Review: The Loving Dead by Amelia Beamer

Night Shade Books, 2010
ISBN: 9781597801942
Available: Trade paperback & multi-format digital

Kate and Michael, a pair of twenty-something hipsters, are the point of view characters of choice for this attempt at a wry, offbeat, new take on the zombie apocalypse.

Unfortunately, it’s an unsuccessful attempt. Kate and Michael aren’t sympathetic characters. They witness two full zombie transitions (one during coitus and one their friend who pluckily tries to rape the first zombie) but instead of doing anything helpful they get high and watch zombie movies.There are bizarre, disconnected sex scenes (everyone on the sight-seeing zeppelin tour is being eaten, so let’s go have blood-covered sex in the bathroom) and bits of “cleverness” that just come off as eye roll-worthy (an iPhone app that sounds like a whip saves the day?). Kate and Michael seem uninterested in their own story, so it’s hard for readers to get involved either. The book just failed to connect with this reader.

For readers who like zombie stories where most of the action happens off screen while the leads make Jesus jokes and have lots of sex, The Loving Dead will be a huge hit. For readers looking for a smart, funny zombie apocalypse story, there are better choices out there.

Contains: Explicit sex, language, gore