Dead Earth: The Vengeance Road by Mark Justice and David T. Wilbanks

Dead Earth: The Vengeance Road

by Mark Justice and David T. Wilbanks

This review was also published on The Bookie Monster. For more great book reviews written by a variety of reviewers, check it out!

Synopsis

When you’ve lost everything, the only thing left is vengeance. 

Invaders from another world have used demonic technology to raise an unholy conquering army of the living dead. These “necros” destroyed Jubal Slate’s home and everyone he loved. Now the only thing that matters to Slate is payback. No matter how far he has to go or how many undead warriors he must slaughter, Slate and his motley band of followers will stop at nothing to end the reign of the aliens.

Review

I gave The Vengeance Road 4 out of 5 Stars on The Bookie Monster.

The Vengeance Road is the second book in the Dead Earth series by Mark Justice and David T. Wilbanks. In this installment, the main character, Jubal, takes on a lesser role as more characters are introduced. Though his role is not as prominent as it is in Dead Earth: The Green Dawn,  Jubal's determination to avenge those responsible for the death of his friends and family is stronger than ever. Jubal journeys back to the United States with other survivors who have the same objective: to do all they can to hinder the aliens and their undead army, no matter the cost.

Jubal and his group are not the only ones making their way north to Nevada-- a vile group of bikers led by a twisted individual named Luther Kemp is also making the journey. This group is not seeking revenge, however. Kemp's objective is to gain followers and soldiers for the alien lords. Those who refuse to follow as one of the living are forced into service as one of the walking dead. Kemp's ability to control the dead allows him to add more "soldiers" with each town he and his group encounter.

There is a lot to like about The Vengeance Road.  I'm glad the authors added more characters to the story line as compared to the first book in the series. The characters are well-developed and believable. I found the protagonists to be endearing and the bad guys to be especially scary. There is plenty of action and some very tense moments in the story, making it an exciting read. There were a couple missing paragraphs in my copy of the book, which may be due to the format in which I received it. Aside from a couple minor errors, the editing is well-done.

There are a few things I did not like about The Vengeance Road.  My biggest issue with this book has to do with inconsistencies in the story line.  During a couple of the zombie attacks, one character is surrounded by the undead, engaged in the fight of his/her life. Meanwhile, the other characters in the immediate area are left alone by the hordes. How does that happen?!

The biggest inconsistency in the book involves the character, Mike. At one point, it's implied he is hiding a big secret from the rest of his group. I kept waiting to find out what this secret was, but by the end of the book, it was still a secret. I know there is a third book, but for reasons I won't get into, I doubt this character will be part of that story.  It will be interesting to see if the third book addresses Mike's secret. If it does, I will revisit this review and remove this paragraph. If the paragraph is still here, well...

Overall, I liked Dead Earth: The Vengeance Road.  I gave it four stars because it is well-written, eciting, somewhat original, and the characters are well-developed. The reason I did not give the book five stars is because of its inconsistencies.

Buy Dead Earth: The Vengeance Road on Amazon.

David T. Wilbanks is a writer, editor and publisher. His short stories have appeared in Horror Drive-In, Postscripts and other publications. He and Mark Justice write the DEAD EARTH series, the latest and third book being SANCTUARY (2013). With Craig Clarke, he edited and published LIVING AFTER MIDNIGHT, a dark fiction anthology from their own Acid Grave Press. David lives in Minnesota with his wife. 

David T. Wilbanks' Blog

Follow on Twitter

Goodreads

Mark Justice is the author of Looking at the World with Broken Glass in My Eye, and co-author of Dead Earth: The Green Dawn and Dead Earth: The Vengeance Road, both with David T. Wilbanks. His short fiction has appeared in Damned Nation, In Laymon’s Terms, Legends of the Mountain State 1,2, 3 & 4. The Horror Library Vol. 2 & 3, The Avenger Chronicles, The Green Hornet Chronicles, Dark Discoveries and many other anthologies and magazines. He co-edited the holiday horror anthology Appalachian Winter Hauntings. The Dead Sheriff, a supernatural western prose and comics series, will debut from Evil Eye Books in 2011. 

Justice also produces and hosts the popular genre podcast Pod of Horror. He lives in Kentucky with his wife and cats.

