Review of Jaime Johnesee’s “Bob The Zombie”

Bob The Zombie is a short story that reads more like the first chapter of a much larger tale, and given the fact that the author has already produced a sequel, it is clear that this is destined to become something of a serialized saga of this Griswoldian zombie.

Bob is a hapless zombie who was killed in a tragically comedic way and was brought back to life at the request of his mother, who didn’t realize he would come back as a rotting version of himself that needs to staple various body parts back on when they fall off, which they do with great frequency.  Bob has made new friends-others like himself who lives on the edges of society.  Zombies aren’t like the slobbering Romero monsters here.  They do need meat to continue their undead existence, but they tend to refrain from chowing down on humans.

There is a flavor of urban fantasy to this tale.  Zombies aren’t the only supernatural characters.  Though mostly just hinted at, there are plenty of other beasties out there, including vamps, mermaids, and ghouls.  What is the difference between ghouls and zombies you ask?  Well, zombies have free will, whereas ghouls are controlled by the witch who brought them back to life.  And if they don’t rein them in every now and then, they tend to go all Night of the Living Dead on humans.  That particular nugget plays a part in this brief tale, but again, this short reads more like the introduction to a longer story, including hints of what is to come.

So the main thing to keep in mind if you choose to take the plunge and give Bob The Zombie a try is that there is much more to the story, and unless I missed my guess, we will be getting it in single short story installments for some time to come.  Bob is a likable character and it’s clear there is more to learn about him as well as the rest of his not-so-menacing horde of buddies.

Bob The Zombie can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D0VPURO/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_img_sol_0