Jesse Petersen

Ahhhhh! Perfection... of course!

At the end of of Married With Zombies, David and Sarh had decided they were such kick ass zombie slayers that they would go into post Zombie Apocalypse business!

Flip This Zombie picks up right where MWZ left off- so ZombieBusters Extermination Inc. at your service! For all your zombie needs!

However, this time around they are dealing with an entirely different bread of zombies. Faster... smarter... "Bionic Zombies" to quote Sarah.

When they get their next 'job' show more via a note at a survivor camp (What? You think cell phones survived the Zombie Apocalypse?) the last thing they were expecting was a Luke Wilson look alike- mad-scientist type guy, CLAIMING to have found a cure for the zombie epidemic. Oh... and he was pointing a "shit-load of guns" controlled by a little remote straight at them.

DR. Kevin Barnes needs them to CATCH a zombie (Suuuuure- no big deal Doc!) in order to 'test' his cure on the infected. Well, Dave was uuuum- less than enthusiastic about that idea. But, Sarah was more easily swayed by a shower and an arsenal of awesome weaponry!

"We'd even gotten one of those handhelp multi-shot cannons I'd coveted. I have to admit, I creamed my shorts a little everytime I looked at it all awesome and deadly and stuff in the back of the van." -Sarah

Sarah is SO my kinda chick! I freaking love her.

They DO catch a zombie and 'The Kid' (Robbie-NOT a zombie) ... but the good doctor needs more zombies. (You know for research and all.) Needless to say, they go on their next 'Catch a Zombie Mission' and everything is going fairly smoothly- UNTIL the zombie gets loose INSIDE their van while in transit back to the lab! *GASP*

Luckily they crash right outside the lab and the doc saves them. But David is now positive that Dr. Kevin is behind these new bionic zombies and LEAVES Sarah when she refuses to quit helping with the doc's research! *tears*

Sarah is seconds away from being eaten by zombies on her first solitary mission when David bursts in and saves the day!!!

"He was beautiful and dependable and whole and mine! And I owed him a big fucking apology. And probably a blow job or something, because I had truly screwed up." -Sarah

You will NEVER guess how this turns out dude! It's totally an OH. MY. FREAKING. GOD. moment(s). I'm still amazed... Married With Zombies is zombie awesomeness at it's best. Flip This Zombie is seriously DOUBLY awesome and I absolutely cannot wait to start Eat, Slay, Love! show less

Sarah and David are constantly bickering and on the edge of divorce... until they show up for their couple's counseling session one day and their therapist tries to eat them. But will surviving the zombie apocalypse together save their marriage?

OK, with a premise like that, I think you have two possible ways to end up with something actually good. One is to use the horror and absurdity of the zombie apocalypse as a backdrop for an actually insightful exploration of the nature of a troubled show more marriage. Based on the title, the cover, and the cheap mass-market nature of the publication, I was not expecting this approach. The other option is to write a fun, Shaun of the Dead-style romp with the troubled marriage thing there to add humor, character moments, and maybe even a touch of heart. This is definitely the approach this one is going for. Does it succeed? Eh, not really.

I mean, I guess there's a moment or two when I came close to smiling at some comment one or the other of the central couple made, but that's about all I can say for it. Really, it's just a bog-standard zombie story. Well, all right, that's just a little unfair, as it does use a slightly different-than-usual idea about how people turn into zombies, where the bloodlust actually precedes the zombification. That is something that could be used to add horror, tension, and emotional impact, but unfortunately the story doesn't really do anything all that interesting with it. So, well, I may be less tired of zombies than most people, but this one still kind of left me yawning. I definitely won't be going on with the rest of the series. show less

If you ever find yourself with some time on a lazy afternoon, in the mood for a book that's light, funny and just a little silly, I highly recommend the Monstrosity series by Jesse Petersen. They're super quick reads and are like pure fluffy cotton candy for the brain. Anyway, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This one is actually a follow-up to Club Monstrosity, in which we were first show more introduced to the motley crew of monsters who meets twice a week in a church basement for their Monstofelldosis Anonymous support group. After the events of that first book, however, the topics of their meetings have understandably shifted from more touchy-feely subjects to war planning and preparations for their fight against the descendent of fiction's most famous monster hunter and his family, the Van Helsings.

The old gang is back -- minus the few we lost in the first book, of course, but there are a couple new additions to the cast as well. Speaking of which, why, yes that is indeed Cthulhu you see on the right side of the cover. I admit my inner Lovecraftian horror fan danced a little jig in glee at the appearance of Patrick, even if the thought of an Old One cavorting with the likes of Natalie, Alec, Kai et al. is more than a bit surreal.

This was a cute story, very funny, and quite similar in nature to the first book, except with more casual swearing than I think I remember. If you're in the mood for a "popcorn book" or something to lift your spirits or give yourself a break from the stress, this does the trick. It's told in a very good-humored, teasing way, and doesn't take itself too seriously.

Thrusting the issue of social media into the lives of these characters, some of whom are hundreds if not thousands of years old, is also a nice touch. Dracula with an iPhone still cracks me up, though I think the image of Igor watching Sex and the City might give him a run for his money. Like I've said before in past reviews, it always fascinates me to see authors tackle re-tellings or satirical takes on fairy tales and classic literature, and putting a light spin on movie monsters ranks up there on my list of interesting ideas. show less

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2011/07/review-eat-slay-love-by-jesse-petersen.html

In Eat Slay Love we rejoin my favorite post zombie apocalypse married couple, Sarah and David, as they attempt to get to the rumored “Wall” in the east, hoping to find safety from the society that’s let them down. I mean, zombies are the ultimate letdown, right? Of course, with these two, you know it’s not gonna be smooth sailing, and the seas get pretty rough during this show more outing. See, there was an incident in the last novel that might have changed David a bit, and Sarah is noticing more and more, well, odd things about him. Sarah is also hoping she’ll be reunited with her mom and dad, even though the chances of that are slim. All that aside, they’ve got some precious cargo with them that could change the face of the world forever. Add to the mix a stalkerazzi journalist that may have her own secret agenda, an aging rockstar that seems to have lost his band, and his wits, to the zombies, a camp full of people that aren’t about to let strangers into the mix (think Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome here), and of course all the zombie killin’ action you can handle, and you’ve got a read that you won’t want to put down!
I adore this series, and it just keeps getting better and better. Sarah narrates with her trademark snark, and even though you’ll giggle, you’ll cringe too, because Ms. Petersen lets the dark humor fly, and the story is tempered with moments of levity that will definitely bring you down to earth. This kind of writing is hard to do, weaving humor into admittedly horrid situations, but the author manages with a sure hand and never lets the pacing falter. There are a few twists in this one that left me smiling and the ending leaves off with plenty of material for lots more fun with this kick-ass couple. Do they find the “wall”? Does Sarah reunite with her family? And just what is wrong with David? You’ll get your questions answered in this one, I promise, and trust me, you won’t want to put it down! show less