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Zombie Pulp
DEAD MEN TELL TALES.
From the corpse factories of World War I, where graveyard rats sharpen their teeth on human bones to the wind-blown cemeteries of the prairie where resurrection comes at an unspeakable price...from the compound of a twisted messianic cult leader and his army of zombies to a post-apocalyptic wasteland where all that stands between the living and the evil dead is sacrifice in the form of a lottery.
DEAD MEN DO TELL TALES.
AND THESE ARE THEIR STORIES.
Zombie Pulp is a collection of 9 short stories and 2 never before published novellas from the twisted undead mind of Tim Curran.
From the corpse factories of World War I, where graveyard rats sharpen their teeth on human bones to the wind-blown cemeteries of the prairie where resurrection comes at an unspeakable price...from the compound of a twisted messianic cult leader and his army of zombies to a post-apocalyptic wasteland where all that stands between the living and the evil dead is sacrifice in the form of a lottery.
DEAD MEN DO TELL TALES.
AND THESE ARE THEIR STORIES.
Zombie Pulp is a collection of 9 short stories and 2 never before published novellas from the twisted undead mind of Tim Curran.
311 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 2011
17 people are currently reading
150 people want to read
About the author
Tim Curran
149 books599 followersTim Curran lives in Michigan and is the author of the novels Skin Medicine, Hive, Dead Sea, Resurrection, The Devil Next Door, and Biohazard, as well as the novella The Corpse King. His short stories have appeared in such magazines as City Slab, Flesh&Blood, Book of Dark Wisdom, and Inhuman, and anthologies such as Shivers IV, High Seas Cthulhu, and Vile Things.
For DarkFuse and its imprints, he has written the bestselling The Underdwelling, the Readers Choice-Nominated novella Fear Me, Puppet Graveyard as well as Long Black Coffin.
Find him on the web at: www.corpseking.com.
For DarkFuse and its imprints, he has written the bestselling The Underdwelling, the Readers Choice-Nominated novella Fear Me, Puppet Graveyard as well as Long Black Coffin.
Find him on the web at: www.corpseking.com.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 5, 2019
Както си показва корицата, това е сборник със зомби разкази. Ала въпреки закачливото оформление, вътре нещата са доста сериозни. Тим Кърън е събрал доста разнообразни опити по темата и като изключим морбидната му пристрастност към трупните червеи и няколкото повтарящи се кошмарни образи във всичките произведения (върху всеки един от които Фройд може да напише монография), имаме един доста богат сборник, който обхваща почти всички аспекти на зомби попкултурата.
Shelter – Ударно начало на сборника, където „Нощта на живите мъртви“ се среща с „Дух на Марс“.
Заслонът е бастион на човечеството, където малобройните му обитатели оцеляват сред унищожените, инфектирани с зомби чумата земи. Има си цена обаче. Ръководителят на мястото е сключил сделка с Драгна – мистичната ръководителка на почти разумните изроди. Цената на оцеляването е шест жертви, принесени веднъж на няколко месеца, за да оцелеят останалите. Когато приятелката на Джими е изтеглена в черната лотария, той не издържа и се противопоставя на изродите. Това ще доведе до почти пълното заличаване на Заслона, както и до разкриването на умопобъркващата тайна на Драгна.
Corpse Cadaver – Вуду приноса за сборника – кратък и кървав.
Послушен новобранец в пандиза е назначен за нощна смяна в моргата му. Очаква го нощ, която никога няма да забрави, благодарение на колегата му ветеран, изучил няколко номера от Хаити.
Emily – Тук Кърън отдава почит на трупоядната фикция. Много мрачен и потресаващ разказ.
Най-големият кошмар за една майка е да изгуби дете. Или поне до тогава, до когато не бъде отговорено на молитвите ѝ и не ѝ бъде върнато.
Dis-jointed – Почти извън зомби тематиката, кошмарен разказ за наказателно възмездие.
Група дребни мошеници решават да се отърват от лихваря, на когото всички са задлъжнели. След кошмарна вечер, когато го убиват и разчленяват, всичко трябва да влезе в нормалното русло. Само дето започват да изчезват един по един, а свидетели говорят за безглав, безкрак изрод, който ги отвлича. Те знаят кой е.
Piraya – Зомби пирани, какво повече да иска човек?
Когато плаваща химична лаборатория се обръща в Амазонка, никой не предполага какво може да се случи с изтровените пирани в нея. Една група туристи ще разберат истината, но никой няма да може да ги чуе.
They Walk by Night – Стил ноар с изключително голямо количество лафове и абсурдни сравнения.
Бившо ченге, сега частен детектив, се замесва в случай с изчезващи трупове и брутални убийства. Оказва се, че бивш професор по антропология и сериен убиец си е подал ръка с местен мафиотски бос. Комбинацията е „убийствена“.
Mortuary – „Заразно зло“ на стероиди.