Mark Justice's Blog

Follow on Twitter

Facebook

Cousin Sonny by H.j. Harry

Cousin Sonny (An Orphan's Tale, Book 1)
by H.j. Harry

Synopsis
A bush meat orphan ripped from his adopted home where he had lived since infancy. Civilized life has left him years behind those who would be his peers, leaving him to face the cruel lessons of life alone. A bad man does bad things forcing Sonny to flee into the wilderness bordering the city to fend for himself. It is only a matter of time before he is once again thrust into a world of suspicion and hate. 

Armed with the knowledge of a language very few know, and unable to speak in his native tongue, Sonny sets off on an adventure of self-preservation armed with only his wits. 

Lies and half-truths about what Sonny is has confused the citizens into believing him to be some sort of mutation, warped by the geneticist that he grew up with. In truth, he is probably nothing more than a lonely chimp, shivering from the cold while hiding within the mid-western treetops. 
Few will help the poor chimp as fear follows the lies. Yet those who are willing to reach out to Sonny find a deeply personal reward they never even realized they needed. 

Rage set the ball in motion, he could only hope that it wasn’t rage that ends it. 

Review
I purchased this book from Amazon (Kindle Edition) and gave it 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon and Goodreads.

Purchase Cousin Sonny on Amazon. You can get it for free until June 25, 2014! Please leave a review.

I was a little unsure how I would feel about this book. Based on the synopsis and the cover, I knew it was going to be a story about a chimpanzee. Here's a little-known fact about me: I am afraid of primates. They don't freak me out as much as clowns and port-o-potties, but they are up there on my list of irrational fears. So, with that said, maybe you can see why I hesitated to read this. The only reason I chose to is because I have read other work by H.j. Harry and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I am so glad I gave Cousin Sonny a chance! It is written very well, and is truly one-of-a-kind. H.j. Harry tells Sonny's story with undeniable compassion and empathy. He does this so well, I found myself falling in love with the chimpanzee as I read-- in spite of my primateophobia (I made that up).

An incident occurs early in the story that forces Sonny to become a fugitive. As he faces life on the streets and hiding in the city's trees, he must learn to help himself as well as rely on the few kind-hearted people he encounters. The friends he makes while on the run quickly learn that Sonny is loving, intelligent, and fiercely loyal. 

I grew to adore many of the characters in the story. They are not without their faults and quirks, but that's probably why I like them. There are some characters who are not good people, but they get what they deserve at some point in the story. Cousin Sonny also offers a bit of intrigue in the form of a couple mysterious characters who show up occasionally in the story. Their identity isn't revealed until the last few chapters.

Since the book finalizes with one loose end, I'm hoping H.j. Harry has a sequel in the works. If so, I will definitely be reading it! 

Summary
Combine a lovable main character, interesting secondary characters, lots of action and suspense, with a unique story written by a talented story-teller, and you end up with a book like Cousin Sonny: a great read!

Hmm... I wonder... if H.j. Harry wrote a book about a lovable clown, would I change my mind about them? 

Dead Earth: The Green Dawn by Mark Justice & David T. Wilbanks

This review can also be found on The Bookie Monster.

Dead Earth: The Green Dawn by Mark Justice & David T. Wilbanks

Synopsis

Something bad has happened in Nevada.

No one knows what it is for sure. Rumors fly about plagues and secret government experiments. And the President isn't talking.

In Serenity, New Mexico, Deputy Sheriff Jubal Slate has his hands full. It seems that half the town, including his mother and his boss, are sick from an unusual malady.

Even more worrisome is the oddly-colored dawn sky.

Then a stranger crashes through town, a woman with a nightmarish story about what really happened in the Nevada desert.

Soon, the townspeople of Serenity start dying.

And they won't stay dead.

Review 

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I gave Dead Earth: The Green Dawn 4 out of 5 stars on The Bookie Monster.
Jubal Slate is a young deputy sheriff in the small town of Serenity, New Mexico. He enjoys his quiet town, loves his fiance, and has a good relationship with his mother. Having grown up in Serenity, Jubal is well-liked and knows the town's citizens well. Everything in his world in going well... until a mysterious event occurs in Las Vegas.

No one seems to knows what went down in the Nevada desert but there are rumors of a government cover-up.  Two weeks after the "incident" in the desert, a strange illness takes over the town of Serenity. Then there is the strange green hue making an appearance with the New Mexico dawn.  Jubal knows there must be some connection, but as things go from bad to worse, there is not enough time to find answers.

Mark Justice's and David T. Wilbanks' first novel in the Dead Earth series is fast-paced, easy to read, and entertaining. I was immediately pulled into the story and could not put it down until I finished it. The main character, Jubal, is very likable and I appreciate how the authors developed his character. I felt I got to know him pretty well by the time I finished the book. The authors of this book also do a wonderful job with "visual" descriptions. I could clearly picture the characters in the story as I read.

