Zombie Zealots! Fans of The Walking Dead! Adventure Lovers! Have I found a book for you!

I’ve been honored with a first read of Jack Flacco‘s new novel, Ranger Martin and The Zombie Apocalypse and I’m so excited to share with you, but I don’t want to spoil it! I’ve never done a book review before and frankly, I’m a bit nervous about it, so I’m going to try my best here.

Ranger Martin is full of adventure, action, and zombie guts. From Page One, the reader is sucked into this post-apocalyptic world and thrown into the action. Within pages I fell in love with our hero, the truck-driver-turned-zombie-hunter Ranger Martin. Tough, able, kick ass, and an Oklahoma City Red Hawks fan, Ranger appears to be the ultimate loner– a tough guy working his way through zombies. Until he meets Matty and Jon.

Just when you thought Ranger is the coolest hero ever, enter Matty, who gives him a run for his money. She’s a wild, red-headed teenager with mean zombie-fighting skills, protecting her little brother Jon with a combination of smarts, ability, and a teenaged attitude. Jack develops Matty’s relationship with Ranger beautifully– although she’s a kid, Ranger’s immediately impressed with her abilities and her toughness and she’s an awesome sidekick for Ranger. At some points she’s his equal, at others he plays the role of a father figure or big brother. One of my favorite exchanges between Matty and Ranger is when Matty, steaming mad, tells off Ranger for behaving recklessly and gets the tough guy to apologize, demonstrating their humanity amidst the chaos of the world and Ranger’s ever-growing respect for her.

Turns out though that Ranger has a helper at his home-base, Wildside. A hero in his own right, Wildside, is the brains to Ranger’s brawn. Let’s just say that he thinks Matty is as awesome as I do.

Meanwhile, we simultaneously follow the story of Randy, an amnesiac with a special trait.   When Ranger introduces Wildside to Matty and Jon, and then Randy enters into the group, we realize that Ranger has his hands full.

Zombies, teenagers, and a little boy. What other challenges can we throw in the mix for Ranger?

Turns out, the answer is “plenty.” Despite the relationships that form, Jack never lets the action wane. The interaction between the living and undead are colorful (literally and figuratively), suspenseful, and honestly, kind of gross. Exactly what you want from a zombie novel!

As I read I lost myself in the story, swiping the pages over my iPhone any time I could spare a minute, and then about halfway through the action– BAM! Jack hit me with something I never expected. Wait? WHAT JUST HAPPENED? I thought, as I flipped back and re-read.

I consider myself a lover of all things zombie, and the crux of Jack’s apocalypse was something I would never imagine. I’m dying to tell you more about Ranger Martin’s world, but what fun would that be? Instead, I hope you buy the book, available this week. I highly recommend it!  

From the Author:

Never call them zombies. That was one of the rules. So much for rules, everyone who made up that garbage is either dead or undead. It doesn’t matter anymore. They go by other names—chewers, eaters, maggot bags, the changed. Whatever they’re called, they’re everywhere. And they’re not giving up until every last human becomes a single serving entrée to satiate their uncontrollable appetite.

Enter shotgun-toting Ranger Martin who is determined to end the zombies’ all-you-can-eat buffet. In an abandon military silo on the outskirts of the Nevada/Arizona border, he and his specialized team of assassins plan their assaults. Who’s he kidding? His team consists of three kids in their teens, and a boy barely old enough to wipe his own nose. But when a secret air force base in the Mojave Desert proves there’s more to the change than anyone knew, the temptation is too great. Now Ranger and the others set out on the road to overthrow the center of the infestation—a frantic race that will either destroy the hunger-prone zombies or cost him and his friends their lives.

On sale October 22!  Check out Jack’s website here for further information.

Have a nice night!