Product Description

London - a city overrun by the zombie hordes. Most of the human survivors live from day to day, scraping together an existence amongst the ruins, avoiding the shambling, flesh-hungry undead that stalk the streets. But for others the situation is an opportunity, a chance to establish a powerbase within the capital now that all authority has virtually collapsed. For gang lord Harry Flowers, the plague is his chance to finally rule the city unopposed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31364 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 368 pages

Customer Reviews

Zombie Gangster Love Story !
In my previous reviews of zombie novels, I have stated that I bought a whole host of un-dead novels in some bizarre desire to read some real zombie nosh entertainment, an escape from reading about the history of the Roman Empire, Warhammer and other post apocalyptic fiction that I love so much. And if I am honest with the reader of this review, this book is currently top of my Zombie hit list.

If your like me, and you appreciate this type of flesh eating, monster distraction then I think your going to really enjoy this book. I loved this book from start to finish. OK, so it is not as graphic as Keene's The Rising series, and not quite as in depth as Wellington's Nation series, but maybe that what made it more enjoyable, leaving the reader to imagine in their own mind any un-detailed event.

The book is mainly set in three - Pulp Fiction like - time periods of the zombie apocalypse. Now - The un-dead owning London and the survivors banding together in gangster-like clans. Five Years Earlier - The zombie outbreak. And fifteen years later - The intelligent dead taking over from their lesser intelligent brethren, with slushy, lovey-dovey ending !

Our lead character in this novel is Gabe, chauffer, gangster lackey and eventual highly intelligent zombie, hitting back at his London gangster-like boss after issuing a death warrant after his capture by the last remaining elements of the British military. The love interest being the gangsters daughter who Gabe falls in love with in life, and whose feelings it appear seem to continue into death !

I do not really like the idea of the dead becoming able to ride cars, talk, fire guns, create abattoirs (this being the most extremely graphic part of the book) and organise hoards of their lesser intelligent cousins. It seems to be the norm these days in zombie lore - but in this book it made perfect sense and actually made the book that much more readable. If anything the distaste that the intelligent zombies showed their lesser dead comrades was even comical at times.

I think that UK readers of this book will enjoy it far more than our cousins across the pond in the USA, because the story is set in London, and many people like myself will be able to picture panic ridden London after trips to the city in younger years ! But I do urge anyone outside of the UK to give this book a read - you will not be disappointed.

The only couple things of that that I did not really appreciate in this book, was the majority of the intelligent zombies all seemed to be members of the gangster elite and the epilogue. I'm not sure the book needed the epilogue and I'm not really sure where the author was going with it. But it is only 3 pages in an otherwise superb novel. Loved it Mr Smith - five out of five !

I'll certainly read more of the Tomes Of The Dead series, and will definitely look out for more fiction by this author.

My favourite zombie book this year
I must admit i am a bit of a zombieholic, i read about a dozen of these books each year and i must say i think this is the best one this year. Its well written and you certainly feel a lot of empathy for the characters and that includes some of the zombies! The story moves along at a great pace and is a definate page turner, you will not be disappionted (except maybe for the strange title)

not bad at all
i found this not quite to be the book i thought it was, still looking for the on which centres more on how government falls ect, however this book has several refreshing twists and turns that i didnt see coming at all,only bit i found rather confusing was the epilogue, the only thing i found slightly annoying was the dubious title, however, definitely worth a read...