Both books were written in first person, with the first book being done in journal format.  Everything is told from Brian’s perspective with all the limitations and advantages that format yields.  The author changed things up a bit with Age of the Dead, and while the story is told in first person once again from Brian’s perspective, it is no longer in journal format.  There is dialog and there isn’t that sense of premonition you get from a journal where the author hints at the action to come at the beginning of every journal entry.  A journal is like reading a newspaper article about something that happened the day before, whereas the new format the author uses in his second book puts the reader right into the action.

The writing here is smooth and the story flows well, though there really isn’t any specific direction the author seems to be taking with the story.  I had mentioned in my review of Rise that the book could have cut off earlier-when Brian and company find their way to the safety of Cold Lake, but carried on with his first missions doing salvage.  This story, much like the last part of the previous book, carries on with that theme.  The action is more intense and there is a willingness here to let some of the characters die, which was a change from the first book.  The adventures Brian and company have were enjoyable to read about, but I was often left wondering where things were headed.  There are hints toward the end of the book that the story might get more focused in the third installment, which shows good promise.

Overall, the quality of this installment is good and the writing format is more satisfying than the first book.  There is more emotional heft to Brian here-the stakes are higher than before.  At the same time, I would like to see the story take a more specific direction.  The missions Brian takes on with his crew could go on indefinitely.  But as I already alluded to, there are indications that the third book will have a more specific direction and a more defined objective in mind.  I look forward to seeing what the author does with this tale going forward.

Age of the Dead can be found here:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1618680501/ref=cm_cr_thx_view

Cannibal Corpse, M/C is definitely not your typical apocalyptic zombie tale.  The author seems to know quite a bit about biking culture and John’s rough demeanor and loyalty to his friends kept this one entertaining from start to finish.  John is almost fearless, almost ruthless, almost like his club’s name would hint at: a disciple of the devil.  He kills without remorse, he is brutal, and he is vicious, but there are hints of his humanity as well that sneak through during this story that made him an interesting character and someone who you can find just palatable enough to root for when he is dealing with the hell on earth that surrounds him.  While the story starts out as more or less an adventure tale that takes place on the open road, it becomes something more dark and sinister with every page.  I didn’t expect the twists and turns that came about, especially in the second half of the story, but found them intriguing nonetheless. 

Where things bogged down for me with this saga was in the hyperbole the author uses to describe things, especially in the latter half of the book.  Not only is the gore in Technicolor 3D, which is in and of itself not a bad thing (in fact, for the gore hounds out there it is probably a big plus), but many of the details of the story are over described in lurid detail, distracting from the narrative in some ways.  I don’t consider this to be a major issue with the story, because it still read fast and easy and I was compelled to finish this intriguing story, it just felt like the descriptions went further than necessary in several instances. 

Despite this minor gripe, this was a fun, entertaining apocalyptic tale.  If you like your zombies traditional, this one probably is probably going to be hard to swallow, but it is worth checking out even for the zombie “purists” out there, because Slaughter is a fascinating and entertaining anti-hero and a one bad mutha.   

Cannibal Corpse, M/C can be found here:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1618680587/ref=cm_cr_thx_view

Of course, not every story packs the same punch and not all of them were hits in my opinion, but overall, this collection showcases an author who has grown as a writer over the past few years, with his ability to craft characters and stories getting sharper and stronger with time.  Some of the tales have no message, just provide simple entertainment, while others pack more emotional heft and lingered in my mind after their completion.  Overall, this is a fun, easy-to-read collection of mostly zombie tales that shows the talents of an independent author who continues to get better with every story he writes.

Death In The Times of Madness can be found here:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1481228196/ref=cm_cr_thx_view

We are also introduced to Captain Jackson, one of the rebel leaders of the assault on Lan’s ship, who crosses paths with the injured soldier as the battle rages on aboard ship.  Mistaken for another rebel when Terrain reinforcements arrive, Lan is imprisoned along with Jackson and his crew.

At the same time, we are introduced to Zinner, who is a Bavashee, a part of the Terrain military Special Forces who are genetically grown to be the perfect warriors.  Only a few remain in the galaxy (they were plentiful during the Apocalypse Wars in the ancient past), and Zinner is one of the best still around.  In his efforts to infiltrate Neotran on a secret mission, he comes across and wipes out a small, somewhat primitive village far away from the main civilized outposts of the colony, in an effort to maintain secrecy.  He kills them all out except for Nasim, who was away from the village at the time, returning to discover the horror Zinner and his team have left behind.  Nasim, who has some intriguing talents of his own, chooses to pursue the Special Forces leader in an effort to get revenge.

