The Blurb on Other People’s Words – Zombie Vacation

August 22, 2011 at 8:59 pm (horror, Reviews, writing)

I’ve been on vacation the last couple of weeks (it sadly ends tomorrow.) Unlike with most people, this actually meant I had less time to read instead of more, but I did take the time to finally catch up on the other stories in anthologies where my own stories appeared. Over the next few weeks I’ll have some different offerings: some horror non-fiction, some science fiction and even a romance to review. For today, however, I’ll just be reviewing the works other than “What a Man’s Gotta Do” in Undead Tales.

Undead Tales – edited by Armand Rosamilia

Seeing the impressive line-up of writers in this anthology, I was expecting good things, and I can honestly say that I wasn’t disappointed. For starters, the opening story was probably one of the most enjoyable in the bunch. I wasn’t anticipating a Christmas story, but it was a moving and well-written tale with a ghoulish “gift of the magi” theme, a great contribution from Joe McKinney. It put me in the right mood for the stories that followed.

The variety in zombie-themed tales was very satisfying. A couple presented anti-hero main characters, reminding us that in might be those who are ruthless and self-serving who will be more likely to survive a zombie apocalypse. Some of the others presented the human aspect of dealing with a zombie onslaught, those who wish to cling to what they knew and who meet their demise because they can’t adapt. I particularly liked the historical element to Jeremiah Coe’s tale, an exciting romp through the past. There was even a story presented from the perspective of a zombie as well as one from the point of view of a dog (by Mark Tufo – one of my favourites). The poems scattered throughout the anthology were delightful little intermissions, breathers that allowed you to gather your thoughts before delving into the next tale.

Not everything will appeal to all tastes. Some of the writing was graphic and shocking, there was dark humour in place, something I enjoy but not everyone does, and a true medley of zombie themes and writing styles, but I felt the quality was consistent and the anthology was well worth my time. It made for fun vacation reading.