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perilous1's review
3.0
Source: I won this ebook from a drawing, courtesy of The Otherworld Diner.
I hesitate to review any short story anthology, as an all-encompassing star rating is absolutely no help in the face of such variety. But in the simplest sense, I'll say I chose 3 stars as something of an average between all 15 stories. This is, of course, a woeful injustice to the individual authors—two of whom stood out to this reviewer above their peers: Kiona Smith-Strickland with “If All Else Perished”, and Gretchen Stull with “Pied Piper Of The Dead.”
To give a better idea of what zombie fans can expect from this eclectic array of necro-mongering authors, I'm going to go through and give a star rating and mini-review of each individual short story, in the order they appear in the collection.
Warning: I will state up front that while this reviewer has a certain fascination with the psychology of undead interactions, I am neither accustomed to nor interested in necrophilia—and a few of these stories crossed that line for me. If readers might be concerned over content, please be aware that this anthology ranges from a one or two stories to which I would personally give a PG rating...all the way across the spectrum to what I can only describe as zombie porn.
*Undying Love: 3 stars
“This one also has a sort of YA bent. Nothing too gruesome or hypersexualized. I'm not a huge fan of the POV variability, but there's a sweetly romantic feel to this one that reminds me vaguely of Warm Bodies."
*Ashes, Ashes: 3 ½ stars
“I enjoyed the undead mortician premise to this one. Refreshingly original and well executed. Karl has a certain endearing, steadfast quality...for a dead guy. ;) The editing was also pretty decent.”
*How the Zombie Apocalypse Turned Me into My Grandmother: 2 ½ stars
“The beginning is a bit disorienting—what with a solid page of info-dump before we get a scene set. Partway through it feels as though it shifts from a short story to the summary/synopsis of a much larger story/book. I can sense the vision behind it, but as a short story, it didn't quite satisfy.”
*Frenemies: 3 stars
“Zombie High School! It's like regular high school, except for the smell...er..never mind. >.>
This was a fairly cute, almost PG-rated Young Adult zombie tale. No real complaints about the editing on this one."
*Dead Girls Don't Love: 3 ½ stars
“In quick summary: Voodoo magic quasi-zombies. It's different, I'll give it that. Solid and memorable characterization, considering the allotted length. Sufficient editing on this one."
*The Boy From Colorado: 3 stars
“A Zombie huntress has to keep her undead boyfriend on a tight leash. >.>
Not poorly written at all. But I was a bit unsatisfied with the heroine's motives... She doesn't want to live without her zombified (late?)boyfriend, but there's not much by way of reflection on why--or justification readers could use to empathize with. I'm also not clear on why it has the title it does."
*Quake: 2 1/2 stars
“The setting seems to be in Bangladesh... Rich descriptions and distinctive, strong prose. Make no mistake, this author has serious talent.
Unfortunately, there were a few non-prose/structure impediments to this reader's enjoyment... I thought the 'quake' thing was angling for symmetry, but the ending kind of petered off instead. Also some graphic sexual content, which left it with a general impression of exotic lesbian necrophilia.”
*The Cure: 3 stars
“Features high-functioning, highly articulate zombies with memory issues. A bit lacking in physical descriptions and emotional depth. Some editing issues, but not terrible in that respect.”
*Until Death: 3 stars
“Not bad. Kind of a zombie tragedy with a vaguely inspirational spin. A little more backstory would have greatly helped my character attachment."
*Dead Like You: 2 ½ stars
“This one might have benefited from another content-edit sweep. It took me a long while to figure out the gender of the main character. (The 'Bonnie waiting for her Clyde' remark is part of what confused me.) But at the very end, I could finally confirm that 'Randall' is in fact male.
No idea where the romance suddenly came from or why.”
*If All Else Perished: 4 stars
“Good voice, and a remarkably "fresh" zombie premise...if you'll excuse the oxymoron. >.< Kudos for the truly powerful Wuthering Heights quote as a leave-off. I would have liked to see a little more of the husband/wife connectivity at the very start--I think that would have significantly upped the final impact. But overall, this is in my to 2 favs."
Favorite quote: “Zombies moan at food, not indignity."
*Do-Over: 2 stars
“Decently edited, but the pacing is oddly slow for a short story. (Which probably has a lot to do with the excessive philosophizing.) Max is an interesting side character, but there's not much to give the reader reason to empathize with the main character, Doc. Try as I might, I couldn't find the Biblical reference Doc keeps making to Jael even remotely fitting to the situational ponderings. The consistency is there, threaded through quite deliberately...but it fell flat because it just didn't seem to fit or resonate.
