Plot:

Ever want to know what it’d be like to be the last person on earth? These 13 stories put you in the shoes of the last survivor of an Apocalyptic Earth.

Review:

Being the last person on Earth isn’t as glorious as it may sound. Sure, being completely naked while driving priceless sports cars through suburban shopping malls may sound like a good idea (not that I’d ever consider doing that *cough*) but Apocalypses being what they are, things don’t always work out the way you expect. There is always a downside.

Zombies, for instance. Zombies kind of present a roadblock to the whole survival thing. So do Aliens, Werewolves, and Cannibals. Actually, in any apocalypse, the odds will be pretty good you will be spending most of your time struggling just to live.

Soul Survivors VOL.1, from Knightwatch Press, has crafted an anthology that takes this subject and runs with it. 13 tales of Apocalyptic horror from some of horror’s newest stars that’s asks the reader- what would you do if you were the last one alive? How would you cope? Would you crack and give up, or would you fight with everything you had? What would you do if nothing you did ultimately mattered? These stories, all wonderfully realized in their own way, don’t deal with super heroes or action heroes. These are everyday people who were lucky (or unlucky) enough to survive.

Jonathan Wood’s “Pretend Girlfriend”, Sean Page’s “City of the Dead” , Jeremy Mahan’s “Not Alone”, and Charlie Morgan’s “Birthday Wish” are a few of the stellar zombie stories that stuck out to me. Editor Shawn Riddle also includes his story “The Four of July”, a slam-bang zombie story that originally appeared in Wild Wolf Publishing’s Zombie opus “Holiday of the Dead” (Which is another stunning zombie anthology. If you haven’t bought that yet, then do it. Now. We will wait until you get back.)

Some other non-zombie stories that caught my attention belong to Rebecca Besser’s “Mass Destruction”, a wicked sharp alien invasion story, Patrick D’Orazio’s “Love Thy Neighbor”, a slyly written tale about Cannibals, and Kaye Sarah Inglis’ “The Piano Man”, a werewolf story. My personal favorite, in case you were wondering, is Sean Thompson’s “A Warm, Spring Day”, a Brian Keene-esque story about Demon possession.

It’s rare to find an anthology that has such a strong selection of tales. To me, there wasn’t a weak link in the book. Every story, no matter which form of the Apocalypse it took, was brilliant in showing the fear, the uncertainty, the HUMANITY of each survivor. These stories are stunning in their scope, and they will stay with you, long after you turn the final page. I certainly expect to see more from each of these authors in the future.

Help support independent publishers, especially ones like Knightwatch who absolutely hits this one out of the park. Buy this book.

Available at Amazon

BOOK: Children of the Dead: A Zombie Anthology edited by: Anthony Giangregorio

Now this is a subject that doesn’t ‘usually’ get too touched upon in books. (I have seen that differently as of late though.) What happens when there are children in a world full of zombies? Here is finally an anthology that touches just on that subject! Ready to be uncomfortable? I’m pretty sure the content in this one has the chance of making anyone squeamish. Anyone read it yet and able to give us an honest opinion?

Have you ever wondered what would happen to the children of our world after or during a zombie apocalypse? What would young toddlers do when their parents went out for supplies and never returned? Or if the only parental figure died and returned as one of the living dead, leaving the children to fend for themselves. Children adapt to anything, so would they accept the dead walking long before adults could wrap their heads around it? This anthology explores those questions. So, if you have children and were worried about their fate if the zombies got you, you might find the answers you seek within these pages.

Available on Amazon.

The Living Dead 2 Website Launches With 8 Free Short Stories!

Now you may not know this but The Living Dead is the first zombie anthology that I read. Yes I’ve watched a LOT of zombie movies over the years and read a LOT of zombie novels but short stories never really had done it for me. When I first had opened the first of these I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with how hooked I instantly was. John Joseph Adams was able to put together a compilation of nothing but pure quality short zombie themed stories. If this new collection is even half as good as the first you’ll be needing to pick it up as soon as possible!

