What would be your zombie killing theme song?

Okay folks here's the scenario. A zombie apocalypse has devastated the planet and you are one of the last remaining people on Earth. Depending on who you are that may or may not be a good thing but that's another issue for another time. Right now your dumb ass has gotten yourself trapped in a broom closet while attempting to get a Kit Kat bar off a dead doorman in a hotel lobby.

About twenty of the walking dead await outside the closet door and a few are attempting to get through the door. You have no choice but to fight your way out. You being the bad ass you are have two pistols and an assault rifle and are proficient will all three.

Here's the question people. When you go Billy bad ass and kick the door open what song will be playing in your head? Hey, every tough guy needs their theme music.

I have picked four songs below in the poll but you have the option of adding your own song too. So what will you be blasting zombies to?

Are zombies overexposed right now?

Every where you look right now there are zombies. Zombie movies, TV shows, commercials, comic books, and of course books/ebooks seem to have taken over in popular culture right now.

Of course most of this is driven by the phenomenal success of AMC's The Walking Dead. Of course The Walking Dead comics are hugely successful and that's not to mention the success of The Extinction Parade by Max Brooks or George A. Romero's Empire of the Dead when it comes to comic books.

There will be a sequel to World War Z and there will be a Pride , Prejudice, & Zombies movie

But just because that show and movies like World War Z have been successful doesn't mean that we might be reaching the over saturation point with zombies. If you do a search for zombie books on Amazon right now there are 9,055 results at the moment I am writing this post.

TV shows such as the BBC's In the Flesh have already joined the market and shows such as Helix have zombie elements. ( Okay the infected elements ) NBC is set to produce Babylon Fields a series that started out seven years ago as an CBS project.

If you have Netflix or check out YouTube you are already aware of the thousands of zombie movies out there and trust me there are thousands more to come.

This leads me to ponder just how much zombie themed entertainment can the market bare. Are we reaching the point of over saturation. Even hardcore zombie fans most be wondering the same thing.

So what do you think? Are zombies overexposed right now?

It's here! The Dead War Series Book Three: WAR!

The wait is over! The Dead War Series Book 3: WAR is here. $1.99

I know it took a little bit longer than I promised but it's finally here.

One teaser I will give Dead War fans that read this blog is that Richards and Duncan finally do square off!

Sergeant Richards, Liu, more scouts, and The Peacemakers must defend the little girl Delice as a vampire army attacks The Rock. As the battle rages on the walking dead join in and the odds of getting Delice who is now mankind's last hope out of the city just got worse. Will they succeed?

Buy the Dead War Series Book Three: WAR

Read Free: PROLOGUE The Dead War Series Book One

Prologue The Dead War Series Book One

Z1 Day ( Zombie One Day ) from The Dead War Series.

Z1 Day ( Zombie Day One )

The Dead War Series Book One available at Amazon for the kindle. $1.99 The Dead War Series: Book One

When would you rather die during a zombie apocalypse?

Let's face it, during a zombie apocalypse we all pretty much fu**ed. You are probably going to die sooner or later. The question I have is would you want to die sooner and miss the destruction of the world or die later and go down fighting. Well which one is it?

Zombie Movie of The Week: Living Dead Lock Up

Welcome to The Dead War Series Zombie movie of the week. Every week I will feature a different zombie movie for your enjoyment. Please watch, comment and enjoy!

This Weeks Movie 09/03/12 Living Dead Lock Up

A deep buried secret threatens the inhabitants of Stone Gate Penitentiary. When a petty car thief is sentenced to the prison, he encounters more than he expected. A bizarre occurrence unleashes a hoard of possessed Zombies out into the institute. Now he and his cell mate Miguel must find a way to break out of prison and rescue his girlfriend before they become one of the living dead.

The Dead War Series Zombie Contest. Win The Dead War Series: Short Stories Volume 1

UPDATE 08/04/2012 7:30 AM EST We have 4 winners so far. Only 1 more to go

Hi all this is George Cook author of The Dead War Series, Alone with the Dead, and The Dead War Series: Short stories Volume 1 ( Kindle only ). I am running a contest to give away 5 copies of The Dead War Series: The Short Stories Volume 1. The first five people to correctly answer the zombie trivia questions will win a copy. ANSWERS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL! Do not use the comment box to answer. All answers should be sent to georgelcookiii@gmail.com This contest will close after the fifth person gives the correct answers. You may try again and again until you get it right.

