When Sharon McCrumb is good, she's really good. But this book is not so great. Furthermore, it is a sequel. The first one was called "Bimbos of the Death Ray Sun" and it was far more entertaining than Zombies. Of course, it is about 20 years since I read them so I might be confusing. I just recall that the first one was funny, but the joke was long over by the 2nd one.
Yeah, she's definitely being snarky and pissed off the entire SF fandom community. This was back during a time when fandom=people wearing Vulcan ears, at least to the general public.
She's written a beautiful non-comic series that is set in Appalachia. It has overtones of supernatural, although the books are categorized in the mystery genre. The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter is one of them...they are all stand alone and very worth reading. Don't bother with her more recent books though.
She also has *another* mystery series that is extremely humorous, with a lead character who is a Forensic Anthropologist. Two in that series are particularly funny and entertaining, "The Windsor Knot" and "Missing Susan". I'm fond of the latter because the murder victim is a totally obnoxious woman from Minnesota who pisses off her traveling companions by bragging about her home state constantly.
So please don't judge McCrumb by that book, she can write some great stuff. But she does publish a lot of not great stuff, too.
Thanks for the explanation! I'm glad to hear it, because I was really doubting her ability.
See, I thought "Zombies" was before Bimbos, but that makes sense. What a sorry sequel though...jeez! I wonder why she's so snarky and pissed though...I mean, it's not HER fandom, is it? So why care?
Agreed that Bimbos of the Death Sun is much better. That book really didn't need a sequel.
You should give it a try, though. The fun she pokes in that one is good-natured. I don't remember enough from Zombies to recall if that was different...
Yeah, she's definitely being snarky and pissed off the entire SF fandom community. This was back during a time when fandom=people wearing Vulcan ears, at least to the general public.
She's written a beautiful non-comic series that is set in Appalachia. It has overtones of supernatural, although the books are categorized in the mystery genre. The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter is one of them...they are all stand alone and very worth reading. Don't bother with her more recent books though.
She also has *another* mystery series that is extremely humorous, with a lead character who is a Forensic Anthropologist. Two in that series are particularly funny and entertaining, "The Windsor Knot" and "Missing Susan". I'm fond of the latter because the murder victim is a totally obnoxious woman from Minnesota who pisses off her traveling companions by bragging about her home state constantly.
So please don't judge McCrumb by that book, she can write some great stuff. But she does publish a lot of not great stuff, too.
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See, I thought "Zombies" was before Bimbos, but that makes sense. What a sorry sequel though...jeez! I wonder why she's so snarky and pissed though...I mean, it's not HER fandom, is it? So why care?
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You should give it a try, though. The fun she pokes in that one is good-natured. I don't remember enough from Zombies to recall if that was different...
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