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How To End Human Suffering #2
Zombie Versus Fairy Featuring Albinos
In a perfect world where everyone destroys everything and eats human flesh, one zombie has had enough: BUCK BURGER! When he rebels at the natural disorder, his marriage starts deteriorating and a doctor prescribes him an anti-depressant. When Buck meets a beautiful, green-haired pharmacist fairy named FAIRY_26, he quickly becomes a pawn in a Cold War between zombies and supernatural creatures. As Fairy_26 flies him between her tree-branch apartment in Fairyland and an aircraft-carrier pirate ship in a zombie-infested dystopia, Buck Burger struggles to make sense of it all and remain faithful to his overbearing wife. Does sixteen-year-old spiritual leader and pirate GUY BOY MAN make an appearance? Of course! Are there mind-controlling albinos? Obviously! Is there hot zombie-on-fairy action? Maybe! WHY AREN'T YOU READING THIS YET?!
250 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2013
About the author
James Marshall
3 books45 followersJames Marshall's short fiction has appeared in numerous Canadian literary magazines: PRISM International, The Malahat Review, Exile, The Literary Quarterly, and Prairie Fire. One of his stories was nominated for the National Magazine Award for fiction, the M&S Journey Prize, and it was a finalist in the 22nd Annual Western Magazine Awards, 2004. A collection of his short stories, Let’s Not Let A Little Thing Like The End Of The World Come Between Us, was published by Thistledown Press in 2004, and it was shortlisted for both the 2005 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (Caribbean and Canada Region) in the “Best First Book” category, and the ReLit Award for short fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 2, 2013
Book Info: Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy satire
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of the series, people who are interested in a new take on zombies
Trigger Warnings: murder, mutilation, killing and eating humans
Animal Abuse: a character kills and eats a cat
My Thoughts: I've had this on my wishlist ever since I read the first book in this series, Ninja versus Pirate Featuring Zombies almost exactly a year ago (that review is here). I had planned to pick it up once it was released, but to my joy and excitement, I received a copy from ChiZine about a week before the release date so I could read it!
I did not like this one as much as the first, and I think it's because the story is not told from Guy Boy Man's point of view. Buck is an interesting character, but what I enjoyed about the first book was the ludicrous, Monty-Pythonesque humor, and that wasn't there in this one. Not to say it was a bad book—I did enjoy it, and I will definitely be looking for the next book, Pirate versus Vampires Featuring Dragons to see where things are going—but I missed the ridiculousness of the first book.
That said, this series is about something (I theorized to my husband that it is, in part, a metaphor for the mindlessness that infects so much of modern society) and going somewhere, and I am definitely interested in seeing where. This falls together a bit more in this book with the addition of the albinos and supernatural creatures, and I liked what Marshall did with giving us the zombie point of view. If you read and enjoyed the first book, if you like this author, if you want to read a new and different take on zombies and urban fantasies, then definitely check out this book.
Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book by ChiZine, the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: In a perfect world where everyone destroys everything and eats human flesh, one zombie has had enough: BUCK BURGER! When he rebels at the natural disorder, his marriage starts deteriorating and a doctor prescribes him an anti-depressant. When Buck meets a beautiful, green-haired pharmacist fairy named FAIRY_26, he quickly becomes a pawn in a Cold War between zombies and supernatural creatures. As Fairy_26 flies him between her tree-branch apartment in Fairyland and an aircraft-carrier pirate ship in a zombie-infested dystopia, Buck Burger struggles to make sense of it all and remain faithful to his overbearing wife. Does sixteen-year-old spiritual leader and pirate GUY BOY MAN make an appearance? Of course! Are there mind-controlling albinos? Obviously! Is there hot zombie-on-fairy action? Maybe! WHY AREN'T YOU READING THIS YET?
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of the series, people who are interested in a new take on zombies
Trigger Warnings: murder, mutilation, killing and eating humans
Animal Abuse: a character kills and eats a cat
My Thoughts: I've had this on my wishlist ever since I read the first book in this series, Ninja versus Pirate Featuring Zombies almost exactly a year ago (that review is here). I had planned to pick it up once it was released, but to my joy and excitement, I received a copy from ChiZine about a week before the release date so I could read it!