While I wasn't able to emotionally connect with this piece at all, I cling to one possibly profound quote nugget--as I've never come across this theory before: "The Zombipocalypse represents a secular Rapture, minus the whole last-minute-hot-zone-extraction-thing, wherein...those of us who still possess a rational mind get to be Christ."”
*Debbie Doesn't Do Dallas Anymore: 1 ½ star
"I think I'm going to sum this one up as Bonny & Clyde meet Meth and Necrophilia. >.> Not. My. Thing. >.<"
*The Z-Spot: 2 stars
“No real sense for who people were or what they used to do--makes it hard to empathize. I realize this one is meant to be more satirical, but an array of editing issues take a lot away from it.”
*Pied Piper Of The Dead: 4 stars
“Pretty good, for how condensed it had to be. Cleverness and profundity. I think my only complaint would be the brevity of physical description in some instances. (Doubling the length would undoubtedly have done the world-building more justice, but I do understand the authors don't exactly have a say in the word count they're allotted.)
Great twist ending. I thought I knew what was what, but the author surprised me."
I hesitate to review any short story anthology, as an all-encompassing star rating is absolutely no help in the face of such variety. But in the simplest sense, I'll say I chose 3 stars as something of an average between all 15 stories. This is, of course, a woeful injustice to the individual authors—two of whom stood out to this reviewer above their peers: Kiona Smith-Strickland with “If All Else Perished”, and Gretchen Stull with “Pied Piper Of The Dead.”
To give a better idea of what zombie fans can expect from this eclectic array of necro-mongering authors, I'm going to go through and give a star rating and mini-review of each individual short story, in the order they appear in the collection.
Warning: I will state up front that while this reviewer has a certain fascination with the psychology of undead interactions, I am neither accustomed to nor interested in necrophilia—and a few of these stories crossed that line for me. If readers might be concerned over content, please be aware that this anthology ranges from a one or two stories to which I would personally give a PG rating...all the way across the spectrum to what I can only describe as zombie porn.
*Undying Love: 3 stars
“This one also has a sort of YA bent. Nothing too gruesome or hypersexualized. I'm not a huge fan of the POV variability, but there's a sweetly romantic feel to this one that reminds me vaguely of Warm Bodies."
*Ashes, Ashes: 3 ½ stars
“I enjoyed the undead mortician premise to this one. Refreshingly original and well executed. Karl has a certain endearing, steadfast quality...for a dead guy. ;) The editing was also pretty decent.”
*How the Zombie Apocalypse Turned Me into My Grandmother: 2 ½ stars
“The beginning is a bit disorienting—what with a solid page of info-dump before we get a scene set. Partway through it feels as though it shifts from a short story to the summary/synopsis of a much larger story/book. I can sense the vision behind it, but as a short story, it didn't quite satisfy.”
*Frenemies: 3 stars
“Zombie High School! It's like regular high school, except for the smell...er..never mind. >.>
This was a fairly cute, almost PG-rated Young Adult zombie tale. No real complaints about the editing on this one."
*Dead Girls Don't Love: 3 ½ stars
“In quick summary: Voodoo magic quasi-zombies. It's different, I'll give it that. Solid and memorable characterization, considering the allotted length. Sufficient editing on this one."
*The Boy From Colorado: 3 stars
“A Zombie huntress has to keep her undead boyfriend on a tight leash. >.>
Not poorly written at all. But I was a bit unsatisfied with the heroine's motives... She doesn't want to live without her zombified (late?)boyfriend, but there's not much by way of reflection on why--or justification readers could use to empathize with. I'm also not clear on why it has the title it does."
*Quake: 2 1/2 stars
“The setting seems to be in Bangladesh... Rich descriptions and distinctive, strong prose. Make no mistake, this author has serious talent.
Unfortunately, there were a few non-prose/structure impediments to this reader's enjoyment... I thought the 'quake' thing was angling for symmetry, but the ending kind of petered off instead. Also some graphic sexual content, which left it with a general impression of exotic lesbian necrophilia.”
*The Cure: 3 stars
“Features high-functioning, highly articulate zombies with memory issues. A bit lacking in physical descriptions and emotional depth. Some editing issues, but not terrible in that respect.”
