where readers might wish for a little more show and a little less tell, but Zombies and Shit delivers on most everything it promises overall.
Recommended for fans of zombies, shit, Mr. T, Battle Royale, and something called 'the hunger pangs.'
3.5 stars
November 24, 2011
In a post-apocalyptic future overrun by zombies, twenty people are dropped in the middle of a wasteland, forced to be contestants on the most popular reality show on earth, Zombie Survival! Which will find his or her way to the helicopter and be the only person to leave the Red Zone alive?
Once you read an awesome book by an author, it becomes the measuring stick against which you judge the subsequent books you read by that author. For my money, Warrior Wolf Women of the Wastelands is the measuring stick against which all other Carlton Mellick III books should be measured. Does Zombies and Shit measure up? Sadly, no, and I shall explain.
I've read a few Carlton Mellick III books in 2011 and most of them feature the following elements:
1. punks that are invariably superior to the rest of the characters
2. bizarre sexual fetishes
3. a woman with an unusually large clitoris
4. gore
Zombies and Shit features all of these. To me, it feels like elements of Apeshit and Warrior Wolf Women of the Wastelands were recycled and repacked with Return of the Living Dead style zombies to capitalize on the zombie fad that's currently everywhere. Also,
At this point, you may notice that I gave it a 3 even though I've spent the review criticizing it so far. Well, I'm not going to lie. It's still a really fun book with the gore and weirdness I've come to expect from Carlton Mellick III. If I hadn't read any other CMIII books, I would have rated this one a lot higher.
To sum it up, if you're only going to read one Carlton Mellick III book, I wouldn't have it be this one, but if you're looking to give him a try and you're into zombies, this would be the book for you.
Once you read an awesome book by an author, it becomes the measuring stick against which you judge the subsequent books you read by that author. For my money, Warrior Wolf Women of the Wastelands is the measuring stick against which all other Carlton Mellick III books should be measured. Does Zombies and Shit measure up? Sadly, no, and I shall explain.
I've read a few Carlton Mellick III books in 2011 and most of them feature the following elements:
1. punks that are invariably superior to the rest of the characters
2. bizarre sexual fetishes
3. a woman with an unusually large clitoris
4. gore
Zombies and Shit features all of these. To me, it feels like elements of Apeshit and Warrior Wolf Women of the Wastelands were recycled and repacked with Return of the Living Dead style zombies to capitalize on the zombie fad that's currently everywhere. Also,
At this point, you may notice that I gave it a 3 even though I've spent the review criticizing it so far. Well, I'm not going to lie. It's still a really fun book with the gore and weirdness I've come to expect from Carlton Mellick III. If I hadn't read any other CMIII books, I would have rated this one a lot higher.
To sum it up, if you're only going to read one Carlton Mellick III book, I wouldn't have it be this one, but if you're looking to give him a try and you're into zombies, this would be the book for you.
March 10, 2023
When it's taken as the sum of its parts, I think this is a fantastic novel. It has so many well fleshed out characters with interesting backstories, each appealing or repulsive in their own way. This means there's anticipation as they cross each other's paths, as the reader wants to see if they will work together, or fight, to try and gain an advantage in the competition. Great action and some funny scenes throughout - especially regarding the unexpected celebrity guest appearance in the latter part of the story. I really wanted to find out who would 'win' in the end, so it kept me reading, and that's always a good sign with any book!
October 11, 2012
REVIEWED: Zombies and Shit
WRITTEN BY: Carlton Mellick III
PUBLISHED: October, 2010
First of all, this book is not for everyone. In fact, this book is probably not for 99% of the reading population out there. But for those of you who love fast-paced action, horror, complete saturation of bizarro writing, and laughing-til-you're crying black humor, this is the novel for you. Basically, this is the literary equivalent of watching a Troma Movie - either you love it or you hate it. I loved it... more than most of what I've read this year. I didn't have the highest of expectations as I delved into the first chapter - the characters seemed flat, typical. But by the third or fourth chapter, I was hooked, and the characters were anything but typical. Every one of them had a fascinating background story that interrelated into the others with shocks, twists, and amazement. This book is recommended to anyone with a dark sense of humor or is looking for something unlike anything they've ever read before. Side note: T-2000 is the Best. Character. Ever.
Five out of Five stars
WRITTEN BY: Carlton Mellick III
PUBLISHED: October, 2010
First of all, this book is not for everyone. In fact, this book is probably not for 99% of the reading population out there. But for those of you who love fast-paced action, horror, complete saturation of bizarro writing, and laughing-til-you're crying black humor, this is the novel for you. Basically, this is the literary equivalent of watching a Troma Movie - either you love it or you hate it. I loved it... more than most of what I've read this year. I didn't have the highest of expectations as I delved into the first chapter - the characters seemed flat, typical. But by the third or fourth chapter, I was hooked, and the characters were anything but typical. Every one of them had a fascinating background story that interrelated into the others with shocks, twists, and amazement. This book is recommended to anyone with a dark sense of humor or is looking for something unlike anything they've ever read before. Side note: T-2000 is the Best. Character. Ever.
Five out of Five stars
March 18, 2014
This is only my second foray into the mind of Carlton Mellick lll and it won't be my last. The development of the characters was an amazing treat. Some, of course, were more interesting than others. Oro, the genius, didn't really add anything significant to the story and I felt like speeding through his part. Scavy (my favorite character), Popcorn, Rainbow, and a few others carried the plot from the first page to the last. There was a guest star, Mr. T 2000, who was upper-cutting enemies Mortal Kombat (Jax?) style. Go-Go was a very extreme character who some might not want to read about as she gets down and dirty with the dead. Scavy was one lucky mo-fo and Heinz was relentless in his Aryan agenda even with death looming over him. The character Nemy, maybe because she was actually Nemesis, seemed like a knock-off character of one of my favorite movies, Resident Evil.
The writing was above par except for a few mistakes I found. On one page Scavy had a mohawk that was burned off and a few pages later his adversary was grabbing him by said mohawk. The pacing was steady, however, my interest waned at the midway point, but picked back up again. This may have been due to the fact that I didn't feel like the story was progressing. Things were happening, yes. But not to the point where is was a race, which is what I thought would be everyone's motivation: to win and get out fast.
