Saturday, April 28, 2012

Review of Double Dead by Chuck Wending


Overview
Coburn’s been dead now for close to a century, but seeing as how he’s a vampire and all, it doesn’t much bother him. Or at least it didn’t, not until he awoke from a forced five-year slumber to discover that most of human civilization was now dead—but not dead like him, oh no.
See, Coburn likes blood. The rest of the walking dead, they like brains. He’s smart. Them, not so much. But they outnumber him by about a million to one. And the clotted blood of the walking dead cannot sustain him. Now he’s starving. And nocturnal. And more pissed-off than a bee-stung rattlesnake. The vampire not only has to find human survivors (with their sweet, sweet blood), but now he has to transition from predator to protector—after all, a man has to look after his food supply.

Recommended: OF COURSE, AWESOME STUFF!

                            Recommended Ages: 15 and Up
Paperback: 320 pgs
Published: November 15th 2011 by Abaddon (first published November 10th 2011)

For This Review: *Bought a paperback book copy!*
If you like this review - Like It on Goodreads.com

  Well this was a book that first found about on Civilian Reader blog. When got around to reading the review at the blog couldn't hold myself back in not getting it. So in a very quick manner bought it off Amazon.com. The premise sounded fun where Horror is concerned and also the idea of zombies outrunning humanity so only a few survivors remained then by a strange twist of fate a vampire awoke to a zombie apocalypse that resulted in him fighting for a limited food supply. This has to make anyone who reads zombie books to salivate after all it's a really new, interesting take.

In any case, it did for me since never heard or thought about zombies having to compete for food. The world of books is fast becoming filled with stories of zombies and Double Dead impresses with its huge uniqueness that's a loaded gun of gore with a generous amount of suspenseful action. The character development is something that is indeed great as well. Coburn is a rather glum figure in Double Dead who's the main character and yes a vampire. He views humans nothing more as food and takes to often being snide which you know is quite mean-spirited also in this instance is actually amusing:

He and Creampuff hid amongst a nest of dry reeds, watching.
A  fat man came out of the camper, a windbreaker as big as a four-person tent draped across his body. Coburn marveled at the man's size  Here it was, the end of the world, the gates of Hell ripped open so that all of its rotting souls could come tumbling out, and this shit-heel somehow managed to remain morbidly obese. 
But hey, the vampire thought who cares Big boy means big blood. Buckets of the stuff. Gallons. His toes curled just thinking about it.

As the book moves forward it reaches somewhat of a dull hopeless tone with what's going on and how the world is being taken over by zombies. 
Coburn finds that there may be real hope to humanity withKayla, who may be some kind of cure to the zombie apocalypse. Chuck Wendig did an amazing job with humor in his writing even when we are talking about a zombie apocalypse here. As for the writing he made every moment count in the way he maintained a steady clip of movement in the story that immerses at every instant.


  Really happy that discovered Chuck Wendig's Double Dead and even now looking forward to discovering his other novels as well. One in particular Blackbirds which luckily was allowed to review this title by Netgalley. And expect a review for Blackbirds too later at the blog. Double Dead is an amazing read in the growing reading pile of vampires and zombies with a brand-new incorporation. 
Overall: Amazing read!
Genre: Horror, Zombies, Vampires 


                        About the Author
Chuck Wendig is a novelist, a screenwriter, and a freelance penmonkey.
He has contributed over two million words to the roleplaying game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP).

He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is a fellow of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter's Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, will show at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, and their feature film HiM is in development with producer Ted Hope.

Chuck's novel Double Dead will be out in November, 2011. 

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