SYNOPSIS:
Rusty Moss has raised his niece Mia since she was a baby. Now that she's almost eighteen, he's worried that the life he's given her—living off the grid in a cabin deep in the woods—is holding her back from her full potential. But that angst gets pushed aside when the undead forest animals arrive. At first it's just a squirrel—shockingly violent and almost impossible to kill. Followed by a grizzly bear, also aggressive and resilient, even when point-blank shotgun blasts to the face are involved. Now the cabin is surrounded by all manner of zombie creatures. They have no way to call for help. The truck that could take them to safety is three miles away, stuck in the mud. But Rusty and Mia have their courage. They have their wits. And, most importantly, they have an axe and a fully fueled chainsaw... I needed something a lot more lighthearted after my last read, the super-tense The Nightmare Girl. This? Fit the bill perfectly. JUST LOOK AT THAT COVER. (seriously I want to print that art up and hang it on my wall) If you had any other doubts about what you're in for here, just read this disclaimer: "The plausibility of this novel has not been verified by anybody in the scientific community, due to concern that their heads would explode." 😄 This is a straightforward, fast-moving thriller. Zombie animals is my absolute favorite zombie genre, so those + Jeff Strand's writing is an automatic win from me. Notes I took while reading: -- 'And if nothing else, Mia was going to have an amazing handmade wooden crib.' -- ilu Rusty -- "I didn't say that was for you." "You hate licorice." "Maybe I've evolved. People change. They acquire experience and wisdom." "Are you saying you've acquired new wisdom?" "Oh, God no. I'm done with that shit." 😄 -- 'It was an admirable trait to not let fear rule one's life, but it was also admirable to not be a complete dumbass.' Amen, Rusty. Also, the 'dumbass' has now got me picturing Rusty as Red from That 70s Show, which oddly fits. -- BLOODLESS ZOMBIE SQUIRREL -- "So from now on, neither of us goes outside alone. That includes me. I'm mot trying to be a hero. And if we do go out, it's only during the daytime. Just until we get this figured out." I love that Rusty's not trying to be dismissively macho about this. Our leads are certainly in danger plenty throughout the novel, but it's because the enemy is dangerous, not because they act like zombie kibble. -- I really love the relationship Rusty and Mia have. You can tell they respect and care about each other, and the banter they have is great. (Strand's dialogue is always a ton of fun) -- "Get me something to put it in." "A bowl of holy water?" Mia is on the right track here -- The siege at the cabin is amazing and freaky and I want this to be a movie. -- "Zombie woodpecker?" "I hope not." "That would be a humiliating way to die." this better not be foreshadowing i really want them both to live -- oh god the eye thing ow ow owwwwwww -- "Then, in a move that Rusty could not believe he was actually seeing performed by his niece, she grabbed a thick handful of fur with her left hand, shoved the axe blade deep into the bear's back to give her leverage with her right, and pulled herself up onto its back like she was mounting a very large, hairy, psychotic horse." MIA. YOU GODDESS. I ADORE YOU. -- War of the Worlds reference! -- omfg zombie porcupines this book is the best -- "We have weird-ass conversations," Rusty noted. "I think normal conversations are over for us." "You're right. How can I ask you to pass the salt after watching you ride around on a zombie bear?" -- 'Rusty cut off a squirrel's tail, which wasn't his intent. The tail spun around on the ground like a battery powered cat toy.' Nice description. Also, I like that even a bullet to the head/cutting the head off doesn't fully kill these things; just manages to slow them down. -- 'Something snorted.' OH GOD ZOMBIE BOAR I've been worried about this possibility guys GO I loved this book entirely too much. If you want a quick, ridiculous and fun read, pick it up.
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A WORLD WITH A BLUER SUNMy reviews are set up a little like live-tweets: I write down lines I like/impressions as I read, and then transcribe. Reviews will contain spoilers, but I'll give a warning before they start. Archives
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