Seeds of the Dead, the novel by Andy Kumpon and Gary Malick is an absolutely entertaining ride into horror, gore and everything we love about horror. With chemically-created, slime-spewing zombies running around gorging themselves on human flesh and an evil corporation as the puppet master, this is a story that has no down time. It is a wonderful, in-your-face novel that you won’t be able to put down.
Characters
One of the things I loved in Kumpon and Malick’s novel is the diversity of characters. Characters of different ideologies, ages, experiences, and depth were all represented equally well. Yes, there were main characters who had bigger roles, but there were no characters who were written weakly or with less care, regardless of how big of a role they played. Each character felt like they could be a real person with a whole lifetime of experiences behind them.
The non-human characters I this book were just as impressive. The zombies were absolutely vicious and terrifying. I have said it before that when I watch or read something that is within a well knows world (like zombies) I look to see what the author adds to the world. Kumpon and Malick do anything but stick to well-know tropes and stereotypes of zombies. Their creatures are different. I won’t spoil anything by going into all the reasons why they are different, but trust me, you are in for a surprise…and then another surprise…and more after that.
Plot
One thing that I really loved about this book is the plot. If you are looking for a straight up zombie story, it delivers. If you are looking for a deep plot about corporate corruption, it delivers. If you are looking for family and friends holding relationships together and struggling through pain, it delivers. Whatever you are looking for, this plot gives it to you. It has depth, layers, fun, and terror. It’s thought provoking, heartbreaking and absolutely fantastic.
Everything in the plot, right from the start will keep you guessing. Yes, it definitely uses ideas and plot points form tried and true stories we all know and love, but does it in such a way that it is fresh and unexpected. And, I will just say that I loved the ending.
Writing
I don’t know how writing responsibilities were split between Kumpon and Malick and I think that is a great thing. There is no division in the book where you can tell it’s written differently or anything like that. Both men work seamlessly together in their story. Perhaps the most impressive thing for me is how well they kept this story from getting away form them. With this much action, this many plot points, and the varied characters they present, it would be very easy to let things slip out under the radar or take short cuts just to wrap up lose ends. There is non of that in this book. The authors have complete control of their story and form it into exactly what they intend.
The description in the book is astounding. Without being overly descriptive or repetitive, the story is extremely visual and, after reading it, when I saw the illustrations in the back of the book, it was pretty much exactly what I had pictured from the words.
Critique
I truly enjoyed this book. I love how grotesque it was and how much action was packed in to each page. However, I would have liked to see certain characters be a little more serious in the trauma. Overly-supportive parents, and a couple of odd lines of dialogue that seemed a bit out of place during the catastrophic events and it took me out of the seriousness of what was happening. It is extremely clear that Kumpon and Malick can write horror, but I would love to see them buy in 100%. In a story like this, there is no need for comic relief. Don’t let us readers take a breath…we want to be immersed in terror. There is no holding back in the gore and fear, but go all in on the dialogue and emotions too.
Eulogy
I would absolutely recommend this book! It is an extremely entertaining book that you will not be able to put down. Kumpon and Malick have added their own piece to the puzzle of the Zombie world and it fits perfectly in place. Get it here and thank me later.