I really wish this read would have had more zombie action mixed in with the kill-your-competitors theme as a reader can only takes so much character-overload without some mindlessness to break up the back-stories.
Having said all that, Carlton's Zombies and Shit was an unrestrained, excessively extreme, don't-read-this-section-because-you-can't-unread-it bizarro gore-fest.
A good story? Yes. Recommended? Only to seasoned bizarro readers who don't mind the no-no's.
Check out Horror After Dark for more reviews, giveaways, and author interviews. www.horrorafterdark.com
The writing was above par except for a few mistakes I found. On one page Scavy had a mohawk that was burned off and a few pages later his adversary was grabbing him by said mohawk. The pacing was steady, however, my interest waned at the midway point, but picked back up again. This may have been due to the fact that I didn't feel like the story was progressing. Things were happening, yes. But not to the point where is was a race, which is what I thought would be everyone's motivation: to win and get out fast.
I really wish this read would have had more zombie action mixed in with the kill-your-competitors theme as a reader can only takes so much character-overload without some mindlessness to break up the back-stories.
Having said all that, Carlton's Zombies and Shit was an unrestrained, excessively extreme, don't-read-this-section-because-you-can't-unread-it bizarro gore-fest.
A good story? Yes. Recommended? Only to seasoned bizarro readers who don't mind the no-no's.
Check out Horror After Dark for more reviews, giveaways, and author interviews. www.horrorafterdark.com
January 30, 2014
When the zombie outbreak caused the collapse of society fifty years ago, Neo New York was formed, along with the four quadrants; Platinum, Gold, Silver & Copper. Copper, home to the dredged of society became easy pickings for the contestant pool of a sick and twisted TV game show. A group of people wake up in the "Red Zone" after having been drugged and abducted. Now contestants in the game, they are told by a recorded voice they have three days to navigate to a helicopter that will transport only one person off the mainland and the winner will be granted access to live in the coveted platinum quadrant.
Each contestant is provided a bag with food, water, and a weapon. But the weapons are assigned specifically tailored to each contestants fighting prowess. From the irony of a small dagger to rocket launchers, contestants attempt to fight their way to the finish line.
Some volunteered themselves, some volunteered someone else and found themselves in the game, and the rest were victims of unfortunate circumstance.
A hippie wife and her author husband, an R&D nerd, a scorned game employee, merc punks with gadgets, Mr T (?!), a sexual deviant, a white supremacist, a gang leader and select members of his crew, a lizard mutant girl, a devout Christian, an ego maniacal self-proclaimed genius, an underage prostitute, and a few more are pitted against each other in addition to the most vicious pack of undead I've ever seen. Not to mention the wildly creative cyber zombie dogs, zombie pigs and elephants, smart zombie cars.
It's been a while since I've seen zombies begging for brains reminiscent of the 1985 campy Return of the Living Dead. Braaaaaains! Man oh man, did I laugh when one of the zombies began whining for brains in Spanish. Cerebros!
Carlton Mellick has a knack for creatively describing zombies. Readers are given living corpses, radioactive corpses, corpses with items melded into their skin after fifty years of no stimulation. Oh, and did I mention Mr. T?!
"When Charlie looks, he sees a naked man staggering through the weed-coated parking lot. His skin has melted off of his body, his face nothing but a skull buried in fluffy pink meat, his intestines wrapped around his neck like a scarf."
There was only one scene in the book that was too much for me. Reading about the sex/poop activity. I'll leave that to your imaginations. And as you read this and assume you've figured it out, I assure you, you haven't even scratched the surface. I may have vomited in my mouth a bit...just saying.
I bow to Mellick's masterful creation. Zombies and Shit fed my need for a down and dirty gore-fest. Chapter after chapter I fell deeper in blood-lust and salivated for more disgusting content. I think I have whiplash from trying to follow all the action. If you think you're reading about a main character...you're wrong, because no one is safe from a disturbingly gruesome death.
Zombies and Shit is a jaw dropping experience in which the action never ceases. At 300+ pages! I couldn't stop reading. I kept reading in the car, sitting in the doctors office waiting room, at the grocery store...there was no way I was allowing real life to come between me and my love affair with this book.
Five stars on fire isn't enough for this book...I rate this an infinite amount of stars. If I were to be completely blunt, this may very well be the best piece of zombie fiction I have ever read. Not since Iain McKinnon's Demise of the Dead have I had to stop mid-read and shout from the rooftops (or more specifically...shout a tweet) my love for a book. If you value my reviews and use them to select books, then do not miss this one.
Want more reviews? Visit bookie-monster.com
Each contestant is provided a bag with food, water, and a weapon. But the weapons are assigned specifically tailored to each contestants fighting prowess. From the irony of a small dagger to rocket launchers, contestants attempt to fight their way to the finish line.
Some volunteered themselves, some volunteered someone else and found themselves in the game, and the rest were victims of unfortunate circumstance.
A hippie wife and her author husband, an R&D nerd, a scorned game employee, merc punks with gadgets, Mr T (?!), a sexual deviant, a white supremacist, a gang leader and select members of his crew, a lizard mutant girl, a devout Christian, an ego maniacal self-proclaimed genius, an underage prostitute, and a few more are pitted against each other in addition to the most vicious pack of undead I've ever seen. Not to mention the wildly creative cyber zombie dogs, zombie pigs and elephants, smart zombie cars.
It's been a while since I've seen zombies begging for brains reminiscent of the 1985 campy Return of the Living Dead. Braaaaaains! Man oh man, did I laugh when one of the zombies began whining for brains in Spanish. Cerebros!
Carlton Mellick has a knack for creatively describing zombies. Readers are given living corpses, radioactive corpses, corpses with items melded into their skin after fifty years of no stimulation. Oh, and did I mention Mr. T?!
"When Charlie looks, he sees a naked man staggering through the weed-coated parking lot. His skin has melted off of his body, his face nothing but a skull buried in fluffy pink meat, his intestines wrapped around his neck like a scarf."
There was only one scene in the book that was too much for me. Reading about the sex/poop activity. I'll leave that to your imaginations. And as you read this and assume you've figured it out, I assure you, you haven't even scratched the surface. I may have vomited in my mouth a bit...just saying.
