Customer Reviews

Don of the Dead: A Zombie Novel

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's often been said that the best books are the type which read like a film treatment and an excellent example would be Nick Cato's DON OF THE DEAD. Straight-forward, to the point, and loaded with an array of interesting characters, Mr. Cato has done the incredible and melded the genres of Organized Crime and Zombie/Living Dead lore into a tale that would bring a horror filled smile to the face of any fan familiar with the works of Mario Puzo or George Romero. This work should also put the Staten Island community on full alert for signs of Living Dead activity. My only question is: When can we expect the film version?

That's a pretty freaking cool combination. But with any cool combination (or mash-up, if you will) it can be a real hit-or-miss situation. Luckily with DON OF THE DEAD, it's a hit.

What this book has going for it the most is the humor. The author doesn't take his subject so serious as to be stuffy but he also doesn't bring his humor into goofy territory. He knows just went to hold back and when to go for the laughs. Writing a humorous zombie book could have easily turned into a parody but Cato has such a respect for the source material, DON OF THE DEAD ends up having a really strong backbone to hold up the funny stuff.

There is also a good amount of zombie violence which, if you are a fan of the genre, you have to come to expect. But Cato makes sure the gore is never boring.

One of the most intriguing things about zombie books (and movies) is learning about the origin of the outbreak. In DON OF THE DEAD, the source of the zombies is both hilarious and interesting.

It's evident that Cato is a big fan of horror/zombie movies and so he keeps the book moving swiftly with short scenes. The only downside is that sometimes it moves a little too fast but that doesn't deter from the enjoyment and I'd much rather it go too fast than too slow.

DON OF THE DEAD is the type of book that is just begging for a film adaptation. It'd sort of be a cross between the Sopranos, Street Trash, Dawn of the Dead, and a few Italian zombie flicks. What would that add up to? Pure awesomeness!

This will please fans of the zombie genre especially those who have a good sense of humor about the genre.

Nick Cato's DON OF THE DEAD doesn't exist in a vacuum. This story lives and breathes in the hearts and minds of everyone who has a deep affinity for '70s cinema. The benchmarks here- as the title suggests- are The Godfather and Dawn of the Dead. Cato rips into the story with admirable vigor, setting up the conflict in a few smart, quick strokes. This is a novel full of steam. It never slows down, instead pushing forward with every sentence, spiraling into stranger and stranger territory... but without ever losing its way.

A thoroughly entertaining blend of two great genres. I laughed... I cried... It became a part of me. If there is anything bad to say about Don of the Dead, it's that it's responsible for a huge dip in the ocean's squid and whelk populations.

This was a great christmas gift for my wife. She who has an obsession with Zombie's. The book arrived in great packaing and very promtly!

Nick Cato's first full-length novel, Don of the Dead, introduces us to several of the main characters in the Barrlucio Crime Family, most notably Antonio Barrlucio (the newly assigned don) and Henry Capuzzio (nephew of the recently deceased don). Soon, it is made quite clear that Capuzzio has turned against his family and has joined forces with the other mob in town, the Piranzza family. With their assistance, he abducts Barrlucio, drags him to a construction site, and turns him into the latest part of the landscape by pouring cement over his still living body, causing him to lose oxygen quickly. Who could survive that, right? Later that day Barrlucio's corpse starts slowly digging his way out of his rock solid grave. That can't be be possible, can it? This is the point in the book where things really take off and also the start of the zombie outbreak.

Don of the Dead is a quirky read from a hot new author. Nick Cato takes a refreshing new look at zombies and knocks 'em dead... Italian-style! Cato mixes humor in throughout the book in order to give his readers more than they might expect from a typical zombie novel. In particular, he uses some very catchy nicknames for some of his characters in the book. I probably missed some of the jokes within as there are a lot of Italian references within the book, but you could tell that Cato knows his stuff. The approach he took on zombies was very unique from what I've seen from other authors as well and I love how he also was able to connect it to the whole Italian theme. This is a great first novel from Cato. I am definitely looking forward to checking out more by this author in the future. Highly Recommended!

Review also posted at MonsterLibrarian Dot Com

If The Godfather had had the undead in it, and if Dawn of the Dead had had the mob in it, I would have enjoyed them both twice as much. Thank goodness then for Nick Cato's Don of the Dead. The perfect melding of two previously almost perfect worlds.

My expectations for this novel were high and I can happily state that they were exceeded. Cato's book is smart and funny, with just enough goo and gore to please any horror fan. The pace is quick and unrelenting and the quirky cast of characters had me missing my own Italian upbringing, minus the automatic weapons.

A highly entertaining novel. I can't wait to see what Cato does next.

With DON OF THE DEAD, first-time novelist, Nick Cato proves he's got serious writing chops! The story moves along at breakneck speed. These zombies mean business and they're not what you'd expect. For one thing, they're Italian, and they don't satisfy their hunger the way traditional zombies do...You'll dig Cato's unique take on the genre!

Get you hands on a copy, pronto! Capisce?

What else can you ask for? An Italian themed zombie book. I love zombie books but this one was unique because not only did you have a zombie outbreak going on, but parts of the book were hilarious. I enjoyed of the nicknames as well. Great job Nick on your first book! I highly recommend that everyone that is a zombie book fan pick up a copy of "Don of the Dead".

The only tie to Mario Puzo this book has is that it features the mafia. It isn't the best written book: conversations are sometimes stilted, characters are hard to tell apart, I found myself continually going back trying to figure out who was who and who said what. All that being said, it was an entertaining zombie yarn. The premise of focusing on the mob was interesting and the way the zombies were presented were different than most other zombie tales (except maybe David Wellingtons' Monster Island books). A quick, fun zombie romp.