“Autumn: Aftermath” by David Moody

“Autumn: Aftermath”
by David Moody
Published by Thomas Dunne Books (2012)
388 pages

What an adventure!!  If you, like me, have been reading the entire “Autumn” series by David Moody, this final book in the series is a bittersweet thing.  First of all It brings an end to the series of books where the dead have risen and only about one percent of the population have survived.  Now, before I go any further, I should clarify that this is not your typical Zombie Apocalypse novel.  While the dead do rise and there are a few survivors having to fight of the hordes of rotting, walking dead, they never use the word zombie.  In fact, the things that make this different from other zombie stories, is that the walking cadavers do not have the need to feed on the dead, and the infection is not spread and the survivors do not have the risk of being turned into the living dead.

This series is primarily about survival and how the interactions of the human race could allow us to destroy ourselves further or enable the species to live on.  The cadavers in David Moody’s book can kill but only by mere mass of thousand of bodies closing in on someone.  They do become violent when threatened, but they are not out to eat your brains.  So if you are ready to survive that then get ready to read an outstanding series about apocalyptic survival.

This is the fifth book in the series (you could almost say 6th because of another story that was released online, but maybe I’ll explain that more if I get a copy of that one on my Kindle) and wraps up the entire apocalyptic events and even attempts to explain why the undead “attack” the living.  The extra super cool thing about this book is that it fully explains and brings into the fold that last book, “Disintegration,” the 4th in the series.  “Disintegration” introduced a completely different set of characters from the first three books and I just assumed it was a side book which took place at the same time as the others.  But this final book in the series wraps them all up in one nice neat package.  (However, Mr. Moody, if you are reading this, there is room for a follow-up, that would be fun.)

While it was amazing to wrap up all the books and find out what was going to happen to mankind in a world overrun with rotting dead folks walking around, I was sad to see that the story was over and done.   The best part about the series was not the walking dead, nor really the survivor’s stories, the best part of the series and especially so in this book, was the descriptive writing by David Moody, that kept me in the story in all dimensions.  There were times when he would describe the surrounding areas covered in decomposing bodies that through his words I could actually smell the rot and decay.  In a similar manner I could hear the squelching of the people walking through the liquid depths of decay through fields where the bodies were decomposing and leaving a liquid slurry of rot.  At the same time as writing about these gory details the author also placed the reader into the heads, in a very realistic manner, of each of the characters and made it easy to understand why they acted as they did.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that this guy, David Moody, is the bard of zombie apocalyptic stories.

Okay the main story of this book finally converges the two parties mentioned before and brings in a few new characters.  As soon as you open to page one you will not be able to stop until the end because of the non-stop action and will to survive.  The first couple of books told of the group that started the whole walking cadavers experience in cities, a university, an army base and finally finding an island to settle on after clearing the few dead.   Book four took us on an adventure where a small group was surviving in the city, but when the dead overpowered their home base, took off and found a group holed up in a remote resort hotel.  That book ended with the hotel being overrun by the zom…oh wait…walking cadavers.

“Aftermath” takes us first to one of the characters from the hotel finding a small group of people surviving in a castle where the bodies cannot get inside.  When the winter sets in and the dead are frozen the group heads back to the hotel and finds the few survivors and brings them back to the castle.  In this castle there is a bit of a rift between 2 men who want to lead, one says they should plan for the future, while the other says no need to plan, just wait out the bodies.   When they make a trip to raid a town of food and supplies, one man, Harte, distracts the unfrozen dead so the raiding party can get back to the castle.

Now it’s time to bring in the folks that are on the island.  If you remember they have a helicopter and are still using it to fly to the mainland for the occasional supply run.  This time they fly to the mainland to find boats for future trips.  They fly into the same city where Harte distracted the dead, and find Harte still alive.  Harte tells them of the survivors in the castle and with the idea of adding more to the population of the island a few fly to the castle to bring the survivors to the island.

The leaders of the castle are split as to whether they should stay or go and a schism develops which further develops into a small war between the islanders and the castle survivors.  The outcome is a long battle for the survival of the human species.

While the zombies don’t eat flesh, this is definitely a book and series that any zombie lover should add to their library.