Two years ago, readers eagerly devoured The Living Dead. Publishers Weekly named it one of the Best Books of the Year, and Barnes and Noble.com called it “The best zombie fiction collection ever.” Now acclaimed editor John Joseph Adams is back for another bite at the apple — the Adam’s apple, that is — with 43 more of the best, most chilling, most thrilling zombie stories anywhere, including virtuoso performances by zombie fiction legends Max Brooks (World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide), Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), and David Wellington (Monster Island).

From Left 4 Dead to Zombieland to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, ghoulishness has never been more exciting and relevant. Within these pages samurai warriors face off against the legions of hell, necrotic dinosaurs haunt a mysterious lost world, and eerily clever zombies organize their mindless brethren into a terrifying army. You’ll even witness nightmare scenarios in which humanity is utterly wiped away beneath a relentless tide of fetid flesh.

The Living Dead 2 has more of what zombie fans hunger for — more scares, more action, more… brains. Experience the indispensable series that defines the very best in zombie literature.

The Living Dead 2′s Table of Contents

• Introduction — John Joseph Adams
• Alone, Together — Robert Kirkman
• Danger Word — Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due
• Zombieville — Paula Stiles
• The Anteroom — Adam-Troy Castro
• When the Zombies Win — Karina Sumner-Smith
• Mouja — Matt London
• Category Five — Marc Paoletti
• Living with the Dead — Molly Brown
• Twenty-Three Snapshots of San Francisco — Seth Lindberg
• The Mexican Bus — Walter Greatshell
• The Other Side — Jamie Lackey
• Where the Heart Was — David J. Schow
• Good People — David Wellington
• Lost Canyon of the Dead — Brian Keene
• Pirates vs. Zombies — Amelia Beamer
• The Crocodiles — Steven Popkes
• The Skull-Faced City — David Barr Kirtley
• Obedience — Brenna Yovanoff
• Steve and Fred — Max Brooks
• The Rapeworm — Charlie Finlay
• Everglades — Mira Grant
• We Now Pause For Station Identification — Gary Braunbeck
• Reluctance — Cherie Priest
• Arlene Schabowski of the Undead — Mark McLaughlin and Kyra M. Schon
• Zombie Gigolo — S. G. Browne
• Rural Dead — Bret Hammond
• The Summer Place — Bob Fingerman
• The Wrong Grave — Kelly Link
• The Human Race — Scott Edelman
• Who We Used to Be — David Moody
• Therapeutic Intervention — Rory Harper
• He Said, Laughing — Simon R. Green
• Last Stand — Kelley Armstrong
• The Thought War — Paul McAuley
• Dating in Dead World — Joe McKinney
• Flotsam and Jetsam — Carrie Ryan
• Thin Them Out — Kim Paffenroth, Julia Sevin and RJ Sevin
• Zombie Season — Catherine MacLeod
• Tameshigiri — Steven Gould
• The Days of Flaming Motorcycles — Catherynne M. Valente
• Zero Tolerance — Jonathan Maberry
• And the Next, and the Next — Genevieve Valentine
• The Price of a Slice — John Skipp and Cody Goodfellow
• Are You Trying to Tell Me This is Heaven? — Sarah Langan
• Acknowledgments
• About the Editor

The Website Includes 8 Free Stories!

Yes they are letting you read 8 short stories for free over at the Free Fiction Page including an ebook that includes all of them to download!

• The Skull-Faced City — David Barr Kirtley
• And the Next, and the Next — Genevieve Valentine
• Flotsam and Jetsam — Carrie Ryan
• Mouja — Matt London
• Who We Used to Be — David Moody
• The Days of Flaming Motorcycles — Catherynne M. Valente
• Obedience — Brenna Yovanoff
• Rural Dead — Bret Hammond

You can find out more by visiting the Official The Living Dead 2 Website or just head over and buy the book immediately on Amazon today!

May December Publications Is Currently Taking Submissions

Our good friends over at May December Publications are taking short stories for not 1, not 2, but 3 different short story anthologies that are in the works! Yes writers should rejoice as there are a lot of open options for getting their short stories read currently!

First Time Dead

A new anthology is opened. We are accepting submission for a new anthology titled “First Time Dead”. If you have never been published and have always wanted to write a zombie story, then now is your chance and you have time. Deadline for this will be October 15, 2010.

