Apocalypta Z by Maer Wilson
A Book Review by Carol Holland March
This is one of the few zombie books I have read recently since generally I am turned off by the blood and gore and the lurid descriptions of flesh eating. This book is different. It is told in multiple points of view, mainly from Maddie, a no longer young librarian who encounters zombies at a rest stop in a desert as she drives home with her two dogs.
The other point of view that is most memorable is a poodle who is by far the most adorable animal you could hope to be stranded with in an apocalypse. As the novel opens, the little poodle is left behind so Maddie can escape the zombies, and the adventures of the tiny dog as she trudges down the highway, chased by two zombie dogs, set the plot in motion.
Maddie is a likeable character. Her dogs are her family, and she is sharp and self-sufficient. After she rescues her dog, she also rescues an abandoned child. She and her friend Nick devise a plan to use the local hotel to shelter the few remaining residents of town who did not become zombies. As they carry out their plan, we learn who they are and how they become leaders of this community of survivors.
I was surprised at the explanation given for the zombie apocalypse, which came late in the book, and I love being surprised. This is more an adventure/mystery story than horror, so if you’re up for an adventure story with some endearing characters that will not give you nightmares, give this one a try. It’s worth a read.
Carol Holland March writes fantasy, magical realism, and science fiction because she loves the intersection of dreams, reality, and time. She lives and works in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in a house she shares with two demanding dogs who bring her ideas for stories in exchange for long bike rides through the river bosque and the occasional treat. In addition to writing stories of love and longing, she teaches creativity at the University of New Mexico using writing as a tool for insight. Her short stories have been published in magazines and anthologies and are collected in The Way Home, Star Crossed, and The Man Who Watched the Stars. Her first novel, The Dreamwalkers of Larreta, will soon be available from Ellysian Press. Visit CarolHollandMarch.com for information about the worlds that spin out of her head.
Speculative Fiction Writer
KL Wagoner 
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