Deadcore: 4 Hardcore Zombie Novellas

I am a huge zombie fan and Deadcore was a bag of high highs and low lows. It is a collection of several short stories combined in one and unfortunately suffers from the same afflictions as any anthology book/film. It has some amazing stories that are fantastically well-crafted and portrayed... and some not so much. I have to say my favorite was Dead Juju by Randy Chandler with its take on Heaven vs. Hell. Overall I think it definitely worth a read if you are a zombie fan but it's not my favorite collection of tales.

When I was looking at amazon's library at first I didn't know what to buy, download or simply read. Already downloaded I read it in a single day, there was no stopping it, when I read the first three pages I was already hooked. It's a very smart and entertaining reading all four titles, best zombie reading since Max's Brooks "World War Z".

Maybe for some, but not what I was looking for. Yes I know it says zombies on the cover, I just didn't realize it was close to being zombie porn. So be forewarned before getting this one.

This was a waste of money. I really love a good zombie story, one that stays true to the "zombie format", builds suspense and provides well-placed shocking elements that are effective. But this first story in this mess simply existed to shock with no rhyme nor reason to the process. Gratuitous and disgusting ideas do not make a good story.

Deadcore is a book which was released last year and was completely missed by me and most reviewers. I happened upon it on Goodreads a couple of months earlier and upon seeing the blurb details, I was heavily intrigued by the variety and the imaginative spectrum offered. One of the authors Ed Erdelac kindly offered a review copy and since I was already a fan of his Merkabah series, I was extra excited to see how his historical story would match along with the zombie safari, the bed & breakfast story, etc.The first story is Dead Juju by Randy Chandler and is the longest novella of the collection. It's a pretty hardcore zombie story detailing the beginning of the apocalypse. Of course the tipping point in this story is the presence of a gigantic eye in the sky which has blinked and causes all sorts of weird stuff to begin. The story has been divided into 29 further sections which has various characters interacting and facing off against zombies and ghouls. The story is mostly set in Arizona and a bit in Mexico as well. The story totally sets the tone for the book as it has action, gore, violence, sex in enormous amounts and begs the question as to what is truly happening and is it the end of the world? It also brings faith & religion in to the equation of life but not in a way which upsets they rhythm of the story. A wild ride and with an ending which leaves the readers as shocked as it does with its opening. Dead Juju opens Deadcore with a visceral thrill which is hard to ignore and equally tough to stomach.The next story is Zee Bee & Bee, it's a story set in first person about a bed and breakfast where newly and otherwise married couples go to "pretend" attacked by zombies. While on the face of this story, it sounds a bit silly however kudos to David James Keaton who manages to upstage the settings with his ferocious pace as well as the nods to the various zombie odds and ends which have populated so many movies and books. The story is majorly about the characters who play various types of zombie and the narrator vividly describes the scenes adding his own sense of understanding which brings another layer to the proceedings. A little less violent than the preceding novella however Zee Bee & Bee has a rather dark ending which again matches up the story to the earlier one in its grimness.The third story of the book was the one which I was looking forward to the most called "Night of the Jikininki" by Ed Erdelac. This tale is set in 1737 feudal Japan and features three remarkably dark characters, all of whom are stuck in the Fukuyama han prison for various reasons when a comet passes by and awakens the dead. Thereby setting off a horrid turn of events to which none are spared. The author has discussed quite a bit about the origins of this tale on his blog which makes for a fascinating read by itself however readers should be warned as it has minor spoilers for the story. Whilst keeping it horror-tinged, the author has very smartly also included commentary about the feudal situation in Japan and especially about the downtrodden class that is known as the "Eta". Cleverly merging Japanese folklore and societal structure in a thrilling race to survive, the author's efforts clearly make this tale a special one and one to be savored. Clearly this tale became my favorite based on its inventive approach and suspenseful handling of its twists. The ending again in line with the collection is a very dark one and potentially underlines the cruel nature of fate.The last story is Zombie Safari by Ben Cheetham and one which will interest the hunters among all the readers. Set in the post apocalyptic near future wherein zombie hunting has become a favorite of the surviving humans. The narrator of this story is a person called Mikey who's recently lost his dad who was a great hunter and passed several valuable nuggets of information. The zombie classification in this tale is also something in line with the hunting and scientific themes of this novella world. The story is spread out over seven days set in the hunting reserve and the author has cleverly populated this story with various characters who are stereotypical in such situations but has also riddled the story with a couple of twists which will stun the reader as they read them. The story starts as a typical one wherein things go off-kilter for reasons revealed in the story and the ending twist was the best one amongst all the stories of this collection making it the second best novella for me amid the four stories. Poignantly written scenes are interspersed with hunting minutiae to make it a rich story and keep readers thoroughly entertained. Ben Cheetham's contribution rounds off the collection nicely and savagely in its own way.All the four stories have one thread in common with the title of combining hardcore elements with zombie stories, these stories are vividly written and are definitely not for everyone. Especially certain scenes in the first two novellas have a certain stomach turning quality to them without being overtly revolting. The remaining two stories do not fall far behind in gore and action sequences wherein one's imagination will be stretched by the generous descriptions. Lastly I believe these stories were chosen for their imaginative settings and clever twists to zombie stories. Therefore this collection is definitely a standout one because of this very reason however by that very reason it also becomes a book which is definitely not for everyone's tastes.CONCLUSION: Deadcore is an enigmatic collection which Zombie enthusiasts have to read to see the verisimilitude showcased within. Taking zombies and mixing with a heady mix of violence, social commentary, human attitude and various other emotions, Deadcore manages to surprise and shock its readers thoroughly. It is a collection that will stay in the reader's mind for a long time to come.

I recently stumbled across this collection when it was recommended by a friend earlier this year. It was the perfect summer vacation read. I couldn't put it down until I finished the four stories within the week. Each short story is a completely different and fresh approach to the zombie genre that get increasingly more compelling as the book progresses. Traditional zombie themes were intermixed with different elements across the stories ranging from noire and pulp overtones to another more current zombie hipster experience and then a medieval Japanese setting, and finally a more post post-apocalyptic setting where survivors are doing well enough to organize recreational outings to hunt zombies in the wild. After finishing Deadcore, I went searching for another in the series but didn't find one so I went on a zombie and horror bender watching some of the early Romero movies and reading World War Z. While I enjoyed World War Z, I feel the short stories in Deadcore were superior in development and story telling and more satisfying than the ultra short vignettes of Z.I hope there is a Deadcore II in the works!

First three stories are mind numbing my bad. The last story is quite good. Otherwise the book deserves zero stars. The first story is so sloppy and the writer strives to make it so extreme. Tries way to hard.

Does exactly what it says in the title. This is an anthology of Hardcore Zombie Novellas. If you are a zombie fan or fan of shock horror in general, you won't be disappointed. There are some darker, more hardcore moments with genuine shock scares and moments of twisted apocalyptic bliss evoked by excellent descriptive writing. I particularly enjoyed Randy Chandler's Dead Juju, Chandler manages to balance so many awesome concepts into one hardcore zombie tale.