I bow to Mellick's masterful creation. Zombies and Shit fed my need for a down and dirty gore-fest. Chapter after chapter I fell deeper in blood-lust and salivated for more disgusting content. I think I have whiplash from trying to follow all the action. If you think you're reading about a main character...you're wrong, because no one is safe from a disturbingly gruesome death.
Zombies and Shit is a jaw dropping experience in which the action never ceases. At 300+ pages! I couldn't stop reading. I kept reading in the car, sitting in the doctors office waiting room, at the grocery store...there was no way I was allowing real life to come between me and my love affair with this book.
Five stars on fire isn't enough for this book...I rate this an infinite amount of stars. If I were to be completely blunt, this may very well be the best piece of zombie fiction I have ever read. Not since Iain McKinnon's Demise of the Dead have I had to stop mid-read and shout from the rooftops (or more specifically...shout a tweet) my love for a book. If you value my reviews and use them to select books, then do not miss this one.
Want more reviews? Visit bookie-monster.com
May 31, 2017
Some minor spoilers ahead:
If this was a ten stars review this would get nine. But as it is five star systems I will give it five because the book was brilliant with only one thing I didn't like.
This book is a mix between Battle Royale with Zombies. AWESOME!
Couldn't be better.
I even made a excel with the twenty participants and their respective weapon, affliation, friends and such from before and who killed who or was killed. That's how much I enjoy it.
So for start everyone started in a hotel and must go to a place to pick up by an helicopter. Only one can leave by it. So, you've got take care of the zombies (who by the way you can have a conversation. As a human turns into a zombie you can have a full conversation with it, as he tries to eat your brain at the same time, aftewards only the word "Brains" or "Cerebros" in case of a mexican zombie)
So as you leave the hotel you get a unique weapon just for you, a map and some rations. Mine would be:
So in this group you have punks (of course the "heroes"), Merc Punks or Mongols, you've got prostitutes, a writer some scientists and such. You've got even a suprise.... .
You've got some interesting way of telling things. From the start you don't know who is going to end up winning and you start rooting for someone just as he is killed or turn zombie. That's it. Everytime you pick a favourite....
Every character had a good story behind. One of my favourite was reading about the Mongols culture of a body with three parts (A head who thought and commanded and two arms who were connected almost telepathictly).
Of course Heinz, the nazi was another interesting character. Gogo the zombie fvcker ruled (a disgusting peturbing way). Nemesis and Haroon link was also a top notch.
There are twenty chapters, each one centered in a particular character. It didn't meant he died there but we learn more about him/her. Each paragraph starts in the present day and another chapter we are in recalling their history. In no way confusing at the same time making me read faster and faster.
My favourite characters were probably Scavy along with Heinz.
My only complain was the inclusion of a historic character. Well not the inclusion per se but the changes he got. (Read the book).
I really enjoy this novel. I search but I think this was a only one book on this "reality". I really wanted to see more of it. The satire of humankind, classes, religions, TV and everything else is presented here not in a way that you thing that the writer is giving you a lesson.
Recommended to anyone who wants to read a zombie novel, punk, sex, post apocalpytic novels or likes "The Hunger Games". Now read a grown up novel.
If this was a ten stars review this would get nine. But as it is five star systems I will give it five because the book was brilliant with only one thing I didn't like.
This book is a mix between Battle Royale with Zombies. AWESOME!
Couldn't be better.
I even made a excel with the twenty participants and their respective weapon, affliation, friends and such from before and who killed who or was killed. That's how much I enjoy it.
So for start everyone started in a hotel and must go to a place to pick up by an helicopter. Only one can leave by it. So, you've got take care of the zombies (who by the way you can have a conversation. As a human turns into a zombie you can have a full conversation with it, as he tries to eat your brain at the same time, aftewards only the word "Brains" or "Cerebros" in case of a mexican zombie)
So as you leave the hotel you get a unique weapon just for you, a map and some rations. Mine would be:
So in this group you have punks (of course the "heroes"), Merc Punks or Mongols, you've got prostitutes, a writer some scientists and such. You've got even a suprise.... .
You've got some interesting way of telling things. From the start you don't know who is going to end up winning and you start rooting for someone just as he is killed or turn zombie. That's it. Everytime you pick a favourite....
Every character had a good story behind. One of my favourite was reading about the Mongols culture of a body with three parts (A head who thought and commanded and two arms who were connected almost telepathictly).
Of course Heinz, the nazi was another interesting character. Gogo the zombie fvcker ruled (a disgusting peturbing way). Nemesis and Haroon link was also a top notch.
There are twenty chapters, each one centered in a particular character. It didn't meant he died there but we learn more about him/her. Each paragraph starts in the present day and another chapter we are in recalling their history. In no way confusing at the same time making me read faster and faster.
My favourite characters were probably Scavy along with Heinz.
My only complain was the inclusion of a historic character. Well not the inclusion per se but the changes he got. (Read the book).
I really enjoy this novel. I search but I think this was a only one book on this "reality". I really wanted to see more of it. The satire of humankind, classes, religions, TV and everything else is presented here not in a way that you thing that the writer is giving you a lesson.
Recommended to anyone who wants to read a zombie novel, punk, sex, post apocalpytic novels or likes "The Hunger Games". Now read a grown up novel.
March 11, 2014
In spite of the cover, which is a bit misleading and completely Unsafe For Work, Zombies and Shit by Carlton Mellick III is not a graphic novel. This is indeed a novel, with prose and shit.
The action is set in a decaying city abandoned to the zombie hordes that swept across the country from a U.S. military project run amok. Americans have fortified themselves safely in Neo New York, but society is divided into zones based on socioeconomic status. The punks, prostitutes and criminals are cannon fodder for Zombie Apocalypse, a game show in which 20 combatants are gassed, transported to the city, assigned weapons specific to their talents and given directions to an evacuation site. The first combatant to reach the chopper gets out alive.
Contestants include: Charlie, a struggling writer, and Rainbow Cat, his duplicitous wife. Street punks Scavy and Brick and punkettes Popcorn and Gogo. Mercenaries Xiu and her partners Zippo and Vine. Laurence, a hulk with an affinity for '80s TV shows. And a Junko, an Asian model who once hosted Zombie Apocalypse until she crossed the show's producer Wayne "Wiz" Rizla and trained herself in survival techniques in lieu of being condemned to die on the show. Gratuitous amounts of sex and violence and shit ensue.