*Until Death: 3 stars
“Not bad. Kind of a zombie tragedy with a vaguely inspirational spin. A little more backstory would have greatly helped my character attachment."
*Dead Like You: 2 ½ stars
“This one might have benefited from another content-edit sweep. It took me a long while to figure out the gender of the main character. (The 'Bonnie waiting for her Clyde' remark is part of what confused me.) But at the very end, I could finally confirm that 'Randall' is in fact male.
No idea where the romance suddenly came from or why.”
*If All Else Perished: 4 stars
“Good voice, and a remarkably "fresh" zombie premise...if you'll excuse the oxymoron. >.< Kudos for the truly powerful Wuthering Heights quote as a leave-off. I would have liked to see a little more of the husband/wife connectivity at the very start--I think that would have significantly upped the final impact. But overall, this is in my to 2 favs."
Favorite quote: “Zombies moan at food, not indignity."
*Do-Over: 2 stars
“Decently edited, but the pacing is oddly slow for a short story. (Which probably has a lot to do with the excessive philosophizing.) Max is an interesting side character, but there's not much to give the reader reason to empathize with the main character, Doc. Try as I might, I couldn't find the Biblical reference Doc keeps making to Jael even remotely fitting to the situational ponderings. The consistency is there, threaded through quite deliberately...but it fell flat because it just didn't seem to fit or resonate.
While I wasn't able to emotionally connect with this piece at all, I cling to one possibly profound quote nugget--as I've never come across this theory before: "The Zombipocalypse represents a secular Rapture, minus the whole last-minute-hot-zone-extraction-thing, wherein...those of us who still possess a rational mind get to be Christ."”
*Debbie Doesn't Do Dallas Anymore: 1 ½ star
"I think I'm going to sum this one up as Bonny & Clyde meet Meth and Necrophilia. >.> Not. My. Thing. >.<"
*The Z-Spot: 2 stars
“No real sense for who people were or what they used to do--makes it hard to empathize. I realize this one is meant to be more satirical, but an array of editing issues take a lot away from it.”
*Pied Piper Of The Dead: 4 stars
“Pretty good, for how condensed it had to be. Cleverness and profundity. I think my only complaint would be the brevity of physical description in some instances. (Doubling the length would undoubtedly have done the world-building more justice, but I do understand the authors don't exactly have a say in the word count they're allotted.)
Great twist ending. I thought I knew what was what, but the author surprised me."
prationality's review
5.0
i have been a fan of zombies since I was a toddler and George Romero was the Zombie Making God. The recent rise in Zombie Romance stories caught me by surprise since I honestly never saw them as anything but amusing shamblers with a vicious appetite. Some of these authors have changed my mind, given the Zombie Mythos a twist that doesn't make the romance so completely wrong, but others just reinforced my opinion. Regardless I enjoyed this anthology quite a bit. My individual opinions on each story are below.
Romance Ain't Dead (Jeremy Wagner)
I feel it necessary to point out that while this story disturbed me on most levels, it was a sweet story none the less. Bruce, the narrator, loses his wife in a horrible boating accident, but thankfully his next door neighbor used to be a witch doctor and can bring Sherri back--at what price? Like I said, its a little creepy, but its all about love and Bruce maintains an attitude of 'This is probably nuts and deviant, but I love her and that's all that matters' throughout the entire story.
Revanants Anonymous (Francesca Lia Block)
Like any of Block's writing, it’s not a straight forward thing. This story is about Zombies, but it leaves you wondering if they were real zombies--died and came back in other words--or if they were products of a culture that strung you so high that you only ever feel depressing misery that you aren't as good as some other person. You have these expectations and then give up because it doesn't seem like it’s worth the effort. Block's stories are always thought-provoking and this one did not disappoint me at all.
I Heart Brains (Jaime Saare)
This was a quick, amusing and oddly romantic story. Woman loses her loser husband and donates the body. Guy dies and goes in search of a new body. Fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it collides to give them both a second chance at a better life.
Everyone I Lost is Dead (Elizabeth Coldwell)
Getting the one that got away, keeping the one you have and ending up with everything you ever wanted, not a bad way to end a story or a romance. It was a little different, certainly interesting and I admit even made me a little curious as to figure out how a 'mixed morality' relationship would work out anyhow. I kind of hope there might be more in the future about Millie, Mark and Brody's strange little threesome.
