REVIEW: Apocalypse Cow

PLOT: Forget the cud. They want blood. 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 recognize 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.

REVIEW: Obviously I picked up Apocalypse Cow because it was a book about zombies, and cleverly titled to show that the author had a sense of humor. One would assume that this book would be beyond silly, and not really worth much at all but for a few laughs. The cover, title, and plot summary makes you think this is just some B-level trash. In all honesty however, this book was entertaining as hell. I haven't read a book so genuinely fun and exciting since something like Wayside School back in the days of elementary school. Michael Logan did an outstanding job at making a story of zombies or infection unique, creative, and it stands out as some of the best work in the genre.

The book definitely kind of reads like a B-movie in the horror genre, but there's something about Logan's writing that is just laugh-out-loud hysterical. I haven't been tempted to laugh frequently when reading a book, or even as often as I did while reading Apocalypse Cow and that really speaks volumes for how great this book is. It's not just a silly book, and it's not full of only laughs and witty writing. The book is equally as disgusting and horrifying as it is hilarious, and it goes to show why Michael Logan won the Terry Pratchett Prize for this book even though it's his very first full-length novel. I was so impressed by Logan's writing, especially being that it was his first novel ever written. Everything was present at the beginning of the book to get you reading, all of the humor and comedy draws the reader in. Then as the book progresses, it gets more intense and a lot more metaphorical as the story shapes up. It is really such a perfectly layered work of fiction, it makes you wonder how Michael Logan has never published a full book before.

There's so much content in this book, and I wish I could talk about it more in depth to explain how this could be one of the greatest horror/comedy experiences I've ever had. I'm a huge fan of horror/comedy film, and to be as impressed by this as I am by one of my favorite films Shaun of the Dead, I'd say Michael Logan did a great job. There is plenty of blood and gore here, there are plenty of characters with variety to empathize with. Geldof (the Gray) was a very likable, innocent, but intelligent protagonist who serves as the main voice of the story. Lesley is your ditzy blonde character in typical horror fashion, and Terry is your bad ass guy that has to be the ring leader at times to get things done in the apocalypse. The greatest characters in this book however, are the infected animals. There are some outrageous and completely wacky scenes with these creatures, and their entrances into their scenes were always classic. From cows to pigs, and squirrels to rats, there was no shortage of animal gags and gross-outs. I would highly recommend Apocalypse Cow to anyone looking for a good book of laughter, a unique take on the zombie genre, or just a downright entertaining book. Don't let the cover and title fool you, this book won the Terry Pratchett for a reason. May Michael Logan milk the success of this book for as long as he wants, it is well-deserved, but please bring us some more this greatness please!

RATED : ( R )

WRITING : ( 9 / 10 )

STORY : ( 8 / 10 ) 

COVER : ( 9 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 10 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 9 / 10 )