“Bedbugs” by Ben H. Winters

“Bedbugs”
by Ben H. Winters
Published by Quirk Books (2011)
256 Pages

Being a fan of horror, it shouldn’t be surprising that every once in a while I find a book or movie that creeps me out. Stephen King did that a lot for me, after all who didn’t look closer at St. Bernards checking for rabies after reading “Cujo,” or getting worried about the superflu when  sneezed after reading “The Stand,” or even stepping on to the sidewalk whenever a ’57 Plymouth Fury would cruise by after reading “Christine?” Okay, maybe not so much on that last one, but I did look for a Fury to have as my first car back in the day, hoping mine would be possessed. Anyhow, Ben H. Winters has written a novel that has creeped me out just as bad if not worse, than anything Stephen King has done, so far. (Yes, Mr. King, you will now have to one-up Mr. Winters. I’m waiting.)

So how did Ben H. Winters creep me out? Well first of all creating a book about the parasitic pests, bedbugs, is a good start. All throughout the reading of this book I would find myself itching all over and check to make sure I had none of the vermin on or near me. To make matters worse, “Bedbugs” is not about a simple infestation, but rather an infestation in which only one person can see and is the victim of these attacks.

Susan and Alex are a couple in New York who are getting by in their small apartment with their daughter Emma, Susan decides the apartment is getting too small and talks Alex into helping her hunt for a bigger place. After numerous listings and showings Susan is beginning to think she won’t find anything until she runs across this:

FOR RENT: Top two floors of beautifully renovated brownstone, 1300 sq. ft., 2BR 2BA, eat-in kitchen, one block to parks and playgrounds. No broker’s fee.

Susan and Alex Wendt have found their dream apartment. When they go to see tha apartment they fall in love with the place, even if the landlady is a bit eccentric the rent seems low enough and there is even a bonus room in which Susan can set up as a studio and return to her love of painting.

Soon after an expensive move they begin life on Cranberry St. and the mysteries and horrors begin. First, Susan sets up her studio in the bonus room but due to the bad smell in the room cannot continue, when she brings it up with the landlady, Andrea, she tells her of how the previous tenants left in such a hurry that they forgot about their cat and the cat died in that locked room. After another cleanup and chemical assault from the handyman Louis, Susan begins to paint again. Susan finds a bloody photo of the previous owners and paints a portrait of the woman who used to live in the apartment.

When Susan wakes to find a spot of blood on her pillow she becomes concerned, and later when three bites that appear to be bedbug bites appear on her arm, it’s time to call in an exterminator. The exterminator finds no sign of the vermin and tells Susan she has no bedbugs, and that the bites may be spider-beetles. When the portrait of the previous tenant suddenly appears with bedbug bites on the face Susan realizes that these are not your normal bedbugs.

Susan loses sleep and begins sleeping on the couch completely sealed into pajamas, socks, gloves and hats to keep the critters from biting but when one crawls into her mouth she and her husband pay a trip to the doctor. The doctor tells her the bugs are in her head but Susan knows better, these are not your normal bedbugs, these not only feed off your blood but off your soul. And that’s when the story really gets creepy.

So check out this super creepy book and be prepared to scratch that itch that shouldn’t be there.

Sleep tight and don’t let the “Bedbugs” bite.

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” by Ransom Riggs

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”
by Ransom Riggs
Published by Quirk Books (2011)
352 pages

Okay before we start on this book I have to share some info that took place in the reading of this book. While reading this fascinating young adult fiction, I opened up a store with a friend of mine. While opening the store I started reading this book in hardcover format, that’s important and will be explained later. The store we have opened is True Hideaway Family & Gaming ( http://www.truehideaway.com or find us on face book) The central focus of the store is for gamers especially those that play “Magic; the Trading Card Game,” we have friday night tournaments and are looking at maybe doing tournaments other nights since we’ve become popular.

We affectionately refer to our store as a “nerd store,” because it is home to all things nerdy. My part of the store is comic books and collectibles, the other aspect is we sell books (manga, reprinted pulp-fiction books, sci-fi / fantasy novels and graphic novels) as well as all the gaming materials. We even have regular “old-fashioned” board games and anyone can come in anytime and play a game. Role playing games seem to be highly popular and we have folks come in and play their campaigns. I am liquidating my old comic book collection of around 2,000 or so comics and when I sold an old “Kiss” comic from the mid-70s for $70, I decided to reward myself by finally buying a kindle.

