Review: A challenging yet satisfying read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 20, 2012
I had moments reading this book when I really wanted to throw my Kindle on the floor and stomp away.  Gus was such a pitiful, wretched creature after Roxy got through with him and his rapid descent into an alcoholic hell as the hits kept coming made for hard reading.  Unlike a lot of characters in this genre, Gus really feels the pain from his actions and the author does a great job of dragging the reader along kicking and screaming as Gus hits bottom, and then keeps on going further down.  I for one enjoyed the Captain, and I kept waiting for Gus to call it "Wilson", which is just another way Blackmore plays with the reader's head.  Yes, as many reviewers pointed out, Gus kept doing dangerous, stupid things that violated his own rules, but I think it was pretty clear he was looking for a way out, his own version of "suicide by zombie".The ending was a real shocker, and I felt myself smiling as I finished the last page, wrung out but satisfied.  How many authors out there, in any genre, have the skill to engage the reader like Keith Blackmore?  This guy is a writer and his chosen area for the moment is zombie fiction, but if he starts writing anything else I am still going to be there to read it.  But Mr. Blackmore, before you run off to start writing historical romance fiction or space operas (or real operas, for that matter), I beg you to give us another helping of zombies.  Please?