The author pulls together a great many ‘smaller’ and ‘bigger’ subplots while the threads of the main story get weaved together with the others at a steady pace.  The author leaves the main path a time or two, but always returns to it in time.  With these diversions we get to see the war in a bigger picture format-from the Terrain General discussing strategy with his right hand man to one of the men plotting to assassinate a key political figure.  The plot does meander a bit, but the stories kept my interest throughout.

The writing here is solid, and Iain has a strong concept of military tactics and makes the science fiction plausible-allowing the tale to not get gummed up with over the top details that would have been a distraction.  The characters make sense and fit well into their environments-with enough background details to enlighten but not smother.  Zimmer is understandably brutal and vicious, while Lan is tortured but transformed by both his military training and the torture of his body while imprisoned and by the dreams that endlessly haunt him.

I thought it interesting that the author was able to deftly steer me away from rooting for either side in this war (or so it seemed).  Sure, there were reasons for believing that the Neotrans deserved their freedom, but it was the characters major and minor, including the Terrain General who plots and plans both the attacks and defense of his forces, that really mattered here.  Iain McKinnon has a knack for crafting characters that you feel an emotional attachment to-whether you love them or hate them, they get under your skin and stay there for a while.

Overall, this is a fun sci fi tale of rollicking space battles and the soldiers who fight in them.  But this story told could take place in space, on earth, in the future or in the far flung past and it would still make sense.  It is a saga of men and the wars they wage, which is a timeless concept, and one that is endlessly intriguing.

From The Torment of Dreams can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D4DVCHU/ref=cm_cr_thx_view

The story is pretty simple.  A group of survivors have built walls around a farm to keep the undead at bay and a few select members of the group go out via helicopter to collect whatever supplies they can gather on a weekly basis-into a city that is filled with zombies and less and less supplies each trip they take.  The author adds the twist that people are dying-not just from whatever turns people into the undead, but from a variety of regular ailments that are much more difficult to deal with the lack of modern medicine at everyone’s finger tips.  So the desperation of the survivors is even greater.

A supply run goes wrong, as have others before, and this time a couple of marines are left behind when the helicopter pilot, an unrepentant self-absorbed jerk, decides that they are taking too long to get back to the meeting place where he set down.  Despite his urge to take off and abandon the camp, he returns and goes on another mission later, where he discovers the cost of his betrayal.

Betrayal is a quick, brutal trip to hell-a rip-the-band aid-off type of story that I would say goes down smooth because it is such an easy read, but the ride is a bit bumpier than that-with a few twists put into play for those who like to mix things up with their undead.

Betrayal can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C0BVS1C/ref=cm_cr_thx_view

Rising up in the aftermath of this transition in power is a superhero dubbed “The Revolution” who is an armored warrior willing to fight to stop the tyranny of this new form of despotic government.  Others rise as well; copy-cats who want to be heroes who fight crime and give the people hope.  Some have legitimate talents, like Paul Ward, who has crafted an armored flight suit and can fire darts that knock his enemies out, while others are less impressive.  Some, like Lithium, are state sanctioned and fight crimes that are set-ups made for the TV audience-they support the new government and while they have real superpowers, they are more-or-less at war with The Revolution and those who would oppose this new form of government.

The main character of this tale, for all intents and purposes, is Paul, who has been dubbed the “Spider Wasp” after a confrontation with a gang of bank robbers.  He is seeking revenge for the death of his son at the hands of thugs, which also caused his wife to commit suicide.  He is a doctor and a former Harvard Professor who is fascinated with The Revolution and the mythology surrounding the rebellious hero.  This tale follows Paul’s experiences with The Revolution and the group of underground heroes that work with him fomenting a new American Revolution.

Michael Ivan Lowell has written an intriguing tale of new superheroes for a world where corporate power has gotten out of control-with a shimmer of our reality mirrored on its pages.  Taking place mainly in Boston, the reflections of the original Revolutionary War are easily recognized within the story.  The author has crafted a set of heroes that mostly utilize technology rather than having any innate superpowers, except in one particular case.  In some ways, this story reminds me Watchmen with its alternate history (though this takes place in the near future rather than in the near past).  Superheroes that aren’t quite immaculate in how they operate and how they function-while they may wish to do well, they are far from perfect.

