So I have something kind of embarrassing to admit. I should have written this review of Eric S. Brown’s Land Stand in a Dead Land about a year ago. I initially didn’t want to do it because James had already posted one and I honestly didn’t want to double up on reviews. Later in the year I honestly had just forgotten. Wanting to do the book justice I recently re-read it and am now, finally, able to get a review up.
Yes I re-read the book to be able to do this review of Eric’s zombie/big foot mash-up, Last Stand in a Dead Land. Wait, zombies AND big foot? Before you run off and think the idea is completely absurd let’s just throw in there might just be another other worldly surprise in store for you as well.
The story opens with Jacob who is trapped in the break room in an office building surrounded by undead. Not just the building but there are zombies outside of the room itself and he’s wondering how exactly he’s going to be able to survive from this point out. The question is quickly answered though as he is rescued by a mysterious stranger whose packing his own personal arsenal and a mission to save what survivors he can find.
Who is this mysterious man that just saved his life? He goes by the name of Elijah and the rest of his back story seems to be off limits for the time being. He is clearly smart, well armed, and wants to save others so it’s not really questioned that much. Honestly, we don’t have time to question it as he pushes through and in a burst of zombie killing action also saves another couple and then we get to focus on a different problem.
More on that in a moment as I should mention we are going back and forth between this plot line and one involving a man who is living on his own named Thomas who has a self sufficient lifestyle and lives on a farm house. We see how he interacts with his dog and while he knows the world is going to hell we see it’s really not causing him too many problems until he goes to check on his friend.
Back with our group or survivors we are shown a true sociopath that they end up stumbling across and having to deal with. Yes even in a time of zombies humans are our own worst enemies. As Elijah leads our cast to safety we soon realize he is leading us to Thomas’s farm house. From there we have a big foot enter and ruin their defenses, a large zombie horde attack and the mysteries of Elijah’s past all come together for a climax that will leave you wanting more of the world Eric has created.
Available at Amazon.
