The Complete Double Dead

The book The Complete Double Dead is in reality an omnibus edition of the Double Dead series, Double Dead and the short story "Bad Blood" released by Abaddon Books in 2016. Double Dead was originally published by Abaddon Books in 2011 and was included in their multi-author series "Tomes of the Dead." "Bad Blood" was a short story also published by Abaddon Books and was released as an e-book in 2012. Both stories are about the vampire, Coburn, and his survival in a world now engulfed in a zombie apocalypse. "Bad Blood" continues the story that ended with Double Dead.

Now I consider myself a bit of a zombie coinsure. I have read more than my fair share of zombie literature, and unlike many of these "Johnny-come-lately" Walking Dead zombie fans, I have been a dedicated reader/viewer for years. And in all my years I have never read a "zombie" novel quite like this one, and that is something pretty amazing! Chuck Wendig has created a unique novel, not because of environment in which the novel takes place. This is your typical zombie apocalypse. It's not unique because of the plot. I have read any number of zombie books where the characters are taking a _____ (person, canister of blood, chemical, disc of notes, fill in the blank with the appropriate plot device) across the country to end the zombie apocalypse. No, the thing that made Double Dead one of the most interesting zombie novels I have read in a few years, was the main character, Coburn, a vampire that wakes right in the middle of a full-fledged zombie apocalypse after being "accidently" entombed.

I recently read The Death of Grass by John Christopher and so I had a greater appreciation for the serious predicament in which Coburn woke to find himself. And in the beginning that is all Coburn saw when he finds group of survivors and decides to make them his "flock." In this case flock is like literal sheep, not in the biblical or Christian sense. The thing is eventually the survivors do look to Coburn as a leader and a protector..... so maybe not so literal after all.

Coburn is your quintessential anti-hero. He reveled in his wickedness, and in the evil of his previous deeds. But like all anti-hero's, this is just a shallow cover for pain and loss. Being a vampire over 50 years old, Coburn's pains were maybe just a tad deeper and bigger than the average anti-hero.

This novel was not perfect. I was not impressed with the plot string of Coburn and Brickert and the Sons of Man. I found it to be a bit shallow and sort of petered out in the end. But that was more than made up for by Coburn and the Housefrau. This is just another example of a plot twist that moved this novel from just another zombie book to one that rises above.

My final word, this was better than your average zombie book and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something just a little bit different. (This novel was given to the reviewer by the publisher for a fair and honest review.)

4 of 5 stars.