Indie-Focused Reviews, News, and More
I’m Derby Cavendish—that’s pronounced Derby with an “ar” sound, not an “er”: remember it for later. Ever since I was a boy, the forces of the otherworldly have been drawn to me like divas to a spotlight. But I’m ready for them. Bring it on, bitches.
It’s Supernatural meets Queer Eye for the Straight Guy in this hilarious collection of stories from Wizards of the Coast author Don Bassingthwaite. – Goodreads
Continue reading “Cocktails at Seven, Apocalypse at Eight Review”
Deep in the jungle of Peru, where so much remains unknown, a black, skittering mass devours an American tourist whole. Thousands of miles away, an FBI agent investigates a fatal plane crash in Minneapolis and makes a gruesome discovery. Unusual seismic patterns register in a Kanpur, India earthquake lab, confounding the scientists there. During the same week, the Chinese government “accidentally” drops a nuclear bomb in an isolated region of its own country. As these incidents begin to sweep the globe, a mysterious package from South America arrives at a Washington, D.C. laboratory. Something wants out.
The world is on the brink of an apocalyptic disaster. An ancient species, long dormant, is now very much awake. – Goodreads Synopsis
In the After Synopsis:
They hear the most silent of footsteps.
They are faster than anything you’ve ever seen.
And They won’t stop chasing you…until you are dead.
Amy is watching TV when it happens, when the world is attacked by Them. These vile creatures are rapidly devouring mankind. Most of the population is overtaken, but Amy manages to escape—and even rescue “Baby,” a toddler left behind in the chaos. Marooned in Amy’s house, the girls do everything they can to survive—and avoid Them at all costs.
After years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living in a former government research compound. While at first the colony seems like a dream with plenty of food, safety, and shelter, New Hope slowly reveals that it is far from ideal. And Amy soon realizes that unless things change, she’ll lose Baby—and much more.
Rebellious, courageous, and tender, this unforgettable duo will have you on the edge of your seat as you tear through the pulse-pounding narrow escapes and horrifying twists of fate in this thrilling debut from author Demitria Lunetta – Goodreads
Title: Habeas Corpse | Author: Nikki Hopeman | Publisher: Blood Bound Books (site) | Pub. Date: 2013-11-2 | Pages: 258 | ISBN13: 9781940250038 | Genre(s): Horror and Thriller | Language: English | Triggers: None | Rating: 5 out of 5 | Date Read: 2016-4-9 | Source: Received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
“DEXTER meets Deadite… Nikki Hopeman’s book just might be the most clever zombie story to hit the shelves in quite some time.” Michael Arnzen, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Play Dead.
When a series of grisly murders terrorizes the Steel City, Theo-an undead “Riser” working as a forensic technician for the Pittsburgh police-decides to use his dark gift to hunt the killer. He finds a partner in his only friend, Dr. Henry Libitin, but Theo’s unique talent of experiencing the victims’ last moments comes with a shocking price. -Goodreads
Oh, Habeas Corpse was lovely work. Absolutely disgusting at times and yet awesome, Nikki Hopeman did a fantastic job in bringing the reader a zombie novel which stands out from the masses of cliché works which are circulating among the masses. As someone who, pardon the pun, devours zombie-centric stories at racetrack worthy speeds, I’ve found myself lately bemoaning the absence of story-lines that don’t have me wishing the author had reach for some fresh brains themselves. I asked for a proper new zombie novel, and Habeas Corpse delivered. Did it ever.
Fans of the show iZombie will find a basically familiar premise in the fact that Theo is a zombie who works closely with the dead and the Medical Examiner, and gets psychic flashes from eating brains. However, where the limited episodes I’ve seen of iZombie tend to humanize the eating habits, Hopeman makes it very clear that her zombie eats like a proper Riser, or at least tries to. It’s interesting how she makes the reader feel sympathy for Theo and then goes into detail about his ‘investigations’ in such gruesome detail that a weak-stomached person may very well find their gorge rising. Even though with strong stomachs might experience a twinge of delicious discomfort.
Aside from the zombie aspects, which are so pleasing, Hopeman also delivers a mystery in the form of the deaths that Theo is helping look into. She drops a few clues here and there which might ring faint bells, but (at least for me) avoids the bluntness which all too often causes the reader to figure out who the bad guy is before they’re even halfway through the story. Plus, just when I thought everything’s going to wrap up one way, she separated me from that idea in a happily grotesque fashion.
This is a must-read if you like zombie novels. Stop what you’re doing, plunk down the money, and get this book. You won’t regret it. Not even for a second. It’ll delight you even as it makes your lip curl in disgust. Nikki Hopeman’s Habeas Corpse is one of the best zombie novels I’ve read in years. At this point, no story line is truly original but she does her best, and her best is very, very good. Definitely looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!
Anyone can be Positive . . .
Years after a plague killed 99 percent of the population, turning them into infectious zombies, Finnegan and his family live in a barricaded New York City. But Finn’s sheltered life fractures when his unsuspecting mother falls sick with the zombie disease—latent inside her since before her son’s birth.
Finn, too, can be infected. If he remains healthy for the last two years of the potential incubation period, he’ll be cleared. Until then, he must be moved to a special facility for positives, segregated to keep the healthy population safe.
Tattooed with a plus sign on his hand that marks him as a positive, Finn is exiled from the city. But when marauders kill the escort sent to transport him, Finn must learn how to survive alone in an eerie, disintegrated landscape. And though the zombies are everywhere, Finn discovers that the real danger is his fellow humans. – Goodreads Synopsis
Continue reading “Positive Review (Post-Apocalyptic Horror)”
Continue reading “A Walk on the DarkSide Review (Paranormal Mystery)”