The story is fun and the creation of a set of heroes is creative-while there are similarities to other superheroes the reader already know and recognize, they do have their own unique flavor and take on things, especially in a world where the United States has essentially turned into a dictatorship.  It is easy to see where this saga could carry forward with several additional volumes by the author.  It will be interesting to see what new characters (both good and evil) he can craft to carry the story forward beyond this tome.

As I always attempt to do, I try to point out any issues or concerns I had with a book, and with The Suns of Liberty: Revolution it came down to the fact that the author spends much of the book telling the reader things rather than showing them.  The history of many of the characters is revealed not through interactions with them, but by a synopsis of their past and their personality type.  This is a bit distracting-I tend to prefer characters being revealed by inches and often not knowing everything about them right away.  I realize that with a book that has this many complex characters it would be difficult to really dig deep without the book being twice as long, but as mysterious a character as The Revolution is, the rest of the cast was much more of an open book.  Again, it is clear with a book such as this, it is often hard to let the characters do a slow reveal-especially those destined to become superheroes or villains-unless it is an origin story.  Instead, we are introduced to what amounts to The Justice League or Avengers in full swing here, so it’s not surprising that a few liberties with the story telling style were taken to get the reader up to speed.

The Suns of Liberty: Revolution provides a solid new world filled with darkness and a new hope for the downtrodden, and was a fun read.  It will be interesting to see where the author takes this tale in future volumes.

The Suns of Liberty: Revolution can be found here:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C0HB7DK/ref=cm_cr_thx_view

It is often difficult to provide a review of an anthology because almost without fail, they are a mixed bag.  A consistent theme often allows for a more comprehensive overview-each author provides a story to the mix that sticks to a sometimes loose, but understood guideline.  TotU-HW does have a theme, but it runs the gambit with stories of vampires, ghosts, demons, witches, Satan, human-animal hybrids, werewolves, ancient gods, sexually voracious women, and even more of a mix of swirling horrors.  And that isn’t even mentioning the poems, which are as diverse a lot as the short stories.

There were some gems in this book from my perspective, including “Entre of the Damned” and “Girls are Icky”, both appreciated for entirely different reasons, and of course some stories that did not click, which I will admit is more due to personal preference rather than the quality of the work, at least in most cases.  The writing styles here are quite diverse, with everything from the delicately subtle to in your face.  I enjoyed “Who F&*ked Up Kelly Yesterday?” because I have a taste for bizarro horror, while I know that there will be plenty of folks who would be repulsed by this story’s audacity.  There were a few stories that I felt that the writing was a bit rough, with both the story itself and the way the author telling it making it feel forced and hard to get through, but there those were only a select few out of this bunch.  There were some sagas that felt incomplete to me-either telling instead of showing and letting the tale reveal itself, or in one case where the writing style seemed a bit forced and awkward- like the author was providing a summary rather than providing the reader with the story itself.

Anthologies are journeys where the road is both smooth and bumpy at different times.  Rarely do you find a short story compendium where every story hits the mark.  But finding a short story or poem you really enjoy and that will stick with you makes the journey through the good, the great, and the bad worthwhile.   Tales of the Undead-Hell Whore is such an anthology.

Tales of the Undead: Hello Whore can be found here:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BLR40A2/ref=cm_cr_thx_view

We are also introduced to a wide variety of undead.  There is danger not just from the shambling, slow rotters that surround them, but from mutations that cause them to elicit attributes that range from speed, greater predatory instincts, to having unnatural strength and size.  Included in this mix are undead dubbed titans.  Rarely seen, but virtually unstoppable giants, they hint at an ongoing cycle of mutations among the undead.

Matt and Cole are making due as best they can out in the wastelands, saving who they can while realizing that survival means that they sometimes have to be ruthless, not only with the undead but even with the bitten that have yet to die and turn.  Naturally, there are human predators as well who pose a threat to others who wish to survive.  The world, as it has always been, is filled with dangers both inhuman and human alike.

Among the survivors they come across is a scientist who claims to know where there is a safe haven-a research facility turned military base down in North Carolina.  Though skeptical, the survivors continue to work at protecting themselves out in the wilds while the lure of this promised sanctuary weighs on each of them, especially as the loss of life piles up.