Zombies and Shit is slapdash, derivative, loaded with every vice you can imagine and a few I couldn't. It's got a couple of formatting flubs and as many grammatical errors -- not enough to spoil the product, but enough to note this $7.49 e-book was not edited professionally. That actually works in the favor of the book, which is in the spirit of something Melnick wrote in his Trapper Keeper in English class and illustrated while in the back of the school bus.
I was about a quarter of the way through when I realized that Melnick's inspiration was not Return of the Living Dead or Battle Royale. That would be aiming too high. Melnick instead turned to Troma Films, VHS kings of the '80s with low budget splatter classics like The Toxic Avenger and Class of Nuke 'Em High, most of which had a certain retro wit and even innocence hidden behind the exploding heads and toxic puke.
This is not a book for everybody. This is not The Walking Dead. Melnick steps over the line of good taste a couple of times, but cranked out an e-book with boundless energy and craziness I appreciated. Spanish speaking zombies? Check. An infected character who reanimated as a good zombie? Check. Undead cars? Check. Mr. T? Check. Yes, one of the characters is not who he seems to be and pities the fool who doesn't remember his name!
I'm not a fan of joke based books, but Melnick didn't write down to the supposed intelligence of his reader here. He never gets satisfied with himself and manages to avoid the smarminess of a jokester laughing at his own supposed wit. Much of the writing is deplorable, as much of the writing and a good deal of the acting in Toxic Avenger was deplorable.
Amid all this dreck, Melnick sneaks in the qualities of friendship, loyalty and love. He stays ahead of the reader, willing to kill any character in the gnarliest manner possible. And he cranks up the post-apocalyptic action and zombie carnage to 9. I'd be curious to see what he can do with an editor and decent cover designer.
The action is set in a decaying city abandoned to the zombie hordes that swept across the country from a U.S. military project run amok. Americans have fortified themselves safely in Neo New York, but society is divided into zones based on socioeconomic status. The punks, prostitutes and criminals are cannon fodder for Zombie Apocalypse, a game show in which 20 combatants are gassed, transported to the city, assigned weapons specific to their talents and given directions to an evacuation site. The first combatant to reach the chopper gets out alive.
Contestants include: Charlie, a struggling writer, and Rainbow Cat, his duplicitous wife. Street punks Scavy and Brick and punkettes Popcorn and Gogo. Mercenaries Xiu and her partners Zippo and Vine. Laurence, a hulk with an affinity for '80s TV shows. And a Junko, an Asian model who once hosted Zombie Apocalypse until she crossed the show's producer Wayne "Wiz" Rizla and trained herself in survival techniques in lieu of being condemned to die on the show. Gratuitous amounts of sex and violence and shit ensue.
Zombies and Shit is slapdash, derivative, loaded with every vice you can imagine and a few I couldn't. It's got a couple of formatting flubs and as many grammatical errors -- not enough to spoil the product, but enough to note this $7.49 e-book was not edited professionally. That actually works in the favor of the book, which is in the spirit of something Melnick wrote in his Trapper Keeper in English class and illustrated while in the back of the school bus.
I was about a quarter of the way through when I realized that Melnick's inspiration was not Return of the Living Dead or Battle Royale. That would be aiming too high. Melnick instead turned to Troma Films, VHS kings of the '80s with low budget splatter classics like The Toxic Avenger and Class of Nuke 'Em High, most of which had a certain retro wit and even innocence hidden behind the exploding heads and toxic puke.
This is not a book for everybody. This is not The Walking Dead. Melnick steps over the line of good taste a couple of times, but cranked out an e-book with boundless energy and craziness I appreciated. Spanish speaking zombies? Check. An infected character who reanimated as a good zombie? Check. Undead cars? Check. Mr. T? Check. Yes, one of the characters is not who he seems to be and pities the fool who doesn't remember his name!
I'm not a fan of joke based books, but Melnick didn't write down to the supposed intelligence of his reader here. He never gets satisfied with himself and manages to avoid the smarminess of a jokester laughing at his own supposed wit. Much of the writing is deplorable, as much of the writing and a good deal of the acting in Toxic Avenger was deplorable.
Amid all this dreck, Melnick sneaks in the qualities of friendship, loyalty and love. He stays ahead of the reader, willing to kill any character in the gnarliest manner possible. And he cranks up the post-apocalyptic action and zombie carnage to 9. I'd be curious to see what he can do with an editor and decent cover designer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2010
Ah, zombies. Like vampires before them, they are marching into that stale oblivion that we know as the mainstream. It’s a shame really, especially if you were already a fan when the zombie boom hit. Thanks to that boom there are no shortage of books, movies, TV shows, and pop references to the shambling dead. This is both a good and bad thing. Back when zombies were rare, we appreciated them more. Now you have to slog through a lot of plain stuff that just uses on the zombie formulas that are now classic. All so you can find a zombie story of ANY kind that does something truly different and interesting.
I say all this because Carlton Mellick’s Zombies and Shit is one of the zombie stories you SHOULD pay attention to. It’s got a strong plot, unique characters, and a setting that provides a nice twist to the zombie apocalypse. It’s set long after the zombie outbreak, and humanity has survived by relocating to an overcrowded island where there is a strict caste system. The people in the Copper Quadrant are surrounded by poverty, disease, and crime. The people in the Platinum Quadrant are ridiculously wealthy and get their kicks watching a reality show Zombie Survival. On this show, twenty citizens from Copper are drugged, kidnapped, and abandoned on the zombie-infested mainland to see who can be the last man standing.
The contestants include punks, prostitutes, cyborg mercenaries, a Nazi from the Fifth Reich, a genetically engineered predator, and the T-2000 (with some average joes mixed in for a good body count). Only one of them will be allowed to escape the city and win the contest, so they not only have to beware the zombies, but also each other. Each character has a back story that lets you see who these people are, sometimes right before they’re killed and eaten by zombies. This provides a lot of action and some cool fight scenes, whether it’s between contestants or against zombies. But Zombies and Shit doesn’t just have demented characters competing against one another in a brutal landscape, it’s also got plenty of the undead. And that’s what we’re here for, right? Well I’m happy to say that Mellick delivers. The zombies here are drippy-fleshed ghouls who cry out for “Braaains!” They puke radioactive slime that will infect you. They prefer to consume brains and nerve tissue before eating regular flesh. They’re similar to the zombies of “Return of the Living Dead,” but with little extras like plants taking root in the decayed crevices of their bodies, or car parts melded awkwardly to their flesh.
