This novel brings together my two great low-brow literary loves: short stories and Zombie fiction! This collection of stories includes four short stories, of varying quality, that I’ll tackle briefly separately. This is a very short book so I’ll keep this review very high-level and rate each story separately.
Closure, Limited
This is a story taking place following the events of World War Z which grapples with the question: how can the sorry survivors find closure? It was a very upsetting and poignant tale, and shows how complex a zombie apocalpse scenario can be. I thought this was a worthy extension to World War Z.
4 Bullets out of 5
Steve and Fred
This was the shortest of the short stories and took the form of a bottle episode. It starts out following the exploits of a typical B-Grade action hero fighting in a zombie apocalypse, but naturally – there’s a twist. A bit too small-scale a story for my tastes, but still enjoyable.
3 Leather Belts out of 5
The Extinction Parade
You know the one thing a zombie tale is missing? Vampires! Yes, this little gem of a story examines what role vampires would play in a zombie apocalypse. I realise how dumb that sounds, and I see from other reviews that people HATED this short story…. but I loved it. Lowbrow for sure, but this Buffy aficiando loved every page.
5 Morose Vampire Mathematicians out of 5
Great Wall
A return to the world of World War Z, this short story follows one woman’s perspective of frantically rebuilding and extending the Great Wall of China in anticipation of an approaching zombie horde. Depressing, desperate, and dark – everything you’d expect from a story with this focus.
4 Hastily Made Glass Blocks out of 5.
If you loved World War Z and want do dip your toes back into that world, then this is a great way to spend a few hours. But if you’re not a Brooks’ fan, then this likely won’t be your brand of fiction. But I honestly enjoyed it!
