by Michael D. Griffiths

Brown, Eric S. (2009) Season of Rot: Five Zombie Novellas. Permuted Press. 262 pp. US $14.55. ISBN-13: 978-1934861226

Eric Brown is quickly becoming known as the King of Zombies and now has a full 17 books published, which focus primarily on mankind’s doom brought about by a zombie apocalypse.

Unlike many authors that attempt to give every story a heroic and happy ending, Eric has no such qualms. Personally, I think the man is secretly rooting for the undead most of the time. Lets just say if it ever comes to me having to live through a zombie apocalypse, I sure hope Mr. Brown isn’t my God.

The book itself consists of five well-thought-out and very-different novellas. The one thing they have in common is their genre-breaking style. Yep, sure, they all have zombies, but none of these are your standard, moaning zombie. Each story has a unique and original twist. In all cases, Eric takes what is already a horrible situation for the survivors and makes it much worse. The novellas’ twists range from technological to supernatural, but always keep the reader guessing.

Unlike many books out there, if you can figure out how the story is going to end or what is really happening, then you either have psychic abilities or you are Eric Brown.

The first novella, “Season of Rot”, may be my favourite: a group of mismatched survivors are trying to hold a fortified hospital against a city of the dead. However, when they start running out of supplies, they are forced to accept aid from a mysterious stranger, a stranger that might not be human.

“The Queen” centers around the horror of being a flesh-breeder for an intelligent group of undead. Scott is now little better that a farm animal kept alive only so he can help impregnate women and make fresh meals for the foul undead that hold him prisoner.

“The Wave” is a desperate tale of a small group which attempts to defend an isolated military base. They realize too late that not everyone they are attempting to contact for help might still be breathing.

“The Dead West” has recently been made into a comic book. It focuses on the post-Civil War U.S. Military trying to contain the outbreak at the Mississippi River. Yet, instead of holding their ground, the Government grows bold and sends a group of soldiers westward to take the battle to the enemy. Outnumbered and cut off, they quickly begin to wonder if any of them will survive.

Lastly, we have “Rats”, which might be the most keep-you-up-with-the-lights-on tale, as well as the story that dips further into the realm of the supernatural. I don’t want to ruin this one for you, because it is so good, but what would be worse than seeing 50 zombies stumbling towards you? How about an eight-foot-high, bipedal demon rat with 50 shambling zombies heading towards you.

I completely enjoyed this book and read it in a single day. I would strongly recommend this book to all zombie lovers and any horror fan that would like to try this sub-genre.

You can buy Season of Rot: Five Zombie Novellas through Amazon.com

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