Guess what month it is.
It’s Zombie Month!
I’ve been hooked on zombie stories and movies for a long time.
I’ve even got a survival kit started just in case. I add to it when something handy crosses my path.
Don’t laugh. If it happens, I’ll be the one with the last laugh!
Ready to have some fun.
I received a copy of A Zombie Holiday Trilogy from Anthony Renfro.
There are four stories, each taking place during the winter holidays.
I’ve reviewed them individually and now have pulled all of my reviews together for the complete trilogy.
Come on in and share the holidays with the zombies. They look forward to having you for, oops, over to dinner.
A Zombie Holiday Trilogy
Stuff the turkey, deck the halls, and ring in the New year in a Zombie Apocalypse
A Zombie Thanksgiving
They say the holidays are no longer celebrated because of the zombie apocalypse.
Try telling that to Dawn. All she wants is to bring a little bit of normalcy into their lives. To remind them they are human, that they are still alive, that there is hope.
Guns and knife in hand, Dawn sets off to the grocery store to see if she can find a turkey. I know, this sounds nuts. But people get desperate for the old days, the easy days.
As Dawn stumbles over dead bodies and crashed, abandoned vehicles, she inevitably runs across some shufflers. She takes care of them coldly, efficiently. This is the new way of life.
Meanwhile, back at the safe place, George is handed a note by another survivor in their group. It appears Dawn has left to get food. Fool girl. Doesn’t she know there are zombies out there. What is so important she’d risk this by herself?
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but somehow the author had me feeling the warmth of Thanksgiving. Even As Dawn and George fought off the ravenous zombies that want them for dinner.
Dawn’s fierce determination has me adding her to my list of top female protagonists. She’s not going to stop until she finds that bird!
And George is just as determined. Determined to find Dawn and get her safely back where she belongs. All limbs attached. I liked how his initial frustration turned to alpha male, to lover, as he set out to find her.
I had my fingers and toes crossed for these two. The ending was not set in stone just because it’s Thanksgiving. Maybe the zombies got a nice dinner. Nobody told them they don’t celebrate the holiday.
A Zombie Christmas
He waited until the zombie messed with Rudolph to take him out. No one messed with his Christmas display. The loud crack of his gun brought more and he took care of them too. Then all was quiet again.
Relaxing in his living room, enjoying the lighted Christmas tree, the silence is shattered by the doorbell. Mike can’t believe his eyes. It’s four zombie carolers, singing songs. Or grunting them. Once he quits laughing he quickly dispatches them too. Their noise would bring others.
The loud knocking on his door is welcome. He’s been waiting for Jim and Fred. He needs them if his plan is to succeed.
The plan. Fight a way through the zombies to reach the mall. There, they will grab goodies for the kids in their neighborhood. Everyone is struggling to make it through the apocalypse and the winter is brutal. A little something on Christmas morning for each child would bring smiles to their sweet faces. Would help them forget, for a time, what was happening outside.
Fred and Jim had taken some convincing, but when Mike explained his plan and they realized he’d do it alone if he had to, they were in one hundred percent.
As gruesome as this story got, it also cracked me up. Those zombie carolers were too funny. And the zombie shoppers, shuffling in and out of the mall with their packages, I could just imagine that scene, and laughed out loud. Nobody told the zombies they couldn’t have a Christmas.
I really liked Mike. He didn’t hesitate to take out the zombies yet kept his sense of humor. And by selecting the only other single men in the neighborhood, he didn’t risk leaving a family without a father and provider.
I think these three gents got as much joy as the children from their plan. It must have brought a small measure of hope and joy to them, playing Santa when the world was falling apart.
While I was writing my review, I happened to glance up at my Christmas tree, and what I saw cracked me up again. Sitting nestled on a branch was a little zombie mummy I had been given. I swear it winked at me.
A Zombie New Year
This short story is also offered in the authors collection, A Zombie Holiday Trilogy.
