Release Date: 19/08/10
BOOK BLURB:
When King Edward I of England built Grogen Castle in Wales, he proclaimed it the strongest fortress in the British Isles; impregnable to assault, armed with devices so fiendish that would-be attackers would die in multitutdes. But the Welsh have had enough of English tyranny. Armed with druidic magic and an ancient, mystical artefact, they summon an army to their banner even the most supersitious of Edward's soldiers could never have imagined. Soon, Grogen Castle finds itself beseiged by forces forged from splintered bone and rotten flesh. Just how long can this Stronghold hold out against the zombie horde?
REVIEW:
Set during the reign of Edward (Longshanks) the first of England, this offering takes the reader to a time where warfare was fought as savegly against the people as it was against the invaders in this offering from Paul Finch. He gets the feel right for the time period and with characters who are as much villain as hero it sets a tone for a war of attrition that no side can afford. Add to the mix zombies and a siege and you know that its something that is quite cinematic. It’s well written, it’s got crisp description and it’s a stand alone title that makes it easy for people to dip into. Whilst this won’t be for all fans of Urban Fantasy it’s a title that will please a lot of readers who enjoy a dip into Historical Fiction alongside their zombies. An offering I really enjoyed.
BOOK BLURB:
On a private island in the Caribbean, business guru Doc Papa has reinvented the zombie as a role model for the super rich. The world's business elite come to St. Ignatius to study the Way of the Barefoot Zombie and interact with a captive colony of the undead. However, the Zombie Liberation Front and a rogue priestess ensure that the business guru and his acolytes are soon on the menu.
REVIEW:
Way back in the early days of video, the Zombie movie was pretty much set on an exotic Island (Haiti or some other Voodoo hotspot) and a group of people are plunged into a survival nightmare against the undead hordes usually by Dario Argento.) So having grown up with these films, I ended up feeling all nostalgic and decided to enjoy this offering from Abaddon’s Tomes of the Dead series.
As you’d expect from this type of book there’s plenty of blood and guts and a pretty swift pace to keep the reader glued to the story however the major problem was the use of info dumps that really weren’t that necessary and just detracted from what was otherwise a good solid Zombie book. Whilst the villains were a little two dimensional, the struggle for survival really does hark back to the classics of the zombie genre and will enthuse a new generation to give these gem’s a try. However, I do hope that Bark’s next novel fixes the problems with this offering, perhaps with a brief world setting page prior to the tale so that the reader won’t have interruptions that just detract from an otherwise reasonable plot.
BOOK BLURB:
Flash floods devastate Britain and an army of the dead rise from the waters to hunt town the survivors. For ex-prostitute Katya, it's a constant fight to stay alive, but also a chance at freedom. Ex-soldier McTarn is sent on a mission to retrieve a scientist from a northern village. When the floods cut them off, McTarn may be Katya's only hope of survival!
REVIEW:
In an end of the world scenario, a tale of three people who face the curse of the undead. In itself the first two thirds of the novel are pretty much wasted and with no real explanation of how no one knew that the water level was rising in such a quick succession was not only improbable but an impossibility. The third character however is the principle protagonist of this offering. He’s the reason for the whole thing and why its happened and were this to have been a novella based on just that character it would have been a reasonable offering but having to wade through the first two characters before hitting this part will have people turning off and perhaps not even getting to the good bit.
It’s a real shame as that last part goes to show that the author had talent and was a grave error that they felt that they had to pad it out with unnecessary filler. After all the prostitute seemed to only be there to fulfil a sex quota, the soldier just for some Zombie splattering and to be honest I really didn’t get a good handle on either. A great shame to be honest but perhaps it might be interesting to see a Tomes of the Dead novel, made up of short stories from the authors of Abaddon’s fold.
LE
Release Date: 19/08/10