With my rewarded kindle in hand, I loaded up some books that are on my to-read list and took off. The first book I loaded was this book, I was halfway through the hardcover, but I thought what better way to launch than to get this “peculiar” book rolling. I am now in love with my kindle, but every so often I know I’m going to go back to a regular tree killing book, but for now, I’m a kindler.

Okay let’s move on to this book, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.” When I first picked up this book I wasn’t aware that it was a Young Adult fiction, I knew it was fiction, but the goal is for ages 13 and up. The and up is very true, this book is very well written, with a fascinating story and some great adventures thrown in that make this book perfect for all ages.

The book was originally intended to be a picture book with the photographs that were collected by various people from bins of lost photographs found at flea markets and such. But thanks to a genius editor at Quirk Books, Riggs wrote a story based on the photographs. The photos are all peculiar in and of themselves and putting them together to form a story the author shows not only genius himself but a storytelling ability that would put any comic book writer to shame.

The bulk of the pictures feature various weirdness of subjects; a man posing with a rock in the background looking as though he’s lifting the boulder, a young boy’s head on a dog’s body, a young girl looking as though she’s holding a flaming orb. Many of the pictures are a bit creepy and sometimes when the story behind them created by Riggs is told they can seem extremely normal or even creepier.

The story revolves around Jacob whose grandfather had escaped Nazi invasion by fleeing to a children’s home on an island off the coast of Wales. The children are all “peculiar,” at least according to the stories from Jacob’s grandfather. There is the invisible boy, a teacher that is a bird, a strong man, a girl that floats, one that controls the growth of plants. So at times this school seems to have come out of an issue of X-men comics. But the story goes even further when Jacob witnesses the death of his grandfather at the hands of a shadowy figure. Jacob tells his story and immediately branded as suffering a mental breakdown due to the loss of his grandfather. His grandfather’s last words were to follow the loop to September 30, 1940 and find the bird. Cryptic yes, but after exploring his grandfather’s possessions he finds that the school his grandfather survived the war in exists.

When Jacob and his father make a trip to Wales, the dark secret behind “Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children” is revealed and soon Jacob must save the children and possibly the world.

Superb creativity that will capture the attention of anyone of all ages.

“Damned” by Chuck Palahniuk

“Damned”
by Chuck Palahniuk
Read by Tai Sammons
Published by Blackstone Audio, Inc. (2011)
7 hours and 25 minutes

Ever since “Fight Club” I’ve been a huge fan of Chuck Palahniuk, mainly because of the social commentary thrown into every book. Sometimes it is subtle but most of the time it comes right out and slaps you in the face while kicking you in the groin, screaming “look at how things are or what they could be.” This time around Palahniuk pretty much damns us all to hell. In this book we find out that a person is allowed to use the “F”-word 700 times but use it 701 times and you are damned to hell. Also there are limited numbers of times you can throw cigarette butts out, pee in a public pool and honk your car horn. So I guess it’s hopeless. On top of that every time you spit on the sidewalk the warm saliva trickles down to hell to create a mass ocean, or worse yet do you ever wonder where those fingernail and toenail clippings fly off to? They end up in their own Mountain in hell and I won’t even talk about the lake of sperm. To make things worse “The English Patient” plays on endless repeat, roaming demons devour sinners limb by limb, and the damned interrupt your dinner from their sweltering call center to hardsell you Hell.

So now that I’ve set the stage for Hell, or rather given you a taste of Palahniuk’s Hell, let’s talk about this book. This book grabs you from the onset with the beginning of every chapter starting out with the line; “Are you there Satan? It’s me Maddy. (Or Madison or her full name depending on where in the story the main character stands in discovering her life in hell.) So Chuck seems to be channeling a bit of Judy Blume through this story. He has described the novel as “if The Shawshank Redemption had a baby by The Lovely Bones and it was raised by Judy Blume.”and “it’s kind of like The Breakfast Club set in Hell.” Palahniuk said the novel was written as a way to deal with the death of his mother from breast cancer in 2009.