Here are the questions?

1. What were the TWO working titles of Night of the Living Dead during it's filming.?

2. How many times has Night of the Living Dead been remade?

3. Which zombie film introduced the concept of the walking dead wanting to eat brains?

4.In Night of the Living Dead what is believed to be the cause of the dead reanimating? ( answer must be specific )

5. In Return of the Living Dead what caused the reanimation of the dead? ( answer must be specific! )

First Winner: Tim Malik.

Second Winner: Jonathon Reid

Third Winner: Branden Bohan

Fourth Winner: Sem892

What would most likely cause a zombie apocalypse?

What do you think would actually cause a zombie apocalypse? In my book The Dead War Series: Book 1 ( Yes that's a shameless plug ) the cause is believed to be a biological weapon. What else do you think could cause a zombie apocalypse?

5 star review for Alone With The Dead

Check out the 5 star review for my short story "Alone With The Dead". I love this review because the reader got what I was going for with this story. George Cook author of Alone With The Dead.

5 star review for Alone With The Dead

5 star review for Alone With The Dead ( Amazon UK ) More than just a zombie story. 18 July 2012 By Cathy Hudson

I nabbed this while this was a freebie. I’ve never read anything by George L Cook before and was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually enjoyed this. The horror genre has zombie stories emerging from every orifice. However I found this to be more than just another gory shocker. This story centred on the love and strength of a little family unit caught up in a zombie invasion. The horror came from the emotions of the main character as he fought to get his wife and son to a place of safety against all odds. This was only a very short story, 15 minutes tops but I was still thinking about that poor man the next morning. I will be looking out for more from this writer.

Buy for 99 cent’s here: Amazon: Alone With The Dead

Amazon UK: Alone With The Dead UK

Thompson: A free Dead War Short Story

Here is a short story based on my book The Dead War Series which tells the story of the US Army's fight to save America after a zombie apocalypse. Buy for $1.50 at Amazon here: The Dead War Series Book 1 Use the button in the bottom right corner to enlarge to full size.

A Dead War Series Short Story THOMPSON

TDWS Zombie Book of The Day: Dead Meat by Patrick Williams and Chris Williams

The city of River’s Edge has been quarantined due to a rodent borne rabies outbreak. But it quickly becomes clear to the citizens that the infection is something much, much worse than rabies...

The townsfolk are attacked and fed upon by packs of the living dead. Labeling the infected residents “bees” for their tendency to travel in swarms, Gavin and Benny attempt to survive the chaos in River’s Edge while making their way north in search of sanctuary. No one knows what waits outside the quarantined zone, but Gavin and Benny know that to survive, they must escape.

TDWS Zombie Book Of The Day: The Turning: A Story of the Living Dead Kelly M Hudson

The Dead Walk! And no place on earth is safe from their ravening hunger. Civilization falls, leaving groups of struggling survivors to navigate a world that has descended into Hell. Jeff Richards is one such survivor. He and his lover Jenny flee their home in the Bay Area and take a perilous journey through Northern California into Oregon, seeking shelter in rural areas to avoid both the living dead and that most treacherous animal of all: their fellow humans. But can a man who has lost everything, including his humanity, ever be reborn? When the dead walk, will any of us survive? Or will we all join the ranks of the undead to forever walk the earth.

The pros and cons of using a baseball bat during a zombie apocalypse.

If there ever is a zombie apocalypse many things will be running through our minds. First and foremost the overwhelming majority of us will be thinking about self preservation and the safety of our families. To those of you questioning why I put self preservation before the safety of loved ones it's because a dead person can't protect anyone.

Now the most logical thing to do is to find a secure building and just stay the fuck there. But us being human at some point and time some one will need food and water.

That means going outside. That means you will have to defend yourself against the hordes of the dead. Now unless you have one of those neighbors who has been waiting his whole life for a zombie apocalypse and has secretly stashed enough weapons to fight World War III you probably wont have access to many firearms. That means you will be relying on blunt objects to eliminate the dead.

