cover image Zombie Maelstrom

Zombie Maelstrom

Bryan Cassiday. CreateSpace (www.createspace.com), $21.95 paper (300p) ISBN 978-1-4679-3136-6

Cassiday pits a heroic Texan pilot, a CIA agent, an arrogant banker, a preachy minister, a whiny call girl, and ordinary folks against zombie hordes that have overrun smog-engulfed Los Angeles. As civilization crumbles and the slaughter escalates, one character wonders, "Is this madness really happening?" The superabundant gore carries implications of human-zombie moral equivalence, a notion extended by the crucifixion of zombies. Character-ization throughout is as weak as a zombie's dignity, and the subplot of disputes over leadership and the best course of action yields predictable results. "I can't take much more of this," one character moans, but she has no choice.