Wait a minute, “Breakfast Club”? you ask. Yep, when Madison Spencer wakes up in hell dying from what she at first believes to be an overdose of smoking marijuana, she is only 13 after all, she is the nerdy girl, the Ally Sheedy of the movie “The Breakfast Club.” Where as she then meets Babbette, the popular girl, Archer, the rebel, and a jock. So this Hellish Breakfast Club breaks out of their cages and proceed to make their way across Hell battling demons, avoiding all the icky stuff only to lead Madison to Hell’s admin offices where she is interviewed to determine why she is damned. While waiting on the results, she becomes employed as a telemarketer where the phone system is set to call only when people are sitting down to dinner. While talking to the living she convinces them that all people are going to Hell so they might as well make it worth while, thus convincing an elderly woman to burn down a church before she goes and for a dying girl with AIDS (everyone who gets AIDS goes to hell no matter how they contracted the disease) to bring her some Milky Way candy bars when she dies, which will be soon.

Through the adventures of Maddy in Hell, we discover that Maddy is the daughter of a famous actress and millionaire who run an uncanny resemblance to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, especially when they are constantly adopting children from around the world. It turns out that their latest adoptee is a refugee from Croatia (or somewhere around there) and becomes the love interest of the extremely naive Maddy. Madison slowly pieces together the cause of her death and tries to figure out the possible reasons for her damnation all while telemarketing for Hell and conquering the Demons and evil that dwells within Hell.

Tai Sammons does a superb job of reading the story and since it is told in first person from Madison Spencer’s point of view her voice fits perfect to the character, from being a complete naive 13-year-old to a recruiter of her own army to defeat Hell’s demons, Hitler and Idi Amin. All the while stabbing a pitchfork into the Hollywood lifestyle with Chuck Pahlanuik’s words.

“Them or Us” (book 3 of the Hater Trilogy) by David Moody

“Them or Us” (book 3 of the Hater Trilogy)
by David Moody
published by Thomas Dunne Books
354 pages

David Moody has a way of creating books about zombies without having zombies.  In his series “Autumn” the “Z” word is never mentioned but there are reanimated corpses.  In the Hater Trilogy he has created a bunch of mindless fighters who never eat the flesh of their victims but go into uncontrollable rages until the victim is dead.  So while they may not be be zombie books, they still create the same horror of a zombie book, but without the gore.

In the Hater trilogy, it turns out that some switch is thrown in the human brain where about half of the poulation become Haters.  The Haters see an Unchanged and that flipped switch causes the Hater to attack fight and not stop until the Unchanged is destroyed.  Even when a Hater has all his limbs incapacitated they will still fight until one of them is dead.  With this aspect Moody is able to explore the darker side of a zombie apocalypse.  The darker side being how do you survive when all is gone, every aspect of civilization breaks down and no longer is there a means for food to be obtained by just going to the corner market.

In the first book, “Hater” the switch was flipped and all the population began a war that would leave the world scarred forever.  In this book we were introduced to Danny McCoyne who became a Hater but first watched the world collapse, losing is family.  In the Second book, “Dog Blood,” the world was at war Haters vs. the Unchanged.  Danny sought to find his daughter who he knew was like himself, a Hater.  The problem was, though, his wife and two sons were Unchanged.  Danny had to fight the Hate inside to sneak into Unchanged refugee camps to find his daughter without being discovered.  All this while a major world war was going on between the Haters and Unchanged.  When he found his daughter one side, whether it was Hater or Unchanged or both is never really known, launched nuclear weapons destroying all of the major cities.  Danny lost his daughter as they were trying to escape one of the blasts, when she went running back into the explosion.

Now we come to the third book, “Them or Us.”  The world is torn apart and there are very few Unchanged left, what few there are are hunted down and slaughtered.  A small community of Haters is gathered that is ruled by a man who gained his position by killing the man in charge and putting up all the toughest fighters up in a higher social class.  So the haters now rule by might.  Danny is discovered to be able to hold in the hate and Hinchcliffe, the leader of the community, uses him to inifiltrate nests of the Unchanged so the Haters can slaughter them.  Danny becomes a sort of confidant for Hinchcliffe and learns all his secrets.  The big problem is that once all the Unchanged are gone who is left to fight, each other?  That answer seems to be yes when another community is discovered and Danny is sent to infiltrate and find out any logistical info so Hinchcliffe can attack.

