In Review: Ranger Martin and the Zombie Apocalypse

When picking your ‘team’ for the zombie apocalypse, Ranger Martin should be high on your list. When picking a book to read – for the sheer fun of it or for the love of a good story – Ranger Martin and the Zombie Apocalypse, by Jack Flacco, should also be high on your list.

A tightly-knit story, woven together with humor, pathos and just-around-the-corner danger, Ranger Martin, was everything I wanted out of a thriller. It starts out with a bang, and doesn’t let up until the final page.

As I read, I felt as though I was riding along with Ranger Martin and the kids: I felt the desert air, felt the fear and thrill of adventure. Jack’s words made their struggles and fears mine as I read. Additionally, the camaraderie between the characters, and the relationships – kid-to-kid, and kid-to-adult – flowed naturally.

Ranger himself was, at turns, wild, mysterious, heroic and just plain fun. Frankly, I read the book wishing I had a Ranger Martin in my life growing up – zombies or no. While the book is humorous at times, Jack never lets you forget that the zombies are a very real danger. I found myself holding my breath in some sequences, fearing the worst but hoping for the best.  I also loved the twist on the genre that Jack employed. As a newbie to the zombie mythos, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Of course, you’ll have to pick up the book in order to find out what that twist is, and I highly recommend that you do so. Ranger Martin and the Zombie Apocalypse is due for release on October 22, 2013, and is available at amazon.

This review was based on the digital ARC, provided by the author.

Ranger Martin and the Zombie Apocalypse from the Author:

Never call them zombies. That was one of the rules. So much for rules, everyone who made up that garbage is either dead or undead. It doesn’t matter anymore. They go by other names—chewers, eaters, maggot bags, the changed. Whatever they’re called, they’re everywhere. And they’re not giving up until every last human becomes a single serving entrée to satiate their uncontrollable appetite.

Enter shotgun-toting Ranger Martin who is determined to end the zombies’ all-you-can-eat buffet. In an abandon military silo on the outskirts of the Nevada/Arizona border, he and his specialized team of assassins plan their assaults. Who’s he kidding? His team consists of three kids in their teens, and a boy barely old enough to wipe his own nose. But when a secret air force base in the Mojave Desert proves there’s more to the change than anyone knew, the temptation is too great. Now Ranger and the others set out on the road to overthrow the center of the infestation—a frantic race that will either destroy the hunger-prone zombies or cost him and his friends their lives.

Use your zombie prowess to stalk Jack on his official website or on Facebook.