I did not like this one as much as the first, and I think it's because the story is not told from Guy Boy Man's point of view. Buck is an interesting character, but what I enjoyed about the first book was the ludicrous, Monty-Pythonesque humor, and that wasn't there in this one. Not to say it was a bad book—I did enjoy it, and I will definitely be looking for the next book, Pirate versus Vampires Featuring Dragons to see where things are going—but I missed the ridiculousness of the first book.
That said, this series is about something (I theorized to my husband that it is, in part, a metaphor for the mindlessness that infects so much of modern society) and going somewhere, and I am definitely interested in seeing where. This falls together a bit more in this book with the addition of the albinos and supernatural creatures, and I liked what Marshall did with giving us the zombie point of view. If you read and enjoyed the first book, if you like this author, if you want to read a new and different take on zombies and urban fantasies, then definitely check out this book.
Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book by ChiZine, the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: In a perfect world where everyone destroys everything and eats human flesh, one zombie has had enough: BUCK BURGER! When he rebels at the natural disorder, his marriage starts deteriorating and a doctor prescribes him an anti-depressant. When Buck meets a beautiful, green-haired pharmacist fairy named FAIRY_26, he quickly becomes a pawn in a Cold War between zombies and supernatural creatures. As Fairy_26 flies him between her tree-branch apartment in Fairyland and an aircraft-carrier pirate ship in a zombie-infested dystopia, Buck Burger struggles to make sense of it all and remain faithful to his overbearing wife. Does sixteen-year-old spiritual leader and pirate GUY BOY MAN make an appearance? Of course! Are there mind-controlling albinos? Obviously! Is there hot zombie-on-fairy action? Maybe! WHY AREN'T YOU READING THIS YET?
February 23, 2014
Happy Happy Happy!
Happy Happy Happy!
I'm just so happy this series exist. It renews faith in literature, gives the mind something funny to wonder about, and delivers prose that come at you like an uppercut with a knife. It's a story with ADHD that's also one of the most precise things I've ever read. True romanticism here. Makes most teen fiction cringe and fall flavorless from your mouth. Enjoy this read.
Happy Happy Happy!
I'm just so happy this series exist. It renews faith in literature, gives the mind something funny to wonder about, and delivers prose that come at you like an uppercut with a knife. It's a story with ADHD that's also one of the most precise things I've ever read. True romanticism here. Makes most teen fiction cringe and fall flavorless from your mouth. Enjoy this read.
September 8, 2016
I found this book at Worldcon / MidAmericon II. For publicity, various publishers were giving out books. I picked up ZVFFA this book because it bothered me. The title - Zombies Versus Fairy Featuring Albinos sounded like something that shouldn't be. It was way over the top but the book stayed in my hand. There was a sign saying 3 books a piece and there were maybe 10 books out. Before making my final decision, I checked out who the publisher of ZVFFA and noticed it was from ChiZine Publications so I was happy as I associate them with good things.
When I brought it back to the hotel my husband gave me The Look. I have more books than time to read, so why free book zombie book let alone one with a green-haired fairy? I told him I would read a few pages of ZVFFA and would probably just bring it back to the table.
I was peeved by a sentence on the first page but got over myself and read on. I ended up liking the book more and more. I packed it and read bits of it when I could as I came back from my vacation to work being in the phase of EVERYONE'S HAIR IS ON FIRE!
Getting back to the book - James Marshall is an excellent writer and I love all the ordinary but powerful details he includes such as the discarded stuff animal. Marshall has scary insight into the business world. His characters are interesting. It is an odd book but I cannot think of anything bad to say about it. I had fun reading ZVFFA and I really hope to read the next installment soon.
(And those other free books - funny how they too are from ChiZine Publications.)
When I brought it back to the hotel my husband gave me The Look. I have more books than time to read, so why free book zombie book let alone one with a green-haired fairy? I told him I would read a few pages of ZVFFA and would probably just bring it back to the table.
I was peeved by a sentence on the first page but got over myself and read on. I ended up liking the book more and more. I packed it and read bits of it when I could as I came back from my vacation to work being in the phase of EVERYONE'S HAIR IS ON FIRE!
