The Dishonored Dead [Kindle Edition]

What happens when you reverse the roles of humans and zombies, add an upside down government along with mother earth's hidden energy? You get a remarkably inventive, fresh story line with a plot that keeps on surprising you at every turn. Robert Swartwood's eBook, "The Dishonored Dead", kept me on edge and turning pages the entire way through - just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Swartwood introduces a new twist that blows your mind. I spend a lot of time reading books in the zombie genre, and I'm always amazed when I run across a totally new idea that extends the realm of the genre. I was lucky enough to receive a copy for review.

The book starts off with our protagonist, Conrad, on a zombie hunting mission with his broadsword. He had spent years on similar hunts, beheading more zombies than he could count, his broadsword never failing to taste blood. As his raises his arms to deliver the killing blow to a zombie child, he hesitates; something is wrong - he pauses to think, something that has never happened before. One of his fellow hunters has to finish the job, and thus begins the downfall of Conrad's life and the beginning of his troubles.

He has a wife and son, and neither of them know what Conrad does for a living - the Zombie Hunter Code prevents them from telling anyone what they do, not to mention the fact that there are zombie sympathizers out there trying to kill zombie hunters so they must remain secretive. Oh, and guess what? In this story, living humans are called zombies, and they are being hunted by the living dead, who make up the normal society on earth. The roles are reversed because zombies won the zombie apocalypse and humans are on the verge of extinction. Swartwood has successfully reversed the roles of humans and zombies and made it very believable.

Conrad gets released from his job, and is placed in a top secret quasi-government lab which has been experimenting on zombies and might be considered out of control should the government actually know how their black budget dollars were being spent. The agency means well, is trying to save the world, but uses questionable methods much like our CIA, NSA, etc. Meanwhile, the hunter who had to take over Conrad's failed zombie kill becomes an antagonist to Conrad as well as the agency's status quo. This part of the book reads like Clancy and the suspense and intrigue will keep you on edge.

Soon we find out how zombies are created, and Conrad's son, wife, and sister-in-law all become key players in the story adding to Conrad and the world's trouble. Things get pretty hairy, but there's more surprises in store. I don't want to put any spoilers in here, but let's just say this turns into a possible apocalypse within an apocalypse, with mother nature taking charge with Conrad's help.

As I said before, this is one if the most unique zombie novels I've ever read, and I enjoyed it tremendously. I contacted the author and asked for an interview to learn more about the book and how it came to be. It is a shame this book is currently only in eBook form, because I know it would do well on the shelves of any brick and mortar bookstore as well as in online stores. It would be in your best interests to get this book on your e-bookshelf as soon as possible. It's a must-read.

I loved this book. At first I was a little skeptical about the premise of the Dead ruling the world, but my opinion changed after reading the first sentence of the book. From that point on I couldn't put down the book. Swartwood's character development is superb. The storytelling is first rate with so many twists and turns, I had to catch my breath several times. All I could find myself saying was WOW!

Buy this book, you will never look at zombies in the same light again!

Bravo!!

I am an avid zombie fan, and especially enjoy the traditional story with lots action, lots of danger, etc. I passed over this book more than once recently after reading the description. Then I tried the sample. It was intriguing enough that I wanted to see where the story went, and bought the book. I'm glad I did. This book is transcendent in the genre, to the point it is actually literature as opposed to just a good read (and I've nothing against a good read- they are what I search for). The book reminds me of Vonnegut's "Player Piano" in its mix of social commentary, protagonist growth, plot, and character development.

I've never read Swartwood, but he is an excellent writer, on each of these levels. I was impressed. At times, the plot meandered, and some might find it slow at other times, but these weren't enough to make me lose interest. I enjoyed the included short stories at the end. They just solidified my appreciation of the main story. If you care to buy a real book, not just an action story, get this one.