A tongue-in-cheek mix of noir, horror, and satire, The Miseducation of the Zombie tells one man's story of maintaining peace in the nation when the odds and the Zombies are stacked against him.
“You don’t just turn someone into a Zombie or a Werewolf or a Vampire. That's been illegal for over fifty years, even if the victim is willing. No, there are protocols to follow. You go to the Bureau of Reassignment, you get tested; you get a permit. The victim needs to see a therapist, talk to their doctor, and sometimes receive hormone injections before the procedure even begins. No one is stupid enough to do that stuff in back alleys anymore.”
But “turned” Zombies are appearing. And if the resulting violence doesn't destroy the nation, then the truth behind what's happening will.
Vic, Senior Serenity Ambassador, is tasked with preventing the Zombie-Apocalypse. But how can he? He's juggling his love life, coming to grips with his own prejudices, and he hasn't slept for days — not with a moody Nymph sitting on his doorstep.
All Vic wants is his happy ending. But he's about to learn that some fairy tales don't end well.
The Miseducation of a Zombie by Timothe Davis is marvelously clever satire, centered around his main character - a human by the name of Jo V. Al, or Vic to his friends; a high ranking official known as a Serenity Ambassador, or keeper of the peace between races, if you will. A tough job when his city/sector, Sector 1, the capital city, has the most racially diverse populace of other worldly beings, or OWBs as they are referred to. Werewolves, vampires, pixies, fairies, nymphs, elves, and zombies all coexist with humans.
As the story develops, mysterious, rabid zombie attacks are being reported throughout the sector. Vic, his associates, and the police are on the case. As the investigation develops, some things just aren’t making any sense. The attacks are not like the typical rabid zombie murders, and accusations are being thrown in every direction. Racial tensions are at fever pitch when plans for a peaceful demonstration get orchestrated at the Governor’s mansion.
Mr. Davis’s characters are as diverse as the races, but with real life issues dealing with prejudice. In between all of Timothe’s use of puns, one-liners, wit and sarcasm, and the broad range of characters with names like Xena and Barnabus Jones, he left me laughing out loud as the case developed. This story has guns, magic spells, and even light sabers thrown into the mix with provocative seductresses and genuine tender moments. The Miseducation of a Zombie reminded me of a cross between "Men In Black" and the animated movie "Heavy Metal." Brava, Mr. Davis!
In an otherworldly time period, the United Federation of Sectors is under terrorist attack by rabid zombies. And who better to restore peace among the Other World Beings (OWBs) but Joe V. Al (Yes, you pronounced it out correctly—"jo-vi-al"). Known by his peers as Vic, the "part police officer, part detective, and part politician" who acts more like a gumshoe in his role as a peace-keeping Senior Serenity Ambassador, works with his tightly knit crew to find out the truth about the warlike zombies. When the DNA test results from the "turning" victims are in, Vic learns that protocol has been broken since the zombie attackers are not natural born, but instead originated from humans.
Rising humor author Timothe Davis combines fantasy, fairy tales, all things monstrous—including prevalent U.S. issues—within a noir fiction-like setting. Davis' first person narrative may appear to concentrate on Vic's horrific and dysfunctional background, as well as his love life. But in a relatively civil world replete with OWBs—essentially every mythical, legendary, and fairy tale being imaginable, readers should expect a ride into a parallel universe. Amid a plethora of tongue-in-cheek lines and scenes laced in parody, Davis draws attention to real issues of racism and violence. While alluding to specific topics, such as open carry and equal rights, Davis creates scenes that mimic diehard Civil Rights activism and reminders of peacemakers, such as MLK and Gandhi. Davis' ability to incorporate so many elements into one story is truly a gift, considering this is his second novel. Flowing seamlessly from Vic's life (past and present), the investigation, and other character scenes, Davis' plot is one book that is hard to put down. Going beyond the typical monster tale, this is a thoroughly engaging and provocative book, as well as the next best fantasy read.
The first page opener that “We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin. But we all belong to the human race.” was brilliant and a foreshadowing of things to come. When the next page referenced “Tweet-A-Pedia” and gave a brief overview of the United Federations, I knew I was hooked. Timothe Davis, the author, effortlessly wove humor and the more somber undercurrent of prejudice into this novel. The novel opened immediately with a monstrous revolution and Davis quickly introduced some of the characters in his world including goblins, fairies, vampires, werewolves and zombies to name just a few. The main character was a human cop named Joe V. Al, aka Vic, who worked his way into an elite peace-keeping squad called the Sector Ambassadors for the United Federation of Sectors and his clientele are the monsters.
The plot moves quickly and we find out that Vic is on the hunt for some rabid zombies that escaped from their sector. We follow Vic’s crime fighting adventures throughout the different sectors as he tries to get closer to the truth and The Miseducation of the Zombie. A constant throughout this adventure is the love of Vic’s life, who also happens to be a monster, or an Otherworld Being as Davis refers to them. One of my favourite parts was when Vic visits the nightclub Rub-A-Dub-Dub and we learn what happened to Tom, the butcher, Dick, the baker, and Harry, the candlestick maker. The references to fairy tales were all throughout the book and made it absolutely hilarious. I stopped counting the number of times I had to put the book down because I was giggling so much. With the help of his friends and girlfriend, Vic gets closer and closer to finding out what has really been going on with the Zombie crimes. You will have to read the book to find out what happens in the end.
Davis created a unique world and wove a fascinating story that drew me in as a reader from start to finish. He made his serious point of the prejudiced world we live in and utilized humor in a way that few authors can do. I am definitely hooked and can hardly wait for Joe V. Al’s next adventure!
