by Joshua Skye:
Zombies have invaded! Oh, not literally of course but they have conquered pop culture in ways no other horror fiend ever has. There’s an Emmy nominated primetime television show, a cavalcade of tee-shirts, bumper-sticker slogans and matching dashboard bobble-heads, not to mention the puzzling number of slackers who have spent weeks working out the fine details of surviving a zombie apocalypse instead of looking for a job. Imagine what we would think of anyone who had spent as much time devising ways to outwit Freddy in their nightmares or evade the slow, deliberate efforts of Jason or Michael. We’d laugh at them. Instead of being mocked and ridiculed, the current crop of zombie enthusiasts are inexplicably fascinating and we tend to eagerly listen to their survival plans or compare them to our own. We endlessly debate what zombies would really be like. Who got it right, George Romero or the makers of “28 Days later”? I’m with Romero all the way, baby! Be all that as it may, the undead are everywhere. The merchandisers of the “Twilight” phenomenon are glittery green with envy. And, of course, there are more zombie books than ever before. Enter Collaboration of the Dead’s “Zombies Gone Wild!”
This epic anthology opens with a poem. I love poetry; in specific I love dark poetry. I like poetry that rhymes, poetry that doesn’t. I’m a fan so I was poised to very much enjoy an introductory piece of prose to get me in the mood for a few tales of undead menace. Unfortunately, this one didn’t do its intended job. I found myself rolling my eyes at the strained effort behind it, the inanity of it. In short, it just wasn’t good. And that’s not a good sign when delving into any collection of short stories. The opening piece should be spectacular, especially if it’s a poem. “What’s That You Hear?” credited to Zombie Zac is clearly a ploy designed to give some credence to the anthology’s title. It failed.
The first fiendish morsel, “Blood, Sweat, and Tears” by William R.D. Wood was disappointing because there was great possibility there; a fascinatingly unique zest enhances the requisite splatter. I love clever, unusual takes on worn sub-genres. I was intrigued, to be sure. Zombies tricked into eating each other? And the unexpected side effect? Man, does this have potential! Sadly, the story goes nowhere… at all. This could have been epic; instead we get nothing more than an interesting set-up.
The second story, “Cindy Lou, Who?” by Cassandra Hex, is even more disappointing. It reeks of gimmick from the very title. No, it’s not clever. And no, I shouldn’t be rolling my eyes this often so early into an anthology. But just when I was about to lose all interest in this tome along comes “Complete Caretaker” by Hassan Riaz. It is an interesting take on the woe-is-me, hypocritical housewife melodrama. A perpetually pregnant woman, surrounded by luxury and indulged in every way but that which really matters to her, condemns her absent husband for things that she herself is often twice as guilty of (putting the family in harm’s way, for example). The twist here, of course, is that a zombie infestation is the distraction taking the man away from his presupposed, myopically-imagined husbandly duties, the altruistic nature of his true actions utterly lost to the selfish, judgmental wife. Honestly, the story is rather boring. It’s also very derivative of George Romero’s Land of the Dead (it reads like a comic book prelude to the movie). I imagine that we, as readers, were supposed to be rooting for the cynical wife but her plight is more illusory than legitimate. The story itself is certainly more of an expose of suburban, gender-based double-standards than realistic marital concern. If that was the goal, it succeeded admirably. If not, the story still works as shameless misandry but with moments (such as the narrator cocking the shotgun for threatening effect) that nearly turn it into unintentional parody.
“Zombies Gone Wild!” offers more than its share of bad stories, but among them are some truly exceptional works such as…
“Pollution” by Brandon Cracraft is a military mystery populated by inexplicably vanished bodies, eerie autopsies, casts of bites through solid bone, and political intrigue imbued with religious prejudices countered by western progressivism. Although the writing itself could have benefited from a little more detailed elucidation, this tale would make Romero proud. The author isn’t afraid of the gruesome nature of the sub-genre’s expectations yet doesn’t substitute the requisite gore for plot. Thankfully, Cracraft elevates his already unique material with courageous social commentary, a true rarity these days. It’s not subtle, but it is welcome and timely. This is a solidly crafted, nicely realized story that is original and even profound.