The relationship between Matt and Cole drives this story.  While they have suffered at points they seem to be enjoying the apocalypse with their penchant for weapons and weed going hand in hand.  We often see characters that are endlessly distraught or seem to be near-superheroes in the face of a zombie onslaught.  Rarely have I read a story where the characters seem to be more like the fans of zombie fiction, or least how many of us who are fans of the genre picture ourselves.  There is a bit of a devilish delight in being able to let loose and lash out at the world at large with no moral repercussions.  Don’t get me wrong, the boys aren’t impervious to the despair this new world causes them and the tough decisions it forces them to make, but they seem to appreciate finding new ways to kill the creatures that destroyed their lives.  In a world getting flushed down the toilet, they’ve found a way to gain some enjoyment on the trip down.

I read a version of this tale a couple of years ago, after the author’s first draft was completed.  He did modify it somewhat, with some new and interesting elements.  As this is his first novel, he also did some polishing to the tale that gives his characters some added emotional heft.  The fun Matt and Cole have in crafting plans to keep their people safe and to gather supplies in a dangerous, dead world remains, while the depth of their emotions has grown.  Still, it avoids getting bogged down in the melancholia that can often plague apocalyptic tales.  The pacing is solid, and while the story tends to meander a bit, with minimal direction for the characters to take, the action remains fast and furious, with a lot of entertaining splatter and action for the zombie fan to sink their teeth into.

Downfall can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CS94UL6/ref=cm_cr_thx_view

Three years later, Bob is called upon again, this time with two of his best mercenaries-Miles and Vega- in tow.  He has to capture Traverse again, pulling him out of the same insane asylum he was put in for his crimes.  The only problem: Detroit is in the throws of a brutal riot, with the city tearing itself apart piece by piece.  It is fast becoming clear that this is not your normal riot because the rioters are eating one another.

The story follows Bob’s mission, but also introduces the reader to several other citizens of Detroit who are coming to grips with the situation they’ve found themselves in, including a lawyer, his drug-addled brother, a gang banger, an ex-cop pornographer and his former girlfriend, and a porn starlet currently residing in the same insane asylum as Traverse because she has a penchant for cannibalism.

While Necropolis Now: Zombie Ascension does share similarities with many other tales focused on the initial hours and days that the dead rise, with plenty of panic, gore, and horrific frights, it is how the dead rise and the characters that inhabit this story that make it unique.  Detroit has a reputation for being a rough city and it makes for a gritty urban setting for this story.  The ensemble cast is headed up by Vega, the female mercenary, Traverse, an insane prophet and murderous madman, and Griggs, the ex-cop who wants to keep on making porn movies while the world unravels around him.  This is a very interesting story with Traverse and Mina meeting up at the asylum on the day the undead rise taking center stage.  Mina is Griggs former girlfriend and star of his porn movies, at least until she ate the last actor she worked with.  Traverse has plans for Mina, and knows that she is more than just another run of the mill psychopath.

The pacing is fast and the action steady in this tale, while the characters are a mixed bag of oddities.  They definitely kept me guessing from start to finish, with some of the deaths being rather surprising, and their actions even being more surprising.  It’s hard to argue about realism when the characters are so strange and different than the norm.

There is a bigger picture here.  The rise of the dead is not through the traditional means readers of zombie fiction are used to, and it is clear by the title that the author intends to reveal all that is kept secret in this book over the course of a likely trilogy.

The author took on a sizable cast of characters and did an admirable job of allowing the reader to see the world through many of their eyes.  The characters of Traverse, Vega, and Griggs were intriguing to me.  Some of the other characters, such as the lawyer and junkie who were brothers, didn’t resonate.  The author makes a game effort to give their story emotional heft, but their story felt hollow to me.  And while I didn’t necessarily like most of the characters in this book, I don’t consider that a negative.  They kept me intrigued, even if I wasn’t necessarily rooting for any of them.  Some of them grew on me in small amounts, and it will be interesting to see how the characters that remain at the end of the book grow and transform through the rest of this series.

Overall, Necropolis Now: Zombie Ascension Book One, has way too long of a title, but is a very interesting contribution to the zombie genre.  This isn’t your workaday saga about average people trying to make due in a world gone mad, but is about a bunch of mad people living in the eye of the undead storm.  Mr. Bilof has me intrigued enough that I feel compelled to check out the next book in this series when it becomes available.

Necropolis Now: Zombie Ascension Book One can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/098747653X/ref=cm_cr_thx_view