Cluck: Murder Most Fowl [Paperback]

Eric D. Knapp (Author), Ian Miller (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 10, 2007

IRREFUTABLE FACTS ABOUT CHICKENS: Chickens are dirty. Chickens are loud. Chickens are stupid. When ancient and mysterious forces trap the souls of an entire flock of barnyard fowl between life and death, Bobby Garfundephelt has to agree. Trapped inside the myriad rooms of a labyrinthian farm, it's all he can do to avoid the twisted traps of the evil Rooster and his army of undead hens. Luckily for Bobby, the rumors of the ghostly guineas have reached the ears of the current Exorciste de Volaille. Armed only with a fox-headed staff, some heavy boots, and a utility belt full of cracked corn and Band-Aids, he must enter the henhouse of horrors to save Bobby, and to do battle with the Rooster himself! For the lover of comedy with a twist, Cluck: Murder Most Fowl is a veritable Indian burn of mystery, adventure, horror, and humor from Eric D. Knapp, the award-winning author of Out of Place, Out of Time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Finalist for the ForeWord Magazine Book of The Year Award, horror, 2008. -- ForeWord Magazine Book of The Year Award, 2008

ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year finalist (horror), 2007 -- ForeWord Magazine, March, 2008

Independent Publisher Book Award ("IPPY") bronze medal winner in horror, 2008. -- Independent Publisher Book Award, 2008

One might predispose that a book about zombie chickens would be low-brow and intellectually void. That is certainly not the case with author Eric D. Knapp's 'Cluck: Murder Most Fowl', a literary romp through the world of undead chickens, and underdog anti-heroes.

With a unique blend of comedy and good vs. evil, Cluck manages not only to unfold an entertaining story but also to be incredibly humorous and very well written.

Cluck is a surreal journey to a farm where undead fowl battle the living, both human and chicken and where an unlikely anti-hero faces off against an undead Rooster King and his army of zombie hens!

Ancient evils have trapped the souls of a group of hens somewhere between life and death, and Bobby Garfundephelt, trapped inside the farm must make his way though the maze of the farm while avoiding the deadly traps of the evil Rooster King and his army. Fortunately for Bobby, the Exorciste de Volaille... a sort of exorcist of poultry has caught wind of the situation and must now enter the evils of the henhouse to rescue Bobby and face off against the evil Rooster King in an epic battle.

Cluck is a tongue planted firmly in beak, hilarious trip that will leave your guts busted and have you clucking for a sequel. -- Revenant Magazine, March, 2008

The best undead chicken novel of all time! -- Lloyd Kaufman, Director, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead

Winner of the Odyssey "Indie Excellence" Award in May 2008, for raising the bar of quality in independent publishing. -- Odyssey "Indie Excellence" Award, 2008

[Cluck] introduces two new elements to the zombie mythos: 1) Zombie chickens; 2) A thoroughly developed premise and plot that combine humor with horror. ... in the vein of Bruce Campbell films like "Army of Darkness" and "Bubba Ho-Tep." -- The Wire, January 24, 2008

From the Back Cover

IRREFUTABLE FACTS ABOUT CHICKENS:
1. Chickens are dirty.
2. Chickens are loud.
3. Chickens are stupid.

When ancient and mysterious forces trap the souls of an entire flock of barnyard fowl between life and death, Bobby Garfundephelt has to agree. Trapped inside the myriad rooms of a labyrinthian farm, it's all he can do to avoid the twisted traps of the evil Rooster and his army of undead hens. Luckily for Bobby, the rumors of the ghostly guineas have reached the ears of the current Exorciste de Volaille. Armed only with a fox-headed staff, some heavy boots, and a utility belt full of cracked corn and Band-Aids, he must enter the henhouse of horrors to save Bobby, and to do battle with the Rooster himself!