The story must be between 3000 and 10000 words and should be emailed to submissions@maydecemberpublications.com attached as a .doc (preferred) or .rtf Please send in your submissions using 12 font Times New Roman, double spaced, justified. The title page should contain your contact info and word count.

“HELL HATH NO FURY…”

Attention ladies!

There’s a song with the lyrics “it a man’s world”. They must have forgotten about Helen Reddy, “Hear me roar!” May December publications proudly announces that it is accepting submissions for a new anthology titled “HELL HATH NO FURY…”

Gentlemen, have a seat – we will be accepting submissions from FEMALE WRITERS only! Show the men how it’s done, ladies!

This anthology will be release in time for Mothers Day 2011

Looking for standard zombie fare, the biggest restriction is that you must carry the correct chromosome balance to enter. The story must be between 3000 and 10,000 words and should be emailed to submissions@maydecemberpublications.com attached as a .doc (preferred) or .rtf Please send in your submissions using 12 font Times New Roman, double spaced, justified. The title page should contain your contact info and word count.

Deadline is January 2011

Note: the panel is going to be particularly choosy – we want THE BEST FEMALE VOICES ON DISPLAY!

“Chivalry is Dead…”

Attention gentlemen! Ok Guys, now it is your turn!

This anthology will be released in time for Fathers Day 2011

Looking for standard zombie fare, the biggest restriction is that you must be male to enter. Bonus if the story is for or about fathers, but not necessary. The story must be between 3000 and 10000 words and
should be emailed to submissions@maydecemberpublications.com attached as a .doc (preferred) or .rtf Please send in your submissions using 12 font Times New Roman, double spaced, justified. The title page should contain your contact info and word count.

Deadline is February 2011

Full Length Novels

If you have a full length zombie novel send a query letter and chapter by chapter synopsis of no more than two pages, introducing yourself and your story. If interested, we will ask you to send in the first 2 chapters. If we are still interested we will ask for you to send in the complete story, If your story is accepted, we will send you a contract and more information.

Send your query letters or questions to novels@maydecemberpublications.com with ‘query letter’ in the subject line.

Please send in your submissions using 12 font Times New Roman, double spaced, justified. The title page should contain your contact info and word count.

Please send in your completed short story but DO NOT send in you completed full length novel until asked for. If you send in your novel without following guidelines and being asked for it, it will be rejected without being read.

Zombie Short Story Authors Looking To Be Published And Be Charitable Read Within!

Our lead book reviewer Lyle Perez is going to be putting together an anthology of Christmas themed zombie tales whose profits will all be going to a charity. So if you write about zombies and are looking to help out you may just be interested in reading everything right… here:

Call for Submissions

The Undead That Saved Christmas

Anthology edited and compiled by Lyle Perez-Tinics

Send submissions to Contact@UndeadintheHead.com (Please attach a .Doc or .PDF file containing your story. The first page of your story must contain your contact information and word count.)

Deadline is Aug. 20, 2010

Target release date Oct. 1, 2010

The Undead That Saved Christmas is a charity anthology of short-stories. All proceeds will go to the Hugs Foster Family Agency (www.hugsffa.org) to help them give their foster children gifts this holiday season.

I am seeking Christmas/holiday themed short-stories ranging from 3000-10,000 words. The stories should have strong holiday themes and must contain zombies. Other then that it is all up to you. Be as gruesome as you’d like but keep in mind, the big kids at Hugs Foster might find a copy of this anthology in their stockings. Original stories only, please no reprints. Multiple submissions are fine up to three stories.

This anthology is for charity. There will be no payments and no contributor copies. This project is for exposure only, and to help the foster kids at Hugs Foster Family Agency have a joyful holiday season this year.

In order to accumulate the most funds possible this anthology will be self-published. I am working on finding the best route possible. If anyone has information or suggestions on this please feel free to contact me at the email above.

Everyone is welcome to submit a story. If you have any question or would like more information please feel free to contact me at the e-mail above. Thank you so much for taking the time and I hope you consider this charity opportunity.

So. Authors who read Buy Zombie. This might just be a great excuse to whip up a holiday themed short story for charity! (Being that the editor is both one of our lead reviewers and a good friend of mine I personally vote go for it!)