Through Death to Love (S.M. Cross)
A short sweet tale that is slightly more realistic when talking about something as unrealistic as a human-zombie relationship. I wanted to know more about the Zombie Wars and Zombie Peace mentioned, but I liked how Cross rationalized the main character's (she's not named as its from her third person limited narrative) reasons for accepting the zombie, Robert's, courtship. In the simplest form her anxieties over their possibilities are no different then a human/human relationship, except for the brains part of course.
Eye of the Beholder (Stacey Graham)
Who says you can't find love even dead? Graham gives a short recounting of how two luckless zombies learn the hard way that even losing an eye can be a good time. It was an amusing and quick read and endearing somehow.
First Love Never Dies (Jan Kozlowski)
Sad. This story was so sad I swear I felt my heart break at the end of it. Its mostly a twisted little story and the end is kind of a poetic justice if you squint hard enough, but honestly it was such a heart breaking thing. It did however have the classic flesh-eating zombies make an appearance, so that raised my perk level up.
My Partner the Zombie (R.G. Hart)
This was very much like the old noir detective novels that I grew up on. Roles were reversed--what with the busty babe being the gumshoe and the femme fatale being decidedly not femme--but overall it was a neat story. The zombie angle was a little dodgy, if it had been taken out and replaced with something else the story would have flowed the same I think and had the least amount of explanation for it of all the stories included.
Undying Love (Regina Riley)
New love, old love and a nasty old necromancer who deserves a special place down below make this story a little uneven at times. Or rather, Joshua was rather confusing at times. Flirting almost from the minute he starts talking to Deetra, he doesn't really stop even after we learned about his quest. The story ended on a hopeful sort of note though, and I wouldn't mind reading about the future endeavours of Deetra and Joshua.
Captive Hearts (Brian Keene)
I'm terrified of this story. Also, I do not suggest reading it if you just ate. Or painted your toenails. Or like the 'three little piggies' song. It’s likely to ruin your reading pleasure. This was a short story, one of the shorter ones in the book, and wasn't strictly romantic. Yes the woman involved was doing it all for her husband, sort of, but…just read the story and you'll see.
Apoclaypse as Foreplay (Gina McQueen)
Fast paced, funny and easy to read. I love this sort of anthology story. Pretty much our main character is having fun relating antidotes about the neighbors she's shooting, her love life and everything in between. If ever there is a Zombie Apocalypse, we should all be as well prepared!
Julia Brainchild (Lois Gresh)
This was a pretty neat twist on the fad of diets--are brains so rich in protein and lacking in fat? I'm not sure I want to find out first hand--and the whole courtship dance. The ending was kind of off-putting, but up to that point it was interesting and fun.
Kicking the Habit (Steven Saus)
Its light and sweet, kind of a fluffy antidote to Brian Keene's story honestly. It’s a little wistful, but has a hopeful ending. Or as hopeful as two zombies in love and fighting to keep from eating human brains can be at least.
Zombified (Isabel Roman)
Roman gets mad props for cramming so many pop culture references into this story I almost couldn't keep up. Everything from Freddy Kruger to Scooby-Doo gets it own little mention. Zombies are only present in the last third of the story, but they make up for it in numbers at least!
White Knight, Black Horse (Mercy Loomis)
Much of this story required me to look up unfamiliar terms to understand fully the difference between a 'zombie' and what Joseph was exactly. Its not mentioned, but voodoo is the name of the game in this tale. This is not really a zombie tale, so much as a cultural understanding of what a Voodoo zombie is vs. your Hollywood zombies. For instance if a Voodoo Zombie's ti bon age (soul) is taken by a bokor (sorcerer) then that person has to obey the commands no matter what and has no will, spark of who they were. It was a fascinating read.
Inhuman Resources (Jeanine McAdam)
For all of us who have nagging parents, played one too many zombie killing games and dread one day having to settle down to a 'real' job, McAdam has written a wonderful solution. I really enjoyed the parallel between the 'office drone' and a 'real zombie' that the characters discussed (at length) and found the short to be an entertaining read.
The Magician's Apprentice (Stacy Brown)
A kind of a quirky be careful what you wish for sort of romance that felt a little jumbled at times and rushed. With so few pages I wouldn't expect elaborate back stories, but I would liked to know more about Antonio at least since Ray and Carla are given quite a bit of personality.