“A Horrid Abundance” by Bruce L. Priddy is written as a beguilingly fascinating letter from one unearthly being to another during an acknowledged zombie plague and it is, in a word, brilliant. Short but oh, so very sweet this is the kind of distinctive terror tale I love to discover in such anthologies. Our grandfathers of the horror short story art-form (Poe, Lovecraft) would be envious of this macabre little piece. Very well done, Mr. Priddy!
Shaun Meeks’s “Dreams of a Dead Man” follows the melancholy days of a dutiful husband pining away for the life he once had and what perhaps may be. He’s dead now, you see, a member of a maligned minority in the aftermath of a misunderstood zombie-uprising. The living and the dead have been forced to integrate and zombies have become the bane of society, the object of open ridicule and prejudice. It’s the ultimate post-modern parable and what a fascinatingly profound work it is. Even with its blatant social commentary and media criticism, “Dreams of a Dead Man” is deceptively simple and could easily be taken purely at face value. It is, however, captivatingly insightful. The author places his protagonist repeatedly on a bus, the allegory pointed and appropriate but perhaps lost to the casual reader. The story addresses bullying and chauvinism but also the self-deprecating paranoia born of the ‘what if they were right?’ mentality. Within the context of an alternate take on the undead, the dream of the oppressed to rise up and claim their rightful equality by any means necessary is cleverly presented in this stand-out story.
Adam Millard contributes “Damage Limitation” to this mixed bag of mayhem. It is a first-person narrative from the transformed victim’s point of view but with a nightmarish twist. Our protagonist is a disembodied spirit watching his reanimated body wander about the chaos with revulsion and a keen, though gutter-born, scrutiny. I liked the child-like sense of playfulness juxtaposed to the very adult situation presented. The use of colorful expletives fit the chronicle and charm perfectly here (normally you can tell it’s just added to fill space). There’s a dream-like quality to this piece, a bizarre David Lynch style that I really appreciated. With its weird ‘out-of-the-blue’ finale, I found myself quite liking this one.
The stories are hit-or-miss, I’m afraid. The quality ranges from poor to exceptional, the order of the tales flipping from one extreme to the other. “Zombies Gone Wild!” suffers from tedium, banality, and some truly poor selections. Trimmed of the unneeded excess, this would have been a showcase of worthy zombie tales. Unfortunately, the quality meat has been stuffed with useless filler. Every other bite is insipid and dull. When it’s good, it’s quite good. When it’s bad however, it’s really bad! The editing and formatting are concerns as well, mistakes were often distracting.
We understand the limitations of the short story form, the inherent restrictions of character development and plot. Fans of the medium not only accept these intrinsic characteristics but often embrace them. We do, however, expect a complete story. Too often, the tales here come across as snippets of larger pieces, tantalizing but unsatisfying. We feel short-changed. With so many zombie stories flooding the market these days, I know I’m craving a little originality with my excitement, some spices on the meat and potatoes as it were. “Zombies Gone Wild!” aspires to do nothing new and subsequently offers very little to a popular but tired sub-genre. That being said, there are gems to be found here. The undisputed stars of this compilation are: Brandon Cracraft’s “Pollution,” “A Horrid Abundance” by Bruce L. Priddy, and “Dreams of a Dead Man” by Shaun Meeks among a few talented others. Amber Keller’s “The Hills Have Zombies” was one the best of the gore-fests. I enjoyed her grisly short immensely. “Damon is Dead” by Paul S. Huggins is nice and ripe for expansion. William R.D. Wood is also an author to watch. Though his story here felt incomplete and was subsequently disappointing, he clearly has a vivid and unique imagination.
I have no problem with sex, and no problem with blood, guts, and gore but a little transcendence is nice. More often than not, this compilation is the same-old-same-old, a sadly wasted effort that will be cherished only by forgiving diehard zombie fans. That may very well be the only goal here. So be it. For horror aficionados in search of an anthology with a little more flavor following the bite, even with the scattered greats, “Zombies Gone Wild!” is ultimately a disappointment.
DarkMedia contributor Joshua Skye’s short stories have appeared in anthologies from STARbooks Press, Knightwatch Press, Sirens Call Publications, Rainstorm Press, JMS Books and periodicals such as Blood and Lullabies. He is the author of “The Singing Wind,” “Bareback: A Werewolf’s Tale,” “Midnight Rainbows,” the forthcoming “The Grigori,” and “The Angels of Autumn.” You can find him on his website.
Zombies Gone Wild! can be found on Amazon.com.
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