Run you fool!
I just finished reading Zombies Take Manhattan, Short Stories by Marina Bridges.
Two correlations come to mind: The Game of Telephone and Six Degrees of Separation.
The overall story arc begins and ends in the same place- a string connects each story, like the string strung out between two tin cans to make a tin can telephone. So… a. The message is passed on, but with each telling it’s altered and b. Each character in one story is somehow linked, just like those tin cans, with the characters in the stories on either side in order to c. Form a perfect circle.
Zombies Take Manhattan is a blend of horror, mind-games, off-beat and oh-so-dark humor and, uh, obviously zombies. It’s not all fun and games, as the first story, Wheel of Wonder, might lead you to believe. It’s more of a rapidly progressing dissonance, leading to chaos, mass extinction and eventually… a dead tin can.
Well worth the price of admission.
Zombies Take Manhattan is available for your e-reader.
That sounds fantastic. A great concept.
Hey, Julia. I’m really glad you enjoyed the book. Not that I’m biased or anything (seeing as how I edited and produced the ebook) but this concept blew me away. I love short stories. I really like short stories connected by a story arc so they almost read like a novel. It’s a terrific form and I think Marina did a terrific job with it.
This collection came out of conversation Marina and I were having about “the worst place to be during a zombie apocalypse.” She said, “Big city,” no hesitation. She’s lived in NYC. She knows. So I asked her why (not being a big city person myself, I imagine easily defended high rise buildings and stores full of useful stuff) and she started writing these stories in response. After reading Zombies Take Manhattan! I made a promise to myself: when the zombies rise, do not be in New York City. She also wanted to write stories about regular folks. Not citizens with secret ninja skills, or instant gun experts, or anyone, actually, with access to really good weapons. She wondered if readers would like it, so I told her to see if she can tempt me, the gun porn and Roadrunner-cartoon addict. She did better than tempt me. She disturbed me, scared me a few times, made me laugh and made me sad, and made me care about a bunch of big city folk. I’d say that’s even better than the cheap thrills I get out of the latest technology in zombie-killing firearms.
Zombies! Sounds interesting, I’ve seen quite a few of those floating around, although I never read any of them. Hmm… If you and Jaye recommend it, I just might give it a shot (If I can ever catch up on my long reading list) sigh.
It’s a quick read, Delilah. And interesting. One story leads into the next.
You scare easy, Jaye! All the stories got to me, but the last story, so short and sweet, was my favorite! The work came full circle and I loved it!
Penny - zombies on the brain, eh? Et tu?
I’ve never heard of this book…Sounds interesting…
Added to my TBR pile
It’s just out, Savannah.
Hey Tom - you do it to me all the time!