Resurrection by Tim Curran: This ain't your daddy's zombie novel.

I have read a few books by Tim Curran. Skin Medicine was a great horror western, one of my favorites in the sub-genre. Biohazard was ok, but I found it a bit repetitive, overall. Moments ago I finished Resurrection, and all I can say is WOW!

If you want to read about slow, shambling, groaning zombies, look somewhere else. Curran's undead are wet, bloated, smart(ish), and a bullet to the head won't stop them. And it's not just flesh-munching corpses you have to worry about. Curran throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Non-stop rain, flooding, ex-cons, the army, worms, bugs, a pedophile clown, literal acid rain, and, now that I think about it, I believe the kitchen sink is in there, too.

A huge cast of diverse characters populates this waterlogged world. You have the usual douchebags, whom you can't wait to see tortured and killed (I'm looking at you, Jacky Kripp.), as well as people you will fall in love with. But don't get too attached. Everyone is in danger, and every page is filled with tension. This is literally a "white knuckle" novel.

Scenes of over-the-top gore are mixed with scenes of creepiness and dread. If Curran has no problem describing eviserations, melting bodies, exploding heads, etc., what is so horrible that he can't tell us? (I know that he can show us, it's just a literary device. I'm trying to go with the flow here). Curran has great style and can go from subtle to 60 in two sentences flat.

As usual, I don't want to give away any of the story. I want you to go in fresh. Whether you are looking for oceans of blood or a shudder up your spine, I can't recommend Resurrection enough.

Dewey's Read-A-Thon 2011

Participating in the Read-A-Thon is, well, not much different than most of my weekends. But, I set aside the book I have been reading, Resurrection by Tim Curran, to plow through a few novellas. So, having finished four, all published by Deirium Books, I thought this might be a good time to talk about what I have read, so far.

First up was Immun3 by Michael McBride. Uhm, I'm not sure what to say, for fear of giving too much away. The 3 in the title refers to a certain percent of the population. (It's called Immun[e]. I think you can figure out what I'm talking about.) This is another great story, with great style, from Mr. McBride. Do I really need to say any more?

Next we have The Separation by Ronald Malfi. A story of loss and obssession. A creepy tale with a great ending. Oh, and a scene with a horse that is just...I'm at a loss for words. (Get your minds out of the gutter! It's not that kind of scene!)

Sandy DeLuca's Darkness Conjured reminded me of Rosemary's Baby. A home for pregnant girls, ghosts with dire warnings and cries for help, and pacts made in shadowy rooms makes for an atmospheric tale. Easily the spookiest of the four book I have ead, so far, today, this one is a definite winner.

Finally, It Drinks Blood by J.F. Gonzalez. I was very much looking forward to this one, for it's pulp fiction roots an it's connection to the torso murders in Cleveland, Ohio. BUT...while the story was pretty good, I found this to be rather poorly written, and there were far too many mistakes for my liking. (See my previous blog concerning proofreaders, or, rather, a seeming lack of proofreaders.) I guess three out of four isn't too bad.

So, that is what I've read for the beginning of Dewey's Read-A-Thon 2011. Now, back to the books!