Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Co-winner of the inaugural Terry Pratchett Anywhere But Here, Anywhen But Now First Novel Award (which seeks out stories set in a recognizable but alternate version of Earth), this startlingly funny novel imagines a contemporary Scotland in which animals are infected with an experimental virus that turns them into crazed killing machines and makes them damned near impossible to kill. Yes: zombie animals. And not just cows, but also rats, dogs, cats, sheep, and more. Battling for survival against this army of undead animals are a domineering vegan, her perpetually stoned husband, and their scrawny son, an untalented journalist; joining this unheroic-seeming family are a scientist who helped created the virus; a survivor of the bovine uprising that started the virus' spread across the nation; and the survivor's unpleasant cousin, his mousy wife, and their two obnoxious children. This ragtag crew is being chased by a government guy who will do anything, especially (and rather gleefully) commit murder, to keep the truth about the virus from getting out. This clever and very funny twist on the traditional zombie novel is exceedingly well executed (it approaches but never quite steps into parody territory), and it ends with a scene that pretty much demands a sequel. Great stuff for horror and fantasy fans.--Pitt, David Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Journalist Logan's humorous, gory debut explores the unique challenges of a zombie plague that starts with Britain's herd animals. The narrative is shared by Terry Borders, the only survivor of a slaughterhouse destroyed by rampaging zombie cows; Lesley McBrien, a second-rate journalist with information she shouldn't have; and Geldof Peters, a bullied teenager saddled with parentally enforced veganism. As the story brings them all together, electricity fails, martial law reigns, and people experience the best and worst of one another-mostly the worst. While some of the internal logic doesn't click as well as it might and the villain is straight out of central casting, Logan has a flair for unique description ("a muscled chest that made Arnold Schwarzenegger's pecs look like burst balloons") and for painting a mental picture almost photographic in its clarity. An impressive start for an author who's going places. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
After an engineered virus gets loose in the cow population of Glasgow, it spreads and turns even beloved household pets into slavering monsters in this hilariously absurd take on the zombie genre. The animals mindlessly attack humans throughout Britain, and soon the countryside is awash in corpses and the UK is under quarantine. Survivors include slaughterhouse worker Terry, inept journalist Lesley, and gangly teen Geldof, whose mother is a militant vegan. These misfits are fleeing not only man-eating livestock but also forces that are determined to cover up the government's involvement in the virus's origin. The action slows a little in the middle but picks back up as the group race to get the evidence out of the country. VERDICT The author has wisely chosen to play this story for laughs, and it is very funny indeed in that deadpan British way that shows why it won the inaugural Terry Pratchett Prize for a First Novel. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
"Two legs bad," might be the borrowed motto of the titular monsters of this apocalyptic look at the end of the world--were the great beasts not busy trying to kill everybody. Scottish journalist Logan stays rather deadpan in his absurdist debut, even as the animals on which we depend turn the tables on us. He is, however, quite deliberate in the creation of his deeply disturbed cast. Much of this Glasgow-based tale is seen through the eyes of British teen Geldof Peters, a boy saddled not only with the world's most awkward given name, but also vegan hippie parents who foist things like hemp clothing upon him. Even sadder is slaughterhouse veteran Terry Borders, who believes the stench of death upon him is driving away the ladies. To jump-start the lurching plot, Logan introduces ineffectual journalist Lesley McBrien, who is competing both with her nemesis Colin Drummond and the reputation of her war correspondent father. When a secretive plot to develop a bioweapon to disrupt the food chain goes awry, the motley crew must get nimble to unravel the story, outrace the predators and escape the island. Lesley manages to ferret out the details of the story, while Terry discovers that his death-tinged aura is largely a product of his own anxiety. In one of many twists on the genre, the disease--which quickly spreads to all the other animal species--also inspires rather explicit lust as well as murderous rages. The addition of a relentless, murderous spook named Alastair Brown only ratchets up the graphic horror. There are a few funny lines, but it's more straight-laced than you might expect. Despite a generous accolade from Discworld creator Terry Pratchett, who bestowed the inaugural Terry Pratchett Prize upon it, this zombie adventure inspires more gasps than laughs.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
