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The Hand That Feeds

Michael W. Garza

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Why we're reading this: How far will a parent go to keep their child alive?

John and Angela Mason’s lives are brought to a torment…more
[close] How far will a parent go to keep their child alive?

John and Angela Mason’s lives are brought to a tormenting halt when their ten year old son is reduced to a lifeless shell. John watches his wife slip into madness as his son rises from the dead. He realizes they must escape the terrifying infection in order to survive but how can he choose between the insanity consuming his wife and the undying hunger of his son.

An appetite for death will come in one form or another and it will be left to John to decide on the hand that feeds.

The hand that feeds
Michael W. Garza
Severed Press
ISBN 978-1-925047-19-6

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What Members Thought

Nov 09, 2013 Netanella rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: zombies, horror

First paragraph: Evansville Kansas …
Alex’s lungs burnt in desperation as he vomited a powerful rush of the rotten, black mulch. Unable to control his body, his bowels released and he felt a warm rush as he struggled for consciousness. In a fit of madness, he pushed with his arms, finding only enough strength to lift his head. Pain wracked his eight-year-old body.

Wow. Scary creepy good.

This is not your typical zombie novel. Rather, it is a story of a family's rapid descent into madness, the insa

First paragraph: Evansville Kansas …
Alex’s lungs burnt in desperation as he vomited a powerful rush of the rotten, black mulch. Unable to control his body, his bowels released and he felt a warm rush as he struggled for consciousness. In a fit of madness, he pushed with his arms, finding only enough strength to lift his head. Pain wracked his eight-year-old body.

Wow. Scary creepy good.

This is not your typical zombie novel. Rather, it is a story of a family's rapid descent into madness, the insane lengths some people will go to for family togetherness when they've lost a few marbles. Make that, when they've lost the whole bag of marbles.

John Mason's a weak-willed auto mechanic, his lovely wife Angela is a mentally unstable stay-at-home mom, and together they both love their son Alex very much. When Alex contracts a sickness and turns, Angela's mental state snaps. She has to take care of her son, including his feeding. Not a bright one, John is quickly caught up in Angela's twisted plans to bring home fresh meat for Alex. As expected, things quickly get out of hand, and the Mason household becomes ground zero for a zombie outbreak in the local community.

I enjoyed the story very much, despite the fact that the main characters were despicable and had few redeeming qualities. Their 'brokenness', if you will, was like a car accident on the side of the interstate - you can't help but slow down and crane your neck to the sights in fascinated horror.

The middle portion of the book, where John is stuck in a zombified town trying to get back home to wife and son, felt a little disjointed from the beginning and ending of the book. Perhaps it was because John was away from his manipulative and unstable wife, and was making his own decisions. I gotta give it to John though - for a loser auto mechanic, he sure was able to pull out some action-packed moves on a whole host of enemies - zombies, starved dogs, gun-toting farmers, unhinged locals, even government FEMA officials. John had it going on.

Overall, 4 stars for an excellent read with characters that will stay with me for a long time. There are a few editorial corrections needed throughout the book, but nothing that takes away from the overall enjoyment of a good, horrific read. And I mean that in a good way. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 04, 2013 David marked it as to-read

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