Reviewed for MonsterLibrarian.com
Lyons Press, 2009
ISBN: 9781599219097
Available: New

A disturbing trend in zombie fiction is the role of the military in the zombie uprising. It seems to play one of two roles, either the perpetration of the disaster, or bungling idiot failure. Rare is the book that shows the military in a vital role. With this book, which should be a shelf resource for any writer wanting to do more than fiddle about with zombie tales, perhaps that will change.
U.S. Army Zombie Combat Skills gives zombie fans an explicit, precise look at how the military is prepared to handle all threats, even the forces of the undead. The detail is elaborate, including the best defense strategies based on the number of of men, first aid, equipment specifics and detail on effective communication. This book is both a parody (complete with figures and tables featuring the moaning hungry dead) and completely serious. A valuable addition to zombie based libraries, especially for writers, one has to wonder why the military has this particular kind of foresight.

Mercy Thompson book 3

This review contains spoilers for earlier books in the series.

Last time, Mercy was kidnapped, magically drugged and brutally raped. Bone Crossed picks up only a week later with Mercy still struggling to deal with her trauma, her newly exposed feelings for pack alpha Adam and now with area vampire queen Marsilia, who knows Mercy killed one of her own, decidedly pissed off at her. Though Mercy knows little of her own kind, being the only skinwalker (natural coyote shifter rather than an attack survivor like most other weres) currently known of, Marsilia knows what the walkers are, having been part of the Frontier-Era war between walker natives and European vampires.
Apparently nothing can kill vampires like a walker, so decades ago the vampires eradicated them. Once willing to let Mercy live as long as she wasn’t killing vampires and she remained useful, Marsillia now has declared war on Mercy, because Mercy was the one who fouled up Marsilia’s plans to make more demon-possessed vampires. But Mercy’s new position in the pack as Adam’s mate complicates things, so instead of attacking Mercy directly Marsilia goes after her friends and allies.
When Stefan, Mercy’s friend and Marsilia’s vampire, shows up, near dead and nearly mad with hunger Mercy is sure Marsilia sent him to kill her. Struggling to fight panic attacks and trying to form a healthy relationship with people around her Mercy also finds herself having to face down people who not only want to victimize her again, but who are willing to use her’s friend to re-victimize her.
Bone Crossed is full of emotional realism, even if it’s also full of vampires, fairies, ghosts and shape shifters. Characters who were already real before now deepen from fleshy and familiar to true friends of readers traveling with them.
The emotional turmoil is also balanced with action, manipulation and a complicated enough plot to prevent the book from coming off as sheer emotional angst over past events. Mercy is the definition of the plucky survivor, tough, but not immortal, snarky and defiant, but not suffering from Mary Sue Syndrome.
Bone Crossed is a good read, definitely not the place in the series to start, but a satisfying addition to the series. This series continues to deliver, creating a more complex world, but not one muddled by world rules violations, or mid stream changes in style or personality. Bone Crossed will both sate readers and keep them looking for more.

Wild Alice West is not a woman for breeding or homemaking or any of the other things the Wild West-flavored land called the Skillet considers women good for. She’s a bounty hunter, plagued by a bit of bad luck, a mouth that constantly gets her in trouble, a society that can’t respect her and the fastest shot she’s ever met. (She’s humble too….)

Full Review at DarkScribeMagazine.com

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls (prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) had me from page one.

“Mr. Ford was as well behaved as any corpse could be expected to be. In fact, he lay stretched out on the bier looking almost as stiff and expressionless in death as he had been in life, and Oscar Bennet, gazing upon his not-so-dearly-departed neighbor, could but think to himself, You lucky sod.”

Mr. Hockensmith, you had me at “well behaved corpse”.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls is a ironic, sassy romp through the England of classic literature (and zombies). It’s a “Hell Yes!” inducing book for anyone who ever had to dissect stodgy, self-important prose in high school English class.

Despite deserved criticism on the concept (but I doubt any of these mash ups are intended to be lasting, stately examples of “literature”) this book brings a sorely needed element to the both the zombie and high literary genres–humor. P&P&Z: Dawn of the Dreadfuls is a reminder that reading, first and foremost, is supposed to be an enjoyable experience. In times like this, especially, we need to know that it’s okay kick back and enjoy, rather than analyzing and studying until the world around us lacks context and meaning. We can temper the horrible, the bloody and the overbearing and self important with skilled writing, enchanting characters and make reading a pleasurable way to spend the time again.

And speaking of fun If you go here (Quirk’s webpage) and post that my review sent you there we (that is you too!) will be entered to win one of 50 Quirk Classic Prize Packs (worth over $100), which include:

• • An advance copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls
  • Audio Books of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
  • A password redeemable online for sample audio chapters of Dawn of the Dreadfuls
  • An awesome Dawn of the Dreadfuls Poster
  • A Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Journal
  • A box set of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Postcards

West’s style is easy to read, but well-paced and well-formed, delivering solid stories page after page….

Full review at DarkScribeMagazine.com