Blood Sweat and Books Review of LSOZI
The gang over at Blood Sweat and Books gave us a four-star review on Last Stand on Zombie Island(Book link here!)
From the review:
The Characters- While the roles of the islanders broke down into what I would call stereotypical pattern the characters themselves were written well and engaging. My favorite character was Spud. While I didn’t necessarily like him I respected the initiative he took after the initial outbreak happened. The rest of the island was quick to dismiss him as being nothing but a young punk but had they taken a moment they would of found a very resourceful individual amongst them.
World Building- I felt the Author did a great job building up the days before the outbreak without bogging down the book with endless chapters chronicling it. I also was satisfied with the overall world building it was easy to picture an Island vs. large city catastrophe. Yes devastation is still bad but you have more choices for Survival since you can isolate the town easier.”
Good stuff the rest of the review here:
LSOZI Reviewed on Tomes of Darkness
Patrick D’Orazio, Author of “Comes the Dark” and other such amazing zombie works, has just posted
an amazingly detailed review of Last Stand on Zombie Island at his blog, “Tomes of
Among other things he says,
“What sets this story apart from most other zombie apocalypse sagas is the depth of technical detail with which the author provides us with in regards to the military and virtually every other aspect of survival and experimentation done by the island dwellers in their efforts to not only to stay alive but to thrive under duress. Most importantly, the author did this without bogging the reader down in the minutia that some writers seem quite fond of when they describe weapons, tactics, and combat scenarios in particular. The author never resorts to providing us with laundry list of weapons or regales us with microscopic details that distract from the human elementof the saga.”
Pat, you are the man.
Zombie Writer Belinda Frisch Stops by LSOZI to Talk Z-Pocs and “The Cure”
I’d like to start off by saying a heartfelt thank you to Christopher for opening his blog to me. Earlier this month, he joined me over at my blog to talk about his excellent novel, Last Stand on Zombie Island, and the topic of writing what you know came up.
Cure, the novel for which I’m blog touring this month, is the product of just that. I spent nine out of fifteen years of my medical coding career working at a regional hospital. In that time, I witnessed numerous medical procedures, attended a pronouncement of death, and saw a brain cutting at a neuropathology conference (the brain was cut into cross-sections to show an extensive bleed and no, it wasn’t in a head—it was out). I even watched an autopsy. Spending so much time shadowing and teaching physicians, I developed a real respect for their commitment to patient care.
Well, the horror writer in me refuses to write happy stories. Medicine and horror marry so easily together because it prays on our mortality and our innate fear of being out of control and having our lives in someone else’s hands.
Enter the zombie virus.
One of the areas I worked extensively with was infectious diseases. Writing Cure was an exercise in researching infectious diseases and experimental medicine. Once I modified the science to fit the story, the premise of Cure began taking shape.
Let’s talk about the book:
“Dark, disturbing, and deliciously addictive” R.A. Evans, author of Asylum Lake
Welcome to the Nixon Healing and Research Center, refuge for the indigent sick and playground for the maniacal Dr. Howard Nixon whose cancer research has him dabbling in the undead. His human-zombie breeding program is falling apart and only Miranda Penton can save it.
Miranda gave up her budding military career to marry a fellow soldier but when their first child is stillborn, it’s more tragedy than their new marriage can handle. One year later, following her painful divorce, Miranda accepts an unexpected job offer to join Nixon’s security team. Her recruitment is part of Nixon’s dark plan and she quickly becomes one of his captives.
Nixon impregnates Miranda with a zombie fetus, but her imprisonment at the center is short-lived. A rescue team led by Scott, her estranged ex-husband, releases her and the infected on the unsuspecting hospital population.
The virus is spreading and must be contained. The center is going into lock-down. The group’s escape is threatened by a homicidal security guard and a raging storm. The town of Strandville is ground zero for the zombie apocalypse and Miranda must escape because the fate of humanity lies with her unborn child.
