Dane Hatchell

After the Dark Times of the zombie apocalypse, treatments have been created to control the zombies. The world resets itself. People who are bitten can be saved, but at a price. They are no longer technically human, after all. They are zombies. Sub-Zs, or Sub-Ys depending on their condition. The mindless, shambling masses are good for doing the world’s manual labor, but even the higher-minded Sub-Ys who can think and act are robbed of their dignity and their status. They are forced into show more jobs that, at best, they are highly overqualified for and do not meet their personal needs, or at worst, are insulting, debasing positions.
Resurrection X is a story of class struggle that keeps the reader clutching to its pages like a zombie latched on to its victim. It reminded me of They Live and Night of the Living Dead and how the best zombie books are about social struggles. The conduit for this struggle is the main character, Lisa Goudard, a strong-willed state inspection worker who holds zombies in the lowest regard and sees nothing in their civil liberties movements. After she is bitten and becomes a zombie, she sees things differently. This is good for the NAAND, the National Association for the Advancement of Non-Dead. Lisa Goudard is a fighter, an Erin Brockovich of the zombie apocalypse (with at least a hint of Ann Richards who won’t stop until her life is returned as close to normal as possible.
Changing the world is not an easy task. Lisa Goudard becomes involved in the political world of this post-Dark Times Texas, where the politics are roughly what you would expect. Hypocritical politicians and religious zealots wage a political war to keep Sub-Zs and Sub-Ys oppressed with lower wages and poorer jobs. Dan Hatchell excels at interlacing these more global machinations into the horror genre without feeling like the book is just hitting the high notes of horror. In that way, he reminds me of a Southern version of Stephen King, who also has written about the horrors of politics and leadership. Unlike King, who has a more upfront literary style and voice, Dane Hatchell’s voice is quieter and less obtrusive. He lets the story do the talking.
It is easy to write a book about zombies. Thousands have been written, but few stand out when so much ground has already been treaded. Dane Hatchell has revolutionized the genre and made them new and fresh while harkening back to the genre’s roots. I have rarely read a book that made me so interested in its characters and its final outcome. show less

This is a short story of 2 couples trying to survive a zombie apocalypse, who discover that the living can be just as dangerous as the undead. I don't want to give away too much, but I particularly liked the psychological twist of mob mentality. It made me question what it would take to break me, and to make me follow along with the herd.

Resurrection X poses a parallel to slavery, human rights, and standard human morality as arguments (both valid and absurd) are made in what society deems as “sub-human.” Hatchell provides a unique, poignant political satire interwoven with all of the uncertainty of a blood-soaked thriller. Lisa Goudard provides the needle that neatly sews together the multiple sub-plots as the pawn in an absolutely twisted game of cloak and dagger, without the story itself being that simple or at all show more cliché.

Also of note, Hatchell doesn’t force the physiology of the Non-Dead or the nuances differentiating Sub Y and Sub X all at once, instead blending in the details as necessary to keep things moving along at a respectable clip. Hatchell’s use of science is enough to justify the title’s reference, which is ultimately non-other than Byron. Pitting science against religion in a very believable not-so distant future was executed with just enough detail to provide validity, not too much as to be overwhelming.

Of the many well-penned settings, one of the most outstanding was a nod to the Marquis de Sade as depicted by The Loyal Order of the Non-Dead Epicurean Society. Shhhh! I’m not telling, just something to be on the lookout for in Resurrection X.

Dane Hatchell’s 2 year endeavor was well worth it as he created a genuinely unique approach to both the zombie and political genres, successfully adding a perspective not before seen in either. This isn’t just a 5 star review, this is one of the few MUST READS I’ve had the pleasure to experience this year.

Visit www.bookie-monster.com to read the entire review (yes there is MUCH more). Reviewed by Patrick Dalton, member of The Bookie Monster review team. show less

We’ve all heard the biblical quote of “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” [Luke 6:31]. Well in this exquisitely written short story the author, Dane Hatchell, makes this come alive, as this is essentially what happens to the antagonist, Captain John Hampton.

Captain Hampton is a merciless plantation owner and task master with a fondness for the young Haitian slave girls he owns. Everything is fine, fine that is until a spirited Darque Wight comes upon the scene and proves show more to be his undoing as she’s unwilling to capitulate to any of the captain’s wanton needs and fights back. Unfortunately, for his sake, he’s forgotten about his slave’s traditional art of voodoo; an art which includes the raising of the recently dead to help seek revenge against an oppressor, like himself. Will the walking undead become the salvation for Darque and the rest of his slaves?

For giving his readers and myself a page turning short story, which is best read with the lights on, I’ve given Mr. Hatchell 5 STARS. show less