Review - Flip This Zombie by Jesse Petersen

I think it only fair to warn you the original title of this blog post was "Holy F**king Sh*t! Tales of zombie guinea pigs and more!"

I know, I know. Watch your language. It's something I've heard since fourth grade when a teacher first overheard me calling a little boy on the playground a dickhead. In my defense, he was a dickhead. In my further defense, the book I'm about to review makes full use of the terms I'm most frequently chastised for...and several of the main characters, including an 11 year old boy with a potty mouth to rival South Park, are also frequently admonished to watch their language.

And besides, who can pay attention to something as silly as language when there are zombie guinea pigs to be discussed. Can you sense my excitement?

Zombie. Guinea. Pigs.

(Note: do NOT do a google image search of "zombie guinea pigs" without filters. There are some sick people out there.)

Where do I even start? How about with the title. I just finished the second installment of Jesse Petersen's Living with the Dead series, Flip This Zombie. The first in the series, Married with Zombies, is a delightful comedic romp the lovely Helena reviewed just last month. Flip This Zombie picks up right where Married left off, charging full speed ahead through a series of twists, turns, and zombie mayhem that will have you finishing the book in one sitting.

Sarah and David, the formerly dysfunctional couple who opened Married on the brink of divorce, have found zombieland capable of doing what their marriage counselor couldn't - repairing their relationship and forming them into a team. A team of happily married zombie exterminators, to be exact. Together they prowl the badlands of Arizona, picking up the odd zombie extermination job, when they encounter something far more deadly than your average, run shamble of the mill zombie. The zombies, it seems, are evolving. But who, or what, is behind these newer, stronger, "bionic" zombies? And what happens when the greatest danger of all is not the undead, but the twisted desires of the living?

Flip This Zombie is a fast read. I finished it in one sitting, and enjoyed every moment. While it has it's share of funny, sarcastic humor, it is also touching in places. Sarah and David are real people, with real flaws and faults, who sometimes let their pride and stubbornness get in their way. But they also realize their short comings, and try to make the best of a life spun far out of their control. So, as much as this is a lighthearted comedy, it also has a strong message about hope and the endurance of humanity even at the brink of extinction.

If anything, I wish the story was longer. I also wish it fleshed out the "bionic" zombies, and their abilities, a bit more. The resolution came quickly after a long build up, but it was satisfying nonetheless.

And seriously, zombie guinea pigs. Do you understand how hard it is NOT to spoil the final scene with the zombie pigs? Squeaking, ferocious, undead rodents, intent on human flesh but still trapped within tiny, fur-covered bodies. The mental pictures, they amuse me.

Go forth. Buy this. Read this. Comment here about your love of the series. If you still have reservations, you can read the first chapter for free courtesy of Jesse's website. Then you too can fall in love only to be tortured by the 6 month wait until the third installment, Eat, Slay, Love, becomes available in June.

Rating: 4.5/5


~Lily