by: RFR Casket Crew Denise
Ahhhh…Deadites, there’s nothing like a good zombie book and red necks. What? Red necks. Yep, just some good ol’ boys doing what good ol’ boys do – and fighting zombies in the sleepy little town of Bovina, Mississppi.
Our heroes, Harry and Chet, start out spending the day drinking beer and are headed for their favorite pond to due a little frog gigging as they drive down Nine Mile Cutoff.
Nine Mile Cutoff is an aptly named stretch of dusty gravel road winding through a town so small it lacks both a post office or a dot on the map. What it cuts off no one has ever figured out though it does connect to two more rural black top roads. Four or five little churches use to call the cut off home but they and their small cemeteries have remained unused for the last half century became hidden and forgotten as the weeds and brush took back over.
Harry and Chet have no cares since they were fired from Allco Construction.
Now Rocky Bayou is an aptly named hunting camp. 2000 acres of deep ravines, bayou brush, ponds, thick forest and open fields sliced neatly in half by Rocky Springs which ultimately feeds the Big Black River which ultimately feeds the Mississippi River. The camp is bounded by the interstate on the north, Hwy 80 to the south, a cattle pasture to the west and more private lands to the east. Somewhere deep inside, a pond was missing and all the critters were either flashed boiled or animized. At the center of the empty pond was a little metal ball no bigger than a large marble. It was cracked and leaking. A drop of something oozed out slowly. Something so black that light seemed to fall into it and get lost. It fell out of the little metal ball and sank into the mud. Somewhere, a few feet below the former bottom of the pond, something stirred.
Speeding down Nine Mile Cutoff, Harry and Chet stumble upon Bob, the mysterious, bushy, burqa-clad, non-English speaking beauty just standing in the middle of the road. Then all hell breaks loose. They discover their favorite pond is missing. They’re chased by truck driving zombies, dirty cops, UFOs and other nasties. But they’re not alone. They’re aided by Uncle Crank, who tries to feed them zombie chicken, Clay, a classic computer nerd and a space babe who gets naked anytime someone turns out the lights.
I had fun with this story maybe because I related to these characters. Hell, I know these guys. FRIED GREEN ZOMBIES by John Allen has an unique blend of action and humor. While I originally thought the heroes were idiots, they were actually quite smart, especially when delivering lines like, “You heard something. I heard something. It’s dark. It’s creepy. Let’s get goin’. Now!” They certainly won’t make the cut for Ghost Hunters Academy, but that’s probably not a bad thing.
There is a lot going on in this story; zombies, dirty police officers, UFOs and spaces babes. I was unsure how they would all relate but John Allen does a nice job introducing these characters, developing them and tying up all the loose ends. And Harry and Chet survive the whole ordeal…or do they?
Although the story starts slow and I had some trouble keeping focused and interested, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. For those zombie fans out there, I think they will definitely enjoy the story. As for me, even though I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls more than Fried Green Zombies, I found myself laughing at some of the red neck humor.
Next week, Deadites, I’m going to be looking at a graphic comic book series. I’m really excited about this series since it’s a new one that has the King’s touch. That’s Stephen, not Elvis. However, if there’s a book, graphic novel or anything else that you find interested but not sure if you want to lay out the bucks for it without someone giving you the green light, let me know and I will give you my honest review.
Until then, Sit Back, Relax and Rot Away…
