Gang, if you take a quick look around this site, or even a gander at the contents of Doomed, it will be obvious to you that I fuckin’ adore this character and world.
I say that from the deepest, darkest pits inside of me and with my entire being, the Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series is without a doubt my favorite book series, full stop.
So, with that out of the way, let’s dive in and let the soothing, decayed, fuzzy, and putrid ectoplasmic waters wash over us.
This is your rotted foot draggingly official ***SPOILER ALERT***
It sure does feel good to be back in the Unnatural Quarter seeing these weird and wonderful characters again, and this time out of the gate we have nine brand new cases.
As before, we get a slew of new creature clients and see some new locations around the Quarter.
And that is probably the thing I enjoyed the most about this new collection, that we’re 10 books into this series and KJA can still find ways to not just live in this rich world that he’s put so much effort into, but he keeps adding spokes to the wheel that constantly keep it feeling fresh and like there’s always something new to discover down every dank alley.
It would be so damn easy to just coast and deliver more of the same, especially when you have nine volumes of same to choose from.
The one thing that has stayed the same though is how I’ll describe this series: it’s Scooby-Doo for an adult audience or The Rockford Files meets The Munsters.
It’s still fun, goofy, and horror tinged in a way that isn’t grotesque.
The mysteries aren’t overly complicated, I’d say half the time you can figure them out if you just pay attention, but that is the fun of reading these types of mystery stories.
In these nine new short stories we meet a meek Boogeyman having family troubles (read my Bump In The Night review here), a bipedal Salamander also having family issues, a returning Thing Addams style severed hand writing his autobiography, a Minotaur metermaid that feels targeted, a mother fly afraid for her larve, new Bounty Hunter chasing down a necromancer, a Warlock hiding a secret from his wife, a Leprechaun & Cyclops stoner duo with a lost ball, and Security Golems at the UQ Ren Faire.
Just your mundane run of the mill cases, as you can clearly see.
Overall, this is a worthy addition to the series.
Unlike a lot of mystery/P.I. series, it’s not all about death and murder, sometimes you’re just dealing with a string of domestic squabbles our heroes have to figure out.
I appreciate that immensely.
KJA keeps up the great sense of continuity from past books, whether through returns or references, without getting bogged down in too much winking or nudging.
I love whenever we branch out and see new creatures and places in this world, and I hope the new novel (Horn Dogs) that released along side this collection picks up some of these threads characters and threads and moves them forward.
Gang, do yourself a favor and please read this and the rest of these books.
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Check out our books, with our original horror short story collection, The Camping Trip And Other Stories, our non-fiction book, Doomed: The Collected Essays And Reviews Volume 1, or our collection of original Sci-Fi/Fantasy stories, Brimming With Adventure: Thrilling Tales Of The Nerd Blitz!
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And finally, given the state of the world, do what you can to leave it a little bit better than you found it.
As difficult as that may be currently, it can have an impact far greater than you know.
Until next time, stay safe out there, gang.