Getting back to the book - James Marshall is an excellent writer and I love all the ordinary but powerful details he includes such as the discarded stuff animal. Marshall has scary insight into the business world. His characters are interesting. It is an odd book but I cannot think of anything bad to say about it. I had fun reading ZVFFA and I really hope to read the next installment soon.
(And those other free books - funny how they too are from ChiZine Publications.)
June 1, 2013
Aside from the weirdly sweet relationship, ZVFFA is an often gruesome (oh, hell, even the relationship is gruesome) satire of losing your way in the universe and trying to fight your way back, as well as a highly enjoyable take on consumerism and the social contract. Marshall keeps the antics lively, but there is a serious message at the core. It’s a bitter pill; luckily, it’s enveloped in madcap supernatural hijinks. It’s a mindjob of a novel, and I’m eager for more.
Read the full review here.
Read the full review here.
September 9, 2013
Smart, funny, highly intuitive and insightful into the human condition - highly recommend even if you don't normally read zombie novels.
November 13, 2013
One *******-up Book
I bought NVPFZ on a whim as part of the first order I ever placed with ChiZine Publications. Look at the title and tell me how could I not.
Some time later, an award-winning writer/editor/publisher told me that it was “one *******-up book.” He meant, and I interpreted, this as a GoodThing(tm).
He was right and I am so very glad of it.
I knew I wasn’t in Kansas anymore when I saw that the damned prologue consisted of a single sentence. I don’t mean a Dan-Brown-nothing-is-happening-here two line chapter. I mean a William-Faulkner-is-a-wussy three and one half page monster of a sentence.
And it only got better.
James Marshall smashes the boundaries for what may be acceptable in terms of both content and format, using both to make some interesting statements about life in an absurd, mindless, consumerist society that thrives on sound bites and internet memes.
NVPFZ and ZVSFA give us a new generation’s take on McLuhan’s “medium as message”.
These books need to be to be experienced rather than read and I have no doubt that some people will have a problem with that.
Those Books Turned My Kid Into a Thief
The best part of these books is that my elder son liked them.
In fact, he stole NVPFZ from my TBR pile.
The boys and I were driving with my parents and we ended up in a painful Toronto traffic jam. Elder son squirmed in his seat and reached into his pocket. I expected him to pull out his phone or iPod to find some digital diversion.
Nope.
He pulled out a book. Cool.
One of my books. Very cool.
Wait, is that really appropriate for a boy his age? Shut up! He’s reading. And he’s thinking.
While I wouldn’t recommend either of these books for a middle school reading list, my son read, enjoyed and reported on them for school (I am so very grateful for the openmindedness of his teacher)!
And then we talked about them. He may not have taken away the same things that I did, but he did manage to see beyond the intentionally obvious while appreciating the hilarious. We have had some cool discussions about these and other books as a result.
That, for me, is the absolute best thing that a book can do and merits more stars than I can possibly allocate.
The only downside is that the kid keeps stealing my books.
Originally posted (with naughtier words) at cheffojeffo.wordpress.com
I bought NVPFZ on a whim as part of the first order I ever placed with ChiZine Publications. Look at the title and tell me how could I not.
Some time later, an award-winning writer/editor/publisher told me that it was “one *******-up book.” He meant, and I interpreted, this as a GoodThing(tm).
He was right and I am so very glad of it.
I knew I wasn’t in Kansas anymore when I saw that the damned prologue consisted of a single sentence. I don’t mean a Dan-Brown-nothing-is-happening-here two line chapter. I mean a William-Faulkner-is-a-wussy three and one half page monster of a sentence.
And it only got better.
James Marshall smashes the boundaries for what may be acceptable in terms of both content and format, using both to make some interesting statements about life in an absurd, mindless, consumerist society that thrives on sound bites and internet memes.
NVPFZ and ZVSFA give us a new generation’s take on McLuhan’s “medium as message”.
These books need to be to be experienced rather than read and I have no doubt that some people will have a problem with that.
Those Books Turned My Kid Into a Thief
The best part of these books is that my elder son liked them.
In fact, he stole NVPFZ from my TBR pile.