Zombie Zoology by Tim Curran, Ryan C. Thomas, Anthony Giangregorio, Ted Wenskus, Eric Dimbleby, William Wood, Wayne Goodchild, Carl Barker, J Gilliam Martin, Brian Pinkerton

Zombie Zoology an Unnatural History: Severed Press has assembled a truly original anthology of never before published stories of living dead beasts. Inside you will find tales of prehistoric creatures rising from the Bog, a survivalist taking on a troop of rotting baboons, a NASA experiment going Ape, A hunter going a Moose too far and many more undead creatures from Hell. The crawling, buzzing, flying abominations of mother nature have risen and they are hungry.

• “Monkey House” – Tim Curran
• “The Yule Cat” – Ted Wenskus
• “Lucy” – Eric Dimbleby
• “Loss of Vector” – William Wood
• “One Man and His Dog” – Wayne Goodchild
• “Why The Wild Things Are” – Carl Barker
• “Two Days Before the End Of The World” – Ryan C. Thomas
• “Gift Horse” – J. Gilliam Martin
• “The Roo” – Anthony Wedd
• “Dead Dog Tired” – Anthony Giangregorio
• “The Rising” – Hayden Williams
• “SWAT” – Brian Pinkerton

Available at Amazon.

You want to write a story for a zombie anthology?

You know you want to. C’mon, admit it. I mean, this isn’t like sitting in front of your television watching Shawn White own the half-pipe on his snowboard, Drew Brees dissect a secondary, or Tim Lincecum throw his freakball to strike out Albert Pujols. You want to do it…and what’s more, you know you can. You want to write a story for a zombie anthology.

It is not even a question as to whether or not you’ve read a zombie anthology and thought, “How in the hell do some of these people get published?” Let’s be honest with ourselves here. It’s just me…and you…and the flickering computer screen. So, say it with me. Out loud. Ready? Okay…here goes.

There are some terrible, horrible, mind-numbing, time-devouring, zombie stories being published and I can do better.

That, my friend, shall be our mantra. Now, you got it in your head, so it is time to set down and create THE STORY. Here is where I can be of no help. You have an idea, so run with it. Write it and rewrite it. Put it away for a few days, then pull it out and clean it, polish it, and rewrite it again.

Okay. Now what?

You need to let your baby go out into the big wide world. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you hear Carrie’s mom chanting, “They’re all going to laugh at you…They’re all going to laugh at you!” Ignore her. She’s crazy. Still, a word of warning, somebody might point…might laugh. If you can’t handle that possibility, stop writing and stick to being a fan or critic. But that is a subject for an entirely different column. I say save those rejection letters as the badges of honor that they are. (figuratively, if I were Stephanie Meyer, JK Rowling, or Stephen King I’d incorporate those people that rejected me into my Christmas card list (I can be petty.)

You’ve written a story. You’ve cleaned it up as much as possible. Now what? There are a couple of avenues—and a lot of back roads—that you can take. First, I suggest you go to the websites of some of those publishers whose anthologies you have read. Check their sites for announcements for what they have coming up. additionally, I suggest sites such as Duotrope. You can also send out a tweet “anybody known of a zombie anthology that is taking submissions?” I liken that to standing out on a street corner and yelling, “Fresh fish!” (wait, what were you thinking? ooo…somebody has a dirty mind).

Okay, great. Now you know who’s accepting. What you have to do next is very important. READ THE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES! That might seem like a silly thing to say, but after compiling my first batch of zombie shorts for May December’s premier anthology, Eye Witness: Zombie I stand humbly corrected. And thus, I reach the crux of my article.

While it may seem silly, certain aesthetic points (i.e. courier font type, size 12, double-spacing) serve a purpose for editors. Also, if you read a few hundred thousand words a week, your eyes need as much help as you can give them.