Some New Blood (Vanessa Vaugh)
This story surprised me in many ways. At various points I wasn't certain if Vaugh was trying to make a metaphorical reference to people who's marriages and lives hit a dull, same old same old streak or if the couple really was a married, working, zombie couple. The ending sort of caught me off guard as well, but it really only made sense given that, hey it’s about zombies.
Last Times at Ridgemont High (Kilt Kilpatrick)
Jeremy kind of cracks me up honestly. He is a little bit dense, which is fine and all, but I found it really funny that he was busy inventorying the weapons they could use while the girl of his sex-filled dreams was coming on to him. I don't blame him, but it just struck me as funny since in Zombie films the hero always makes the mistake of thinking 'We have time!' and then Zombie City. It was refreshing to see someone who actually learned from all those movies.
First Date (Dana Fredsti)
Fredsti won me over as soon as the main character Angie named Dawn of the Dead as a true horror film--and denounced Hostel. And Angie kept her head, she didn't waste time bemoaning the fact the world was a zombie heap, she didn't let herself get distracted by the moans of a weakling, understands the situation and gets the job done. Definitely my kind of hero and yeah Angie wins for worst first date ever.
Later (Michael Marshall Smith)
This was a very sad, wistful love story. It wasn't flashy or filled with flesh-munching zombies, just a man and the love of his life and how much that love meant to him. It was a good way to end the anthology in my opinion.
Overall I greatly enjoyed this anthology and was delighted to find several authors to check out again sometime.
Romance Ain't Dead (Jeremy Wagner)
I feel it necessary to point out that while this story disturbed me on most levels, it was a sweet story none the less. Bruce, the narrator, loses his wife in a horrible boating accident, but thankfully his next door neighbor used to be a witch doctor and can bring Sherri back--at what price? Like I said, its a little creepy, but its all about love and Bruce maintains an attitude of 'This is probably nuts and deviant, but I love her and that's all that matters' throughout the entire story.
Revanants Anonymous (Francesca Lia Block)
Like any of Block's writing, it’s not a straight forward thing. This story is about Zombies, but it leaves you wondering if they were real zombies--died and came back in other words--or if they were products of a culture that strung you so high that you only ever feel depressing misery that you aren't as good as some other person. You have these expectations and then give up because it doesn't seem like it’s worth the effort. Block's stories are always thought-provoking and this one did not disappoint me at all.
I Heart Brains (Jaime Saare)
This was a quick, amusing and oddly romantic story. Woman loses her loser husband and donates the body. Guy dies and goes in search of a new body. Fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it collides to give them both a second chance at a better life.
Everyone I Lost is Dead (Elizabeth Coldwell)
Getting the one that got away, keeping the one you have and ending up with everything you ever wanted, not a bad way to end a story or a romance. It was a little different, certainly interesting and I admit even made me a little curious as to figure out how a 'mixed morality' relationship would work out anyhow. I kind of hope there might be more in the future about Millie, Mark and Brody's strange little threesome.
Through Death to Love (S.M. Cross)
A short sweet tale that is slightly more realistic when talking about something as unrealistic as a human-zombie relationship. I wanted to know more about the Zombie Wars and Zombie Peace mentioned, but I liked how Cross rationalized the main character's (she's not named as its from her third person limited narrative) reasons for accepting the zombie, Robert's, courtship. In the simplest form her anxieties over their possibilities are no different then a human/human relationship, except for the brains part of course.
Eye of the Beholder (Stacey Graham)
Who says you can't find love even dead? Graham gives a short recounting of how two luckless zombies learn the hard way that even losing an eye can be a good time. It was an amusing and quick read and endearing somehow.
First Love Never Dies (Jan Kozlowski)
Sad. This story was so sad I swear I felt my heart break at the end of it. Its mostly a twisted little story and the end is kind of a poetic justice if you squint hard enough, but honestly it was such a heart breaking thing. It did however have the classic flesh-eating zombies make an appearance, so that raised my perk level up.
My Partner the Zombie (R.G. Hart)
This was very much like the old noir detective novels that I grew up on. Roles were reversed--what with the busty babe being the gumshoe and the femme fatale being decidedly not femme--but overall it was a neat story. The zombie angle was a little dodgy, if it had been taken out and replaced with something else the story would have flowed the same I think and had the least amount of explanation for it of all the stories included.