With the last of humanity struggling for survival Danny begins to question whether mankind should continue or just kill itself off.  The question of all time, do we really deserve to exist?  If so How? And what does war prove?

This book is full of philosophic wonderings and some interesting action thrown in to keep the brain pumped.  I’ll warn you once you start reading this book or any book in the trilogy you can’t stop until the last page, even then you’ll want more.

“A Lion Among Men” by Gregory Maguire

“A Lion Among Men”
by Gregory Maguire
read by John McDonough
Published by Harper Audio (2008)
Approx 12 hours

Well I just finished listening to the third installment in Gregory Maguire’s take on the Land of Oz.  “Wicked” took the world by storm, and has been a hugely successful Broadway production.  “Son of a Witch” told of Liir, the son of the Wicked Witch, Elphaba, who was melted by Dorothy, as he hunted for his half-sister Nor.  It seems as though Maguire has closed up his version of Oz, but has left himself some room in case he wants to revisit this land.   This time around we learn more about the Cowardly Lion, Brr and even more on how Elphaba became what she was.

Before we get into the story, I have to say that John McDonough does a superb job narrating this book, giving voice to all the characters.  I was so happy to hear that he didn’t try to give the lion the same voice Bert Lahr did.  In all of Maguire’s books all the characters have a bit of a darker side to them and the Bert Lahr Cowardly Lion just would not have worked.   While still able to show some of the cowardly, lacking of nerve aspect to the lion he also gave him a bit of a scholarly sound in his voice.   After all when the book opens the Lion is seeking information on behalf of the Emperor of Oz.   McDonough does a great job representing the voice of Yackle who has been trying to die and failing and therefore holds a bit of snarkiness in her voice.

As the book opens  the armies of the Emerald City and Munchkinland are marching toward each other in what will be the battle of battles.  In the middle is the Mauntery, which has been the epicenter for Elphaba, Yackle, Liir, and Candle. Yackle still lives despite losing her eyesight and longing for death. At her request, the Maunts bury her in their crypt alive with only a few candles and some wine. She’s eventually forgotten, but not by all.  The Lion arrives wanting to question her regarding Elphaba, and eventually we find out also the Grimoire, in which the power of all powers could be attained.  One of the sisters at the Mauntery is explaining that Yackle is dead just as Yackle comes walking into the room.  The sister faints at the sight of the dead Yackle, who is now blind and very very old.

Yackle and Brr begin a bit of bartering to tell stories so Brr can gather the information he’s seeking.  In this we learn more of Brr’s beginnings, how he was abandoned and alone in the forest and taught himself to talk while listening in on humans (he had the ability but no one to teach him).  In his early years he comes across one of the Wizard’s soldiers caught in a trap that was meant for an Animal like himself.  He is too cowardly or maybe just excited about making his first friend and cannot find himself leaving the soldier alone.  Brr stays with the man until he dies and sets out with the soldier’s medal of courage and some books to tell his family.

By the end of the book the Clockwork Dragon Oracle makes its return and reveals all to the players involved just before the war comes to them.  Allowing each to make a decision about their pasts and futures.

Maguire could end his Oz saga here, but he did leave the door open for further exploration.  This book really allows you to emphathize with all the characters, even the ones who seem bad/evil and is a great addition to Maguire’s stories.

“Paul is Undead” by Alan Goldsher

“Paul is Undead”
by Alan Goldsher
read by Simon Vance
published by Blackstone Audio (2010)
Approx 8 hours

As the kids say, “OMG,” I am still giggling thinking about this book and I finished it 2 days ago.  “Paul is Undead” has got to be one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time.  This book is written in the format of the many biographies of rock stars in that it is a series of interviews that tell the story.  This time though the story is not the story we all know as the rise of The Beatles to the “Toppermost of the Poppermost,” a phrase used by John Lennon throughout the book and the definition is not fully understood until the very end.

In the tradition of all the horror mashups that have been released recently, (e. g. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” and “Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters,” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”) Alan Goldsher gives it a go, mashing up the supernatural and the Beatles.  The entire history of The Beatles is retold with The Beatles now being Zombies and wanting to take over the world.   Okay, really only 3 of the Beatles are zombies, Ringo is a 7th level Ninja, of course.