The baseball bat is very common in many households as a sporting accessory or as a cheap security system. It also will get the job done against a slow moving target and we all know that the dead wont be winning any 100 yard dashes anytime soon.

With that in mind as a service to TDWS readers I have decided to list the pros and cons of the baseball bat as a zombie killing weapon.

Pros

* Ease of use. If you need instructions on how to use it you wont be alive long anyway.

* Doesn't need to be reloaded.

* Light weight. Wont slow you down if you have to haul ass.

* Available in most department and sporting goods stores.

Cons

* Requires you to be relatively close to zombie attackers.

* Normally requires more than one swing to take out the dead.

* Sucks against multiple attackers.

* Don't miss! A miss or an over swing can lead to an entire side of your body being exposed.

* Will eventually break or if aluminum, bend.

In Conclusion.

So in closing my professional zombie killing opinion is that it's not the best of weapons but will do the job in a pinch.

George L. Cook III author of The Dead War Series: Book 1

Why I hate fast moving zombies!

This was written last year but with the release of World War Z this weekend I thought it would be timely to repost this.

When I started to write my Kindle Book The Dead War Series: Book 1 one thing I knew for sure was that I would have the good old fashioned slow moving kind of the walking dead. You know the kind that you actually might have a chance to get away from?

Now of course there are those that argue that it really doesn't matter if they are fast or slow because if a zombie apocalypse does occur it won't make much difference because at the end of the day we are all fuc*** anyways.

While I understand that line of thinking I would like to chime in with why I think slow moving zombies are better especially in walking dead stories. I honestly believe that slow moving zombies at least let the reader / viewer know that there is hope that the protagonist might just survive ( as long as they avoid malls ).

Think about it. If dozens or hundreds of fast moving zombies are coming after you how do you fight back? You are not going to outrun them because the dead don't get tired. ( Let's be honest most Americans are not running that far anyway. ) You can't possibly shoot them all because a fast moving target is harder to shoot and unless every zombie had the head the size of Jay Leno's you would be shooting at a small moving target.

To be honest I hate fast moving zombies.

I think fast moving zombies represent no hope and who wants to tell a story with not even a little bit of hope for mankind? I mean the heroes of the story will most have likely lost most of their loved ones, are constantly looking over their shoulders, have trouble finding food and water, are doing whatever they have to do to survive and still have no idea how the dead began to walk again.

It's kind of fuc*** up to throw fast moving zombies on top of all that, don't you think?

At least with the slow moving kind putting up a fight is possible as long as they are not many in numbers. The heroes have a chance ( Well until a character inevitably does something stupid that allows the dead to attack them in the house or building they have holed up in). I believe there should always be some hope that a character can escape or live through a zombie attack. Hope is what keeps humanity going in tough times and I'm pretty sure that a zombie apocalypse qualifies as a tough time.

So what do you think? Do you prefer fast or slow moving zombies? Does it even make a difference to you which kind will eventually be feeding on your entrails?

George Cook author of The Dead War Series

Interview with Sergeant Richards, hero of The Dead War Trilogy

Here is an interview with the character Sgt. Richards the hero of The Dead War Trilogy. Get to know this new hero.

TDWS: Sergeant Richards you have been lucky enough to survive this long in The Dead War. Why is that?



Richards- Because I'm afraid.


TDWS: Afraid?



Richards: Yes Afraid. It's amazing how fear can keep a mother fucker alive. Many think of fear in a negative way but a scout soon learns that it helps him stay alive.


TDWS: Interesting. How were things early on here in Newark when the virus or whatever it is broke out?



Richards: It was weird here in Newark. We knew it was happening but it was happening at such a slow pace at first that many didn't take it that seriously. In New York and Philly it was tearing through the populace but here it crept up slowly until that one day it just exploded.


TDWS: That one day. What was it like?



Richards: It was crazy. I thought the world was ending. It spread so quickly that we on the police force were caught completely off guard. We were literally overwhelmed in hours. We couldn't even protect ourselves let alone the citizens. Many of the people committed suicide, some alone but others in huge groups.


TDWS: Why so many suicides early on?



Richards: One thing the scientist did realize was that the virus didn't reanimate those that were already dead. It could only be passed on by a bite from the dead to the living. Many decided they would go out on there on terms.


