REVIEW: Holiday of the Dead

Ah, the holidays. A time for friends, for family, for peace, reflection and, of course, zombies. Lots and lots of zombies.

REVIEW

I don’t understand the dislike some people have for anthologies. To me, anthologies are a lot like buffet restaurants. Everything good and delectable spread before you, ready for you to dive right in. You are free to pick and choose what you put on your plate. Not only can you be sure you’ll find something you like, and can keep going back as many times as you wish, but you may find something new. Personally, I love short story anthologies. Give me a good themed anthology, and I’m even happier. Give me a themed anthology like Holiday of the Dead, and I might spontaneously combust from the sheer awesomeness of it all.

Holiday of the Dead, from Wild Wolf publishing, very well might be the best collection of zombie stories ever assembled. 38 stories in all, ranging from the straightforward to the sublime, the slick to the undeniably tragic, from some of the best in the genre. Add to that a whole crop of talented up-and-comers, and you have a mammoth book of zombie deliciousness that deserves a spot in your library. The book also comes with two prizes inside. A short story called “The Walk-in” from John Russo, co-writer of Night of the Living Dead, as well as a snippet of the screenplay to the upcoming sequel to the film Pontypool, written by Tony Burgess.

Some of the book’s highlights include

Joe McKinney’s The Day the Music Died, in which a rock star takes his hedonistic lifestyle to an all new level. Wayne Simmon’s One Dead Whore, where we find out what really happened to Jack The Ripper. Bowie V. Ibarra’s Rockets’ Red Glare, where suburban teens find out what’s really underneath the town cemetery. And Derek Gunn’s School’s Out, proving that School is the last place you want to be when the Zombie Apocalypse hits.

Some of the new talents contained within that deserve a shout-out include R.M Cochran’s In the End, Shawn Riddle’s The Four of July, R. Phillip Robert’s The Day I Discovered the Truth About the Man in The Red Suit, and Tonia Brown’s Naked Fear. This is in no particular order of preference on my part. The amount of quality in Holiday is simply astounding. There is a story for every mood and almost every situation. If you love zombies, (and frankly, why wouldn’t you?), you need this book, pure and simple.

Available on Amazon