Dead Beat
Written by: Remy Porter
Published by: Wild Wolf Publishing (June 30, 2010)
Page Count: 242 pages
ISBN-10: 0956373364
ISBN-13: 978-0956373366
Where to buy:
Wild Wolf Publishing
AmazonPublisher’s Comments:
Haven, Population: 2000. A place where Johnny sleepwalks the beat, counting down the hours to the end of another police shift. Burying the secret deeper. But this is the day the world ends. The infection has spread unchecked, and now the dead have domain. Johnny is thrown into a fight to survive. The shattered community around him willing to do anything to stay alive. But as putrefacted bodies close in, it’s the villager’s rotten hearts he begins to fear the most … And beyond them the puppetmasters who started it all. With a foreword written by award-winning author of Domain of the Dead.About the Author:
Remy Porter is British. He recently emigrated to South Australia with his wife and young daughter. Dead Beat is his first novel.
For further information on Remy’s writing visit his website at: RemyPorter.com.
Hello Ghouls and Boils,
Before we talk about today’s terrifying tale, I have some phantastic news to share! She Never Slept has added a new Minion (Reviewer) to the ranks. Please help us in welcoming Trevor Curtis to the SNS staff! If you would like to read more about him, stop by the SNS Staff page. I am sure his going to do a spooktacular job and we are thrilled to have him on board!
Today’s terrorific tale is a fast-paced Zombie thriller written by a Facebook pal of mine, Remy Porter. This is his debut novel and I am curious to read it myself. Our newest Minion, Trevor, will share his thoughts on this gruesome story with us. Enjoy, my fiends!
Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Covert
Anyone in the novel writing business will tell you that what’s hot goes in streaks. It’s especially true in horror, where the current wave is zombie fiction. From best sellers like Max Brooks “World War Z” to underground sensations like Brian Keene’s “The Rising” (still the most depressing novel I’ve ever read), zombies are gaining on vampires to be the head monster in horror. One of the newer entries is “Dead Beat” by Remy Porter.
The book starts with several scenes told from other characters point of view as the zombie plague starts to unfold in a small seaside Scottish town. Most of these are told from third person, while the entire story involving Johnny, the town police officer and main character are told from first person. It’s interesting from a style point, but jarring when it comes after four other sections told from four different viewpoints. Johnny quickly organizes the town in the wake of the zombie attacks, but is soon challenged by Jack, a local farmer, for leadership of the town. The battle for the town’s soul, as it were, between Jack and Johnny, forms the main focus of the book. It leads to a Lord of the Flies situation, with Jack’s son Griffin leading the way down into a path of mass killing and insanity. It ends violently, with rapes and explosions, and John flees out into the ocean, which should end the book.
The book then tacks on another 40 pages involving John leaving the town and landing on an oil rig close to shore. It just happens to be the one with the environmentalists who started the plague in a botched attempt to decrease the world’s population. Of course, John saves the day and then ends up back in a final confrontation with Jack.
How much you’ll like this book depends on your tastes. If you’re a fan of slow brooding horror, this is not for you. The action is fast, violent and detailed. It veers not towards the late 80’s “splatterpunk” but more towards the torture porn of directors like Eli Roth. It’s a fast read, light on real plot twists, and heavy on the action. There are a few problems with the book, though.
My chief problem with the book is exactly what most of the Amazon reviews have portrayed as one of its chief strengths, the characters. It’s not so much the detailing of them or the variety (which were both excellent) but the believability of their actions. I’m supposed to believe a farmer, widowed recently, as soon as the shit goes flying, turns into a tyrannical rapist? Or that in the stress of a zombie apocalypse, the town drunk is going to going to suddenly straighten up and turn into the town professor? As the son of two addict parents, the odds of that happening are as likely as Obama participating in a Klan march.
Final Thoughts:
Implausible character actions aside, Dead Beat is a worthwhile stop for fans of violent, gory zombie horror. Other folks won’t find too much they enjoy here. I grew up on splatterpunk so I am giving this a 2.5 out of 5.Trevor Curtis, Minion (Reviewer)
