ZOMBIE ISLAND

 

ZOMBIE ISLAND

By Wayne Carey

Pro Se Press

181 pgs

 

For years young readers thrilled to the adventures of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Now leave it to New Pulp scribe Wayne Carey to give us a thriller featuring a family made up of two brothers and one sister. The Hillstrands siblings, Shawn, Bear (a nickname Edward) and Kira are the children of a famous husband and wife writing couple. While parents are on a cross-country promotional tour for their latest book, the trio is sent to the Caribbean island of San Bernardo to vacation with their Aunt Marilyn. Though the teens appreciate the natural beauty and serenity of island life, they soon become bored, missing their friends back home.

But before restlessness sets in, several incidents occur involving the appearances of zombie-like beings attacking locals from the nearby fishing town. Not one to shy away from adventure, Bear, sets out to investigate despite the arguments of the more cautious and older Shawn. When Bear and a younger boy name Skylar discover the remains of an old man, things heat up fast. The local authorities believe the victim fell prey to an island predator, but the Hillstrands aren’t convinced.

They learn there is a clinic on the island run by a scientist named Hector Spinoza and there appears to be a connection with the facility and the zombie sightings. Then a powerful Colombian military figure arrives at the clinic and the junior detectives’ imaginations run riot. Has someone found a way to make zombies? And if so, are they doing it for a would-be dictator to help him stage coup in his home country?

Writer Wayne Carey once again spins a truly fantastic adventure mixing both horror and political intrigue as only he can. “Zombie Island” with all its twists and turns is a terrific book filled with wonderful new heroes. Looking for something new to read this summer, check this one out. You can thank me later.

CAPTAIN FUTURE - 1,500 LIGHT YEARS FROM HOME

 

CAPTAIN FUTURE

1,500 Light Years From Home

By Allen Steele

Amazing Selects

164 pgs

 

This is the third entry in writer Allen Steel’s four-part Captain Future science fiction adventure and it is a rocket blast fun. Picking up where “The Guns of Pluto” ended with a terrific cliffhanger. Curt Newton, aka Captain Future, had been captured by his arch enemy Ul Quorn and shanghaied to an alien star system via a time-spanning wormhole. Ul Quorn is obsessed with the ancient race from the planet Deneb that supposedly visited out Earth millions of years earlier. As to why he wants to contact them is the true mystery of the series. 

What Ul Quorn, also known as the Magian of Mars, does not know is that one of Curt’s Futuremen, cyborg Dr. Simon Wright managed to stowaway on the spacecraft before it launched. Now, connected with Curt view the mental relay system known as “ani” he plots to rescue his friend and make good their escape. Before this can transpire, Curt learns the small, ectoplastic Denebian pet creature his team had discovered is actually a programmed, organic Denebian translator willing to help him learn the history of the vaquished empire and in so doing defeat Ul Quorn. 

As ever, Allen Steele’s story-telling is a wonderfully balanced mixture of action, adventure and thought provoking concepts. When the reasons of the crime lord’s machinations come to light, this reviewer couldn’t argue the warped rationalization for his actions. “1,500 Light Years From Home” works on many levels. Though staying true to known science, it still manages to capture the spills and thrills of classic pulp space operas. Oh, and did we mention it ends with as yet another doozy cliffhanger?  All in all a terrific with a rather unique and funny bonus feature. Not to be missed.

Final note, we totally loved Jon Eno’s cover and M.D. Jackson’s interior illustrations.

BENEDICT AND BRAZOS # 20 BORN TO HANG

 

BENEDICT AND BRAZOS # 20

Born to Hang

By E. Jefferson Clay

111 pgs

Bold Venture Publishing

 

Here we have another fast paced, fun entry in this terrific western series about two Civil War veterans traveling the American West in search of adventure. Duke Benedict is a suave, skilled gun-fighter and ex-Calvary Captain, while Hank Brazos, a former Confederate Sergeant, is a good old Texas cowboy. An unlikely pair who, through their many challenges come to begrudgingly respect each other and work extremely well against all manner of frontier villainy.  

In this tale, the due comes to the aid of one of Brazos’ former regiment pals who has been falsely accused of murder and is about to be hanged. Posing as the official State Hangman, Benedict comes into town and begins learning both about the victims and the current conflict between the Cattleman's Association and other group looking to put them out of business. Soon it becomes clear Brazos’ pal, Dusty Lane, is nothing but a pawn in a grander, more devious plot. How the two go about saving him from the rope and exposing the murderous cartel makes for another dandy read.

To date we’ve read a half dozen of the Benedict and Brazos books. All of them, including “Born to Hang” are winners. If you like westerns, pick it up.