If you enjoy your fantasy and horror books with a healthy dose of humor, then Zombie Raccoons and Killer Bunnies is going to be a killer read for you. The pun had to be made, really, I promise. Martin H. Greenberg has edited a number of very enjoyable themed anthologies, and some of them have odd themes that can be interpreted a number of surprising ways. This particular anthology doesn’t have many authors playing fast and loose with the theme at all, but it does contain a variety of stories that should suit a variety of tastes.
Jody Lynn Nye’s “Death Mask” was a bit grisly. It’s definitely a tale of vengeance and retribution, and it most definitely works as a cautionary tale. A local farmer angers an old woman next door who has a reputation for being a witch. The farmer soon discovers that it’s more than just a reputation, because he’s meddled with forces far more powerful than he could have imagined.
Not all of the stories are so dark; “Ninja Rats on Harleys” by Elizabeth A. Vaughn is part of a series of stories she has contributed to various anthologies edited by Greenberg. The reader won’t feel lost reading this particular story, however, because Vaughn provides enough background to ensure that readers will remain engaged. “Ninja Rats on Harleys” features a middle aged, schlumpy writer who befriends an ancient Chinese warrior, who just happens to be a two-inch-tall mouse. It also contains evil opossums, the aforementioned ninja rats, a biker gang (because, really, where else are ninja rats going to acquire Harleys), and two obese terriers named Itty and Bitty. The story is hilarious, but it ends on a cliffhanger, so readers will have to purchase the next anthology to get the next installment of the story. Don’t worry, though, it doesn’t feel like a cheap gimmick to sell more books at all, I promise.
“The Things that Crawl” by Richard Lee Byers is a creepy and atmospheric thriller that makes good use of floods, swamps, and various reptiles. Donald J. Bingle’s “Bunrabs” shows readers what chickens are really clucking about all day, and “The White Bull of Tara” by Fiona Patton recreates some Irish mythology very nicely from the view of some legendary hounds of the Fae.
This book is very enjoyable, and the nice thing is that it is an anthology, so if a particular story feels like it’s a little too much, you can always just skip it and go on to a different one. However, I wouldn’t advise skipping any of the stories if this anthology piques your interest. Greenberg and his co-editor Kerrie Hughes have chosen quality fiction for this book, and all the stories are well worth the read.
Reading this book will most likely garner some attention, though. The cover is a little lurid, and it certainly attracted attention and commentary from co-workers who saw me reading it. They all wanted to know if the book was really about zombie raccoons and killer bunnies. I’d have to admit that I took a little bit of guilty pleasure from gleefully answering, “Yes,” every time someone asked.
Never thought I would see the day when the the raccoons become infected.. bunnies on the other hand have always been killers.
Actually, I’d see raccoons as MORE likely to be infected because they’ll at least taste anything that will hold still long enough. All it would take would be one geting ahold of a zombie part and then picking fights with its fellows