A very enjoyable zombie/social satire reminiscent of Robert Rankin and Terry Pratchett. I would highly recommend and I'm looking forward to Zomcats!

Review: Celebrity Chef Zombie Apocalypse by Jack Strange Self-published: (5th May 2016)
 
ISBN: 978-1532987250
 
Source:  author
 
Rating: 4*
 
Synopsis: 
Celebrity Chef Zombie Apocalypse is the story of the dead celebrity chef Floyd Rampant, who rises from his grave aiming to create a zombie army of chefs who will rule the world, using the human species as the main ingredient in their cordon bleu meals.It is dark, original, and so funny it should carry a government health warning.It is a gourmet feast, an unmissable read, and a black and poignant joke. Part horror story, part political and social satire, it gives the reader a fast-paced entrée of dread, a main course of panic and a dessert of distress.CCZA, as it's known for short, has a cast of unforgettable characters, most of whom meet with gruesome ends. The action begins in Croydon, moves to London, and reaches its explosive climax in the author's home town of Huddersfield.This smart, witty and profound modern day classic works on many levels.
 
Review:
Celebrity Chef Zombie Apocalypse had me chuckling away to myself within the first couple of pages. Floyd is a larger than life character you can't get out of your mind; once met, never forgotten! Supported by an entertaining bunch of lesser characters, he takes us through this highly amusing zombie tale.
 
Although comedic in nature, CCZA is not for the faint of heart as there are some gruesome scenes too, as to be expected (and relished!). There is a decent plot and a few surprises too. I'd recommend it to fans of horror and zombie books - you'll love it!

CCZA starts out with Robert, a man who is desperate to come up with a plan to keep his job, and he only has a week to do it. How can he make an old cooking show from the 80's fresh enough that it will attract viewers? Easy enough, raise the chef, Floyd Rampant from the dead to introduce his shows, say a bit about them. His uncle has made it sound easy enough, so it should be.

But alas, nothing in life is easy and very little goes according to plan.
Floyd isn't as cooperative as Robert had hoped, and as the good chef starts to make plans, things start to get out of hand. Thankfully, there is a man named Dave that is onto him, only no one really quite believes him, not even his girlfriend who thinks his time would be better served in therapy. Zombie apocalypse? No way..erm...

I had read another book of McLean's, and he has a unique writing style. He's witty, funny, and his stories are well thought out. He can take you to crazy town and have you laughing the entire time. Things like "...he dropped onto all fours and fled into the lounge where he cowered under the sofa. Then he realised, he shouldn't be able to fit under the sofa." I burst out laughing so hard at that.

It's not just a zombie book, or a comedy, because there are elements of a mystery that has to be solved, so it ticks a lot of boxes. He doesn't hold back, so you're going to get exactly what you expect to happen, and a whole lot you're not, which is what makes it so brilliant. A superb read that I just had to buy. I'm looking forward to book 2.

Jack Strange is, yet again, the master of the comedic horror genre.

"Having a dead chef as a front man would be a television first..." - a quote that perfectly summarizes this entire book in a nutshell.

I'm always impressed by Jack Strange - he is a unique writer that is easily able to attract an audience's attention. His mixture of horror and comedy somehow works and draws me back to his work each and every time.

Some of the humor in this book really killed me - a pair of marigolds to get rid of the smell of rotting, human flesh? I always plant marigolds in my garden, and I know they are VERY strong smelling, so this made me chuckle. Even some of the comments said by the characters come off in a hilarious manner - most seem to be said with a hint of sarcasm (or pure stupidity on the character's part), but it's so good! It's my type of dry yet dark humor, and I love it!

I also loved that Henderson is one of our main characters. He's a cat. An undead cat, but still a cat! It's something I don't see very often (animals being main characters or having a personality that isn't some weird talking/animated animal plotline), which adds some points to this read.

The insanity of this plot is exceptional and outstanding! It's unique, strange and oddly satisfying. I would have never come up with like this! Zombies, celebrity chefs, a zombie cat, and R rated mischief? It's a must read for those readers who are looking for something different that they have never come across before! That's one of the best parts about Jack Strange's writing - he's so incredibly creative!

If I had to put this book in specific genres, it fits in many. Horror, comedy, satire, political satire, and fantasy are all shelves I could put this book on. There's sex, gore, and sarcasm galore ridden throughout this novel. Even when the action is at it's highest point, there's a few fantastic one liners that will have you laughing and cringing all at the same time.

My cons are as followed:
1. My own personal con is the font was small in the version I received. Does that affect my scoring? Heck no! Was I slightly annoyed? Yeah. Is this a reason to not read the book? Nope! But I'm gonna include it as a way for Jack Strange to "improve" in his future writing endeavors!

Overall, this book is a true masterpiece! It's clever, ingenious and seriously funny. I highly recommend this book to fans of horror, comedy and satire. You're not going to be able to find another book like this unless it's from Jack Strange's catalogue.

Four out of five stars.

I received a free copy of this book from the author Jack Strange in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever seen the Re-Animator (1985) film? I believe this is aiming for that mix of horror and humor. I didn’t particularly like the Re-Animator, but at least the film had some pathos to it.

It does not take long to find the main characters unpleasantly shallow and rather unintelligent.

In it’s jovial style the book implies that it’s written to be a farce. Unfortunately, nothing funny happens. Instead it’s portrays unpleasant people doing mediocre things before dying gruesomely.

Because of the attempt at humor, the horror lacks the punch needed to have any visceral effect. Even the unnecessary allusions to sex and rape isn’t enough to nudge it to the nasty explicit/horror category.

So, we have a book that tries to be funny and scary and fails in both.

And after all that, the worst offence is the character named ‘Air Chief Nukem’. I can not forgive such on-the-nose naming in a zombie novel.