For the lover of comedy with a twist, Cluck: Murder Most Fowl is a veritable Indian burn of mystery, adventure, horror, and humor from Eric D. Knapp, the award-winning author of Out of Place, Out of Time.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (December 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419682644
• ISBN-13: 978-1419682643
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #766,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where Evil Comes to Roost!, December 27, 2008

By 

Todd A. Fonseca (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cluck: Murder Most Fowl (Paperback)

Somewhere outside of Detriot Michigan, a spectral cosmic light lasting only moments, intersects the souls of a young suburban boy named Arnold and a fabulously large Rooster. Afterward, Arnold is imbued with a second sight allowing him to see the souls of those around him, including animals - especially chickens. Seeing souls gives Arnold a slight glimpse into the future as the souls actions occur just before those of their corporeal hosts. Though an advantage in sports where Arnold can anticipate his opponents every move, it also sets him apart from the rest of humanity causing his eventual banishment by his parents to a home for boys. Recognized by Father Beau as gifted in second site, Arnold is sent to France where he joins a secret order of those men charged with banishing the souls of trapped fowl to the next life. However, though the order exists, none have the site of Arnold who quickly demonstrates his. He eventually becomes Armand - the Exorciste de Volaille - the poultry exorcist!

Meanwhile, across the world, the Rooster has also been forever changed by the light. Capable of thought and even speech, the Rooster becomes king of an ever expanding farm owned an operated by Bobby Garfundephelt and his wife. However, all is not well on the farm and without giving too much of the plot away, evil takes root on the farm and Bobby is forever haunted by the undead chickens and their Rooster king. Only Armand, now aged and scared with the wounds from setting straight the worlds "fowl" wrongs, can save Bobby. Or can he?...

Eric Knapp's Cluck: Murder Most Fowl is a masterpiece. I honestly did not believe I would like this book as much as I did. Reminiscent of the Rod Serling's Twilight Zone or even the best of what Tales from the Crypt had to offer, Knapp creates a intriguing and engaging tale of three lives intertwined and changed forever. This is an incredibly creative piece of fiction that in lesser hands would have come across at best campy and at worst just plain stupid. Rather, Knapp has pulled off an amazingly entertaining novel. The graphics by Ian Richard Miller at the onset of each chapter are perfect and are displayed in the oval shape of an egg. Completing the professional and all encompassing feel for the story is the unique font titling each chapter.

I don't give out 5 stars easily and never expected to do so when I started this book. But truthfully, this is one of the most creative, different, offbeat funny, and intriguing books I've read this year. It is definitely not mainstream and one might have to be in the right mood to appreciate it's brilliance, but I believe few would be disappointed in reading Cluck (I can't believe I'm actually typing this). Good luck Mr. Knapp and congratulations on an extremely well written tale.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best zombie chicken book I've ever read, December 14, 2007

By 

David Y (Portsmouth, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cluck: Murder Most Fowl (Paperback)

Highly recommended! Cluck is a riot - dry, dark comedy which might be frightening if the concept weren't so silly (so silly that you might think a book about zombie chickens couldn't be any good, but you would be wrong: this really is a great story!) The book is well written and enjoyable, with a story that progresses well and a very colorful cast of characters: Bobby, who spends so much effort pretending that he's a hick he actually becomes one; Armand, the Exorciste de Vollaile (Poultry Exorcist) who has conversations with a voice in his head; and the Rooster King, who is a big evil zombie rooster, but who you manage to feel sorry for somehow ...

Cluck seems to get lumped in with gag-horror like "Shaun of the Dead" and "Poultrygeist", and it will probably appeal to people who like that kind of comedy, but I thought it was a bit more intellectual - certainly more "literary" than I expected.

While the story is entertaining (and absolutely unique) I should also mention that the production quality of this book is superb. The cover art is even better than it looks online, and there are illustrations at the start of each chapter (25 chapters, total).

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Animal Farm on Acid, December 15, 2007

By 

S. K. Strom "crazed fan" (Over the River and thru the Woods) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cluck: Murder Most Fowl (Paperback)

An excellent holiday gift for the twisted animal lover in your life! A veritable encyclopedia of zombie chicken lore. Explore the inner psychological workings of the zombie chicken's mind, whilst improving your French.

The premier zombie chicken book of our time. Admittedly, the genre may be small, but should the author write a sequel (hint, hint) then it will be twice as big as before.