Undead On Arrival [Paperback]

Justin Robinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 21, 2012

Publisher: Solstice Publishing Printer: Createspace Today is the last day of Glen Novak’s life. Five years after the end of the world, the few remaining humans are barricaded in a small vacation town on the California coast, beset by hordes of the undead. A single bite turns a man into a walking corpse. There’s no cure and no hope. Someone made sure Novak was bitten and now he has one day to put things in order, protect his people and, most importantly, exact revenge. Reviews Joseph Conrad's character Kurtz said 'The horror! The horror!' in The Heart of Darkness. He could have been alluding to this slice of zombie fiction. The horror is unrelenting, from the doom-laden beginning to the riveting end. This book is not for the squeamish, being peppered with blood, gore, swearing and sex, but it certainly maintains an uncanny and quite clammy grip of suspense, while grimly examining the duality of human nature. - Robert Morton, author of Death is Another Life Something is rotten in the Central California town of Devon... and it's not just the smell of the zombies besieging its walls. Welcome to Undead on Arrival, a novel that ingeniously fuses the hard-boiled detective genre with the horrors of the zombie apocalypse. Get ready for a two-fisted thrill ride of murder and betrayal as Glen Novak has only a matter of hours to find out who punched his ticket and get his revenge, before he succumbs to the virus in his veins that will truly make him a dead man walking. - Clinton Wolf, Creator of Zombie Ranch Glen Novak is a dead man. Unfortunately for the scumbag who had the guts to take him out, Novak will keep on cracking skulls and breaking bones until he either finds the piece of trash that set him up for a geek bite, or is forced to take himself out before he turns into a walking sack of rotten meat. With Undead On Arrival, Justin Robinson gives us a hard boiled take on the Zombie genre that stands out as one of the most compellingly brutal examinations of the living dead you’ll ever read. Through the eyes of Novak we are forced to experience firsthand what it means to watch and more importantly, 'feel', your body slowly blacken and die, becoming a thing with its own wants and needs. For those wishing to avoid becoming geek-bait in the upcoming zombie apocalypse, Undead On Arrival is required reading. - Scott Closter, creator of Space Doubles and SPi

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (June 21, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1477696822
• ISBN-13: 978-1477696828
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,154,734 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Much like film noir, Justin Robinson was born and raised in Los Angeles. He splits his time between editing comic books, writing prose and wondering what that disgusting smell is. Degrees in Anthropology and History prepared him for unemployment, but an obsession with horror fiction and a laundry list of phobias provided a more attractive option.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A straight shot of Noir served After the End June 20, 2012

By Clinton R. Wolf

Format:Kindle Edition

Something is rotten in the Central California town of Devon... and it's not
just the smell of the zombies besieging its walls. Welcome to Undead on
Arrival, a novel that ingeniously fuses the hard-boiled detective genre with
the horrors of the zombie apocalypse. Get ready for a two-fisted thrill ride
of murder and betrayal as Glen Novak has only a matter of hours to find out
who punched his ticket and get his revenge, before he succumbs to the virus
in his veins that will truly make him a dead man walking.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars must read if you find the description interesting like i did July 4, 2012

By ADAM BYRD

Format:Paperback

If you check out the description and find yourself interested (which I assume you would be if you're also checking out the reviews!), you MUST read this novel. Undead on Arrival will not let you down- delivering what you demand from a horror novel and serving up so much more.

Mr. Robinson's writing juxtaposes stark and vivid, creating a black & white world full of explicit detail and action. He has extracted a tiny portion of the zombie apocalypse aftermath (simplified down to the survivalist, inter-personal, and political struggles of a small, Northern California town called Devon) and then magnified it so we may observe the complex within the obvious.

Today is the day Glen Novak dies... and this zombie-noir novel treats us to the violent and oft-times depraved lengths he sinks to in a quest to avenge himself. For him, the world ended five years ago, when a mysterious plague ripped through human society, like the gore-stained hatchet he wields, and disemboweled everything he ever cared about in it. All Novak can do now is survive, until he unknowingly crosses the wrong person and springs a nefarious trap. Now he must find another reason to live for just one more day.

In many ways, it seems like the wrestling coach-turned-scavenger Novak is already dead. He's killed off that remaining bit of common humanity in himself in order to survive in an apocalyptic world over-run with the living dead; like he is already one of the dreadful "geeks", replacing an insatiable hunger for living flesh with a need for power and control. It is deliciously ironic that his downfall is the only thing in this dying world that can revive the spirit of humanity in him, especially since it comes a day too late....

Novak's self-imposed quest to find his killer drives the impetus of the plot, and through it we see humanity at its best and worst. The characters we meet on Glen's hunt are complete beings, and we are surprised to find ourselves sympathizing with those we initially hated, and loathing those we at first liked.

