Review: Pure zombilicious fun!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 28, 2013
GUESS WHO'S COMING AT DINNER by Ethan Day and Geoffrey KnightI chuckled just reading the title. I was outright laughing after reading the first scene, wherein we meet a zany and lovable cast of characters. The story is narrated by Chandler, a nineteen-year-old who has just brought his first ever boyfriend home to meet his family. Only he's not quite sure how to drop the bomb that 1) Zane is his boyfriend, and 2) Zane is a zombie. Hey, zombies need love, too!But wait, back up... how did that happen? Ethan Day and Geoffrey Knight bring you the hillllllllllarious tale of the Pandemic Transviral Apocalypse of 2013. Find out how it all started, how Chandler and his family escaped zombification, and how Chandler rescued the love of his life from a fate worse than death.If you like your zombie stories sans gore, rest assured, this one's a safe bet. References to cannibalism and killer cows are kept to a minimum, and actual flesh-eating occurs off-page. Zombie Zane will steal your heart (figuratively speaking, of course!) while Chandler and his amusing commentary will leave you in stitches. This is the funniest story I've ever read. EVER. And so sweet! Pure zombilicious fun!SURVIVING SIN CITY by Ethan Stone and Daniel A KaineCooper is an Englishman on holiday in Vegas. He was originally supposed to be there with his boyfriend, but they've broken up, so he's there on his own. While having a drink at the bar, he sees a disturbing news broadcast and immediately suspects the worst: a zombie apocalypse. He's been anticipating something like this for a while now. In fact, he has an emergency shelter back home, stocked with supplies and weapons. If only he can get out of Vegas and get back home to England, he knows he'll have a fighting chance. While trying to make his escape, a task that becomes more and more difficult by the minute, he runs into Kaleb, who is desperately trying to find a safe place to hide.This is a more traditional sort of zombie story. Here we have two young heroes who are ordinary people, joining forces to fight for survival under extraordinary circumstances. The zombies are what you'd typically expect: drooling, mindless, shuffling undead who chow down on living flesh. There is a bit of a twist and an added element of danger, though. Not all zombies are created equal...There's an element of romance to the story as well. Cooper and Kaleb make a connection, and despite the threat of flesh-eating zombies lurking around every corner, they manage to make time for some bow-chicka-wow-wow. The male sex drive is a powerful thing. Not even a zombie apocalypse can get those boys down. *snickers*GHOUL'S GYM by TJ Klune and Eric ArvinFor me, the scariest part of any horror story is the anticipation of what's about to happen, that moment just before stuff gets real. In Ghouls Gym, we get some seriously creepy build-up. I admit, I was scared, even before the first real zombie makes his appearance. The scene where Jake meets A, B, C, and D? Eeek!! Plenty of eerie foreshadowing sneaks in to let you know it's time to raise your guard. Something ain't quite right... To quote Jake: It would be hot if it wasn't so goddamn creepy.The story is about Uly and Jake. Although they've just had a lover's spat, they have a mutual understanding--no matter how bad things get, they never walk away from each other without saying good-bye. So they say their "I love you's" and part ways for the day. Uly heads off to the gym where he works and Jake leaves to run an errand. When the zombie apocalypse strikes, Uly and Jake have only one desperate goal: to find each other and face their fate together. My creys!Part of the story is told from the point of view of someone turning into a zombie. This was masterfully done! The confusion, the clouded memories, the overwhelming urge to bite, tear, kill, while struggling to maintain his sense of self--it was heart-wrenching, and yes, horrific.When the zombies attack, they hold nothing back. It's gruesome. There are dangling bits. Prepare to make your most unflattering "eww" face on occasion. But the gore is balanced with humor. Uly (with his band of bulging brothers) provides some much needed comic relief and is a lovable hero.Uly and Jake's reunion? Wait--is this a zombie story or a love story? Cuz I'm crying buckets here...TJ Klune Y U Make Me Cry?If I hadn't known ahead of time, I wouldn't have realized the story was a collaboration between two authors, each writing one of the two main characters. The writing flows naturally between the two. I liked the way the varying paragraph and sentence lengths were used to create fast-paced tension in the story. I loved the rhythm and repetition of certain words like bite, tear, kill and bam, bam, bam-- they intensified my fear and heightened the level of suspense. Kudos to both Klune and Arvin for scaring the bejeezus outta me.Was I satisfied with the ending? Well, no. Not really. It felt more like a beginning than an ending, but I hear Klune and Arvin have plans to make this a series, and this story will be a great lead-in to what promises to be some cray cray adventure.Zombie Boyz offers a well-rounded collection of stories that deliver laughter, love, tears, and terror. Well done, boys! Well done.