The Green Dawn would most likely appeal to those who like Zombie fiction that doesn't have a strong military focus. It would also be good for people who like some extraterrestrials thrown into the zombie mix.

I only have two negative comments about Dead Earth: The Green Dawn. The first is, I feel the authors could have spent more time developing the scenes toward the end of the story. It seemed to be lacking in content toward the end... but that could be due to the fact that it is not a long book. It's almost as if the authors decided to cut the story short so they could make a sequel. Which leads me to my other negative point... for a book with only 89 pages, it is quite expensive compared to books of similar length in this genre. The current Amazon Kindle price for the book is $5.99.  I would happily spend that for a full-length Kindle book, but this price seems rather steep for a book less than half the length of books listed at the same price.

With that said, I enjoyed The Green Dawn and am looking forward to reading the next two books in the series.

To buy on Amazon, click here:  Dead Earth: The Green Dawn

About the Authors

David T. Wilbanks is a writer, editor and publisher. His short stories have appeared in Horror Drive-In, Postscripts and other publications. He and Mark Justice write the DEAD EARTH series, the latest and third book being SANCTUARY (2013). With Craig Clarke, he edited and published LIVING AFTER MIDNIGHT, a dark fiction anthology from their own Acid Grave Press. David lives in Minnesota with his wife.

David Wilbank's Blog

Follow on Twitter

David Wilbank's Goodreads Page

Mark Justice is the author of Looking at the World with Broken Glass in My Eye, and co-author of Dead Earth: The Green Dawn and Dead Earth: The Vengeance Road, both with David T. Wilbanks. His short fiction has appeared in Damned Nation, In Laymon’s Terms, Legends of the Mountain State 1,2, 3 & 4. The Horror Library Vol. 2 & 3, The Avenger Chronicles, The Green Hornet Chronicles, Dark Discoveries and many other anthologies and magazines. He co-edited the holiday horror anthology Appalachian Winter Hauntings. The Dead Sheriff, a supernatural western prose and comics series, will debut from Evil Eye Books in 2011. 

Justice also produces and hosts the popular genre podcast Pod of Horror. He lives in Kentucky with his wife and cats.

Mark Justice's Blog
Follow on Twitter
Facebook

You can also find my review of this book on The Bookie Monster along with many other book reviews written by different reviewers. 

Summer of Zombie 2014 SPOTLIGHT ON: Erik Gustafson

Note from Eila Oakes: I have the honor of taking part in the Summer of Zombie 2014 Blog Tour. That means my blog gets to shine the spotlight on an author for the day. Today, the spotlight is shining on Erik Gustafson. Read on to learn more about this author and his latest release!

Summer of Zombie 2014 SPOTLIGHT ON:
Erik Gustafson

Interview with Erik

What is your latest zombie release?

The Dark Trek Home

Quick description of the book (no spoilers):

A dead brother. A missing nephew. Seeking answers, Trent’s quest plunges him light-years away to a much darker nightmare. Survival means allying with the very monsters that ripped apart his family

What makes this story unique?

The guy just wants to get his family back and go home. An engrossing mystery wrapped in wicked science fiction wrapped in otherworld zombies. 

Where can readers purchase The Dark Trek Home?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FNH2YDG

**This title is only 99¢ through June 17th!  Don't miss out on this deal!**

Where else can you be found on the web?

Apparitions of Terror http://eriktiger.wordpress.com/
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/Erik-Gustafson/e/B004NYCP5M/

Smashwords Author Page: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ErikGus

Tell us a little about yourself:

I am the Director of Fantasy at Visionary Press Collaborative. I have been published in Pleasant Storm Entertainment, Inc., Sirens Call Publishing, The Horror Zine, Crypto and Co., Death Throes Webzine, and several horror anthologies.


More about the Summer of Zombie 2014 Blog Tour

The stench of rotting flesh is in the air! Welcome to the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2014, with 33 of the best zombie authors spreading the disease in the month of June.

Stop by the event page on Facebook so you don't miss an interview, guest post or teaser… and pick up some great swag as well! Giveaways galore from most of the authors, as well as interaction with them! #SummerZombie

 https://www.facebook.com/events/286215754875261/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular&source=1

 AND so you don't miss any of the posts in June, here's the complete list, updated daily:

 http://armandrosamilia.com/2014/06/01/summer-of-zombie-blog-tour-2014-post-links/

Allegiance (Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse): Shawn Chesser

Allegiance (Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse)
by Shawn Chesser


Synopsis
Taken from Amazon

Allegiance, Book 5 in the Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse series, picks up two days after “A Pound of Flesh: Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse” left off. 

