C.M. Saunders

Dan Pallister woke up one morning to find the world had gone to hell over night. The zombie apocalypse has arrived without warning. He doesn't know what caused it, whether it's something in the air, something in the water, or even whether or not he is already infected. Dan knows one thing, survival. He's been preparing all his life for just such an occasion. Forgoing sports, friendships, childhood fun. He's always been preparing and he's ready for whatever happens. If only it hadn't happened right before his regular shopping day. Luckily there's a supermarket near by so Dan makes his move to stock up on supplies while he plots his next course of action. But wait.. there is something odd about these zombies. Why do some of them seem to be going about their usual human habits? Oh well, Dan doesn't have time to ponder all the gruesome details!
This was a quick and creepy read.


Freakier still was the bonus story Til Death Do Us Part
"He was going to have to eat Margaret soon. That much was obvious."

Ronald and Margaret have had 40 years of wedded bliss, but it's no longer safe to go outside and the cupboards are bare. What's a starving man to do?

I would recommend it to all fans of horror and dark fiction.
4 out of 5 freaky stars from me.

I received a complimentary copy for review… (mehr)

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler-free way. Unfortunately, there is still always a risk of slight spoilers despite my best efforts. If you feel something in my review is a spoiler please let me know. Thank you.

I'm generally not big on short stories. But for me, they are super hard to rate. Some of the stories were pretty good, while some of them kinda sucked. So right in the middle is how we are rating this one. It was a really short read with a collection of even shorter stories. At least one of them I thought would make a good novel in itself, and I can also think of one that just seemed stupid and pointless. So I really do have some mixed feelings about this book.… (mehr)

I used to read speculative fiction by the bucket load, but after exhausting my favorites, I moved onto other genres. Over the past few months, I’ve discovered some new authors in horror and sci-fi, and it’s all I’ve read since. Saunders is one of my recently discovered favorites and doesn’t disappoint with Devil’s Island.

Now, if you’re looking for a fancy or convoluted plot or lots of gore and bloody goings-on, this is not the book for you. The reason I love reading this author is that he writes with a clean style that pulls no punches, and it is this style that enables him to suck you into Devil’s Island without the bells and whistles. This book is all about the heebs you get when something (imaginary or not) is lurking just out of your line of sight, hunting you, breathing down your neck, whispering in your ear, persistently following you, waiting for the perfect opportunity to do whatever nasty it likes to do.

“Sounds like it’s been done before.” Well, you’d be right. It has. "So what makes this book different?" As you follow Davon, (the protagonist) into the isolated confines of Devil’s Island in the first pages, Saunders carefully injects a small amount of uncertainty, gently pushing you to the edge of your seat as you read on. Then he slowly builds the creep factor, scene by scene, disturbing your equilibrium just enough to make you turn the page, because you're hoping to find the solid ground horror authors usually give you between chapters(I call it the safe zone, where you're allowed to breathe and laugh at yourself for almost closing your eyes in previous pages). That solid ground never appears. No, not even at the end. This is what makes Devil’s Island worth reading.
… (mehr)

Yes, another by C.M Saunders. I binge read authors I like. What can I say?

I’ve always enjoyed horror fiction, but my favorite books are those that don’t go straight for the gore. That’s not scary. Authors that dig deep and dare to force the reader into uncomfortable situations and remind us of thoughts we try to avoid thinking are the true talent in this genre. In X, Chris Saunders shows he’s one of those talents.

He begins with an introduction, which is something I usually attempt to read but end up skipping. I didn’t skip this one. It found it very entertaining.

Moving onto the meat of the book: A Thin Disguise is probably my favorite of the bunch, with The Awful Truth running a close second, but each story in this collection lurks in your head long after you’ve finished reading. (As good horror stories should do.)

In the Afterword, Saunders discusses the inspiration/origins of each story, which I always enjoy reading. He also makes confession about his feelings about women at the end of it, which I think is kind of interesting. *Insert evil laugh here.*

The verdict: Yes, you should read this book.… (mehr)