Each one-on-one encounter with the zombies is memorable because Mellick makes the dead just as freakish as the living. His talent lies in making ideas that normally wouldn’t/shouldn’t work into things that are brilliant and cool. The T-2000 is a prime example of this. I won’t spoil who/what he is, but it’s a ridiculous idea that wouldn’t work for anyone else but CM3. And it turned out to be my favorite part of the book. It’ll be your favorite, too. I guarantee it.
I say all this because Carlton Mellick’s Zombies and Shit is one of the zombie stories you SHOULD pay attention to. It’s got a strong plot, unique characters, and a setting that provides a nice twist to the zombie apocalypse. It’s set long after the zombie outbreak, and humanity has survived by relocating to an overcrowded island where there is a strict caste system. The people in the Copper Quadrant are surrounded by poverty, disease, and crime. The people in the Platinum Quadrant are ridiculously wealthy and get their kicks watching a reality show Zombie Survival. On this show, twenty citizens from Copper are drugged, kidnapped, and abandoned on the zombie-infested mainland to see who can be the last man standing.
The contestants include punks, prostitutes, cyborg mercenaries, a Nazi from the Fifth Reich, a genetically engineered predator, and the T-2000 (with some average joes mixed in for a good body count). Only one of them will be allowed to escape the city and win the contest, so they not only have to beware the zombies, but also each other. Each character has a back story that lets you see who these people are, sometimes right before they’re killed and eaten by zombies. This provides a lot of action and some cool fight scenes, whether it’s between contestants or against zombies. But Zombies and Shit doesn’t just have demented characters competing against one another in a brutal landscape, it’s also got plenty of the undead. And that’s what we’re here for, right? Well I’m happy to say that Mellick delivers. The zombies here are drippy-fleshed ghouls who cry out for “Braaains!” They puke radioactive slime that will infect you. They prefer to consume brains and nerve tissue before eating regular flesh. They’re similar to the zombies of “Return of the Living Dead,” but with little extras like plants taking root in the decayed crevices of their bodies, or car parts melded awkwardly to their flesh.
Each one-on-one encounter with the zombies is memorable because Mellick makes the dead just as freakish as the living. His talent lies in making ideas that normally wouldn’t/shouldn’t work into things that are brilliant and cool. The T-2000 is a prime example of this. I won’t spoil who/what he is, but it’s a ridiculous idea that wouldn’t work for anyone else but CM3. And it turned out to be my favorite part of the book. It’ll be your favorite, too. I guarantee it.
June 8, 2012
**4.5 Stars**
I love zombies. I love dystopian worlds, plagued with oppression, hardships, and people trying to survive. I love survival horror. And I love weird.
So it’s not surprising that I really enjoyed this book.
The rich are bored. They are protected, well taken care of, and do not have to fear the hordes of zombies out in the Red Zone. So how do you amuse them? Take people from the Copper district (the slums, basically) and put them onto a T.V. show. Film them trying to survive, and to be the last to make it to the helicopter.
Problem is, the show is getting repetitive, and contestants are dying off too quickly. Sometimes, the helicopter doesn’t get a chance to pick up a winner.
But this season is going to change. It HAS to, if they want to keep the ratings up and the upper class happy. So when these select twenty survivors wake up and realize they have been chosen for the show, they get to work on trying to survive.
Put in genetically modified people, a nazi, punks, mercenaries, and those desperate to get out of the Copper district, this book is as fun as it is unpredictable. I liked this style of “weird”. I was able to understand the characters, their weird personality quirks, and the unique spin on the zombie virus.
So why 4.5 instead of a full 5? Because although it was a great book, and incredibly entertaining, it’s not the best of the zombie books I have read and do not want to lump it with the ones that touched me the most.
Hmm, maybe 4.75?
Oh well, just know that I recommend this for those that like odd zombie stories and have a fun and open personality!
I love zombies. I love dystopian worlds, plagued with oppression, hardships, and people trying to survive. I love survival horror. And I love weird.
So it’s not surprising that I really enjoyed this book.
The rich are bored. They are protected, well taken care of, and do not have to fear the hordes of zombies out in the Red Zone. So how do you amuse them? Take people from the Copper district (the slums, basically) and put them onto a T.V. show. Film them trying to survive, and to be the last to make it to the helicopter.
Problem is, the show is getting repetitive, and contestants are dying off too quickly. Sometimes, the helicopter doesn’t get a chance to pick up a winner.
But this season is going to change. It HAS to, if they want to keep the ratings up and the upper class happy. So when these select twenty survivors wake up and realize they have been chosen for the show, they get to work on trying to survive.
Put in genetically modified people, a nazi, punks, mercenaries, and those desperate to get out of the Copper district, this book is as fun as it is unpredictable. I liked this style of “weird”. I was able to understand the characters, their weird personality quirks, and the unique spin on the zombie virus.
So why 4.5 instead of a full 5? Because although it was a great book, and incredibly entertaining, it’s not the best of the zombie books I have read and do not want to lump it with the ones that touched me the most.
Hmm, maybe 4.75?
Oh well, just know that I recommend this for those that like odd zombie stories and have a fun and open personality!
April 5, 2025
DNF at Page 185.
Not finishing this due to the lackluster writing and redundant chapters. As I've mentioned in other reviews, the writing is not great in many of Carlton's early works, but normally the storytelling makes up for it. With this book, however, the narrative structure is far too repetitive to make it worth my while.
Each chapter focuses on a different character. You watch a character fight zombies, get some backstory on them, find out how they ended up in this zombie battle, and then move on to the next character. Since there are twenty contestants/characters in this battle royale, I assume this formula is repeated twenty times.
As for the writing, there are plenty of clunky bloated sentences like this:
"They are looking out of a window of the white-bricked castle-shaped building downtown, looking at the fire rising in the sky."