Outbreak – Day 1. Like a fragile house of cards in a hurricane, Presidents, Premiers, entire governments and their ruling bodies disappeared instantly. Some had ensconced themselves in deep underground bunkers or remained holed up in fortified strongholds, but history would tell that most had been swallowed up by the dead - never to be heard from again.

Infection rates skyrocketed in the United States’ largest cities the first days of the outbreak, as the rapacious dead delivered the Omega virus with emotionless efficiency. During the ensuing days, the rest of the country and the world shared the same fate as Omega spread exponentially from within the mega population centers, pulsing into the countryside, a rotten, shambling diaspora. 

It had taken 3.7 billion years for man to evolve from a universal common ancestor – to stop dragging his collective knuckles - finally to emerge the dominant species, complete with shiny new iPads, Smartphones, worldwide non-stop air travel, and all manner of high tech war machines. Yet it had taken one microscopic man-made virus only three days to deliver mankind, on its collective knees, to the doorstep of extinction. 

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD 

Outbreak - Day 15. With an estimated ninety-nine percent of the United States’ population having already succumbed to the rapidly spreading Omega virus, and countries and cities worldwide teeming with the dead, the struggle to survive the zombie apocalypse continues unabated in the high desert of Colorado. 
Having just returned from a hastily thrown together secret mission that saw Robert Christian—the self-proclaimed President of his “New America”—snatched from his mountain redoubt and delivered kicking and screaming to the justice awaiting him at Schriever Air Force Base, Cade Grayson, father, husband, and Delta Force operator is horrified to learn that during his absence the base had been compromised, putting his family in harm’s way. 
Its inhabitants still reeling from Pug’s act of terror, and recently rocked by an undead outbreak inside the wire, Schriever no longer seems an island of safety surrounded by a sea of dead, but more like a shadowy prison, danger lurking within its walls.

So, with the Z-infested cities of Denver and Aurora to the north and a hundred thousand flesh eaters inhabiting Pueblo to the south, and all hope of a cure for Omega dwindling faster than the world’s population, Cade uses a mandated two-day stand down to fully weigh out his options. 
With each passing day, he finds himself warming to Brook’s stance that they pull up stakes and put the acres of squat buildings and fenced-in concrete in their rearview mirror for good. 
With his allegiance walking a tightrope between family and flag, will Cade appease Brook and move the family to Logan Winter’s compound outside of Eden, Utah? Or will he lobby her to allow the family to stay at Schriever, so that his Delta Team—still recovering from the recent loss of soft-spoken Sergeant Darwin Maddox and the Unit’s longtime commander General Mike Desantos—will not find themselves undermanned and outgunned should another important mission crop up? 
Or will the talented Mister Murphy—of Murphy’s Law fame—throw a monkey wrench into the equation and alter the best laid plans of mice and men?

Review
I gave Allegiance: Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon and Goodreads

There is so much to like about this installment of the Surviving the Apocalypse series. Allegiance is gripping, well-written, professionally edited, and highly entertaining. Shawn Chesser's writing only seems to get better! 

What I like best about Allegiance is the way Chesser goes more in-depth with the side characters. This has become increasingly the case as the series progresses. The reader gets to discover what is happening with characters introduced in previous books. Not only does this help keep the story from becoming one-dimensional, it allows the reader to connect with each unique character. I found myself looking forward to reading what each character was up to with every new chapter.

There is plenty of excitement and action in the book, but Chesser expertly balances it with character development and insight into human nature. 

Allegiance has a very exciting, abrupt ending and it came as quite a shock to me. I am one of those readers who likes knowing there will be another story coming up, so the ending was perfect. I already downloaded the sequel (Mortal) so I can find out what happens next. Hooray for not having to wait!

Purchase Allegiance: Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse

About the Author

Shawn Chesser resides in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and two children. He studied writing at Harvard on the hill(PCC Sylvania) many years ago. Shawn is a big fan of the apocalyptic horror genre. Stephen King, Cormac McCarthy and George Romero are strong influences. When not writing, Shawn spends the rest of his time doting on his two children and doing whatever his wife says. :)

Where to find Shawn Chesser:
Shawn's Website
Facebook