Apocalypse Cow [Kindle Edition]

From the corny pun-title and blurb, we all know pretty well what to expect with this book and you certainly won't be disappointed. As Shaun of the Dead style comedies go, Apocalypse Cow is a bloody jagged slash above the rest. The first real belly laugh was the hilarious (albeit slightly bad taste) Heather Mills gag in chapter two and author Michael Logan just keeps those genuinely funny scenes coming, punctuated by elements of wince-making gore, some truly caustic satire and the occasional profound and even moving moment. Yes, incongruous though it sounds, I did say moving! There's a brief conversation on page 181 that suddenly cuts through all the gore and farce and left me almost with a tear in my eye. That was clever - hitting the reader with a sucker punch when they're least suspecting! The characters owe a lot to Tom Sharpe-style gross caricatures and those of you who loved the Wilt series or the Great Pursuit are sure to enjoy this. The author's use of simile was particularly inventive and amusing - I especially enjoyed a couple of errant pubic hairs being compared to the antennae of a Madagascar hissing cockroach!

Only criticisms? Well one of the characters - David, just felt a bit wrong - like little more than a cheap foil to launch a few more gags, and when the book morphs into a semi-serious road movie, some of the action simply doesn't feel believable. In fact, it's probably fair to say that the story peaks a bit too soon, with the first half being more enjoyable.

No big deal though. Overall, Apocalypse Cow is a very entertaining slant on the survivalist genre and it would make a rattling good black comedy movie.

If you like a little gross diversion and more than a few belly-laughs, Apocalypse Cow is highly recommended!

Humour in novels is a hit and miss affair and a zombie cow apocalypse may sound more farcical than humourous, however it's surprisingly deft in its delivery. Logan's comedic style is similar to that of Ben Elton, creating humour from the well written and fleshed out characters, rather than just silly actions. The cast are certainly diverse and (very similarly to Elton) the taboo nature of the source material creates an adult read, with humour delivered sometimes in punches and sometimes more wryly. There's actually a plot in there too, rather like 28 Days Later in reverse, whilst the earlier chapters are reminiscent of Shaun of the Dead. albeit it more bovine. The fun is not as prevalent in the final fifth, where the action takes precedence, however, unlike Elton, there are no dry patches up until that point, Logan is consistent with his style and it's rare to find that in many books in the humour genre. This is a successful merger of horror and comedy and although it's another zombie book, this doesn't really feel like one since the characters are so important.

Michael Logan's Apocalypse Cow has won some award or other but that is not the reason you should read it. You should it because it is an original irreverent and hugely entertaining spin on the rather saturated zombie market with a slight edge of social satire thrown in for good measure.
Terry works in an abattoir in Glasgow and thinks he stinks of rotting meat , which is proving a bit of a drawback in social situations . However animated rotting meat is soon more of a concern for Terry when cows at the abattoir refuse to die after been slaughtered and seem intent on pursuing a non vegetarian diet themselves. As do many other species of animal ......but not birds...hmmmmm.
Meanwhile randy teenager Geldoff , whose parents consist of a vegan slogan spouting nude round the house mother and permanently stoned father , who insist in indulging in elongated and noisy sessions of tantric sex, is about to get brought into the mix due to their neighbour - Terry's unhinged cousin, his wife Mary and their brutish teenage sons . Then there is Lesley , an incompetent reporter for the Glasgow Tribune who due to picking another reporters phone call has stumbled onto the biggest story in British history involving lots of the nefarious stuff that Governments tend to get up to.
Apocalypse Cow is , lets be honest a touch silly , but therein lies part of it's appeal .The author manages to convey a serious message about Government cynicism , immorality and incompetence but do so through believable characters and acerbic dialogue rather than po -faced posturing and sheer relentless horror. Though there are elements of that in the book as well. The horror that is, not the po-faced posturing .The humour is drawn form the things people say and do when under extreme duress .There is even a Monty Python type exchange near the books end which is just terrifically comic.
I have deliberately kept my review obtuse so as not to give too much away( though you could probably hazard a good guess ) I recommend reading this book not just to find out what actually occurs but because while doing so you will ,in all likelihood have a jolly good time. Having Britain quarantined and threatened with carpet bombing by the French has never been so much fun.