TDWS: Why didn't you consider killing yourself?



Richards: Who said that I didn't?


TDWS: How did you go from wanting to kill yourself to joining the army?



Richards: a year into this shit I hooked up with a few former cops and their families. We actually made a little safe enclave in an old forgotten school that was boarded up. We were able to hold off the dead but I started to feel like we were just surviving not living. Eventually the dead got in and after me and others escaped we heard rumors about the army recruiting. I was tired of running so I decided to join up. The rest is history.


TDWS: What was it like fighting the dead?



Richards: A fucking mess. The sergeants and officers who trained us were battle tested having fought in the African Conflict but they taught tactics that were of use against the living. The sheer number of the dead was also a major problem. The first year we thought our unit was named retreat because we heard the word so much.

TDWS: Do you enjoy killing the dead.

Richards: At first yes. I felt like I was taking revenge for everyone that they had killed including my family. But soon you start to realize that it's not really revenge.

TDWS: How so?

Richards: Think about how can it be revenge if you are putting some poor bastard out of his misery? By killing them we are putting them at rest.

TDWS: What unit were you first assigned to?



Richards: Bravo Company 22 Battalion, better known as the Newark Hellcats. I was assigned to the second platoon under Sergeant Ridley. She's a tough bitch and I mean that in a nice way.


TDWS: What happened to them?



Richards: Last I heard they are still going strong. They are taking forward positions in the war here in Newark. It's been almost a year since I have seen them though. We were a good unit. I liked it there.


TDWS: So why become a scout?



Richards: Wasn't my choice. None of us were exactly volunteers. We were selected by our company commanders and sent to Fort Dix for training. But this time we were trained by soldiers who were battle tested against the dead.


TDWS: What's it like? Being a scout I mean.



Richards: It's weird. You learn to stay alive on your own and when you encounter the dead you sometimes wish you had help but you have been fighting alone so long you don't trust anyone but yourself.

TDWS: How is it when you are fighting alongside other troops?

Richards: Hard. I have to remember that they are friendlies with me and every creature moving is not trying to take a hunk out of me.


TDWS: Have you killed friendlies before?


Richards: To be quite frank with you, yes. I have had to and to kill other humans who are not so friendly.


TDWS: Humans that are not that friendly?



Richards: You know cannibals, warlords and their play armies, shit like that. Hell, I prefer dealing with the dead. At least I know what their agenda is.


TDWS: You are painting a bleak picture. Do you think we can win this war?



Richards: Early on I would have said no and I honestly believed that just surviving another day was a victory. I remember early on that we all thought it would be like some "28 Days Later" shit and that the daed would all just drop and it would be over. We soon realized that's not going to happen and once we really started to fight back I saw something starting to return.


TDWS: What is that something?



Richards: Hope. As long as we have hope and keep fighting we will overcome the dead. We will rebuild our world.


TDWS: I guess that's a good note to end our interview on.



Richards: Okay. I have a war to go fight anyways.

Buy The Dead War Trilogy here for $2.99:

The Dead War Series, The Reviews Are In

Check out these reviews for The Dead War Series: Book 1 at Amazon


18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Action filled, February 25, 2012
By quanda
This review is from: The Dead War Series: BOOK 1 (Kindle Edition)
A short read but action packed and very intense. The action sequences left me breathless and their were a few scares. I loved the main character, Sergeant Richards. A new action hero is born. Can't wait for book two.



18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Dead War, February 19, 2012
By Roddy (Missouri)
Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: The Dead War Series: BOOK 1 (Kindle Edition)
It could do with a bit more editing and spell checking but all in all it's a pretty good story. I would like to see more in this series in the future. The spelling mistakes are minor and not all that distracting. Having someone else read it first and point them out can easily prevent it in future editions.


Set in the future, the main story is about a scout who has to deliver a message to another military camp and has to make his way across a zombie infested city to do it. He not only meets up with the undead cannibals but the living type as well. I don't want to give too much away as the story is fairly short.
Even an old hillbilly like me enjoys a good zombie story when it's done well and this author did a pretty good job of it. I've already bookmarked his main page so I can keep track of more additions to this story.