Then, there is the theme. If the publisher asks for “traditional” (read: Romero style) zombies, and your opening theme has four zombies in cowboy hats, sitting around a campfire, roasting a California senator, discussing global economic woes…your story DOES NOT FIT! Don’t think, “yeah, but my story is freaking awesome!” Real example, I have an anthology in the pipeline, First Time Zombie. It is for as of yet unpublished writers: the chance to bring some new blood to the party if you will. I ask for presently unpublished writers with a zombie story (no type restrictions…fast, slow…writer’s choice ect. ) to submit three -10000 words curor font type size twelve font double-space. I actually received a witch story 1200 words, single spaced, times new roman! Additionally, this individual had a full page of credits on an attached resume. My only question was, “how is this person seen in print!” Oh wait…they have a reputation and a “semi-known name”

And here is where I plug my own company. At MDP we don’t care what your name is. Now, before you get “more” offended, let me explain. All submissions for MDP anthologies are forwarded to a three-person review team—minus byline. We don’t know who we accept or reject till after the story has been read and voted “thumbs-up” or “thumbs-down”. But I can assure you, no matter the publisher, if they want cowboys and you give aliens…your story will be dumped in the garbage can. If you don’t have the luxury of anonymity, you can find your name on a “black-list”.

So what have we learned here? Try hard, read the rules, and don’t take it personal if you’re rejected. It’s not brain surgery, folks. And one more thing…support your favorite press, be it permuted, the Library…or even May December.

The Best of All Flesh – Zombie Anthology Edited by James Lowder

Bringing the living dead into stark reality, this anthology reveals the best of undead horror and monstrous zombie tales. Culled from the popular All Flesh Must Be Eaten zombie anthology series, this broad collection of stories proves that no place in the world is safe when the dead rise again. Their shambling hordes flood cities, scour the countryside, and leave no part of history untouched. Ideal for fans of supernatural terror and apocalyptic fiction, this horrific array includes narratives by Tobias Buckell, Scott Edelman, Charles Coleman Finlay, and Tom Piccirilli.

Available from Amazon.

Anthology Announcement – Dead Set

I do love a good Zombie Anthology. A full on collection of works by multiple authors on the undead? You can’t go wrong with such a mixture. Now many anthologies don’t do a proper job at giving a full mix of authors so I just wanted to tell you about one that would be coming out soon with an anthology that has 20 authors included within. Yes that’s right 20 short stories of undead greatness!

Twenty stories of the zombie apocalypse…
Twenty tales of blood, guts, passion, courage, and shame…
Twenty tales that you will not soon forget.

The author lineup? Well I said there were just a ‘few’

• Morgan Ashe
• Steven W. Booth
• J.L. Comeau
• David Dunwoody
• Rob Fox
• Boyd Harris
• Richard Jeter
• Stephanie Kincaid
• Matt Louis
• Lisa Mannetti
• Michelle McCrary
• Joe McKinney
• Bob Nailor
• Mark Onspaugh
• Harry Shannon
• Marge Simon
• Nate Southard
• Lee Thomas
• Bev Vincent
• Calie Voorhis
• Steven Wedel
• Mitchel Whitington

I will be filling you in with ordering information as it becomes available but this one clearly looks like a winner waiting to happen.

Zombonauts – Undead In Space a Zombie Anthology

Special thanks to Tim Long, one of the authors included in this anthology, for the heads up on it’s release! Everyone loves a good zombie story and in this wonderful ‘little’ anthology there will be 31 for you to enjoy. Not only do you get your expected bout of horror in with any zombie tale but these aren’t your standard zombie tales- but zombies in space! The sci-fi addict that dwells far below the surface of my horror loving exterior can’t wait to see how this works out!

This anthology contains 31 short stories about zombies in space. That’s right! A combination of the zombie genre AND the science fiction genre. All of them are unique, weird, strange and downright outrageous. Just like you would expect from a “Library of the Living Dead Press” anthology. Authors include: Timothy W. Long John McCuaig David Bernstein William Todd Rose T. Patrick Rooney Sheri Gambino Roger Hobbs Andrew Beatty Stephen D. robers Scott Cole Rob Rosen Pete Mesling Miles Boothe Lee Pletzers Jennifer Brozek Doug Murano Deborah Walker Christopher J. Jacobsmeyer Amanda Davis Kevin James Miller Alva Roberts Robert Essig Richard Marsden Mark Onspaugh Jason Fischer Domenik Lopane David Talleman Chris Bartholomew Darren W. Pearce Neal Levin Jessy Marie Roberts “In Space …. No One Can Hear You Groan!”

Available at Amazon.