Review: The Spread: A Zombie Short Story Collection

Posted by Carmen on SciFiMonkeys.com on March 28th, 2014. Reprinted from archive.

Ah, zombies, today’s hottest movie monster. With today’s saturation of zombies in pop culture, it’s hard put to find a zombie that hasn’t already been done before, right? Well…

During our time at Crypticon 2014 , I had the pleasure of hanging out with two very special women. Meet Michelle Kilmer and Rebecca Hansen, twins and morbid co-authors of The Spread: A Zombie Short Story Collection (which I had to buy because, well, zombies!), that has a very unique take on zombie-ism and what causes it. Like your typical zombie, Kilmer and Hansen’s zombies reanimate with a voracious hunger for human flesh, but unlike your typical zombie, the infection doesn’t exclusively spread via zombie bite.

You don’t know when it will change your life, or how, but the zombie plague is spreading quickly and in ways no one could have imagined.

In Part I, an independently-hired researcher watches a mysterious plague decimate an island and takes notes with a gun-toting guard at his side, but the brisk waters of the Puget Sound can’t keep it from spreading to the mainland.

In Part II, follow the infection from chapter to chapter and person to person. A frightened neighborhood cat, a harmless fishing trip, a room full of infected preschoolers; perhaps someone will deliver it right to your front door. How kind.

Featuring short stories that showcase the many ways in which a disease can overwhelm a city, The Spread will get you thinking of how mundane acts can become deadly.

No matter your precautions, the spread will reach you. Of that you can be sure.

Seriously, though? It’s an excellent read that will have you gasping, cursing, laughing, and just plain going “wtf??”! Keep an eye out for our exclusive interview with Michelle and Rebecca for a more in-depth look at The Spread, and don’t forget to BUY IT!!