2 Book Lovers Reviews
Guest Post: Wayne Simmons
AUTUMN by David Moody
He’s one of the pioneers of the new wave of zombie
fiction that kicked off in the early zeroes and, in my view,
remains the most important voice within zombie horror
today. For Moody, zombie horror isn’t about gun-totin’,
square-jawed marines mowing down hordes of
flesh-eating monsters, it’s about survivors and the
brutal reality of surviving a post-apocalyptic
world - ordinary folks like you and me trying to make it
through another day. In many ways, Moody takes his
cues from Terry Nation’s SURVIVORS as much as from,
say, Richard Matheson’s I AM LEGEND, AUTUMN
being more of a human story than a zombie story.
And that’s exactly why it works.
HEART-SHAPED BOX by Joe Hill
This is the only book by Joe Hill I’ve read and it remains one of my favourite modern day
horror tales. Following the exploits of a haunted rock star, it mixes two of my favourite
things in the world – horror and rock n’ roll. It’s all done with a smear of dark humour
and a protagonist who’s such a cantankerous old bastard, some might struggle to root for
him. But I loved him and I loved this book and the 80s hair metal world which it harks
back to.
RIDE THE SERPENTINE by Andre Duza
Alongside Moody, Duza was a big influence on me starting out but for very different
reasons. Where AUTUMN is the story of the ordinary man within an extraordinary world,
Duza’s DEAD BITCH ARMY is a gloriously over-the-top grindhouse romp taking me back
to the horror section of my local VHS store circa 1988. I’m cheating a little in recommending
RIDE THE SERPENTINE, Duza’s latest release, with it being a Year of the Zombie novella
of which I’m involved in putting out, but honestly speaking, it’s my absolute favourite thing
Duza’s ever done. And it’s got even more hair metal than HEART-SHAPED BOX.
CELL by Stephen King
I’ll be honest, there aren’t too many 21st Century books by Stephen King that I get on with, but
CELL I very much enjoyed. Rumour has it, King wrote the thing within a week or something
to lend it the pulpy, breakneck pace that makes it work so well. And, sure, the ending is a little
bit INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS on it, but it’s the journey that counts, right?
362 BELISLE STREET (aka THE DWELLING) by Susie Moloney
Susie Moloney is a wonderful character writer and the diverse cast moving through the
doors of 362 Belisle Street made for a brilliant page-turner. I’ve read every one of her books
since, but it’s this one that remains my favourite being a genuinely unsettling ghost yarn
best read by lamplight.
About Wayne Simmons
Belfast Child Wayne Simmons had his debut novel, Drop Dead Gorgeous, published in 2008.
Wayne’s work has since been published in the UK, Austria, Germany, Spain, Turkey and North America. His bestselling zombie novel, FLU, was serialised by Sirius XM’s Book Radio.
He’s a regular contributor to Skin Deep Tattoo Magazine as well as the PR/ Marketing chief for Infected Books.
Wayne currently lives in Wales with his ghoulfiend and a Jack Russel terrier called Dita.
Look out for him at various literary, music and tattoo events. Or find him online at: www.waynesimmons.org