( Note from the author. The book has been edited since Roddy's review. )


6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zombies vs the US Army!, February 26, 2012
By BKC This review is from: The Dead War Series: BOOK 1 (Kindle Edition)
I really enjoyed this book. The action was great and there was rarely a moment when the action slowed down. The zombies in the book are the good old fashioned slow moving kind but the soldiers carry up to date mid-21st century weapons making for some great battle scenes. If you like action, zombies, and military hardware this is a story for you.

Transcript: Interview with Berserker Virus creator, Dr Ariza

Transcript: Meeting between Dr Ariza creator of the Berserker  Virus and General Hollis US Army


Date: September 21,  2054


Time: 0400 hours ( 4AM )

Hollis: I'm sorry about the attack on you. Are you okay?

Ariza: I think I am. I'm scared to be here in this base. If your men are going to try to kill me I would rather be outside with the dead.

Hollis: Lady you should be scared to be anywhere. You created the reason we are here. You created the Berserker Virus.

Ariza: Oh so it's okay for your men to try to kill me?

Hollis: No and it wont happen again. I will assign a soldier to protect you.

Ariza: One of your men will kill me. Hell, one already tried.

Hollis: It wont be one of mine. It will be a scout. They are special forces and they follow orders. I don't want you dead and right now I need you alive.

Ariza: What do you want?

Hollis: I want to know why my men are fighting the dead and why the fuck the world is about to end.

Ariza: You know why. The Berserker Virus.

Hollis: I read the files and I don't understand how this shit spread. The virus was supposed to make opposing soldiers kill each other.  I thought the virus killed the host in two hours. It's obvious this did not happen.

Ariza: The original virus was a  combination of a nerve agent and a virus. It would cause an immediate reaction to those exposed to it like a nerve gas and through their bodily fluids spread like a virus to others. Once exposed  a subject only had two hours to live. In theory when used in the right settings an opposing force would wipe itself out in a matter of hours.

Hollis: What happened Doctor?

Ariza: There is some evidence that some of the virus was used in Iran against the rebels during their war. Early on through carelessness Iranian Special Forces were exposed. These special forces troops had been administered some type of experimental drug that was supposed to protect them from any biological weapons.

Hollis: Did it work?

Ariza: No, but it kept them alive for days longer than they should have lived. It also slowed the onset on the beserker effect.  This allowed them to leave the war zones and enter into cities and towns where they spread the virus when it finally did hit them. In the passing of the virus from the troops who had the experimental drug to those without it I believe the virus mutated into a form that no longer killed the host.

Hollis: Do you have any idea what the Iranians gave there soldiers?

Ariza: I can't say for sure but we know there are some drugs that inhibited earlier biological weapons and we believe a combination of those were used along with something new.

Hollis: Dr. Ariza, can you find a way to stop the spread of this virus.

Ariza: As one of the few alive that actually know how it works I believe that given time I can.

Hollis: Lady humanity doesn't have too much time left. Find a way to stop this shit and find it now.

Ariza: I will work as hard as I can General Hollis. I feel I owe the world that.

Hollis: Fuck you and what you feel you owe. You will find a way to stop this and save humanity or I will shoot you myself. Understood.

Ariza: Yes

Holllis: Good, have a nice day.

END TRANSCRIPT.

Read The Dead War Series: Book 1 now for just $1.50  http://www.amazon.com/Dead-War-chapter-combined-ebook/dp/B006YEKJXO

Military Tactic: THE LINE

The Dead War Series, MILITARY TACTIC: THE LINE


During the story in The Dead War Series Trilogy " The Line " is mentioned during the battle scenes.

The Line when done correctly is a simple and brutally effective way of pushing back the dead and eliminating the threat.

The Line itself is actually two lines. The first line is made up of soldiers with their MC30 laser rifles who move slowly forward while taking out the dead. The second line follow with their laser pistols in hand taking care of any of the dead the first line did not finish off.

When the first line runs low on "ammo" they drop behind the second line which goes to their rifles and continues the advance as the original first line reloads their rifles and then cleans up the dead with their laser pistols.

This can continue for as long as needed as long as the soldiers have enough clips to fight on. Each fully charged MC30 clip holds 250 shots and the pistols 100. Each soldier carries 10 MC-30 clips and 10 pistol clips.