Група професионални паравоенни трябва да пробият в свърталището на опасен култист и сектата му към възкресението. Никой от тях не подозира в какво ще се замесят, а то е извън всякакъв здрав разум и направо от кошмарите им. И, да, всички ще умрат.
Eulogy of the Straw-witch – Тук „Тиквана глава“ се удря в „Мама“ и хвърчат искри. Почти ърбън, почти паранормален уестърн.
Не можещ да прежали смъртта на майка си, Люк решава да закара трупа и при Сламената вещица, за която от години се носят всякакви слухове. Въпреки предупрежденията на всички, включително и нейните, Люк си знае своето. Това ще го отведе до жив кошмар и обреченост на ада.
Monkey House – Тръгна наивно и въпреки лекия сюжет някак успя да ме погълне.
Човечеството е овладяло заразата и систематично прочиства земята от ходещите трупове. Хората се организират да възстановят цивилизацията, но още има единаци, които не вярват в спасението. Точно такава двойка ще се изправи пред нов кошмар. Вирусът е прескочил през видовете и те се оказват заклещени от група зомби павиани, съживени в близката лаборатория за животински експерименти.
The Mattawan Meat Wagon – Прилича на вселената от първия разказ, но вътре има експлозия от новаторски за жанра идеи.
Човечеството е притиснато от неживите орди. За капак на почти цялостното му унищожение, голяма част от оцелелите са стерилни. Това прави незесегнатите ценен ресурс. Точно един такъв младок са връчили на стар тираджия да го дундурка. Мисията им е да закарат камион стари и болни оцелели в инфектиран град. Ако доставките са регулярни, червивите не закачат бастионите на човечеството. Когато хлапето изчезва, на ветерана ще му се наложи да обиколи пълните със зомбита улици и ще се натъкне на най-големия си кошмар – еволюцията.
Morbid Anatomy – С размерите на кратък роман, това произведение първо занижи оценката на книгата, а в последствие я удари в тавана. Поклон към лъвкрафтовият "Хърбърт Уест, съживителят на мъртвите", разказът отвежда зомби поджанра на разходка до потресаващи, тъмни селения. Главите включващи добрия доктор са размазващи по стил, докато в другите напрежението от неназовимото градира до пръскащо главата финално кресчендо.
Крил е английски фото-журналист обиколил двуцифрено число бойни полета, който има фетиш към снимането на трупове. Професията му го отвежда във Фландрия по време на Първата световна война заедно с английските войски. Това, което не знае е, че с канадските части там е пристигнал феноменално добър хирург, който обича да експериментира. Това ще доведе войниците до кошмар далеч отвъд пределите на войната.
Като цяло съм зверски доволен от произведенията. Имам забележки, основно вече споменатите повтарящи се образи, както и някой неточности, особено в историческите сюжети, но заглавието и корицата ме бяха подготвили за нещо далеч по-несериозно и по-малко въздействащо. Тим Кърън е цар на графичното насилие и жанра му е предоставил платно, на което да го нарисува възможно най-добре.
Shelter – Ударно начало на сборника, където „Нощта на живите мъртви“ се среща с „Дух на Марс“.
Заслонът е бастион на човечеството, където малобройните му обитатели оцеляват сред унищожените, инфектирани с зомби чумата земи. Има си цена обаче. Ръководителят на мястото е сключил сделка с Драгна – мистичната ръководителка на почти разумните изроди. Цената на оцеляването е шест жертви, принесени веднъж на няколко месеца, за да оцелеят останалите. Когато приятелката на Джими е изтеглена в черната лотария, той не издържа и се противопоставя на изродите. Това ще доведе до почти пълното заличаване на Заслона, както и до разкриването на умопобъркващата тайна на Драгна.
Corpse Cadaver – Вуду приноса за сборника – кратък и кървав.
Послушен новобранец в пандиза е назначен за нощна смяна в моргата му. Очаква го нощ, която никога няма да забрави, благодарение на колегата му ветеран, изучил няколко номера от Хаити.
Emily – Тук Кърън отдава почит на трупоядната фикция. Много мрачен и потресаващ разказ.
Най-големият кошмар за една майка е да изгуби дете. Или поне до тогава, до когато не бъде отговорено на молитвите ѝ и не ѝ бъде върнато.
Dis-jointed – Почти извън зомби тематиката, кошмарен разказ за наказателно възмездие.
Група дребни мошеници решават да се отърват от лихваря, на когото всички са задлъжнели. След кошмарна вечер, когато го убиват и разчленяват, всичко трябва да влезе в нормалното русло. Само дето започват да изчезват един по един, а свидетели говорят за безглав, безкрак изрод, който ги отвлича. Те знаят кой е.
Piraya – Зомби пирани, какво повече да иска човек?
