DUST by Joan Frances Turner

Penguin, £7.99

Reviewed by Jim Mcleod.

Dust tells the story of Jessie. Jessie was once a vegetarian, now she eats fresh meat. You see, Jessie was killed in a car accident and has now clawed her way back as a zombie. Now a member of the zombie gang the Fly-by-Nights, she roams the dark places where humans fear to tread. These are not your typical mindless shambling zombies: they think, have emotions and live as one. In fact, if it wasn’t for the smell and the pieces of rotten flesh that fall off them, you would think they were still human.

As is wont in these sorts of novels, something appears to threaten the fragile balance between humans and zombie kind. In this case it is a disease that turns its victims into something in between.

The book is well written and the author has created a well developed world, with a plot and narrative that is fast paced and easy to read. The author does a good job of making the zombies sympathetic, even though the zombies themselves are devoid of all sense of emotion. Plus, it is great to see a variation on the tired and overused zombie genre. However I don’t think I was the target audience for this book. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s Twilight with zombies, but I do think fans of that book would get a lot more from this. All in all a decent read, just not my cup of tea.

Corvus Books have published an anthology, Zombies, originally published in the US as Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard.

“Horrifying ghouls, decaying corpses, body snatchers, grave robbers and flesh-eating monsters. In this gruesome anthology of the living dead, all these and more will try to catch your eye and devour your brain.

From the macabre pens of the world’s most spine-tingling horror and fantasy writers, the grisliest, goriest, ghastliest stories from the last two centuries have been plucked from the shadows by legendary editor Otto Penzler, to form the most monstrous volume in zombie history.”

Authors include: H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, R. Chetwynd-Hayes, Clive Barker, Richard Christian Matheson, Edgar Allan Poe, Joe R. Lansdale, Lisa Tuttle, Graham Masterton, Robert Bloch, Charles Birkin, Mort Castle, Kevin J. Anderson, W.B. Seabrook, Steve Rasnic Tem, F. Marion Crawford, Michael Marshall Smith, Karen Haber, David A. Riley, Guy De Maupassant, Richard Laymon, Thomas Burke, Anthony Boucher, John Knox, Theodore Sturgeon and Seabury Quinn, among others.

Details and ordering information HERE

Peter Mark May‘s new novel Hedge End is to be published by Samhain Horror, edited by the legendary Don D’Auria. May has also signed a contract for a zombie novel called AZ: Anno Zombie, also being published by Samhain.

“The woods, and the hedge surrounding it, had been there since Roman times. Over the years, due to the encroachment of houses and the coming of the railways, the hedge had been cut down. Slowly, out of the breaches, creatures long trapped inside from the Dark Ages creep, wanting revenge for their long imprisonment. And when a stranger arrives in Hedge End with a guitar on his back he makes sure that the residents of Hedge End have a May Day that no one will forget. Only two young couples stand in his way, but they have many secrets of their own to hide …”

Hedge End will be published on 3 July 2012 in trade paperback.

The Bookseller reports that the cult classic novelisation of George Romero‘s film Dawn of the Dead is to be reissued by Sphere in May 2012. The introduction to this reissue will be provided by actor Simon Pegg, star of spoof  zombie film Shaun of the Dead.

Read the full story HERE

DEAD ISLAND: THE BOOK by Mark Morris. Bantam Books/Transworld £6.99

Reviewed by Stuart Hughes

Dead Island originated as a zombie apocalypse computer game from Deep Silver. Dead Island: The Book is the official tie-in novel written by British Fantasy Award winning novelist Mark Morris. A horror writer by trade, Morris is no stranger to working in other people’s worlds having successfully written Doctor Who and Torchwood tie-in novels.

The story is set on the holiday island of Banoi and centres around four strangers who find themselves thrown together as paradise turns into hell. Purna (an Australian police woman), Logan (an American Football player) and Sam (a rapper) all meet on the flight to Banoi. They are checked into their hotel by Xian Mei, the fourth member of the zombie-slaying gang.

Morris establishes the characters quickly and effectively and then the zombie infection kicks-in, rapidly reaching pandemic proportions. The action is fast paced, the dialogue crisp and convincing, the characters strong and believable, and the zombie slaying is broken up with a fair dose of humour thrown into the mix. I particularly enjoyed Sam andLogan’s joshing.

There’s a lot of zombie slaying but the novel is about more than that. The computer game is designed with a role-playing element and the plot allows the characters to use their brains – not simply focussed on surviving and escaping the island (although that is their main priority), but they are able to think and investigate the infection too.

What caused it? Who caused it? And why? These questions, and more, are all answered, with a number of twists and turns along the way.

There’s some strong language and graphic descriptions so Dead Island: The Book is definitely not for kids. It’s has enough mystery and intrigue to hook me and keep me page turning to the end.

The new zombie computer game, Dead Island is now in release, as is Mark Morris’ novelisation of the game, published by Bantam.

Dead Island is set to become one of the biggest game releases of 2011. The official announcement trailer has already gained over 10 million views. And Dead Island, the official novelisation of Deep Silver’s game, written by BFS Award winning author Mark Morris, is due for simultaneous release with the video game.

‘Dead Island offers a terrifying glimpse into the horrors thrust upon the four individuals who have unwittingly embarked upon the ultimate holiday from Hell. For guests of the five-star Royal Palms Resort it was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime dream holiday; an escape to the stunning beaches of a tropical paradise unlike any other. But a mysterious zombie outbreak suddenly — and without warning — rips apart the pacific paradise island of Banoi.

‘The four individuals with distinctive backgrounds and abilities seem to be unaffected by the zombie apocalypse. As the zombie outbreak spreads, will they be strong enough to stand against the endless zombie hordes, to protect the remaining survivors from a horrible fate and to flee the island? In the face of an unprecedented zombie apocalypse, they have only one thing left to do: survive.’