When you rush out to get this book, I would HIGHLY recommend getting the audiobook version.  Simon Vance does a superb job of not just reading the book but performing it as well.  Vance does his best impression of all celebrities mentioned in the book including the Fab 4, but with more, he does the voice of the Chicago reporter who is writing the book, Mick Jagger, Ed Sullivan, Elvis, Rod Argent, Yoko Ono, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Satan and more.  At times I felt as though I were listening to an audio biography produced by Ken Burns (but without the long drawn out scenes.)  Vance had me laughing out loud with my headphones on with his presentation of this already hilarious book.

The book opens with Howard Cosell breaking in and announcing the attempted beheading of John Lennon by Mark David Chapman.  Lennon’s head is reattached and Chapman is arrested.  From there we go back to the birth of John Lennon when as he came out of the womb he was zombified via the “Liverpool Process.”  The “Liverpool Process” of creating zombies is different from many other zombie creations known around the world.  The “Liverpool Process” produces a super human zombie that can think, has supernatural powers, great speed, can hypnotize anyone, and can tear off and reattach any limb and more.  Oh they still hunger for the gray matter but they can also eat , drink and experiment with drugs, the brain eating is saved for special occasions.

John then recruits/turns Paul and the duo are unstoppable, George Harrison is turned by Paul because John thinks he is too young.  Stu Sutcliffe doesn’t get turned to a zombie instead after quitting the Beatles he becomes a vampire.  After the three play a few gigs they realize they need to replace Pete Best because they need a drummer who can protect the band.  Enter Ringo Starr, a 7th level ninja, who can turn himself invisible (great subtle joke there).

Sure they have their problems, after all the world doesn’t quite know what to do with zombies, but they make great music.  Even worse, world renowned zombie hunter, Mick Jagger, is always trying to destroy them.  Rod Argent is accused of riding the Beatles’ coattails by naming his band The Zombies, even though they aren’t undead.  Roy Orbison is a deity of unknown proportion who doesn’t allow Paul to steal his glasses.   Smoking marijuana creates zombie flatulence which creates a purple haze of a more potent material that takes Bob Dylan by surprise.  The Mahareshi Yogi gets dismembered, and finally Yoko Ono a 9th level ninja, has it out for Ringo.

All the stories are there, from their first Ed Sullivan appearance, the Shea Stadium troubles, and the band playing a concert on the rooftop of Abbey Road Studios, but with the hilarious zombie twist.  For any Beatles fan this book is a must, it will have you laughing throughout.
Lots of gory laughs to be had.

Naked Lunch: The Restored Text by William S. Burroughs

Naked Lunch: The Restored Text

by William S. Burroughs

Read by Mark Bramhall
Produced by Blackstone Audio, Inc. (2009)
Approx 10.5 hours

Every so often I have to go back and revisit a classic novel, this time around I was going to listen to “Naked Lunch” by William S. Burroughs, but I found that there had been a restored text version released which contains sections that were thought to be lost as well as some additional essays by Burroughs. I remember last time I tried to read this I couldn’t quite get through the whole book. There were and still are parts that are extremely disturbing. Burroughs wrote the better part of this book while addicted to heroin and living in Tangiers. The stories/segments really display the torn state of consciousness he must have been experiencing.

The book starts out fairly straight forward in which a junkie (Burroughs) runs from the police in New York City and heads off across the country to escape and score more drugs. His adventures take us to Mexico City, Tangiers and into a alternate reality location referred to as “the Interzone.” Once he arrives in Mexico things get really weird when he meets up with Dr. Benway. By weird I mean really blow your mind type of weird. The descriptions of junkies using drugs in the not so “normal” way and even taking drugs that are way beyond the norm border on the disgusting. The weirdness hits when the author takes the reader/listener overseas and sexual deviancy becomes extremely disturbing. I did have to stop listening to this book at times just to clear my mind of the vivid imagery created by Burroughs.

At this point I would like to talk about the reader/Narrator, Mark Bramhall. Bramhall delivers this audiobook with absolute vocal perfection. His raspy voice is strangely soothing and yet some of the stuff he describes are over the top. His ability to do separate voices for each of the characters is worthy of applause not only because of the vocal gymnastics needed but also because of the ability to expose the characters through his voice alone. I’m gonna be looking for more audiobooks voiced by Bramhall, because he is just that good.