Когато плаваща химична лаборатория се обръща в Амазонка, никой не предполага какво може да се случи с изтровените пирани в нея. Една група туристи ще разберат истината, но никой няма да може да ги чуе.
They Walk by Night – Стил ноар с изключително голямо количество лафове и абсурдни сравнения.
Бившо ченге, сега частен детектив, се замесва в случай с изчезващи трупове и брутални убийства. Оказва се, че бивш професор по антропология и сериен убиец си е подал ръка с местен мафиотски бос. Комбинацията е „убийствена“.
Mortuary – „Заразно зло“ на стероиди.
Група професионални паравоенни трябва да пробият в свърталището на опасен култист и сектата му към възкресението. Никой от тях не подозира в какво ще се замесят, а то е извън всякакъв здрав разум и направо от кошмарите им. И, да, всички ще умрат.
Eulogy of the Straw-witch – Тук „Тиквана глава“ се удря в „Мама“ и хвърчат искри. Почти ърбън, почти паранормален уестърн.
Не можещ да прежали смъртта на майка си, Люк решава да закара трупа и при Сламената вещица, за която от години се носят всякакви слухове. Въпреки предупрежденията на всички, включително и нейните, Люк си знае своето. Това ще го отведе до жив кошмар и обреченост на ада.
Monkey House – Тръгна наивно и въпреки лекия сюжет някак успя да ме погълне.
Човечеството е овладяло заразата и систематично прочиства земята от ходещите трупове. Хората се организират да възстановят цивилизацията, но още има единаци, които не вярват в спасението. Точно такава двойка ще се изправи пред нов кошмар. Вирусът е прескочил през видовете и те се оказват заклещени от група зомби павиани, съживени в близката лаборатория за животински експерименти.
The Mattawan Meat Wagon – Прилича на вселената от първия разказ, но вътре има експлозия от новаторски за жанра идеи.
Човечеството е притиснато от неживите орди. За капак на почти цялостното му унищожение, голяма част от оцелелите са стерилни. Това прави незесегнатите ценен ресурс. Точно един такъв младок са връчили на стар тираджия да го дундурка. Мисията им е да закарат камион стари и болни оцелели в инфектиран град. Ако доставките са регулярни, червивите не закачат бастионите на човечеството. Когато хлапето изчезва, на ветерана ще му се наложи да обиколи пълните със зомбита улици и ще се натъкне на най-големия си кошмар – еволюцията.
Morbid Anatomy – С размерите на кратък роман, това произведение първо занижи оценката на книгата, а в последствие я удари в тавана. Поклон към лъвкрафтовият "Хърбърт Уест, съживителят на мъртвите", разказът отвежда зомби поджанра на разходка до потресаващи, тъмни селения. Главите включващи добрия доктор са размазващи по стил, докато в другите напрежението от неназовимото градира до пръскащо главата финално кресчендо.
Крил е английски фото-журналист обиколил двуцифрено число бойни полета, който има фетиш към снимането на трупове. Професията му го отвежда във Фландрия по време на Първата световна война заедно с английските войски. Това, което не знае е, че с канадските части там е пристигнал феноменално добър хирург, който обича да експериментира. Това ще доведе войниците до кошмар далеч отвъд пределите на войната.
Като цяло съм зверски доволен от произведенията. Имам забележки, основно вече споменатите повтарящи се образи, както и някой неточности, особено в историческите сюжети, но заглавието и корицата ме бяха подготвили за нещо далеч по-несериозно и по-малко въздействащо. Тим Кърън е цар на графичното насилие и жанра му е предоставил платно, на което да го нарисува възможно най-добре.
September 27, 2018
Easily the best book I've read in 2018, and possibly the best collection of "short" stories I've consumed in several years, Tim Curran's Zombie Pulp is a delight for all fans of the shambling, monstrous undead.
It would have garnered an all too rare 5 star rating from me had the final tale in the collection - Morbid Anatomy, which picks up Lovecraft's character Dr Herbert West and plonks him down in the middle of the Great War - not given in to the excess for which Curran is infamous for. The "excess" in this instance meaning his far too descriptive prose which gets so bogged down in describing the horrifying details of what the characters are facing that it eventually ceases to be horrifying at all.
But then there are shorter tales like Piraya, The Mattawan Meat Wagon and Mortuary which are perfectly balanced between his detailed style of writing and the horror he is aiming to convey.
All of the other tales are all good to very solid, meaning that this is one of those rare tomes of collected shorter fiction which is consistently entertaining.
In short, fans of zombie fiction should not hesitate to allow Zombie Pulp to sink its teeth into them.
4.5 Undead Animal Kingdoms for Zombie Pulp.
It would have garnered an all too rare 5 star rating from me had the final tale in the collection - Morbid Anatomy, which picks up Lovecraft's character Dr Herbert West and plonks him down in the middle of the Great War - not given in to the excess for which Curran is infamous for. The "excess" in this instance meaning his far too descriptive prose which gets so bogged down in describing the horrifying details of what the characters are facing that it eventually ceases to be horrifying at all.
