REVIEW: Happy Hour Of The Damned by Mark Henry
Mark Henry is a cross-dresser. He is Mary Janice Davidson gone butch. My argument is basic and my evidence is simple: no man knows that much about shoes, fashion, and make-up. For those of you gasping and clicking your tongue at me, well…you’ve never been to one of his book signings, never read Ms. Davidson’s entertaining Betsy books, and you’ve certainly not delved into Mr. Henry’s Amanda Feral series. Happy Hour of the Damned is book one in what is, at least so far, a trilogy. This is where you are introduced to Amanda Feral, advertising genius…and zombie. What? Yeah, that’s a good question, especially those of you who know me. I am a so-called purist when it comes to zombies. I don’t even acknowledge the myriad of Return of the Living Dead films, because ZOMBIES DON’T TALK. Seriously, the whole “Brains!†thing annoys me to no end. Yet here I am singing the praises of Mark Henry’s Amanda Feral in Happy Hour of the Damned.
Quite simply put…this book is a riot. Seldom do I actually laugh out loud when reading (that’s LOL to you texting fiends). To quote Adriane Monk, “I am LOLing out loud.†This is true on several occasions in Happy Hour of the Damned. I’ve become a huge fan and can only hope that Ms. Feral becomes a franchise before I finish the third book (sitting on my shelf begging for attention like the naughty book it is, too).
I don’t believe in giving away story elements. If you are reading this review and you are trying to decide if you are to plunk down your hard earned duckets for this book, the answer is simple. YES! You will fall in love with Amanda; even if you are a self-professed zombie snob like me.
This is NOT standard zombie fare. First, Amanda is very sentient, and beyond snarky. She and her friends, also members of the undead (one zombie, one gay vampire) are doing a little Scooby-style sleuthing. So, there is a mystery here. That’s right folks; this is a fashion-conscious zombie solving a mystery against the backdrop of the Seattle undead scene.
So, suspend your biases for a while. Rest assured that Amanda maintains a visceral diet and indulges those urges appropriately. I am certain that she would enjoy it if you would let her guide you through her world like a star struck puppy. Pay special attention to the ingenious use of footnotes which were reminiscent of Ferris Bueller’s occasional third-wall breaking narratives. You will not be disappointed.
Available at Amazon