This novel presents a glimpse into the emerging counter cultures of the 1950s and gives interesting insights into how these forces effect the ongoing development of modern society. In one of the essays that Burroughs wrote in the early 60s, Burroughs continues this glimpse by further exploring the idea of treating addicts. His essay should be read by anyone involved in today’s “War on Drugs.” The book was written in a non-linear fashion, in that the reader could pick up and start reading any chapter in the book and not lose the form of the storyline. I found it very interesting that the book ends exactly where it starts with the junkie running away from the cops. The story was brought full circle and at no point did I realize it was headed this way.

As for the historical significance of the book here is some of the information I found. The book is extremely controversial in both its subject matter and its use of obscene language (something Burroughs recognized and intended), the book was banned in Boston and Los Angeles in the United States, and several European publishers were harassed. It was one of the most recent American books over which an obscenity trial was held. The book was banned in Boston in 1962 due to obscenity, but that decision was reversed in 1966 by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The Appeals Court found the book did not violate obscenity statutes, as it was found to have some social value. The hearing included testimony in support of the work by Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer.

Sections of the manuscript were published in the spring, 1958 number of Robert Creeley’s Black Mountain Review and in the spring 1958 University of Chicago student-run publication The Chicago Review. The student edition was not well received, and caused the university administration to discuss the future censorship of the Winter 1959 edition of the publication, resulting in the resignation of all but one of the editors. When the editor Paul Carroll published BIG TABLE Magazine alongside former Chicago Review editor Irving Rosenthal, he was found guilty of sending obscene material through the U.S. mail for including “Ten Episodes from Naked Lunch,” a piece of writing the Judicial Officer for the United States Postal Service deemed “undisciplined prose, far more akin to the early work of experimental adolescents than to anything of literary merit” and initially judged it as non-mailable.

If you do chose to pick up this book I will warn you, reality will be altered and no matter who you are you will be disturbed.

 

 

“Autumn” by David Moody

“Autumn”
by David Moody
Published 2010 by Thomas Dunne books
308 pages

Before I start into this book I have to clarify some of the history behind this book.  First of all it was written as web series online and developed into a book.  The original printing of the book went out of print but after the success of Moody’s books “Hater” and “Dog Blood” the book and the other 3 in the series get a new life.  This is the first book in a series of zombie thrillers written by Moody.

It seems David Moody has a talent when it comes to writing zombie stories but not your regular zombie stories.  In the books “Hater” and “Dog Blood,” Moody wrote about a disease or disorder that caused a percentage of the population to attack with unbridled rage.  These “haters” were zombie like in their action but not really.  In this book the zombies are walking dead bodies, but they don’t seem to attack and eat flesh.

To start things off in this zombie book, the world is suddenly torn apart by a disease that within a few hours leaves people suddenly dead.  There seem to be a few that are immune and they face the horrors of their friends and loved ones suddenly choking up blood and dying where they stand.  The sudden deaths leave several vehicles wrecked and bodies lying in the way.

A couple of people find they aren’t the only ones that survived and set up a vehicle with a stereo playing and light a bon fire.  The few survivors around hear the music and see the fire and begin moving toward the sound and light in a quiet dead world.   A group of people gather in a small town community center, all in shock and all not knowing what has happened or what to do next.   They all simply huddle together in the community center seeking the comfort of the living.   Before anyone can work out what to do next the contagion takes a turn toward horror.

Some of the dead bodies lying around the community center begin walking around.  At first a couple of the living think they may be coming back to life but after bringing in one of the walking corpses they realize that the dead are still dead and the reanimation is only a physical thing, the body is still decomposing, and there is no life or spark in the eyes of the walking dead.  The bodies are all simply walking until something gets in the way then they change direction.  Carl, Michael and Emma decide they don’t want to just stay put and wait to see what happens, they want to leave the community center and find shelter where there are less walking dead.  Out in the country sounds logical, less population means less bodies.  The others in the center reject the proposal after one of the walking dead begins to try to get into the center.