But then there are shorter tales like Piraya, The Mattawan Meat Wagon and Mortuary which are perfectly balanced between his detailed style of writing and the horror he is aiming to convey.
All of the other tales are all good to very solid, meaning that this is one of those rare tomes of collected shorter fiction which is consistently entertaining.
In short, fans of zombie fiction should not hesitate to allow Zombie Pulp to sink its teeth into them.
4.5 Undead Animal Kingdoms for Zombie Pulp.
July 21, 2016
This is a collection of books from one of my favourite horror/gore writers. His stories have vivid images of a apocalpytic future where everything when down the rail. When I was a little tired of reading full lengthened books I pick this one off. Beautiful cover and what can you expect from a cover where a zombie is dressed as a german soldier of the ww1. Excellent.
Most of these stories are self-contained and don't share a background with other novels. Or at least I am not aware of it.
The Shelter - A ode to Shirley Jackson's the Lottery. Imagine a safehouse and all around zombie like creatures who demand meat every couple of months. If they don't sacrifice 6 humans the undead will kill them all. This tale is pure drama. I don't know but I think this story is connected to Biohazard.
Corpse Cadavre - This tale is not an apocalpytic tale, but an old type of zombies... Voodoo zombies. Set in a prison the mortuary warden has a way with them.
Emily - A story of parenthood. How far are you go for your child. Quite interesting tale and one of the few I didn't felt I've read somewhere before.
Dis-Joined - This short story has some gangster feeling but in the end I didn't thought it was that interesting or good for that matter. One of the weakest.
Piraya - Zombie Piranhas. What's not to like. Awesome. I thought the story in overall was very good. This is the best of the lot.
They walk by night is a novella that has some ideas from the old pulp detective tales and it's full of cliches. Good in my opinion but a bit big.
Mortuary Those crazy religious fanatics... what are they up now! I wonder. Good tale.
Eulogy of the Straw-Witch was my least favorite tale so far... after I slept it vanished my mind.
Monkey House - It was a nice survival story. Not always being prepared is sufficient to survive. It evolves lab monkeys, the army and survivalists
The Mattawan Meat Wagon This one is connected to the Shelter I think. Good story.
Morbid Anatomy is the last story that comprises one third of the book. This story involves a Lovecraft's character called Herbert West doing his experiments in the World War I. Average tale.
If you are a fan of Tim Curran you will not be disappointing. If you are new to him I would advice Biohazard. I like that one better.
I looked out the gunport slit and I could see the action just fine. The Wormboys were coming from every direction, waxy faces like melting goat curds or rippling, papier-mache. A Hot of steam of rot rose from them in a sickening, churming mist. Some of them were walking, but others had crawled from ditches and pockets of shadow and many of them were missing limbs. I saw headless trunks. Severed hands. What looked like a rolling head. A woman whose flesh looked like it had been boiled saw me watching her and turned, shambling over towards the door. Her eyes were slimy rotten eggs bulging from raw red sockets, her face a worm carnival. She thrust her backside at me and lifted the ragged remains of her dress. Something like a gushing stream of rice pissed out from between her legs.
Disgusting isn't it? :)
Most of these stories are self-contained and don't share a background with other novels. Or at least I am not aware of it.
The Shelter - A ode to Shirley Jackson's the Lottery. Imagine a safehouse and all around zombie like creatures who demand meat every couple of months. If they don't sacrifice 6 humans the undead will kill them all. This tale is pure drama. I don't know but I think this story is connected to Biohazard.
Corpse Cadavre - This tale is not an apocalpytic tale, but an old type of zombies... Voodoo zombies. Set in a prison the mortuary warden has a way with them.
Emily - A story of parenthood. How far are you go for your child. Quite interesting tale and one of the few I didn't felt I've read somewhere before.
Dis-Joined - This short story has some gangster feeling but in the end I didn't thought it was that interesting or good for that matter. One of the weakest.
Piraya - Zombie Piranhas. What's not to like. Awesome. I thought the story in overall was very good. This is the best of the lot.
They walk by night is a novella that has some ideas from the old pulp detective tales and it's full of cliches. Good in my opinion but a bit big.
Mortuary Those crazy religious fanatics... what are they up now! I wonder. Good tale.
Eulogy of the Straw-Witch was my least favorite tale so far... after I slept it vanished my mind.
Monkey House - It was a nice survival story. Not always being prepared is sufficient to survive. It evolves lab monkeys, the army and survivalists
The Mattawan Meat Wagon This one is connected to the Shelter I think. Good story.
Morbid Anatomy is the last story that comprises one third of the book. This story involves a Lovecraft's character called Herbert West doing his experiments in the World War I. Average tale.
