Apocalypse
Cow
-
Michael
Logan
Publisher:
Doubleday Publisher – Published on 10th May 2012
It began with a cow that just wouldn’t
die. It would become an epidemic that transformed Britain’s livestock into
sneezing, slavering, flesh-craving four-legged zombies.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, the fate of the nation seems to rest on the shoulders of three unlikely heroes: an abattoir worker whose love life is non-existent thanks to the stench of death that clings to him, a teenage vegan with eczema and a weird crush on his maths teacher, and an inept journalist who wouldn’t recognise a scoop if she tripped over one.
As the nation descends into chaos, can they pool their resources, unlock a cure, and save the world?
Three losers. Overwhelming odds. One outcome . . .
Yup, we’re screwed
And if that wasn’t bad enough, the fate of the nation seems to rest on the shoulders of three unlikely heroes: an abattoir worker whose love life is non-existent thanks to the stench of death that clings to him, a teenage vegan with eczema and a weird crush on his maths teacher, and an inept journalist who wouldn’t recognise a scoop if she tripped over one.
As the nation descends into chaos, can they pool their resources, unlock a cure, and save the world?
Three losers. Overwhelming odds. One outcome . . .
Yup, we’re screwed
Terry,
lone survivor of abattoir attack and Lesley, Scottish reporter down on her luck,
end up on the run in a countryside full of dangerous wildlife – from cows, pigs
and rats to squirrels, cats and dogs, while Geldof, teenager with bad skin, out
of control hormones and parents in full hippy mode is struggling to convince
his parents of the danger. Each of these characters feels real – none of them
are Bruce Willis or Angelina Jolie. What they are, are fully formed flawed and
entirely likeable characters that you can’t help but root for. Even the
secondary characters have great personality and leap off the page!
This
is a serious comedic novel, or should than be a comedic serious novel? Either
way, this book is a brilliant mixture of zombie horror and sheer ridiculous
situations. The comedy is less laughter track and more awkward The Office style
coming directly out of the situation and the characters. And this just gives
the book a brilliant grounding in reality. I didn’t need to use a lot of
imagination to picture the British government reacting in exactly this way! That
said, the story is played completely straight with some very horrific scenes
and the animal attacks not as scary as some of the human reactions to it.
The
writing is confident and assured – and certainly doesn’t feel like a debut
novel. Throughout I was both entertained and enthralled with the story and the characters.
At times it reads like a straight forward zombie horror book, but then a twist
happens which will have you in stitches. And if you find the idea of zombie
cows funny, I promise by the end of the novel you will be looking twice at
those bovine neighbours and making sure your beloved Fido goes out at night!
PS
– Michael Logan won the first ever Terrry Prachett’s ‘Anywhere But Here, Any
when But Now’ award – and I can see why! J
Recommended
of fans of Mira Grant and Terry Prachett, 9 out of 10.