Undying Love (Regina Riley)
New love, old love and a nasty old necromancer who deserves a special place down below make this story a little uneven at times. Or rather, Joshua was rather confusing at times. Flirting almost from the minute he starts talking to Deetra, he doesn't really stop even after we learned about his quest. The story ended on a hopeful sort of note though, and I wouldn't mind reading about the future endeavours of Deetra and Joshua.
Captive Hearts (Brian Keene)
I'm terrified of this story. Also, I do not suggest reading it if you just ate. Or painted your toenails. Or like the 'three little piggies' song. It’s likely to ruin your reading pleasure. This was a short story, one of the shorter ones in the book, and wasn't strictly romantic. Yes the woman involved was doing it all for her husband, sort of, but…just read the story and you'll see.
Apoclaypse as Foreplay (Gina McQueen)
Fast paced, funny and easy to read. I love this sort of anthology story. Pretty much our main character is having fun relating antidotes about the neighbors she's shooting, her love life and everything in between. If ever there is a Zombie Apocalypse, we should all be as well prepared!
Julia Brainchild (Lois Gresh)
This was a pretty neat twist on the fad of diets--are brains so rich in protein and lacking in fat? I'm not sure I want to find out first hand--and the whole courtship dance. The ending was kind of off-putting, but up to that point it was interesting and fun.
Kicking the Habit (Steven Saus)
Its light and sweet, kind of a fluffy antidote to Brian Keene's story honestly. It’s a little wistful, but has a hopeful ending. Or as hopeful as two zombies in love and fighting to keep from eating human brains can be at least.
Zombified (Isabel Roman)
Roman gets mad props for cramming so many pop culture references into this story I almost couldn't keep up. Everything from Freddy Kruger to Scooby-Doo gets it own little mention. Zombies are only present in the last third of the story, but they make up for it in numbers at least!
White Knight, Black Horse (Mercy Loomis)
Much of this story required me to look up unfamiliar terms to understand fully the difference between a 'zombie' and what Joseph was exactly. Its not mentioned, but voodoo is the name of the game in this tale. This is not really a zombie tale, so much as a cultural understanding of what a Voodoo zombie is vs. your Hollywood zombies. For instance if a Voodoo Zombie's ti bon age (soul) is taken by a bokor (sorcerer) then that person has to obey the commands no matter what and has no will, spark of who they were. It was a fascinating read.
Inhuman Resources (Jeanine McAdam)
For all of us who have nagging parents, played one too many zombie killing games and dread one day having to settle down to a 'real' job, McAdam has written a wonderful solution. I really enjoyed the parallel between the 'office drone' and a 'real zombie' that the characters discussed (at length) and found the short to be an entertaining read.
The Magician's Apprentice (Stacy Brown)
A kind of a quirky be careful what you wish for sort of romance that felt a little jumbled at times and rushed. With so few pages I wouldn't expect elaborate back stories, but I would liked to know more about Antonio at least since Ray and Carla are given quite a bit of personality.
Some New Blood (Vanessa Vaugh)
This story surprised me in many ways. At various points I wasn't certain if Vaugh was trying to make a metaphorical reference to people who's marriages and lives hit a dull, same old same old streak or if the couple really was a married, working, zombie couple. The ending sort of caught me off guard as well, but it really only made sense given that, hey it’s about zombies.
Last Times at Ridgemont High (Kilt Kilpatrick)
Jeremy kind of cracks me up honestly. He is a little bit dense, which is fine and all, but I found it really funny that he was busy inventorying the weapons they could use while the girl of his sex-filled dreams was coming on to him. I don't blame him, but it just struck me as funny since in Zombie films the hero always makes the mistake of thinking 'We have time!' and then Zombie City. It was refreshing to see someone who actually learned from all those movies.
First Date (Dana Fredsti)
Fredsti won me over as soon as the main character Angie named Dawn of the Dead as a true horror film--and denounced Hostel. And Angie kept her head, she didn't waste time bemoaning the fact the world was a zombie heap, she didn't let herself get distracted by the moans of a weakling, understands the situation and gets the job done. Definitely my kind of hero and yeah Angie wins for worst first date ever.
Later (Michael Marshall Smith)
This was a very sad, wistful love story. It wasn't flashy or filled with flesh-munching zombies, just a man and the love of his life and how much that love meant to him. It was a good way to end the anthology in my opinion.
Overall I greatly enjoyed this anthology and was delighted to find several authors to check out again sometime.
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