If you are a fan of Tim Curran you will not be disappointing. If you are new to him I would advice Biohazard. I like that one better.
I looked out the gunport slit and I could see the action just fine. The Wormboys were coming from every direction, waxy faces like melting goat curds or rippling, papier-mache. A Hot of steam of rot rose from them in a sickening, churming mist. Some of them were walking, but others had crawled from ditches and pockets of shadow and many of them were missing limbs. I saw headless trunks. Severed hands. What looked like a rolling head. A woman whose flesh looked like it had been boiled saw me watching her and turned, shambling over towards the door. Her eyes were slimy rotten eggs bulging from raw red sockets, her face a worm carnival. She thrust her backside at me and lifted the ragged remains of her dress. Something like a gushing stream of rice pissed out from between her legs.
Disgusting isn't it? :)
March 13, 2013
For those who love zombies this is a mixed bag of short stories and novellas; a couple are decent, three great and several mediocre to downright awful.
While I don't mind a zombie tale now and again, I'm weary of the monster as a whole. Zombies in 2013 have been played out almost to the point of absurdity. They can still be scary at times as Curran shows in a few stories in this collection. I'll give the author credit for trying really hard to do something fresh, but in most these stories he insufferably beats the dead.
Here is a brief overview of the tales and length in what is a meaty, pardon the pun, collection at 14,565 Kindle locations:
"SHELTER" - 1,800 Kindle locations. A lottery is held in a shelter where six losers are sacrificed to a ravenous zombie horde above ground. A decent opening story that sets the stage. As expected, Curran's description is great, and I grew more excited about reading the rest of the collection. Also liked the not so subtle nod to Shirley Jackson's famous story. 3.5 stars.
"EMILY" - 981 Kindle locations. A mother secrets her zombie daughter away from the living--at a terrible cost. My second favorite story in the collection. I haven't read a zombie story like this one before, very creative! 5 stars.
"CORPS CADAVRE" - 634 Kindle locations. A prison mortuary with a disturbing secret. Good atmosphere and use of setting. It's no FEAR ME, but it's a good prison horror zombie story. 3.75 stars.
"DIS-JOINTED" - 620 Kindle locations. An overweight bookie is murdered and the disposal takes a grisly turn. Predictable and boring in parts. I didn't like this one. 1.5 stars.
"PIRAYA" - 900 Kindle locations. OMG zombie piranhas! Jaws has nothing on these monsters. I can still picture a few of the horrific scenes. This one is brilliant and a must read for any horror fan. 5 stars.
"THEY WALK BY NIGHT" - 1,752 Kindle locations. Private eye first person pov investigating zombies. Too long and not very compelling. 2 stars.
"MORTUARY" - 876 Kindle locations. A Waco-like siege against an unexpected army of zombies. A decent premise but the pacing just didn't work for me. 2.75 stars.
"EULOGY OF THE STRAW WITCH" - 669 Kindle locations. A zombie story so forgettable that I can't remember what it's about besides ... zombies. My least favorite tale in the collection. Thankfully one of the shortest ones. 1 star.
"MONKEY HOUSE" - 869 Kindle locations. Test monkeys in a lab turned into pure zombie horror. Loved the tension, characters and gripping narrative in this one. 4.5 stars.
"THE MATTAWAN MEAT WAGON" 966 Kindle locations. A ride along with meat in the back and zombies in the distance. Nothing much stands out. 2.75 stars.
"MORBID ANATOMY" - 3,925 Kindle locations. A blend of Lovecraft, zombies and war that sounds more exciting than how it reads. 2 stars.
I'm a fan of Tim Curran but this collection is mostly zombie stuff seen before, regurgitated and written with Curran's darkly descriptive flair. Some of the stories read like they were written by a younger and less skilled Tim Curran. Maybe these were written earlier in his career?
Clearly the author likes zombies and wanted to pay homage to pulp stories. I'm down with that concept, but this collection is only recommended reading for three stories in particular: ("PIRAYA", "EMILY" and "MONKEY HOUSE" -- these are fantastic short stories!), which jump the overall rating to 3.75 stars but I'm rounding down the overall rating, because without those tales this would be a sub three star read.
While I don't mind a zombie tale now and again, I'm weary of the monster as a whole. Zombies in 2013 have been played out almost to the point of absurdity. They can still be scary at times as Curran shows in a few stories in this collection. I'll give the author credit for trying really hard to do something fresh, but in most these stories he insufferably beats the dead.
Here is a brief overview of the tales and length in what is a meaty, pardon the pun, collection at 14,565 Kindle locations:
"SHELTER" - 1,800 Kindle locations. A lottery is held in a shelter where six losers are sacrificed to a ravenous zombie horde above ground. A decent opening story that sets the stage. As expected, Curran's description is great, and I grew more excited about reading the rest of the collection. Also liked the not so subtle nod to Shirley Jackson's famous story. 3.5 stars.