Some might call Cure a little bit sci-fi, others a tad of a thriller. Cure is, at its core, a horror novel where the primary conflict is escaping with one’s life and loved ones. A group of captives are trapped in a hospital with a quickly growing horde. The zombie virus is only part of the problem. See, I mentioned that I had a profound respect for philanthropic physicians who sacrifice their time and personal lives to save others. Cure made me think what would happen in the brilliant physician was a bit of a madman. This is how the mind of a horror writer works. We take the good and flip it to unsettle our readers. Mix in some very graphic images of undead babies and you might have a nightmare or two. If you’re interested in horror and medicine, Cure has received seven 5-star reviews in the two short weeks since its release. Here’s what the readers are saying:
“Cure, by Belinda Frisch, is soooo good that Five Stars is not enough! This tale is in a category all its own. I read a great number of books, zombie books among them, and have never read one with this kind of twist, this kind of originality. The town of Strandville comes alive before your very eyes in the guise of the Nixon Healing And Research Center. The staff here has a whole different approach to curing cancer, and it backfires on them when Miranda’s estranged husband comes tearing in to save her after Doctor Nixon impregnates her with a zombie fetus. Poor Miranda; poor world, as the zombies at the facility are let loose.
You must read this thriller! Seat of the pants horror all the way! Hang on and be prepared for a fright!”
“Lets face it, original is hard to come by. Everything has been done and tried. But what makes a book unique and refreshingly stimulating, is the author’s ability to breathe life into their characters, and send them on a course that you are compelled to follow along. Cure delivers just that. It is a rotten breath of fresh air with a premise that I haven’t seen in any other Zombie novels.”
5-star rated, Cure is available on Amazon for Kindle and in print.
Author Bio:
Belinda Frisch
Belinda Frisch’s fiction has appeared in Shroud Magazine, Dabblestone Horror, and Tales of Zombie War. She is an honorable mention winner in the Writer’s Digest 76th Annual Writing Competition and the author of DEAD SPELL, CRISIS HOSPITAL, TALES FROM THE WORLD, THE WARD, AND THE BEDSIDE and the newly released CURE, the first in the Strandville Zombie Series.
Connect with me via my blog, Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @B_Frisch.
We were Mentioned on The Kindle Book Review!
As a HOT NEW RELEASE! http://thekindlebookreview.blogspot.com/2012/06/hot-new-release-last-stand-on-zombie.html
“Zombie lovers prepare for a fast-paced well-developed debut novel. Today’s HOT NEW Release is Last Stand on Zombie Island by Christopher Eger. “The zombies themselves are more amped and determined that your standard shambling zombie and will have you on the edge of your seat.”
Remember gang, the Amazon Kindle Links are -http://www.amazon.com/Last-Stand-Zombie-Island-ebook/dp/B0080GWOM8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339421472&sr=8-1&keywords=last+stand+on+zombie+island
Smashwords (PDF, EPUB, Apple, Kobo)- http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/158565
Keep those cards and letters coming!
Paperback etc
They Like Me They Really Like ME!
Well as you know, my first novel, a military sci-fi set during the Zombie Apocalypse has come out from Necro Publications this month.
The Reviews have started coming in and they haven’t been that bad:
“Last Stand on Zombie Island was good to the last drop…of flesh and blood, that is! Very captivating and entertaining throughout with interesting, relatable characters that will keep you intrigued. The zombies themselves are more amped and determined that your standard shambling zombie and will have you on the edge of your seat. Two thumbs up, 5 stars, a real page turner! I hope there is a sequel coming!”
“Last Stand on Zombie Island was one of those books that once I started it was hard to put down. Although it started a little slow, once it heated up, it stayed that way until the end. The writer did a great job with vivid descriptions and writing that allowed the reader to feel exactly what the characters were feeling. Since The Walking Dead in on break, I needed a good zombie book to fill the void. This certainly did with believable characters and I even tensed up while reading some of the scenes. Looking forward to the next book! “
“The book is fairly technically well written, which allows the reader to suspend scepticism and enter the scenario uncritically. Although it is obviously pure fantasy, for the purposes of the story, the script holds together with tangible and credible logic. To some extent at least the reader can wonder what it would be like to be confronted by hordes of undead attacking and fouling everything and everybody insight, on a godforsaken island from which there seems to be no escape.
The novel has potential to be worked up into a psychological thriller of great depth. I hope there is a sequel so readers find out what happened to the characters. Thanks for a fast paced, action packed read! “
Its up on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, my publisher, and Smashwords….in paper, e-book and hardcover formats yo.
Now rush out, Rush out and Buy two copies! (Just saying,)
Goodreads
