Zombie, Ohio by Scott Kenemore was the first real zombie novel I read. Eventually, I will have to read the Max Brooks contributions to the genre, especially with the movie of World War Z coming out.
I think with the Zombie Saturation Horizon reaching critical levels, my aversion of all things Z was more of a timely going-with-the-flow. However, thanks to Dread Central this morning, I figure it’s time to go against the grain and check out V.M. Zito’s upcoming novel, The Return Man.
Much like Zombie, Ohio, the synopsis of The Return Man approaches the zombie apocalypse scenario from a different perspective. Where Kenemore put some philosophy to the undead’s existence, Zito will apply some more economical aspects. In the synopsis, the character Henry Marco is a “corpse tracker” who is hired by grieving families to return their zombified loved ones back to the grave. Along with the thriller of trying to fulfill a suicide mission contract while competing against a deadly assassin, the premise is ripe with a different level of emotional exploration that is just now getting a greater portion of the spotlight in the “—-apocalypse” fad of the last decades.
Creating a business of killing zombies to put the mourning families at rest is a pretty clever idea. It’s got my interest and hopefully, I’ll have a review of the book when it comes out in March 2012. Until then, you can go over to V. M. Zito’s site, check the blog and even read a few free chapters.
There’s also a contest where you can have a character named after you in the book. Go here, fill out the question and submit. Who knows? You might end up a zombie or a grief-stricken employer that gives Henry Marco some work.
Hodder & Stoughton will release The Return Man to major bookstores (which ones are left) in March 2012. I’m sure there will be an e-version of the book for all you Nook/Kindle/Pocket Reader types out there. Get excited.