"EMILY" - 981 Kindle locations. A mother secrets her zombie daughter away from the living--at a terrible cost. My second favorite story in the collection. I haven't read a zombie story like this one before, very creative! 5 stars.
"CORPS CADAVRE" - 634 Kindle locations. A prison mortuary with a disturbing secret. Good atmosphere and use of setting. It's no FEAR ME, but it's a good prison horror zombie story. 3.75 stars.
"DIS-JOINTED" - 620 Kindle locations. An overweight bookie is murdered and the disposal takes a grisly turn. Predictable and boring in parts. I didn't like this one. 1.5 stars.
"PIRAYA" - 900 Kindle locations. OMG zombie piranhas! Jaws has nothing on these monsters. I can still picture a few of the horrific scenes. This one is brilliant and a must read for any horror fan. 5 stars.
"THEY WALK BY NIGHT" - 1,752 Kindle locations. Private eye first person pov investigating zombies. Too long and not very compelling. 2 stars.
"MORTUARY" - 876 Kindle locations. A Waco-like siege against an unexpected army of zombies. A decent premise but the pacing just didn't work for me. 2.75 stars.
"EULOGY OF THE STRAW WITCH" - 669 Kindle locations. A zombie story so forgettable that I can't remember what it's about besides ... zombies. My least favorite tale in the collection. Thankfully one of the shortest ones. 1 star.
"MONKEY HOUSE" - 869 Kindle locations. Test monkeys in a lab turned into pure zombie horror. Loved the tension, characters and gripping narrative in this one. 4.5 stars.
"THE MATTAWAN MEAT WAGON" 966 Kindle locations. A ride along with meat in the back and zombies in the distance. Nothing much stands out. 2.75 stars.
"MORBID ANATOMY" - 3,925 Kindle locations. A blend of Lovecraft, zombies and war that sounds more exciting than how it reads. 2 stars.
I'm a fan of Tim Curran but this collection is mostly zombie stuff seen before, regurgitated and written with Curran's darkly descriptive flair. Some of the stories read like they were written by a younger and less skilled Tim Curran. Maybe these were written earlier in his career?
Clearly the author likes zombies and wanted to pay homage to pulp stories. I'm down with that concept, but this collection is only recommended reading for three stories in particular: ("PIRAYA", "EMILY" and "MONKEY HOUSE" -- these are fantastic short stories!), which jump the overall rating to 3.75 stars but I'm rounding down the overall rating, because without those tales this would be a sub three star read.
March 19, 2011
Tim Curran’s Zombie Pulp is comprised of nine short stories and two novellas, all of which deal with the undead. Two of the short stories, “Shelter” and “The Mattawan Meat Wagon,” appear to be set in the same world, one inhabited by ‘Wormboys,’ a form of zombie capable of organization and logical thought. The others cover a prison’s bizarre method of body disposal, a woman’s not-so-joyful reunion with her dearly-departed daughter, a similar reunion between a man and his mother, the grisly result of a botched underworld murder, a vacationing couple’s run-in with an even hungrier-than-usual school of piranha, a law-enforcement raid on the strangest cult ever and a world overrun by zombie primates.
The two novellas, “They Walk by Night” and “Morbid Anatomy,” stand head and shoulders above the rest of the collection. The former is a pulp-noir detective story pitting your typical tough-as-nails private dick against a group of criminals accused of digging up and resurrecting the dead to further their nefarious schemes. The latter is connected somehow to a Lovecraft story called Herbert West: Reanimator that I’m sorry to say I’ve never read, and mixes horrific zombies, grisly scientific experiments and the real-life horrors of World War I.
Zombie Pulp is an excellent showcase of Curran’s range; he writes housewives, every day people, police and soldiers (both modern and historical), in an equally convincing manner. “They Walk by Night” in particular demonstrates his talent for creating the mood and gets Curran high marks for use of vernacular and the two ‘Wormboy’ tales, for lack of a better descriptor, hint at a world and backstory that could easily be expanded into a longer body of work, perhaps even a series.
The two novellas, “They Walk by Night” and “Morbid Anatomy,” stand head and shoulders above the rest of the collection. The former is a pulp-noir detective story pitting your typical tough-as-nails private dick against a group of criminals accused of digging up and resurrecting the dead to further their nefarious schemes. The latter is connected somehow to a Lovecraft story called Herbert West: Reanimator that I’m sorry to say I’ve never read, and mixes horrific zombies, grisly scientific experiments and the real-life horrors of World War I.
Zombie Pulp is an excellent showcase of Curran’s range; he writes housewives, every day people, police and soldiers (both modern and historical), in an equally convincing manner. “They Walk by Night” in particular demonstrates his talent for creating the mood and gets Curran high marks for use of vernacular and the two ‘Wormboy’ tales, for lack of a better descriptor, hint at a world and backstory that could easily be expanded into a longer body of work, perhaps even a series.
