Customer Reviews

Dead America: A Zombie Novel

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A completely original and enjoyable take on the zombie genre. A zombie murder mystery set in a world where the living and the undead coexist. A world where necrophilia is an acceptable sexual preference and embalming is a cosmetic procedure. A P.I is on the hunt for a killer. The victim is the first person not to reanimate in decades, and the police are baffled. Crimes were usually solved by asking the victim what happened to them after they reanimated. If this was a movie it would star Humphrey Bogart and be directed by Romero.

I'm not a big fan of zombie stories, or of horror, but the sheer originality and cleverness of this book had me hooked from the start. The story is a Chandleresque murder mystery, fast-paced, witty, and with all the ingredients that will make noir fans lap it up. But this is a darker shade of noir than usual. The story is set in a world where people just won't stay dead any more. They 'relive'. They don't eat brains, they don't stagger about like, well, zombies, they just wake up and get on with things as dead people. It's a world where the living are worried that the low-paid dead are serving fries at Macdonalds, while the dead are pressing the government for equal rights with the living. It's a world with plenty of opportunities for dark humour, opportunities Keioskie never fails to exploit. Dead America is a great read; fast, fascinating, and fun.

These aren't your normal zombies. These ones carry the same emotional baggage as the living and that in a nutshell is the most frightening aspect of this novel. It's a rollercoaster of a book, with a sarcastic 'everyman' main character who leads us through the horrors of the new world that humanity has found themselves in. It reads almost like one of those procedural TV shows like CSI or Criminal Minds but with the added zombie aspect, which doesn't really detract from the punch of the terrible things people can do to each other. The writer has been very clever to slowly install a sense of normality to the zombie world without hitting the reader over the head with all the social changes that would come. What affect zombies would have on the religious world now that there is documented life after death is an interesting aspect that is probably worth a book all on its own (sequel please). It is just crying out for a movie (you listening Spielberg), though I don't think Bogart would be a good Faraday. I see him more like Bruce Willis from 16 Blocks or Last Boy Scout with Steve Buscemi being the necrophilic pathologist Conroy.

A cross between detective noir, undead horror and biting satire, Dead America follows the case of the one person in years who hasn't reanimated as a zombie. While the plot moves along like a homage to Raymond Chandler, it is the original spin on the zombie that makes this novel. Zombies (or the Newly Dead as they're called) aren't monsters, they're just people who happen to be walking, rotting corpses who are considered second class citizens. A fun read with a strong message about the pointlessness of bigotry.

I must admit I found the idea behind this book intriguing, and looked forward to see if this book delivered - and what can I say other than did it ever. With a fast pace, lots of twists and some interesting characters I was hooked. If you like detective books with that film noir quality this is one not to miss. Even if the idea of zombies is a little farfetched for you give it a go, you won't be disappointed.