From the collaborative efforts of Paul Mannering and Bill Ball comes the zombie novel entitled “Dead! Dead! Dead!” Given the popularity of the genre it’s not the easiest challenge to come up with something that is truly original. But it has to be said that Mannering and Ball have delivered a solid story with enough creativity to capture the imagination of the reader. By providing interesting origins for the outbreak and colorful characters they have written something that is entertaining and definitely worth reading.
Minty is a member of the Locusts Biker Gang and for the last 20 years he has served as the right hand for the leader, Jethro. Along with 3 other members and a newbie, who they refer to as Freak, Minty is sent by Jethro to claim high quality cocaine and a substantial amount of money from a rival dealer. Instead, they come across people who have turned into zombies. After losing one member and another one getting infected they return to Jethro. This is also where they discover why people are turning into zombies.
Within hours the city is overrun with infected people and while trying to escape, Minty and Freak end up saving Callie, the doctor that treated their infected friend. The fight for survival continues to get more dangerous as they make it past the city limits, but as hope shines down on them they run into a much bigger problem.
Mannering and Ball chose a good starting point for the novel. The reader is quickly, but effectively, eased into a situation that has been unfolding for a while. The other plus point is the action that starts relatively early. Even before the gang confronts the horror inside the “empty” house the reader has a solid profile of Minty and the type of person he is.
With a novel such as this it’s important to focus on the descriptions that matter, especially if the pace of the story is fast, and this is exactly what the writers have accomplished beautifully. There is a constant flow of action and tension, but it doesn’t come at the expense of creativity. Throughout the story the reader always has a clear picture of what is happening and how it influences the characters emotionally.
The characters are well thought out and projected, although the zombies can be compared to the typical stereotype in terms of movement and nature. On the downside, there are some points of logic that don’t really add up, such as the city turning from calm to chaos within a very short time even though the infections have been occurring for some time. Other than this the novel is thoroughly entertaining.
Zombie and horror fans will all find some measure of delight in the book. It has the graphic depictions one would expect, from smashing in zombie heads to the nasty effects of getting infected. There is also a very nice twist at the end, which the reader most likely won’t see coming.
Although it’s not the type of novel that will win literary awards or change the course of horror novels, Mannering and Ball did a fantastic job. There is more than enough action and very little time to get bored. For those who get their zombie horror fix from the intimacy that books can provide, then this is a must read.
Reviewed by Damnetha Jules
Damnetha is a staff writer, horror book and movie critic.
Authors:
Paul Mannering is an award winning writer living in Wellington, New Zealand,
Author of the Tankbread series, published by Permuted Press and, The Drakeforth Trilogy, including book 1 “Engines of Empathy” are published by Paper Road Press
Visit Paul’s website and blog at www.manneringbooks.com
Bill Ball is a US Army and National Guard veteran, Dead! Dead! Dead! is his first novel.
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