December 8, 2015
4 Stars
Most of these stories were the equivalent of a decent Horror B-Movie. Like Sharknado 3, or something. What brought this collection from 2.5 to 4 stars, was the last story. Morbid Anatomy. Great writing, some putrescence of course; but we all love zombie goo. Right? Anyway, great frankenstein-evil-morbid-twisted-genius scientist and his faithful sidekick and the hell they raise with advances in research.... yeah, right...
Here are the ratings:
The Shelter: 4 Stars - Uhm, that was gory. twisted game we have going here. I give you shelter, but at a cost. No, Thank you!
Corpse Cadaver: 4 Stars - Much better than the first story. The end was just COLD. Dang, why did it have to go down like that??!
Emily - 3 Stars - It was too long and after a fashion, just didn't make sense. I hate zombies that can think and respond. What happened to all the moaning and shuffling!!??
Disjointed - 2 Stars - What was this about again???
Piraya - 2 Stars. Zombie fish..really??
They Walk by Night - 2.5 Stars
Mortuary - 3 Stars. HA! Good one.
Eulogy of the Straw-Witch - 2 Stars. I want my mama. UGH!!!
Monkey House - 2.5 Stars. I told you not to go out there! Dumb-assness.
The Mattawan Meat Wagon - 2.5 Stars. If you get out the truck; you are on your own. I won't chase you.
Morbid Anatomy - 4 Stars. I loved this one. Best of the lot; it was also the longest.
Most of these stories were the equivalent of a decent Horror B-Movie. Like Sharknado 3, or something. What brought this collection from 2.5 to 4 stars, was the last story. Morbid Anatomy. Great writing, some putrescence of course; but we all love zombie goo. Right? Anyway, great frankenstein-evil-morbid-twisted-genius scientist and his faithful sidekick and the hell they raise with advances in research.... yeah, right...
Here are the ratings:
The Shelter: 4 Stars - Uhm, that was gory. twisted game we have going here. I give you shelter, but at a cost. No, Thank you!
Corpse Cadaver: 4 Stars - Much better than the first story. The end was just COLD. Dang, why did it have to go down like that??!
Emily - 3 Stars - It was too long and after a fashion, just didn't make sense. I hate zombies that can think and respond. What happened to all the moaning and shuffling!!??
Disjointed - 2 Stars - What was this about again???
Piraya - 2 Stars. Zombie fish..really??
They Walk by Night - 2.5 Stars
Mortuary - 3 Stars. HA! Good one.
Eulogy of the Straw-Witch - 2 Stars. I want my mama. UGH!!!
Monkey House - 2.5 Stars. I told you not to go out there! Dumb-assness.
The Mattawan Meat Wagon - 2.5 Stars. If you get out the truck; you are on your own. I won't chase you.
Morbid Anatomy - 4 Stars. I loved this one. Best of the lot; it was also the longest.
December 15, 2016
Call it 3.5 stars. A little bumpy and uneven, as many short story collections tend to be, but there are a few gems here, definitely including the Herbert West tale that wraps it all up with a bang.
Also: zombie piranhas. I mean, come on, zombie piranhas. Hell yes.
Also: zombie piranhas. I mean, come on, zombie piranhas. Hell yes.
January 25, 2023
Better than Lovecraft
I am not usually shocked by zombie tales but Curran's collection managed it. Truly horrifying. The last tale taking a look at Lovecraft's Herbert West Reanimator is the best in the book and infinitely superior to Lovecraft's original. It's worth buying the book for that alone.
I am not usually shocked by zombie tales but Curran's collection managed it. Truly horrifying. The last tale taking a look at Lovecraft's Herbert West Reanimator is the best in the book and infinitely superior to Lovecraft's original. It's worth buying the book for that alone.
October 4, 2020
Mindless, violent, disgusting, bloody and just plain fun. Some stories were awful yet enjoyable (the same way most B Horror movies are) and that was exactly what I was looking for. Had a great time reading this. Just have fun with it but don't expect anything groundbreaking
October 20, 2017
this anthology is absolutely chilling, gross, and disturbing at a primal level. a must read for zombie fans. my first book read from this guy- I'm a fan now!
July 16, 2013
We all have our favorite monsters, those denizens of our nightmares that both horrify and fascinate us. They show up in our books, our TV shows, snarling out of the silver screen and roaring with the chorus of our songs. The media caters to the flavor of the week and before you know it the creeps and ghouls are coming out of the woodwork, last time it was sparkling vampires, now you can find heaps of reanimated dead. Zombies have long been a staple in the horror genera and with a recent resurrection in popularity thanks to The Walking Dead, zombie novels have become a dime a dozen. Seems like for every Wold War Z you find, you have to shift through piles of over used plot devices and generic plague outbreaks. That's why when I came across Tim Curran's Zombie Pulp I felt like I just struck gold in the Yukon.
