The Dead Wake Anthology, by Ellie Douglas

Take "Night of the Creeps," multiply it by "Jason X," then add in some "Dead Rising" mixed with "Dawn of the Dead." What a recipe...but not finished yet. Throw in a modest (or immodest) amount of eroticism and carnal behavior (the kind Hugh Hefner would've  drooled over) and now you start to have a pretty good idea of what The Dead Wake Anthology by Ellie Douglas can deliver. What, you don't want babes and sex in your horror, don't fret. There's family fun at the mall and cute kids aplenty, albeit soon to be...well...you'll see.

Okay, there are cute kids and fun at the mall, but one thing this Douglas work has that the aforementioned titles doesn't come close to is the unending cavalcade of brutal gore that extreme zombie fiction can bring. Whether it be the little slimy parasite creatures emanating from the pores of astronauts in the opening tale, "Space Zombies," or a baby chomping his way into life in "No More Coochy Coo," the zombie horror is nicely over-the-top. As "The Walking Dead" wanes in intensity and drama, Ellie Douglas has saved the day for zombie enthusiasts with her collection of stories.

Yep the horror is extreme, though not as extreme as the gore...or maybe the other way around, but Ellie Douglas is not just your ordinary extreme horror writer. Nope, as the flesh is chewed and shoppers at the mall turn into the buffet, we see influences of Erma Bombeck and Louis L' Amour in her story telling. Neither of the aforementioned writers crossed into the taboo, especially with kids, family, and...well...yes babies, but if they did they would have resembled Ellie Douglas. A maternity ward was defiled in the shocking 1970s horror flick "It's Alive," but not to the extent as it is in one of the stories in this tome. Oh yes...I need to mention this...if you found Liam Neeson's latest film "The Commuter" underwhelming, well, just read "Flesh Eaters." Now that is a story and half about an unfortunate commuter.

I think Ellie Douglas is kinda like me. She walks into an ice cream store with her kids and immediately sizes up the surroundings just in case a zombie outbreak seizes the moment. Admit it, you do the same thing.  So instead of delving into a devotional you will not understand, or one of Oprah's boring recommendations, pick up The Dead Awake Anthology, as it is written by someone who understands you.  To order this horrific and quite satisfying work click on this link The Dead Wake .