“The irony of being a zombie is that everything is funny, but you can’t smile, because your lips have rotted off.” ― Isaac Marion
Title: Guess Who’s Coming at Dinner
Author: Geoffrey Knight and Ethan Day
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Pages/Word Count: 25,000
Rating: 5 Stars
Blurb: Board up the windows, push an old dresser against the door and load your shotgun. A zombie apocalypse is about to hit Wilde City, and if you want the best survival tips, six of Wilde City’s boys are here to help.
You’ll never want to exercise again as Eric Arvin and TJ Klune turn a gym full of hunks into a smorgasbord of terror in GHOUL’S GYM.
Gather your friends and fight for the man you love, as Ethan Stone and Daniel A. Kaine turn Vegas into a zombie nightmare in SURVIVING SIN CITY.
And bring a date to dinner to celebrate Grumpy Grampy’s 90th birthday and introduce your family to your new zombie boyfriend in Geoffrey Knight and Ethan Day’s GUESS WHO’S COMING AT DINNER.
You’ll scream with terror and howl with laughter as Wilde City’s boys bring you our first undead anthology ZOMBIE BOYZ.
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Review: The first story from the Wilde City Press anthology, Zombie Boyz, sees the re-union of prolific authors Ethan Day and Geoffrey Knight back in the driver’s seat for another explosive, rip-roaring adventure into the darker side of the imagination. Cannibal cows in China pave the way for this laugh-out-loud zombie apocalypse story you won’t want to put down. Here at The Novel Approach, you may have seen a review for this entire anthology before, but in light of the individual releases of these novellas, I personally could not let you guys go without a rave for this stalwart story of love in the face of blood-dripping hilarity.
Working the window of the drive through at Beefcake Bob’s, high school student, the out and proud Chandler, doesn’t realize quite what he is selling as he pushes the questionable burgers on his classmates, riddled with the virus that would have his fellow underclassmen chomping at the bit…and onto each other. But when his class crush, quarterback Zane, is infected, Chandler has no choice but to save the boy in a stolen ambulance and dump his pretty ass at the nearest hospital.
Chandler was hilarious, a comedy character to warm the heart and leave you gasping for air, and if you’re a fan of the authors, you won’t be one bit surprised. This has Day and Knight’s signature written all over it. The story, told through the eyes of our comic hero, was a non-stop rollercoaster of laughs and melodrama that made the opening of this anthology a thrill to read. Chandler was dry and acerbic, the picture of a teen homosexual and all the melodrama that comes with it. Surrounded by a family of weird and wonderful characters, Chandler managed to tell the story of the apocalypse from the safety of his boarded up house where he and his off-kilter family unit are waiting out the storm. With clueless Grandparents, nice-as-pie parents and a sister who converts to a makeshift religion, not to mention the vodka swilling man-eater, Aunt Tilly, it’s no wonder the boy was the way he was. Side-splitting laughter ensued from page one and didn’t stop until I flipped the last page.
The story was well paced, each event masterfully chronicled, and the building love between Chandler and Zane was a treat to read. I also loved the way the authors created the cure, to give our wayward lovers a chance at their HEA, which they got in the best possible way. It had drama, conflict, a hobbit-esque mission of redemption, and a love to make you laugh and cry simultaneously. The side effect of uncontrollable horniness was a perfect aside too, and gave the story that sexy edge we were expecting all along.
So as Zane comes into the fold, saved by the cute and tumultuous Chandler, I got a laugh every step of the way as these two star-crossed lovers found their home in the face of a pandemic outbreak. It was completely flawless, well-written, a collaboration worthy of a Klarvin anthology, and wound up being the best story in the set. It’s rare for me not to nit-pick, but this one was a good solid read. I could find no fault. And in case you needed clarification…was a MUCH better love story than Twilight. Five stars from me for this piece of comedy genius, proving that Knight and Day really can come together to make great things happen. And other, more thoughtful puns.
You can buy Guess Who’s Coming at Dinner here:
All three of the Zombie Boys stories are great! And I’m not even a zombie fan.;-)
Love a majority of Ethan Day’s stories. Think I’m going to bump this one up on my To Read list.
Thanks so much for the awesome review, BJ! I haven’t had as much time to get out there and pimp this little story, I’m so pleased that you liked it! : )