For starters the cover is a beautiful homage to those old exploitative era magazines, the kind that would read “Tentacle lover from space” or “ The bikini bungalow slasher” and reminded me fondly of those Fright Time series books I used to read growing up. However if those books had any of the stories Curran has packed into Zombie Pulp I would probably still be in therapy.
Curran manages to pen a variety of grizzly tales; from jail house voodoo to randomly selected zombie sacrifices, as well as covering undead zoology and one mother's undying love. Curran has a flair for the grotesque and many of the images he conjurors up will turn your stomach. In particular how he describes a certain female zombie is truly horrifying. Speaking of the zombies they are not your typical brain dead munchers for the most part, which will turn off a lot of the Romero purists out there. Sometimes they come across more as tribal cannibals (Shelter) or just more flesh hungry versions of who they were when alive (Emily), a la Pet Semetary.
Unfortunately not every nugget of gold is as pure as the rest and a few of the stories fall flat. Partly due to Curran's over use of the same descriptors and that goes hand in hand with another issue that some people might find a little off putting. Those gruesome images do tend to come across pretty heavy handed at times and end up becoming fairly repetitive. While Curran's range under a common theme is impressive and many scream sweeter than others in the same genre, a few of the stories feel like so little skin stretched over too much bone.
For starters the cover is a beautiful homage to those old exploitative era magazines, the kind that would read “Tentacle lover from space” or “ The bikini bungalow slasher” and reminded me fondly of those Fright Time series books I used to read growing up. However if those books had any of the stories Curran has packed into Zombie Pulp I would probably still be in therapy.
Curran manages to pen a variety of grizzly tales; from jail house voodoo to randomly selected zombie sacrifices, as well as covering undead zoology and one mother's undying love. Curran has a flair for the grotesque and many of the images he conjurors up will turn your stomach. In particular how he describes a certain female zombie is truly horrifying. Speaking of the zombies they are not your typical brain dead munchers for the most part, which will turn off a lot of the Romero purists out there. Sometimes they come across more as tribal cannibals (Shelter) or just more flesh hungry versions of who they were when alive (Emily), a la Pet Semetary.
Unfortunately not every nugget of gold is as pure as the rest and a few of the stories fall flat. Partly due to Curran's over use of the same descriptors and that goes hand in hand with another issue that some people might find a little off putting. Those gruesome images do tend to come across pretty heavy handed at times and end up becoming fairly repetitive. While Curran's range under a common theme is impressive and many scream sweeter than others in the same genre, a few of the stories feel like so little skin stretched over too much bone.
March 26, 2012
First off, I have to say I'm am really impressed that one author can write so many different zombie stories, all of them in different styles and none of them having the same origin for the zombie plague (and most having very different kinds of zombies). That was definitely the most impressive thing.
Second, all but the last story (which I'll get to in a bit) were incredibly good stories and hard to put down. But, and this was a big but that really took away from how much I enjoyed the book, Curran seems to have a hell of a time finishing his stories. It's not even that they were bad endings, they seemed to be lacking an ending at all. And after recognizing this pattern it made me apprehensive to finish any of the stories, because I knew as much as I was enjoying them they would end with a fizzle and little resolution.
The only one that I felt had a good, strong ending was the last one which was more of a novella than a short story. And it had a great ending, BUT the story it's self was very repetitive and very hard to get through and it felt like it could have been much shorter. It started out really good, but like I said, it really started to drag about the middle and then had a slow painful death.
Second, all but the last story (which I'll get to in a bit) were incredibly good stories and hard to put down. But, and this was a big but that really took away from how much I enjoyed the book, Curran seems to have a hell of a time finishing his stories. It's not even that they were bad endings, they seemed to be lacking an ending at all. And after recognizing this pattern it made me apprehensive to finish any of the stories, because I knew as much as I was enjoying them they would end with a fizzle and little resolution.
The only one that I felt had a good, strong ending was the last one which was more of a novella than a short story. And it had a great ending, BUT the story it's self was very repetitive and very hard to get through and it felt like it could have been much shorter. It started out really good, but like I said, it really started to drag about the middle and then had a slow painful death.
April 24, 2013
Overall a decent series of short stories. The last one (Mortuary) could have been a little shorter i think. It seemed to drone on and on and i started getting bored with it over time. Most of the stories I liked with the except of maybe one that I wasn't too fond of.
Decent collection in the end. I liked it.
Decent collection in the end. I liked it.
January 24, 2016
Great collection of undead tales.
Curran does it against with this bony handful of stories featuring the living dead. Loved the ones featuring the Wormboys world and the gory as hell HPL closer is just fantastic.
Curran does it against with this bony handful of stories featuring the living dead. Loved the ones featuring the Wormboys world and the gory as hell HPL closer is just fantastic.
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