Tell Me When I'm Dead: Book One of Tell Me When I'm Dead by Steven Ramirez
| Tell Me When I'm Dead: Book One of Tell Me When I'm Dead by Steven Ramirez | |
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| Category: Horror | |
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Reviewer: Luke Marlowe
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| Summary: Clever, creepy and captivating horror fiction, "Tell Me When I'm Dead" is a product of hard work and a clear love for a genre - a thrilling start to a series. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 326 | Date: August 2013 |
| Publisher: Glass Highway | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: ISBN | |
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A recovering alcoholic, Dave Pulaski has had a long road to recovery, but finally feels like he's getting his life back. Then - a plague hits the town, turning the majority of the population into flesh-hungry monsters who crave the taste of humans. Fighting to survive - Dave's urge to hide away and drink is strong - will he fight to live when the chances of survival are so slim? With the hordes of the undead growing and the security forces outnumbered, it seems that hell has arrived for Dave...
Author Steven Ramirez is a former screenwriter, who has also published a horror collection entitled "Come As You Are", and a comedic young adult novel called "Chainsaw Honeymoon". Based in Los Angeles, Steven wishes Europe were closer, and doesn't sleep on planes.
With the success of "The Walking Dead", the Zombie genre has exploded in recent years - and a wide range of books in the genre has hit the market - some bad, some good. When a genre is so oversaturated, it's important that an author brings something new and exciting to the market - and happily, Ramirez has.
The sense of pace in "Tell Me When I'm Dead" is impressive, Ramirez building the suspense and stakes with skill, and ensuring that you care about the characters at the heart of events. As a lead character Dave is layered - with a compelling backstory and an admirably drawn humanity. He's not your run-of-the-mill horror hero, and his decisions are believable yet at times unexpected - keeping the reader on their toes and ensuring that this isn't a predictable tale in the slightest.
Supporting characters fare a little less well than Dave - and a bit more character development for them would ensure that the reader is a lot more attached to them - and thus more emotionally invested when the characters end up in perilous situations. However, it's worth remembering that this is the first of a trilogy - so given Ramirez's evident skill for plotting and planning, I've no doubt that this is something that will be built up later on.
Chilling, pulse-racing and hugely compelling, Ramirez has brought something new to a popular genre, and avoided many of the cliches that Zombie novels can often fall into.
You can read more about Steven Ramirez here.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Tell Me When I'm Dead: Book One of Tell Me When I'm Dead by Steven Ramirez at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Tell Me When I'm Dead: Book One of Tell Me When I'm Dead by Steven Ramirez at Amazon.com.
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