The Zombies of Lake Woebegotten

Title/Author: Zombies of Lake Woebegotten by Harrison Geilor.

Narrated by: Phil Gigante.

Genre: Horror/Humor.

Publisher: Brilliance Audio.

Source: Library.

Favorite Character: Julie.

Favorite Quote: "In this town, who would even notice if the dead started walking!" ~Rufus.

Synopsis:  The town of Lake Woebegotten, Minnesota is a small town, filled with orginary (yet above average) people, leading ordinary lives.  Ordinary, that is, until the dead start coming back to life, with the intent to feast upon the living.  Now this small town of above average citizens must overcome their petty rivalries and hidden secrets, in order to survive the onslaught of the dead. ~Goodreads.com. 

My Thoughts: This book started out slow for me.  I'm not sure if I had to get used to the narrator's  cadence or the pacing of the story.  I also had a problem with the timeline.  At first I thought the events were in a strictly linear order, but not all of them are.  So people that I thought had died made appearances and I got confused.  About half way through I figured it out and realized my error.  Don't get me wrong, I think the book is hysterical from the get-go.  It is just not fast paced.

The characters are pretty awesome.  Can you imagine a zombie outbreak in a town of reserved and kind of crusty midwesterners?  They aren't alarmed at first and in fact seem kind of bewildered until a town meeting is called and they have to show the citizens proof. 

The characters are varied, unique, quirky and odd.  There is Julie, the ex-military soldier who came home to take care of her grandfather and has a unique side job besides being a waitress.  And of course, the former superintendent who unbeknownst to all (or most) is a serial killer.  He is quite colorful and brings interest and mayhem to the otherwise boring town.  Yes, boring even though there is a zombie outbreak.  I also think Eileen, the Mayor's wife is a great character.  Conniving and a bit selfish and she has some tricks up her sleeve as well. 

I wouldn't consider this a straight up Horror story although there is some gore and gruesome scenes, although they are mostly tempered by the humor.   Points for the clever author name as well, which also lets the reader kind of know what to expect.  There is also another book by the same author, The Twilight of Lake Woebegotten which looks pretty funny as well.

Narration: At first I wasn't keen on the narration.  Gigante felt plodding and I felt it was more suited for a bedtime story so I could nod off.  However, as the story progressed I began to appreciate the tone and it lent itself well to the spoof.  It kind of reminded me of the Saturday Night Live skit "Deep Thoughts."  The accents were also perfect and made the dialogue more humorous.

All in all: A hysterical and wacky tale of zombies with action and terror in it as well.