Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #Apocalypse #ShortStory DEAD MEAT by Nick Clausen

Today’s team review is from Terry, she blogs here https://terrytylerbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Terry has been reading Dead Meat by Nick Clausen

3 stars.

This is a long short story, possibly a novelette, illustrating Day One of a zombie apocalypse; I read it on a long train journey.

What I liked:

• The basic premise: a day-by-day account of the zombie apocalypse.
• How the outbreak was supposed to have started; an unusual and clever idea, not one I’d read before.
• The characterisation is good, with each of the three protagonists clearly defined, in their dialogue, actions and (most importantly) their inner  thoughts; the relationship between the three is explained early, and works well.
• The pace is good, and the writing mostly flows well.
• That the book is written in the present tense, which I always prefer for more suspense and immediacy.

What I was not so sure about:

• One of the main three characters is supposed to have seen loads of zombie films and every episode of The Walking Dead, but, when his group are trapped in a room with a zombie the other side and discussing their options for escape, does not appear to have learned how to kill them, and devises complicated plans that involve throwing stuff over them; they seem to think it more important to cut their arms off rather than kill the brain—the emphasis is on not getting scratched (which may but may not kill you) as opposed to getting bitten (which means a painful death and reawakening as a zombie).
• I was confused earlier on because Thomas, Dan and Jennie were talking about the police not existing any more, and their family and friends possibly having become the walking dead, yet I thought the zombie they encountered in this house was supposed to be Patient Zero.  This is resolved to a certain extent, but at first I kept flicking back because I wasn’t quite sure what was going on.
• Flashbacks are written in the present tense, which I don’t think worked.
• Too much use of the present continuous: ‘the heat wave is going on’ and ‘the windows are sitting high’, instead of ‘the heat wave continues’ and ‘the windows sit high’, for instance, which would have read so much better; some of the sentences were a little flat or clumsy.

Basically, it’s a great idea and reads fairly well, but I think it needs some more redrafting and fine-tuning to live up to its potential.

The end of the world one day at a time

In this new apocalyptic zombie series from the author of They Come at Night and Human Flesh, we follow events day for day as the world slowly but surely decends into mayhem as the zombies take over. Don’t miss the thrilling ride!

For fans of The Walking Dead, The Orphans Book and World War Z.

How it all began

Three teenagers find themselves trapped in a stuffy, warm basement. The old lady who used to own the house is now dead. She’s also standing right on the other side of the basement door, scraping and moaning, trying to get in. Patiently. Tirelessly.

How did they end up here? Just a few hours ago, all three of of them were sitting in Thomas’ car, sweating and listening to music, not a care in the world. They were almost done with the paper route when they came to the old lady’s house. And that’s when everything turned to chaos.

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