The boys and I were driving with my parents and we ended up in a painful Toronto traffic jam. Elder son squirmed in his seat and reached into his pocket. I expected him to pull out his phone or iPod to find some digital diversion.
Nope.
He pulled out a book. Cool.
One of my books. Very cool.
Wait, is that really appropriate for a boy his age? Shut up! He’s reading. And he’s thinking.
While I wouldn’t recommend either of these books for a middle school reading list, my son read, enjoyed and reported on them for school (I am so very grateful for the openmindedness of his teacher)!
And then we talked about them. He may not have taken away the same things that I did, but he did manage to see beyond the intentionally obvious while appreciating the hilarious. We have had some cool discussions about these and other books as a result.
That, for me, is the absolute best thing that a book can do and merits more stars than I can possibly allocate.
The only downside is that the kid keeps stealing my books.
Originally posted (with naughtier words) at cheffojeffo.wordpress.com
January 12, 2014
A terrific follow up to the delightful insanity that was PVNFZ! I learned a lot about zombies and how they live their day to day lives :-) .
Buck is a depressed zombie and he struggles to deal with all the unhappy components of his life. He's rather whiny about it, but I guess that is a reality when you deal with depression.
A word of advice, do not read this book while eating, particularly something red and gooey like spaghetti. There are scenes of people (among other things) being eaten and it is much more enjoyable when you aren't imagining it while eating said spaghetti. Trust me on this.
I would like to have seen more of Guy Boy Man (that dude is awesome if a bit of a jerk) but he does feature and it was fantastic! I look forward to the next installment, I here there will be dragons!
Buck is a depressed zombie and he struggles to deal with all the unhappy components of his life. He's rather whiny about it, but I guess that is a reality when you deal with depression.
A word of advice, do not read this book while eating, particularly something red and gooey like spaghetti. There are scenes of people (among other things) being eaten and it is much more enjoyable when you aren't imagining it while eating said spaghetti. Trust me on this.
I would like to have seen more of Guy Boy Man (that dude is awesome if a bit of a jerk) but he does feature and it was fantastic! I look forward to the next installment, I here there will be dragons!
February 4, 2014
hilarious!
June 4, 2015
An insightful metaphor on society. Or possibly just a cool book about a depressed zombie. You decide.
October 7, 2015
loved it.
September 18, 2020
Sometimes you just need something fun to read. This is just such a book. And best of all, the zombie part actually interested me for a change! (I'm not a huge fan of the trope.)
May 30, 2013
The stripper's back and she brought equally coked-out friends along for the ride. Really, that's the best way to describe Zombie Vs Fairy Featuring Albinos, the sequel/next in series effort from James Marshall following his stellar Ninja Vs Pirate Featuring Zombies. For some context you may want to read my review of NVPFZ here.
The puerile humor remains, along with the gore and over-the-top violence, though this book ups the gore while reducing the violence a tiny bit. That's okay though, because even with less violence it has enough to satisfy the truly demented reader.
The interesting part about ZVFFA is it's told from the viewpoint of a zombie, the hated foes of Guy Boy Man. It's an interesting flip, and allows Marshall to create an engaging character with Buck Burger, our zombie narrator. Buck is a part of the system and acutely aware of how depressed that makes him. A part of him yearns to be human again, which invites a comparison between it and Warm Bodies, but the stories are completely different. R from Warm Bodies is a young man unable to connect to the world while Buck is a middle-aged white-collar worker trying to figure out where his life went wrong.
Both have the same issue though, in that they're zombies.
Like NVPFS, ZVFFA is a book that works in layers. You can enjoy it on a purely infantile level as something an elementary school child with access to way too many horror movies wrote, or you can see the underlying complexity and sheer convention-defying balls that Marshall is truly writing with.
But don't take my word for it, go read it yourself.
The puerile humor remains, along with the gore and over-the-top violence, though this book ups the gore while reducing the violence a tiny bit. That's okay though, because even with less violence it has enough to satisfy the truly demented reader.