It is the longer of the stories and really hit home. Just how important is tradition when an apocalypse has occurred? How far would you go to keep a promise? Is there time for love when the world has crumbled?
Becky and Joe become separated during the zombie apocalypse. Both find themselves in dangerous situations as they strive to get to Acorn Drop, the place they first met, and share their promised New Years kiss.
Becky awakens surrounded by men in fatigues. A rough lot. They make their wants known and she tries to stall while making up a plan of escape.
You now that saying, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend?” Sometimes it’s true. These guys should have thoroughly cleared the house before letting their minds listen to their lower parts.
Zombies stumble out of one of the bedrooms and in the tussle, Becky makes her escape, only to have to fight her way through the ones outside.
Some of the men, still pumped up on testosterone, pursue her and she must find a way to lose them. She doubts when they finish with her they’ll just let her go. And she has some place to be. Someone to meet. Something to do. Acorn Drop. Joe. Kiss.
Meanwhile, Joe is out in the open and vulnerable. The zombies are everywhere and he’s been spotted. Searching, he finally sees a house that looks safe and dashes inside.
First things first, he searches the house finding no immediate threat of zombies. Next, he checks the garage and finds a car. Could the keys be in the house? He reenters to search for them. There’s not much time as the zombies will eventually find a way in.
Joe soon discovers he’s not alone in the house. But it’s not zombies and it’s not people. Of all the houses, of all the streets, he had to choose this one. This is one battle he wasn’t prepared for.
He keeps his mind on his goals. Get to Acorn Drop. Find Becky. Kiss her like it’s the end of the world. But New Years is almost here and he’s got a long way to go.
I believe love is all we have when the world falls apart. Even if it doesn’t. Who will mourn you when you die? Who will fight for you, with you? What will keep you going when all seems hopeless?
The dynamics of people when faced with the thinkable has always fascinated me. Sometimes, the threat by man is every bit as deadly as the threat outside.
I’ve read many zombie books and I know there isn’t always a happy ending, but I have hope for Becky and Joe.
A Vampire At Christmas
The story opens in a tomb. All is calm. All is bright. The little Christmas tree in the corner casts a dazzling display reflecting off of the large coffin.
If you put your ear right up against the coffin, you might hear Jimmy Buffet singing Margaritaville. This handsome vampire loves being a vampire, loves Christmas, and is a fan of the southern artist and has been to many of his concerts. His powers enable him to fly to any location and blend into the shadows to enjoy the the shows.
He’s been waiting 364 days for this night and he grabs his bag of goodies and heads out. But first he must feed.
When he was a new vampire he killed at random. But after many years and witnessing the miracle of Christmas, the warmth and cheer of it, he became more selective. Only killing those who deserved it.
I am amazed at the power of this character with the story being just over 20 pages.
He coldly stalks and consumes his prey, yet he’s also gleeful and excited, like a child. He really gets into the Christmas spirit and spreads hope and joy. Not to his prey, of course, but to those who are in need.
I live in the south and have seen Jimmy Buffet in concert. Been to his restaurant. Met him a few times. While I was reading this story, I hummed Margaritaville and thought, this vampire would like it here.
I loved all of these stories and you can bet I’ll be reading anything everything I can get my hands on by this author.
Each story got 5 Stars from me which added up to 20 Stars. Since I can’t give it that, I give this collection a resounding 5 Stars.
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Author Anthony Renfro
Anthony Renfro lives in Apex, North Carolina. He is a reader, writer, runner, husband, father, and stay at home dad – one of the toughest jobs anyone could ever do. He was born in Bristol, Tennessee, and is a graduate of UNC-Greensboro.
You can find him at many spots on the web, but if you really need to find his center in the social media storm it would be at his blog, apoetryjourney.wordpress.com.
Now reach out, just beyond the light, right into that big black space, and let him take your hand on a journey into cold dark places. You will be scared, and you may even be terrified, but in the end you might just find you liked the ride.
Find him on:
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