I’m not really a huge horror fan. I’m especially not a huge zombie fan. Films, books, television series, and games that feature them have never been my favorites, and I generally avoid them. That said, I did like Woven, coauthored by David Powers King, so when he offered The Undead Road – My Zombie Summer Part One to me for review, I decided to take a chance on it.

Jeremy Barnes and his family waited out the beginning of the zombie apocalypse by quietly hiding in their home. It descended on everyone seemingly at once, with the majority of the population turned within just a few days. The Barnes family decided to travel from their home in Chicago to their family cabin in the mountains of Colorado in order to wait it out.

My favorite characters were Kaylynn, a mysterious girl with a mysterious past, and Jewel, Jeremy’s younger sister. They were both quirky (though in different ways) and fun to read. I found them to have a good depth that helped keep The Undead Road interesting. Jeremy was also developed well, but he never really clicked with me despite being the protagonist.

The vector that caused the zombie apocalypse was unusual (at least I’ve never heard of another story that does it this way). There were no real surprises in the story itself, at least until the end. I was able to predict most of what happened in the book. That may be due to me being far older than the target audience, however. The ending annoyed me a little bit, though I’m willing to see how the next book handles things before making a final decision on it.

There are many encounters with zombies along the way (The Undead Road only covers part of the journey), so those who love zombie fighting have plenty to entertain them here. There are even different types of zombies, each with their own ways to be handled. I liked that as it was different than the stereotypical “shamblers” found in many such stories.

If you like most zombie stories, The Undead Road – My Zombie Summer Part One is a fun one. Like zombie stories with unusual infection vectors? The story is paced well and I read it in one sitting. It’s not a very long read, either (took me about three hours). For me this was a fun popcorn book, and I look forward to reading the sequel.

Release Date: January 2, 2016 (USA)
ISBNs: 0997130806 (9780997130805)
Publisher: Dashboard Books
Language: English

Review copy kindly provided by the author.

MySF Rating: Three point five stars
Family Friendliness: 80%

Content:

Alcohol/Drugs: 1 (very brief mentions)
Language: 1 (very brief)
Sexuality: 1 (mild innuendo)
Violence: 3 (some brutal violence, zombie attacks, dismemberment, death)