The interesting part about ZVFFA is it's told from the viewpoint of a zombie, the hated foes of Guy Boy Man. It's an interesting flip, and allows Marshall to create an engaging character with Buck Burger, our zombie narrator. Buck is a part of the system and acutely aware of how depressed that makes him. A part of him yearns to be human again, which invites a comparison between it and Warm Bodies, but the stories are completely different. R from Warm Bodies is a young man unable to connect to the world while Buck is a middle-aged white-collar worker trying to figure out where his life went wrong.
Both have the same issue though, in that they're zombies.
Like NVPFS, ZVFFA is a book that works in layers. You can enjoy it on a purely infantile level as something an elementary school child with access to way too many horror movies wrote, or you can see the underlying complexity and sheer convention-defying balls that Marshall is truly writing with.
But don't take my word for it, go read it yourself.
July 12, 2013
Zombies are normally pretty content – they groan, they chase, they eat, they shuffle… but what happens when a zombie becomes depressed? In James Marshall’s Zombie Versus Fairy Featuring Albinos, depressed zombies get promoted. No matter how much they tell their bosses they hate their jobs, plan to demotivate workers, and decrease productivity, a diagnosis of depression is a one way ticket to the top… in fact, Buck Burger’s description of how he plans to destroy the company is exactly the skill-set and thought pattern that zombie corporate life thrives on. After all, when you are a people that are totally steeped in decay and the destructive lifestyle, what is more appealing than destruction. But, Buck starts to feel stuck, realises the monotony of his existence… and unlike most zombies, he dislikes this monotony… he wants to do forbidden, stigmatised things like change.
If you are interested in a longer review, you can explore this review at my website at http://speculatingcanada.wordpress.co...
If you are interested in a longer review, you can explore this review at my website at http://speculatingcanada.wordpress.co...
December 27, 2013
This book was wonderfully inventive; satire so sharp it cuts with Orwellian precision and Camusian despair. It would be the perfect thing to read during a breakup.
But for all the brilliance it felt unfinished, unrefined. I'm not sure why albinos were included and treated in the same conversation as giants, centaurs, and zombies. It is kind of funny in an absurd way, but perhaps a bit needless when they could have been wyverns or griffins or atlanteans, etc. The book is quite short to begin with, and too much of the narrative repeats things we already know. And there are far too many rhetorical questions in Buck's stream-of-consciousness. The end kind of comes out of nowhere, and from the mall on it seems quite rushed and a bit contrived.
I still loved this book. I just wish it had been slightly sharper. 3.5 stars.
But for all the brilliance it felt unfinished, unrefined. I'm not sure why albinos were included and treated in the same conversation as giants, centaurs, and zombies. It is kind of funny in an absurd way, but perhaps a bit needless when they could have been wyverns or griffins or atlanteans, etc. The book is quite short to begin with, and too much of the narrative repeats things we already know. And there are far too many rhetorical questions in Buck's stream-of-consciousness. The end kind of comes out of nowhere, and from the mall on it seems quite rushed and a bit contrived.
I still loved this book. I just wish it had been slightly sharper. 3.5 stars.
August 26, 2015
This is an absolutely hilarious story with a satirical look at our own society, government, religion, and social norms. This book won't let you look at anything the same again, even going to the grocery store will put a smile on your face. This was also a very refreshing zombie novel.
Most post apocalyptic zombie stories end with a lot of scary blood splatter. While there is certainly some of that in this book, you can't help but laugh at it most of the time. My only criticism with this book is that it ends with (to be continued...), and there seems to be a lot of repetition in the story. By the end I was hoping it would have been a bit shorter, and that the rest of the story was there.
Most post apocalyptic zombie stories end with a lot of scary blood splatter. While there is certainly some of that in this book, you can't help but laugh at it most of the time. My only criticism with this book is that it ends with (to be continued...), and there seems to be a lot of repetition in the story. By the end I was hoping it would have been a bit shorter, and that the rest of the story was there.
May 25, 2013
This book made no sense whatsoever. It was occasionally amusing, but I don't do enough recreational drugs to be the right audience.
Read
July 4, 2016Another Sunburst Award read.
September 14, 2014
It's kind of a strange concept, but I enjoyed this one more than the first. I really didn't like the main character in the first one, but I really liked the main character in this book.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews