Zombie Love

Rating:
Summary: Kiss Me, Frog Boy!
Review: When Kirk Mundy, seventeen, loses his girlfriend Natalie in a car crash, the pain is more than he can bear. In addition to this great loss, he feels immense guilt, as he survived the crash due to his seatbelt. Why didn't he force her to follow his example?

Kirk and his friends, Randy and Liz, have heard rumors about the strange Mrs. Kobylka up on Witch Hill all throughout their childhood, and they intend to find out whether or not these rumors are true. Is this odd old lady really a witch who once helped a neighborhood boy bring his dead dog back to life? Can Mrs. Kobylka help mend the pain they all feel by bringing Natalie back from the dead? Kirk is dead-set on finding out, but he may not be entirely prepared to accept all the responsibility and consequences that come with that particular wish when Mrs. Kobylka warns "this girl, she will be your responsibility, not mine." All the while, the strange bird with the bat-like wings and the blood-red beak, Baltazar, is cussing in the background.

Ray Garton has crafted an incredible "be careful what you wish for" tale in the form of a zombie novel. However, this small novella is more than just that. Most zombie novels focus on community, country, or world affliction, whereas Garton brings this tale a little closer to home. No, there aren't zombies running rampant in this book. However, that allows for this slightly more personal account of loss, desperation, and fright, and therefore a little bit more concern and understanding for those characters involved.

This short novel dissects the bounds of love in true Garton fashion, complete with spooky Halloween ghost story type narratives and sprinkled with lines of tension-breaking humor. I only wish this tale were a little longer. Though only about 150 pages, this book is well worth picking up, as are any of Garton's other books and short story collections. This particular book is one of 474 signed and numbered copies, and is out of print in this form, so pick one up while you can!