Which should probably look more like this:
"They look out the window at the fire rising through the sky."
Still not a great sentence, but a huge improvement over what's printed in the book. You also get sentences that feel like they're written by a 12-year-old boy who watches too much anime, such as these:
"Completely immune to the zombie virus, sweat that releases a chemical that is repulsive to the living dead, with the eyes of a hawk and the stealth of a cat, she is the ultimate Red Zone survivalist. And her offense capabilities are twice that of her defense."
Bear in mind that most of CM3’s more popular books have fairly low ratings on Goodreads, yet this one is somehow sitting at a 4.15 as of posting my review, so I'm clearly in the minority here.
CM3 is still one of my favorite authors, but his earlier novels are pretty hit or miss.
Not finishing this due to the lackluster writing and redundant chapters. As I've mentioned in other reviews, the writing is not great in many of Carlton's early works, but normally the storytelling makes up for it. With this book, however, the narrative structure is far too repetitive to make it worth my while.
Each chapter focuses on a different character. You watch a character fight zombies, get some backstory on them, find out how they ended up in this zombie battle, and then move on to the next character. Since there are twenty contestants/characters in this battle royale, I assume this formula is repeated twenty times.
As for the writing, there are plenty of clunky bloated sentences like this:
"They are looking out of a window of the white-bricked castle-shaped building downtown, looking at the fire rising in the sky."
Which should probably look more like this:
"They look out the window at the fire rising through the sky."
Still not a great sentence, but a huge improvement over what's printed in the book. You also get sentences that feel like they're written by a 12-year-old boy who watches too much anime, such as these:
"Completely immune to the zombie virus, sweat that releases a chemical that is repulsive to the living dead, with the eyes of a hawk and the stealth of a cat, she is the ultimate Red Zone survivalist. And her offense capabilities are twice that of her defense."
Bear in mind that most of CM3’s more popular books have fairly low ratings on Goodreads, yet this one is somehow sitting at a 4.15 as of posting my review, so I'm clearly in the minority here.
CM3 is still one of my favorite authors, but his earlier novels are pretty hit or miss.
March 26, 2012
This is the first book I had read by author Carlton Mellick III (CM3) and I had been put off by the title before but am I glad that I have read it now and will be looking for more books by this author.[return][return]The book is similar in story to Battle Royale - but more futuristic and with a lot more zombies. But the author doesn't stop there - he works hard to make sure that the whole story is entertaining and that even the zombies within his book are unique. Instead of going with the Romero or 28-Days-Later style zombies he's gone towards the Return of the Living Dead ones which are much rarer in book form. this helps make the story different from the hundreds of other zombie books out there right now.[return][return]If your after a zombie book which will give you something unique that you have never read before then this is something you should invest some time in. You will not be disappointed.
September 22, 2011
At first, it took me quite a while to really get into this book. But I honestly couldn't put it down for the last half of the book. I became so invested in who was going to survive, and I loved seeing all of the characters back stories. Where they came from, and how they ended up on the show. I am also quite pleased with the ending. For a while there, I thought the ending would be tragic, but it turned out to be epically awesome.
My favourite character turned out to be Scavy, followed quite closely by T-2000. I was also completely immersed in the Merc Punks, and their entire lifestyle. I found that utterly fascinating.
Overall I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of anything with zombies, or anything with a post-apocalyptic setting and twists around every corner.
My favourite character turned out to be Scavy, followed quite closely by T-2000. I was also completely immersed in the Merc Punks, and their entire lifestyle. I found that utterly fascinating.
Overall I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of anything with zombies, or anything with a post-apocalyptic setting and twists around every corner.
June 4, 2024
Round this one up to 3.5 stars.
I did enjoy it, but not as much as some of his others.
Still, it was pretty good, and shit. I remain a firm fan.
I did enjoy it, but not as much as some of his others.
Still, it was pretty good, and shit. I remain a firm fan.
November 13, 2021
Books can be fun, this one is proof of it!!!
May 20, 2011
For a little while now I had been sitting on the fence if I liked CM3's work, the first book I had read of his was really good, then it was a slow downhill ride through the next couple. Being a HUGE fan of anything dealing with death games, the description caught my attention, and I figured I would have a go at it.
The first thing I noticed was that this was the first full length novel I had seen from him, damn near three hundred pages of small type set, not the BS that was Menstruating Mall (hyper large type set, the book is a short story).
The back of the book blurb is "Battle Royale meets Return of the Living Dead", well that really is the most appropriate way to describe it...
It was fantastic! Really, I enjoyed this so very much, it was just what the doctor ordered!
Trashy, violent, chock full of uncomfortable sex, surprise cameo (what's up with bizarro having this? What is the reaction from the people in the book? (has Shatner read Shatnerquake?))
I was pleasantly surprised by the way the charas were tied to, and balanced with each other. This showed allot of depth, consideration, and maturity in the writing, okay maybe lots of immaturity.. But still this was so different from some of the stuff I had read from him before.
The zombies were a true treat, the damn near indestructible type in homage to RotLD, with a loving touch of detail that tied them into their reality. The charas were the type you wanted to see in this kind of story, completely over the top. After all, if you are going to be present for one of these games, it better be the best one ever played!
I would like to continue to gush over this book, but I guess all I have to say is that if the blurb is in anyway interesting to you, go ahead and read this, you will not be disappointed!
The first thing I noticed was that this was the first full length novel I had seen from him, damn near three hundred pages of small type set, not the BS that was Menstruating Mall (hyper large type set, the book is a short story).
The back of the book blurb is "Battle Royale meets Return of the Living Dead", well that really is the most appropriate way to describe it...
It was fantastic! Really, I enjoyed this so very much, it was just what the doctor ordered!
Trashy, violent, chock full of uncomfortable sex, surprise cameo (what's up with bizarro having this? What is the reaction from the people in the book? (has Shatner read Shatnerquake?))
I was pleasantly surprised by the way the charas were tied to, and balanced with each other. This showed allot of depth, consideration, and maturity in the writing, okay maybe lots of immaturity.. But still this was so different from some of the stuff I had read from him before.
The zombies were a true treat, the damn near indestructible type in homage to RotLD, with a loving touch of detail that tied them into their reality. The charas were the type you wanted to see in this kind of story, completely over the top. After all, if you are going to be present for one of these games, it better be the best one ever played!
