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Mondo Zombie is an absolutely stunning collection of short stories ranging from the ridiculous (about the attack of the zombie 'members': "From Hell It Came" wink to the profound ("God Save the Queen" wink . It explores the human soul in the most extreme situations, from the cruelty of "Feeding the Dead Inside" to the heart wrenching "Twins" or "Connections". "You'll never Lunch in this Town Again" captures the mono focus so many of us get in a seriously amusing way, as does "Eye Gouge." Obsession is explored in stories like "Dead Loves." The last story made me laugh out loud. Some of these are short and simple, others complex in imagination, like "Holy Feast, Holy Fast," who's Heisenberg like exploration of possibilities was horrific in it's excruciating anticipation. I think my favorites were "God save the Queen" with it's slow crumbling and the wicked clever Burroughs pastiche, "Naked Lunchmeat" which captures the rhythm and fascination of Burroughs prose and subject matter while staying eminently readable.

I could hardly put the thing down, but I should warn people that a few of the stories contain graphic n***philia. It is not for the easily grossed out. I would also give the tepid "Zombies of Madison County" a miss. It is a little too faithful to the style it imitates, and is painfully slow and heavy handed. The rest is gold.