Zombie Raccoons and Killer Bunnies

Zombie Raccoons and Killer Bunnies by Martin H. Greenberg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Zombie Raccoons & Killer Bunnies edited by Kerrie Hughes and Martin H. Greenberg


This is a crazy book and the purposefully amateurish cover drew the ire of a many when it came out. Those who hated the cover may have missed the point all together of this mostly comedic exploration on two hilarious ideas: zombie raccoons and killer bunnies. If you’re looking for some spooky fun during Halloween you’ll find a lot of entertainment here, from hilarious to scary. There’s fifteen stories and the authors cover a lot of different ground.

Death Mask by Jody Lynn Nye has written a tale about some nefarious raccoons and a tough old lady with a shotgun that you won’t soon forget. BunRabs by Donald J. Bingle is the funniest story in the book and I laughed out loud several times. For Lizzie by Anton Strout explores a couple of secondary characters from his well received Simon Canderous novels (Dead to Me, Dead Matter, Deader Still, & Dead Waters). Faith in Our Fathers by Alexander B. Potter is one of the best stories in the book and it really tugs at your heart. It has a resonance that any of us who have ever lost a pet can identify with, and is written with the grace of a master.

Bone Whispers by Tim Waggoner is a Stephen King-esque horror story that comes to life and will totally creep you out. Bone Whispers is one of those bizarre and well-written stories that makes you cringe. Watching by Carrie Vaughn is a tale about pigeons and mind control that will have you watching those damn flying rats out of the corner of your eye for some time.

The Things That Crawl by Richard Lee Byers is in my top three of the anthology. It’s one of those awesome stories that has it all, creepiness, a hurricane, great characterization, murder, and it’s an awesome story about the kind of serial killer you’ve never heard of before. Dead Poets by John A. Pitts is the most literary of the anthology and is written in an interesting point of view with a liberal dose of poetry. Her Black Mood by Brenda Cooper is an exploration of a unique fairy world by a neglected young girl.

Ninja Rats on Harleys by Elizabeth A. Vaughan is such an incredibly amusing story about a writer and her new friend, Wan, a very unique mouse who would be utterly bad-ass if he weren’t three inches tall. This is the continuation of Vaughan’s story about Wan from the anthology, Furry Fantastic and even if you haven’t read the first one, you’ll love this one. I mean, who doesn’t like ninja rats on Harleys?

Bats in thebayou (not a typo) by Steven H. Silver is one of the most interesting science fiction stories I’ve read a long time and one of the best stories in the book. It’s about a breed of aliens that look like bats. They’ve secretly invaded Earth and have come up with a scheme to harvest the most valuable thing on the planet, mosquitoes, without anyone knowing about it. Twilight Animals by the award-winning Nini Kiriki Hoffman is about a slacker who discovers a terrible secret about the possums infesting a suburban neighborhood where he’s house sitting. The final tale in the book titled, The Ridges by Larry D. Sweazy is a great story that will keep you guessing until the end.

Overall, Zombie Raccoons and Killer Bunnies was rollicking good time about creepy animals that infest the dark and often funny corners of our twisted imaginations. It’s a perfect collection of stories for Halloween time.

Paul Genesse
Author of The Dragon Hunters



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