I would like to continue to gush over this book, but I guess all I have to say is that if the blurb is in anyway interesting to you, go ahead and read this, you will not be disappointed!
February 5, 2012
I am a pretty big fan of zombies, mainly zombie movies, but I’ve read a few zombie books too. I’ve read a couple of Brian Keene’s, I’ve read some shorts. In the introduction of Zombies and Stuff CM3 talks about being hesitant to write about zombies, really they are getting over done. But I for one am glad that he decided to write this book, it freakin rocked! Set in a post apocalyptic future devastated by a zombie plague we are introduced to twenty individuals as they awaken to find themselves as participants on the game show Zombie Survival. Much like the Manga Battle Royale it’s a fight to the death as there can be only one winner of the show. Some characters prefer to work together, some choose to destroy any they see along the way to victory. But they all have to deal with an endless horde of zombies, and the best of all it’s the Return of the Living Dead style zombies. Nobody uses those zombies, but here there are plenty of them hungry for brains.
CM3 gives us a back-story on each of the contestants and what brought them to Zombie Survival. It’s an interesting behind the scenes that shows the readers the harsh world that has survived the onslaught of zombies. This book isn’t pretty, it’s gory and brutal, but it’s super entertaining. Out of the CM3 books I have read this has become my favorite. It’s a must have for fans of Bizarro and Zombies.
CM3 gives us a back-story on each of the contestants and what brought them to Zombie Survival. It’s an interesting behind the scenes that shows the readers the harsh world that has survived the onslaught of zombies. This book isn’t pretty, it’s gory and brutal, but it’s super entertaining. Out of the CM3 books I have read this has become my favorite. It’s a must have for fans of Bizarro and Zombies.
January 11, 2014
Now, let me just start with this: Yes, we are all sick of zombies. If you aren't sick of zombies by now, I'm guessing you're the kind of person who can eat the same exact meal every night for the rest of you life. That being said, I love zombies. But I'm sick of the same zombie story over and over and over and over and over again.
Well, to you who thinks much like I do, I present you with Zombies and Shit. It's the story of a misfit group of people in a dystopian future thrown into a game of survival in the middle of a post Z-Day zombie wasteland America. There's a lot that either hasn't been seen before (zombie cars, yes, cars) and things that aren't seen often (indestructible Return of the Living Dead style zombies). You name the far fetched idea, it's probably in here. Existing fans of CM3 won't be surprised by the sheer storytelling mastery he uses here to throw together cybernetics, sex with zombies, iconic 80's action stars, genetic mutations and so so much more.
I am a long time Mellick fan. I'd say everything he writes is entertaining (if not for everyone), but this is a love letter to zombie movies the same way Apeshit was his love letter to slasher movies. Much like in Apeshit, he does an astounding job of taking a story arc we've seen a million times before and making it shiny and new. Well, I'm assuming it's shiny underneath all that viscera.
Well, to you who thinks much like I do, I present you with Zombies and Shit. It's the story of a misfit group of people in a dystopian future thrown into a game of survival in the middle of a post Z-Day zombie wasteland America. There's a lot that either hasn't been seen before (zombie cars, yes, cars) and things that aren't seen often (indestructible Return of the Living Dead style zombies). You name the far fetched idea, it's probably in here. Existing fans of CM3 won't be surprised by the sheer storytelling mastery he uses here to throw together cybernetics, sex with zombies, iconic 80's action stars, genetic mutations and so so much more.
I am a long time Mellick fan. I'd say everything he writes is entertaining (if not for everyone), but this is a love letter to zombie movies the same way Apeshit was his love letter to slasher movies. Much like in Apeshit, he does an astounding job of taking a story arc we've seen a million times before and making it shiny and new. Well, I'm assuming it's shiny underneath all that viscera.
December 12, 2011
Ah, Carlton Mellick... My introduction to bizarro was through a short story of his called "Candy Coated", about a manly man called Knob, who had a lollipop for a head. Mellick knows how to tell a good story. He knows how to tell weird stories in interesting ways that don't feel like gimmicks. This book is a zombie novel. One of many zombie novels coming out recently. But I'm sure the others aren't anything like this. First off, it's about a reality show that's set up to be a sort of "Battle Royale" set in a zombie apocalypse. Then there's the social class differences in the post-apocalyptic culture. Then there's the zombie apocalypse back story. Then there's the zombie fetish porn. It's incredibly brutal. I was really disgusted at several points during the book. But it's just so insane, from the ridiculously outlandish concept, Mellick carves a really distinct, unique zombie story. Highly engaging. It won't disappoint zombie fans or bizarro fans, or the gore addicts who just love some really crazy, crazy junk. It's also great for Battle Royale fans too. I read the manga because of this book, and I think Mellick did an excellent take on the Battle Royale story.
March 21, 2011
Ahh Zombies...and reality death shows. CM3 pulls off the combination in one of the most entertaining bizarro books yet. The contestants are straight out of a post apocalyptic punk wasteland with splatterings of sex, death and the 1980's throughout.
February 25, 2016
4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this. It was good from start to finish. The characters were memorable and unique. You definitely feel as though you are right there with them as they navigate the Red Zone and progress through the game.
June 9, 2011
the zombie genre needed this book.
August 3, 2011
T-2000!
September 15, 2021
Книгата дава всичко, което обещава анотацията, че и повече. На Карлтън му бях чел само разкази до сега, така че очаквах роман изграден изцяло в "бизаро" традициите, до колкото си ги е създал поджанра. Интересното беше, че открих доста смисъл между страниците. Не че нямашше доволно черва, извращения и "какво по дяволите" моменти, особено с Гого - зомби каката от корицата, която беше откачен некрофил и копрофил, и Лорънс, който... не, това няма да го издам, само да кажа, че докара онази нотка на нереалистичност в произведението, която чаках с нетърпение.
Намиганията към Батъл Роял и Нощта на живите мъртви бяха двуцифрено число, но някак като пастиш, а не бледо подържание.
Карлтън успява да изгради един доста правдив и динамичен постапокалиптичен свят, достатъчно близък социално до нашето съвремие, за да зашлеви няколко шамара. Героите мряха като мухи, но нямаше нито един самоццелен образ. Всеки си имаше роля, дори и да беше само критика към обществото.
