This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 13, 2012.

Cadaver in Chief

By Steve Hockensmith – Self-Published – July 31, 2012

Review by Robin Marx

This novella is by the author of a prequel and sequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (but not that book itself, interestingly). While Cadaver in Chief continues to deal with zombies, this time the undead menace are blended with a satire of election year politics.

The story was brief but engaging, with many interesting implications. Retiring reporter Jan Woods comes across a blog post claiming that the President of the United States was attacked and killed by a zombie while on the campaign trail, and that the whole affair has been covered up by the government. Despite the unreliable source of the claims, she decides to investigate further, with hazardous results.

The setting was especially fascinating. While most zombie apocalypse stories take place after the sudden collapse of society, Cadaver in Chief depicts an invasion in progress, with an America that is slowly crumbling. Citizens are trying to cope: everyone is constantly armed and new social rules have cropped up. Those who damage a zombie (or “nasty”) are responsible for finishing it off, and pedestrians greet each other loudly to avoid being shot by wary neighbors. Gallows humor is everywhere. It'd be nice to see this setting revisited by the author. It could easily serve as the stage for a serious horror novel if some of the comedic elements were toned down.

Somewhat depressingly, I actually found the fictional Beltway pundits' diatribes to be less tone-deaf and absurd than the real-life political discourse going on in the US right now. Truth is stranger—and dumber—than fiction in this case.

Elements of comedy and horror are generally tricky to balance, but I think Hockensmith succeeded in walking that tightrope. The end result is a fast-paced story that spices its humor with some genuinely creepy moments. It's very important that a comedy story not outstay its welcome, but I wouldn't have minded spending more time exploring this world.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Horror #Humor #CadaverInChief #SteveHockensmith

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on July 2, 2017.

Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way

By Bruce Campbell – Thomas Dunne Books – October 1, 2015

Review by Robin Marx

While a work of fiction, this novel is written in the first person with Bruce Campbell himself as the viewpoint character, and the narrative is packed with living Hollywood figures like Richard Gere and Renee Zellweger. The story involves veteran B-movie actor Bruce Campbell landing a supporting role in a big budget romantic comedy called “Lets Make Love.” Over the course of the book, Campbell finds himself a bit of a fish out of water as a down-to-earth working man surrounded by Hollywood elite. Hoping to make the most of his opportunity, he throws himself into the role. Most of the book is about his awkward attempts to prepare for the role, researching the lives of doormen, southern gentlemen, relationship experts, and so forth. Over the course of the story he also offers a variety of unsolicited tips and hints to his fellow cast and crew, with the result that the rom-com begins to chart a course in a very different direction than originally intended.

The tone of the story is everything Bruce Campbell fans could hope for. Both his cocky charm and self-deprecating sense of humor come through loud and clear in his writing voice. As a result, the book reads like Campbell himself is relating tales of his misadventures to a science fiction convention audience. While Campbell is great at spinning yarns, as a work of fiction the story doesn't completely gel. The motives behind the antagonist's—ostensibly a Campbell superfan—attempts to undermine Campbell's career remained murky throughout the book. While funny, the ending also felt rushed and even more cartoonishly over the top than the story preceding it.

Overall this is a fun read and enthusiastically recommended to Campbell fans, but I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I have his non-fiction showbiz anecdotes.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Fiction #Humor #MakeLoveTheBruceCampbellWay #BruceCampbell