After acquiring a van and some essential food items the 3 venture out and find just outside a small town a farm house.  The house seems to be perfect, ought of site, hard to find, and with a generator.  They begin setting up house after removing the corpse in the living room and begin working on the generator and soon get it running.  The noise of the generator begins to attract the walking dead so they have to limit their time running it.  The walking dead now seem to be developing into something more than just motor skills, they seem to be able to react to sound.  After going into town for more supplies, the trio realize the danger of the masses of undead when they are attacked at the supermarket.  The attack is not a typical zombie attack from other zombie stories where the undead attack and rip off flesh and begin eating the living.  Instead the danger is in the masses.  Several dozen walking dead can create a force much like a tsunami.

David Moody writes this zombie story with what at first seems like a peaceful story where the living have to learn how to adjust to a new world, but when the masses of walking dead begin to herd together the danger is not in being eaten by the undead but by trying to survive flood.  Moody has written this story with a major creep factor that will keep you reading.  I had a hard time putting this book down and when I did, I made sure all my doors were shut and would peek out the curtains to make sure nothing was moving around that shouldn’t be.

I know I can’t wait for the next book in this series, mainly because of the cliffhanger at the end but also because Moody can scare you without the violence of a typical zombie thriller.

“Under the Dome: A Novel” by Stephen King Published 2009 by Scribner

“Under the Dome: A Novel”
by Stephen King
Published 2009 by Scribner

When it comes to horror Stephen King is the master, but he doesn’t always write about horror, sometimes Stephen King writes about the human condition and how human beings treat other human beings, and when looked at under the Stephen King magnifying glass that can be pretty horrific.

When I first picked up this huge book, I thought, “When am I going to find the time to read a 1,500+ page book?”  Well, I did find the time and am I glad I did.  During the reading of this book I felt as though I were hovering above the microcosm of the town of Chester’s Mill, Maine and observing the trapped insects within.  Stephen King has taken the faithful reader on many adventures which are epic sagas, for example;  “The Stand,” The Dark Tower series, “The Shining,” “It,” and others.  These books not only tell a story but they tell a story on a grand scale that would astonish Tolkien or Herbert.  “Under the Dome” definitely falls into this grand scale, not only because of the length of 1,500+ pages, but because of the depth the reader gets to know the characters involved.

The premise of the story is pretty much, “What would happen if all of a sudden a town was covered in a dome?”  The answer to that is, “It depends on who lives in that town.”  That’s what happens to the small town of Chester’s Mill.  A dome of unknown material and origin surrounds and covers the town all of a sudden on a lazy Saturday afternoon.  Being a typical Stephen King novel the initial affects are pretty gruesome; a woodchuck gets sliced in half with one side on the dome and one on the other, a plane flying in the dome hits the dome itself, crashes, and sends body parts flying, a woman gardening at the edge of where the dome materializes gets her hands cut off, and many birds flying nonchalantly smash into the dome and die.  All of this within the first 50 pages!

What happens next is where the true epoch begins.  The U.S. government tries to bust the dome from the outside with missiles and learns the strange phenomenon is impermeable.  Inside the dome is a former soldier, Dale Barbara, who after Afghanistan wants to simply blend in and not be noticed.  But the President jumps him up to Colonel and says he’s in charge until the threat is gone.

The problem with that is a greedy politician and religious zealot, “Big Jim” Renfield.  Rennie, to his friends, is the second selectman in this town and uses the dome to try and become a dictator.  The issue with Big Jim is that he has also used the town, his church and the local Christian radio station to become the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of meth-amphetamine.  He was under investigation by the state’s attorney general and the local sheriff but since the dome happened he sees himself as exonerated and in charge.

Rennie soon starts recruiting the town’s bullies as police officers and declares his own form of Marshall law.  He closes down the grocery stores, ceases all sales of liquor and even starts a food riot to show how he knows best. Rennie sees Barbara as a threat to his power and soon pins 4 murders (which were committed by Rennie and his son) on now Colonel Barbara and arrests him.  Rennie then begins to brainwash the public into thinking the government sent Barbara into the town to create the dome and conduct an experiment on the little town.

This book takes the reader in depth into the struggle for power and shows just how corruptible people can be.  I will admit that the explanation of the dome’s creation lacks a little umph but that is not really the main ideal behind the story so I’ll let that one slide, although it did seem a bit of a juvenile way to end the book.  No matter how it ends, the total consumption of this book is a great adventure.