Много ми харесаха главите с мерч пънкарите - целият им социум беше изграден така че да завиди всеки един научно фантастичен автор.
Отнемам една звезда, заради малко изсмукания финал, но като цяло - много доволен.
Мога да кажа доста, да разгледам героите един по един, както е направил авторът в главите на книгата, но някак не искам да развалям удоволствието от сблъсъка с прозата на Карлтън на следващите читатели. Само да кажа, че ако сте запознати с бизарото и кратките му произведения, тук ще откриете много повече съдържаниe и дълбочина. А на феновете на зомби поп културата - това е едно от задължителните четива, едновремено развличащо, връщащо към корените на жанра (онези поставени от Ромеро имам предвид) и добавящо свеж полъх на фона на тоновете тоалетна хартия, която се избълва след филмирането на комикса "Walking dead"
Намиганията към Батъл Роял и Нощта на живите мъртви бяха двуцифрено число, но някак като пастиш, а не бледо подържание.
Карлтън успява да изгради един доста правдив и динамичен постапокалиптичен свят, достатъчно близък социално до нашето съвремие, за да зашлеви няколко шамара. Героите мряха като мухи, но нямаше нито един самоццелен образ. Всеки си имаше роля, дори и да беше само критика към обществото.
Много ми харесаха главите с мерч пънкарите - целият им социум беше изграден така че да завиди всеки един научно фантастичен автор.
Отнемам една звезда, заради малко изсмукания финал, но като цяло - много доволен.
Мога да кажа доста, да разгледам героите един по един, както е направил авторът в главите на книгата, но някак не искам да развалям удоволствието от сблъсъка с прозата на Карлтън на следващите читатели. Само да кажа, че ако сте запознати с бизарото и кратките му произведения, тук ще откриете много повече съдържаниe и дълбочина. А на феновете на зомби поп културата - това е едно от задължителните четива, едновремено развличащо, връщащо към корените на жанра (онези поставени от Ромеро имам предвид) и добавящо свеж полъх на фона на тоновете тоалетна хартия, която се избълва след филмирането на комикса "Walking dead"
November 22, 2021
If Imagination and Creativity was an Olympic sport, Carlton Mellick III would need a separate plane to carry home all his gold medals...and shit.
At first, I thought this Hunger Games style story was going nowhere, then after about 25%, that wonderful CM3 weird, bizarro imagination kicked in. Honestly, this just has to be one of Carlton's best. It's certainly one of his longest. I know, I know..."You say that like it's a bad thing." It isn't.
We start off with 20 characters who are in a game-show race to survive the zombie hordes that have flooded the mainland. And what characters they are! Just like in Hunger Games or Highlander, there can only be one...or can there? The competition is very gory and action packed. I won't give away the ending, but it was unexpected and well written.
Folks, if you have a fragile personality, or are one of those f***ing annoying politically correct people, well you just better bugger off and not read this...'cos this is most definitely NOT politically correct. CMIII's writing style is simplistic...naive even, but it means you're not constantly looking up the meaning of some fancy word that an author is trying to impress us with. Easy reading.
The other issue I hear you bemoaning: "Aren't zombie books sooooo cliche?" Well yes, but as the author says in his intro, "...if you're sick of zombies - if you want them to go the fuck away now - then you will love this book. Why? Because it will remind you of what you loved about them in the first place before they became overdone cliches." It's true.
Definitely my favourite CMIII book so far.
At first, I thought this Hunger Games style story was going nowhere, then after about 25%, that wonderful CM3 weird, bizarro imagination kicked in. Honestly, this just has to be one of Carlton's best. It's certainly one of his longest. I know, I know..."You say that like it's a bad thing." It isn't.
We start off with 20 characters who are in a game-show race to survive the zombie hordes that have flooded the mainland. And what characters they are! Just like in Hunger Games or Highlander, there can only be one...or can there? The competition is very gory and action packed. I won't give away the ending, but it was unexpected and well written.
Folks, if you have a fragile personality, or are one of those f***ing annoying politically correct people, well you just better bugger off and not read this...'cos this is most definitely NOT politically correct. CMIII's writing style is simplistic...naive even, but it means you're not constantly looking up the meaning of some fancy word that an author is trying to impress us with. Easy reading.
The other issue I hear you bemoaning: "Aren't zombie books sooooo cliche?" Well yes, but as the author says in his intro, "...if you're sick of zombies - if you want them to go the fuck away now - then you will love this book. Why? Because it will remind you of what you loved about them in the first place before they became overdone cliches." It's true.
Definitely my favourite CMIII book so far.
March 16, 2021
My first novel by Carlton Mellick III and I am not disappointed. I literally loved it! I particularly enjoyed the introduction of all the characters one by one, with flashbacks to their past. It helps to understand who they are, where they come from and what they are doing in this zombie infested world. The last pages are packed with action, it's like watching titanic battles between superheroes. Thank you Mr Mellick III !
February 15, 2023
I am quickly becoming a huge fan of Carlton Mellick III. His books are everything that excellent about the bizarro genre. They're weird as hell, bloody as hell, and so much fun. The story and the characters are what make his books outstanding. Even if they're terribly unlikable, he makes sure you know how they got that way.
Mellick's take on the zombie genre is entirely unique. You might think you've read books about a zombie game show before, but I promise you it's never been this awesome.
Mellick's take on the zombie genre is entirely unique. You might think you've read books about a zombie game show before, but I promise you it's never been this awesome.
August 1, 2019
This is by far my absolute favorite bizzaro book I have read yet, it quite honestly felt like it was made for me with my favorite character actually being the survivor which i am not kidding basically happens never. Its a battle royal with zombies and I loved just about every second of it, although some of the characters were a tab bit more gross and some real nasty shit goes down its a blast of a book to read if you can look past how truly fucked up it is.
May 24, 2022
And then, ninjas, ahhh, with laser beam nipples...
My first foray into Mellick and he writes like a hyperactivity disordered 11 year old with tragically blemished innocence, yet somehow it's readable.
My first foray into Mellick and he writes like a hyperactivity disordered 11 year old with tragically blemished innocence, yet somehow it's readable.
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