The detective story itself is just as engaging as the action and horror, with the author sprinkling in just enough clues for we the readers to figure it out. I HATE mystery novels that withhold vital clues until the final scenes. This one offers us a view through Novak's eyes, giving us subtle hints along the way that the anti-hero Novak is just a bit too focused (or dim) to see. Glen Novak is certainly no Sherlock, and I appreciate that we are given things through his un-educated eyes. Where Sherlock might take time to ponder what he has learned, or consult Watson, Novak simply continues to senselessly pound his opponents until he can make sense of their mutterings.

The first half of the novel is a wonderful slow-burn: an exposition of mood and character interaction, and an insight into Novak's tarnished soul. We get drawn into the cares and worries of the inhabitants of Devon, and Novak's effects on (and connections to) them. As expected, it seems like everyone has a reason to want him dead!

But when the Dinner Bell rings, we find ourselves in a whirlwind of frenetic activity, and are rewarded with spectacularly-written, extended-action sequences. I could barely believe it when it seemed like the beginning of the climax was reached and I glanced down to my Kindle claiming it was only 58% of the way through. And the story just kept getting more intense from there! I'm reminded of author Matthew Reilly's (the Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield novels) style of prose: fast-paced, with constant action and unrelenting stakes. And through it all, the foundation of noir and horror this novel was written on still makes itself unignorable.

With the single-day timespan and initial hubris of our main character, I am tempted to call this a Greek tragedy (especially with the scattering of mythological monikers). Luckily, there is no discernable chorus (flash-backs are kept to a minimum and only used to heighten tension & reveal character); nor is there any Deus ex Machina to put things right or ultimately save / condemn Novak. As with us all, his fate is in his own hands.

Definitely a must-read if the description seems even slightly interesting to you. Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever Mix of Detective Noir and Zombie Horror... July 8, 2012

By Andrea

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Undead on Arrival is a really fun book, but it's a really smart book. The terrifying zombie-infested world that Glenn Novak lives in is eerily well suited to the tropes of a noir murder mystery. Filled with intense fight scenes and gripping plot twists, this book will terrify you and keep you guessing to the end. (I was completely wrong about the killer and I'm usually so good at these things!) Even while hitting all the usual marks of great genre fiction - the fast pace and the aforementioned fight scenes - Novak lives in a fully realized physical environment. Devon is a tragically real place. You'll miss it when you close this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a post-apocalyptic zombie story July 5, 2012

By Kevin P. Hogan

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Post-apocalyptic implies that the apocalypse has passed. It's about rebuilding amid the ruins.

The apocalypse never stopped, and that is the setting for this book. Bleak, but not entirely without hope.

Once the scene is set and the trigger is pulled, the story stops for nothing. Not just in its action (of which there is plenty), but in the interactions between characters. I cringed whenever Reverend Rippey appeared, and perked up whenever Pulaski swung through the story.

There is no shortage of violence, but it's not fetishized (either living-on-living or living-on-undead).

Yes, it's a book about a guy who is bitten by a weaponized zombie and decides to figure out who killed him before he turns. But it's not just a detective story, not just a zombie story, not just a story of escalating interpersonal conflict in a small California town. It's ultimately a story about (a)humanity. And it's brutally well-told.

The story ends where it must, but I don't stop wanting to know what happens next.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Step into the shoes of the walking (un)dead. June 24, 2012

By Scott Closter

Format:Kindle Edition

Glen Novak is a dead man.

Unfortunately for the scumbag that had the guts to take him out, Novak will keep on cracking skulls and breaking bones until he either finds the piece of trash that set him up for a geek bite, or is forced to take himself out before he turns into a walking sack of rotten meat.

With Undead On Arrival, Justin Robinson gives us a hard boiled take on the Zombie genre that stands out as one of the most compellingly brutal examinations of the living dead you'll ever read. Through the eyes of Novak we are forced to experience firsthand what it means to watch and more importantly, feel, your body slowly blacken and die, becoming a thing with its own wants and needs.

For those wishing to avoid becoming geek-bait in the upcoming zombie apocalypse, Undead On Arrival is must reading.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Noir. A great Zombie story. Just a great read! August 23, 2012

By A-Rob

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

You get exactly what you think when you pick up this book: Soulless, dead, hollow monsters walking the land. And then there's the undead.

This book is a great read for those who are fans of Noir, film Noir, anti-heroes as well as fans of the Zombie genre. It's a mystery (there are pretty straightforward clues) where everyone is dirty, including the hero of the piece, Glen Novak--and you still find yourself rooting for him.

What Robinson has crafted is a slow burn of a revenge tale/murder mystery that builds to an inescapable conclusion--and then it really gets going--it's a page turner to say the least. I read it in pretty much one sitting, then passed the book to my fiancee, who then read it in one sitting.

You'll laugh, you'll cringe, you'll be angry, horrified, on the edge on your chair all the way through. Then you'll crave a certain candy bar...you'll have to read it to understand.