REVIEW: Zombie Wilson Diaries by Tim Long
It’s a Sunday morning; I’ve got the sun peeking over the mountains, a cup of coffee and a little Maroon 5 to start me up. Last night after a band jam session, I finished Timothy W Long’s The Zombie Wilson Diaries. So, let’s get to a little disclosure. I’d heard about this book for a while on the Library of the Living Dead’s forum. I had zero interest in the story. I pre-judged and decided that I wouldn’t like it. Over the weeks, I built up a very unreasonable disdain for it. Then the honcho at BuyZombie.com said he wanted it reviewed. Please don’t pick me, I chanted. “Todd, review this.†Dammit!
The highest praise I believe a writer can garner is when he or she can convert somebody who begrudgingly reads their book…and enjoys it. That is the case with me and Mr. Long’s book, The Zombie Wilson Diaries. Folks, this is a run read. It is charming and entertaining and funny. If, like me, you can be a bit of a snob…get over yourself for a day and pick up this amusing twist in the genre.
Friends, trust me, I wanted to hate this story before I’d read the first page. Mr. Long thwarted me at every turn. I could not stop reading. I laughed, and those who read my reviews know how much I value a writer who can elicit actual LOLing.
Our protagonist is stranded on a deserted island. He encounters one of the fellow members of his ill-fated flight. Only, she has eaten a native plant, and now…well, yes, she’s a zombie. Kudos to Mister Long for not going too far with the protagonist-zombie relationship. It would’ve ruined a spectacularly enjoyable story. The relationship we are allowed to watch blossom never goes too far from reasonable. That is the simple beauty of this story.
I don’t fib to those of you who read my reviews. I don’t do fluff pieces. I tell you straight up if you should part with your hard-earned dough to indulge in a little zombie time. I can say very confidently, as it pertains to The Zombie Wilson Diaries, the answer is yes.
Now, true to form, I must point out a few problems. That is how we learn as writers. I felt that the forward pre-announcing spelling errors was more hurtful. It made me lay in wait for them (and they do in fact exist). We are champions of small press (here at BuyZombie.com as well as my own May December Publications), glitches are part of our charm as long as they are not abundant. And to credit Mr. Long, they aren’t abundant, but they are there. Also, how did you score Ms. Frater as the writer to your forward? Next to Amelia Beamer, she’s my favorite scribe in the Z-genre…but I digress.
I happily recommend The Zombie Wilson Diaries. It is fast paced, fun, and even provides a few well-constructed gross-out moments. If you’ve convinced yourself you would hate it, like I had, then I challenge you to pick it up. Mr. Long will win you over with easy wit, a bit of charm, and a darn good story.
