Review - I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus (A Breathers Christmas Carol) by S.G. Browne (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Zombie/Post-Apocalyptic
Size: 208 pages
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: October 30, 2012
ISBN: 978-1476708720
Stand Alone or Series: Sequel to Breathers
Source: Goodreads First Reads
Rating: 4/5 stars


I got a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review through the Goodreads First Reads program. Thanks to Gallery Books and Goodreads for allowing me the opportunity to review this book. I read Browne’s book Breathers when it was released a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I was really looking forward to reading this book as well. This ended up being a fun, yet short, zombie Christmas read. It was gory, disturbing, entertaining, and even a bit heart-warming.

This book picks up where Breathers left off. Andy is being held in an experimental facility. This book is mostly about Andy escaping from that experimental facility and then returning to rescue some friends. In between this he meets a sweet eleven year old girl who mistakes him for the one and only Santa. She wants nothing more than for her mother to spend some time with her once in awhile and Andy is determined to help her out.

This was a fun read but pretty short, it took a little over an hour to read. This is full of the wit and dark humor Browne is known for. It was a very well written and engaging story that was hard to put down.

As with Breathers this is a zombie book with gore, violence, dark humor, and surprisingly some heart as well. Parts of the book are laugh out loud funny and others are disturbingly gory...in between all of this the story is surprisingly touching.

Andy is a loyal and courageous zombie who knows how to live his unlife better than most live humans life their lives. Along the way he reminds a mother of her duty to her daughter and reminds us all of the true meaning of Christmas spirit.

Overall a great read, I really enjoyed it. This is a truly unique, if somewhat disturbing holiday read. Recommended to zombie fans and those who enjoy dark humor. Full review to follow.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Zombie Reading Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Breathers: A Zombie's Lament by S.G. Browne (4.5/5 stars)

So being a fan of zombie books and movies I just couldn't pass up this book. It was a pretty darn good book and I really enjoyed it. It has some heart, a somewhat sweet love story, zombies dismembering people, and rotting body parts...all in all a pretty complete zombie experience.

Andy Warner wakes up in the funeral home just recently embalmed. He is one of the undead. He is not taking it very well; his wife died in the car accident that took his life and his daughter has been sent to live with relatives. His parents pick him up at the zombie pound and for months he is kept in their basement watching TV and drinking their expensive wine on the sly. That is until he goes to an Undead Anonymous meeting and meets Rita, a sexy suicide victim, and Jerry, a car crash victim that likes to let people touch his exposed brain. Rita especially helps Andy see the positive in his undead existence. When another zombie introduces the group to the joys of..err...venison, things start to change and full-out zombie mayhem ensues.

This was actually a very well done book. It is darkly humorous but touches on issues of racism (or is it species-ism?) and what it means to be alive. There are a number of human elements such as Andy dealing with the loss of his family, his parents' rejection of his condition, and society's cruelty to zombies. That's not to say that it's all serious. Browne doesn't shy away from pieces of brain flying out of noses, cigarettes being put out in empty eye sockets, or any of that gory goodness.

To those who think the book starts out a little tame (with Andy picketing for zombie rights), just hold on eventually the book gets to a point of total flame-throwing zombie mayhem. What fun it is when it does!

I really enjoyed this book. All zombie lovers should give it a go. I think this would be a great book for everyone to read (except for the younger age set) it really helps to brooch the topic of what would happen if zombies entered human society. Oddly enough the next book on my list to read is "Kiss of Life" the next book in the zombie series "Generation Dead" by Daniel Waters...so onto more zombie reads for me.

I will be watching out for future books by Browne, I liked his writing style and the way everything flowed in this book...definitely a writer to keep an eye in the future.