Black by Max Booth III

Black Reviews

• 
  Vincenzo Bilof

  One of the components that may be missing from most zombie fiction is the sense of personal horror that defines how we experience horror fiction. We’re familiar with the zombie-metaphor that pervades the living; we can be defined as “zombie-like” without being undead. Max Booth III takes this metaphor and grounds it in a tale that explores the curse of immortality. A gunslinger whose pact with the devil has transformed him into a violent monster who cares nothing for mortality because it has little value to him is forced to watch the world end, and it’s all his fault.
  
  The premise is an interesting one: we’re given a “Western” setting coupled with the myth-concept of man’s greatest desire. Death is inevitable, but what if you could live a thousand lifetimes and die a thousand times? Is immortality something that could be easily squandered?
  
  We are witness to the psychological malaise of a tormented man, who has accepted his infernal condition. But he’s a doomed man, as death and horror follow in his wake wherever he goes. The presence of the zombie menace parallels our protagonist’s connection to his immortal condition, which is more of a curse that has burned away his humanity over the years.
  
  So this brings us to zombies. Don’t we want zombies? You’ll get your share of zombies in this story, whether or not we have a man who numbers among the “walking dead”; there’s plenty of action and gore, but it has a purpose behind it. Booth gives us an anti-hero who is forced to reconcile his sense of personal damnation with the possibility of catharsis; here’s where Booth really shines. The majority of stories provide catharsis as an element of plot—it’s important to give a character this opportunity to grow or change. I’m not spoiling anything here, because it’s the method by which Booth delivers this moment that makes it exciting.
  
  I’m a sucker for Booth’s prose. He doesn’t waste words, and his characters are flawed people rather than archetypes. There’s always a bite of dark humor implicit in the language, which is all the motivation a reader needs to keep reading, though we have the advantage of a gripping story that just happens to be thrown into the mix…
  Readers of zombie fiction will find something of interest here with its fresh perspective on the genre. With the level of depth Booth gives readers a chance to explore, there is, at the very heart of this novella, an entertaining horror story that can be read just as it is, without delving into any intellectual debate about its literary merit. Master storytellers have the ability to make fiction both relevant and entertaining, and Booth continues to impress.
  
• 
  Sean Leonard

  Horror (in all its forms) has been a huge part of my life for the better part of thirty seven years now, going back to the ghost story books I’d get through Scholastic Books and the episodes of Amazing Stories and Unsolved Mysteries I would watch with my parents (sometimes through the cracks between the fingers covering my eyes). Early on, I decided Dawn of the Dead was one of my all time favorite movies (it still is). I’ve seen the zombie movie genre move from its cult-classic section, “nerds only” position to its current status of mainstream popularity. New zombie movies now star people like Brad Pitt, while tv shows featuring zombies are among the most popular shows on right now. It’s gotten to the point that zombie stories need to exude a fresh, original story and approach to even hold my attention in the slightest. Enter Max Booth III, with his newest novella, Black.
  
  Booth is no stranger to dark fiction. He not only has two short story collections already under his belt (True Stories Told By a Liar and They Might Be Demons), but he is also the assistant editor of Dark Moon Digest as well as the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, a small press that specializes in dark fiction of all kinds and seems to be gathering steam with each passing day. He also has two new novels coming out in 2014. But it’s with Black that Booth breathes new, um, undead life (?) into the zombie genre.
  
  We open with our main character, Charlie, stuck in a jail cell. But before you get the wrong idea, this isn’t a story of a wrongly accused man trying to fight for justice and much deserved freedom. No, by all accounts Charlie belongs in jail. He had attempted to rob a carriage at gun point, shooting and killing a couple people in the process, but got stopped by the marshal before he could get his money. Actually, he got killed by the marshal, which brings us to another key point. Charlie can’t die. Never could. And so what we’ve got with Black is a zombie western with elements of black magic and the supernatural as well as a touch of Bill Murray as Punxsutawney weatherman Phil Connors from Groundhog Day. Like I said before, this isn’t your normal, everyday, blood and gore zombie tale (that also happens to be set in the old west). Booth makes sure that his book gives you more than that, makes sure you have to think a little bit while watching heads splatter.
  
  When Charlie was young, his father’s new horse kicked him in the head, killing him instantly. Charlie’s father lost his mind, killing first the horse, then the family from whom he bought it. It was then that he realized the only way his boy would ever come back was with help from the Devil himself. And so, without his approval, Charlie’s soul was sold to the Devil for him, in exchange for his life. And now, judging by the blackness that is enveloping the city around him, the Devil has come to take back what is owed him. And the undead horde growing in size outside the jail only further illustrates how bad things are going to get.
  
  Booth writes with both skill and knowledge. He brings the reader in with a good command of the language, then keeps us reading on by writing his characters with depth and realism. And he knows his horror, dropping enough familiar tropes to draw us in, then smacking us upside the head with new plotlines and unique, memorable details.
  
  Another thing I really like about Black is its layout. Not only does it feature amazing cover art by Matthew Revert (let’s be honest, every cover by Matthew Revert is pretty amazing), but after the story concludes, it has bonus materials included in the final pages. I’ve been noticing this more and more lately, whether it’s Stephen Graham Jones’ “deleted scenes” style extras in The Last Final Girl or Jeremy Robert Johnson (among others)’s author notes giving us a behind the scenes look into some of the stories we have just read (see JRJ’s We Live Inside You for an example). Max Booth III’s Black gives the reader a little extra after the story is finished, but he opts to include an interview with zombie horror writer Joe McKinney (author of the Dead World series as well as Flesh Eaters and many others).
  
  Weighing in at just under ninety pages, Black is a great first novel(la) from an up and coming writer. Where many other stories of this length can either feel like a short story with a lot of added (read: unnecessary) filler or an unfinished novel, this guy knows what he is doing. And much like a typical approaching zombie horde, I imagine he’s only going to get stronger.
• 
  Nick

  I received a copy of this book from a first reads giveaway.
  
  Deals with the devil, gunslingers, and zombies.
  
  This was a fun, tense novella. An original take on the classic deal with the devil scenario as well as a different spin on zombies. The atmosphere is very bleak, the protagonist is tragic, and the violence is graphic. Our lead character, who is an immortal gunslinger thanks to a deal his father made with the devil, spends much of the story stuck in a jail cell in a small western town as zombies overtake and carnage ensues on the outside. He interacts with the town sheriff discussing the situation unable to provide any help due to being an outlaw himself. The small setting added a nice sense of claustrophobia to the tale. The plot, back story, and action all come flying through at a fast pace. The 70 page length leaves no room for a dull moment.
  
  I highly recommend this to fans of horror!
• 
  Trevor

  Before I start my review, I would like to mention that I won this book through Goodread's "First Reads" program.
  
  I really liked this book. I knew of Max Booth III through various short story anthologies. I always enjoyed his work, but never really thought of picking up something longer from him. This novella has all the things I love about his other work. Suspenseful, creepy, and very fun to read.
  
  I did find the occasional typo, but it didn't really take away from the flow. Overall, this book was very satisfying.
  
  I really can't wait to read more from Max Booth III.
• 
  Lori Michelle

  This novella is non-stop from the get go. It is packed full of action, gore, horror and humor. You love the main character, Charlie, even though you know he is a criminal. All of the characters are so well developed. You will be intrigued, mesmerized, humored, and disgusted, but not once will you want to put this book down.
• 
  Meran

  Full review to be put in once I catch up with the Have Read pile.