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Gruesomely Grimm Zombie Tales Volume One
Over a century ago, The Brothers Grimm compiled an iconic collection of stories. Over forty years ago, American cinema was infected by the walking dead. A few years ago, classic literature fell to that same infection.
Now, it is time for the logical, but simultaneously unlikely, fusion of the often mistakenly labeled Grimm’s Fairy Tales to fall prey to the gaping maw of undeath.
Volume One of Gruesomely Grimm Zombie Tales offers up the first twenty-five stories…with a liberal dose of blood… gore…and of course…zombies.
Now, it is time for the logical, but simultaneously unlikely, fusion of the often mistakenly labeled Grimm’s Fairy Tales to fall prey to the gaping maw of undeath.
Volume One of Gruesomely Grimm Zombie Tales offers up the first twenty-five stories…with a liberal dose of blood… gore…and of course…zombies.
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2011
4 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
T.W. Brown
96 books303 followersTucked away in the Pacific Northwest with my wife Denise, a Border Collie named Aoife, a guitar collection, and an increasing number of aquariums sporting a variety of fish (cichlids are my new favorites), I live for football season when I can cheer on the Oregon Ducks and be disappointed by my Seattle Seahawks once again. I am a fan of Cookie Monster, KISS, and Dr. Who (along with most things British).
As a person who always dreamed of writing as well as one completely enthralled by all things zombie, it is hard to believe that I never once considered writing in the genre. It is true. I wanted to be more “mainstream”. The first novel I actually wrote is titled Dakota (as Todd Brown). It is about a pair of DEA types tossed back in time to just prior to the start of the Civil War. They are in Charleston, South Carolina, and one of them is an African-American.
The zombie thing really started when I wrote a short for a college Creative Writing class. The teacher, Ms. Bose, pulled me up and told me I had an obvious love for the subject and a real talent for the style. I decided to give it a shot.
The first thing I cobbled together was Zomblog. I wrote it as a warm up for the project I had brewing in the back of my mind. It is a journal account of the apocalypse. The funny thing is that it was never intended to be published. A few things happened and it ended up being presented to me as a gift in book format by my wife for a Christmas present. There was something I will never forget about holding the copy of that book in my hand the first time.
Because it gained a readership, and those readers asked for more, I made it a trilogy (Zomblog, Zomblog II, and Zomblog: The Final Entry). It is also because of those fans that I have returned to the Zomblog universe and just released the sixth (and FINAL) book in the series on Halloween of 2013: Zomblog: Snoe's Journey. I freely admit that I will sellout my plans to write what the fans ask for.
I really want my DEAD series to be what I am known for, and in the last year, it has really taken off. However, I will say that with the release of the fourth book in the DEAD series (DEAD: Winter), the numbers started to pick up beyond my wildest dreams.
The DEAD series (DEAD: The Ugly Beginning, DEAD: Revelations, and DEAD: Fortunes & Failures, DEAD: Winter, DEAD: Siege & Survival, DEAD: Confrontation, DEAD: Reborn) is scheduled to be a 12 part epic series.
It is told in three rotating chapters. One is from the first person perspective of Steve Hobart, a man thrust into the role of leader for a group of survivors struggling to keep alive. One chapter follows a group of four self-professed zombie “geeks” who initially believe that the zombie apocalypse would be fun and soon discover that it is nothing like the movies. The third of the rotating chapters is called “Vignettes” and is a series of snapshots from all around the world. Some of the vignettes are single chapter episodes, others are continuing threads that carry on for several chapters. A few are merged into the Steve story or the Geek story line.
Last year,I began my horror/comedy series, "That Ghoul Ava" and have found it to be my new guilty pleasure.
My blog can be found at:
http://twbrown.blogspot.com/
You can contact him at:
twbrown.maydecpub@gmail.com
You can follow him on twitter @maydecpub and on Facebook under Todd Brown, Author TW Brown, and also under May December Publications.
Book Links:
DEAD
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-The-Ugly-B...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Revelation...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Fortunes-F...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Winter-ebo...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Winter-TW-...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Siege-Surv...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Confrontat...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Reborn-TW-...
As a person who always dreamed of writing as well as one completely enthralled by all things zombie, it is hard to believe that I never once considered writing in the genre. It is true. I wanted to be more “mainstream”. The first novel I actually wrote is titled Dakota (as Todd Brown). It is about a pair of DEA types tossed back in time to just prior to the start of the Civil War. They are in Charleston, South Carolina, and one of them is an African-American.
The zombie thing really started when I wrote a short for a college Creative Writing class. The teacher, Ms. Bose, pulled me up and told me I had an obvious love for the subject and a real talent for the style. I decided to give it a shot.
The first thing I cobbled together was Zomblog. I wrote it as a warm up for the project I had brewing in the back of my mind. It is a journal account of the apocalypse. The funny thing is that it was never intended to be published. A few things happened and it ended up being presented to me as a gift in book format by my wife for a Christmas present. There was something I will never forget about holding the copy of that book in my hand the first time.
Because it gained a readership, and those readers asked for more, I made it a trilogy (Zomblog, Zomblog II, and Zomblog: The Final Entry). It is also because of those fans that I have returned to the Zomblog universe and just released the sixth (and FINAL) book in the series on Halloween of 2013: Zomblog: Snoe's Journey. I freely admit that I will sellout my plans to write what the fans ask for.
I really want my DEAD series to be what I am known for, and in the last year, it has really taken off. However, I will say that with the release of the fourth book in the DEAD series (DEAD: Winter), the numbers started to pick up beyond my wildest dreams.
The DEAD series (DEAD: The Ugly Beginning, DEAD: Revelations, and DEAD: Fortunes & Failures, DEAD: Winter, DEAD: Siege & Survival, DEAD: Confrontation, DEAD: Reborn) is scheduled to be a 12 part epic series.
It is told in three rotating chapters. One is from the first person perspective of Steve Hobart, a man thrust into the role of leader for a group of survivors struggling to keep alive. One chapter follows a group of four self-professed zombie “geeks” who initially believe that the zombie apocalypse would be fun and soon discover that it is nothing like the movies. The third of the rotating chapters is called “Vignettes” and is a series of snapshots from all around the world. Some of the vignettes are single chapter episodes, others are continuing threads that carry on for several chapters. A few are merged into the Steve story or the Geek story line.
Last year,I began my horror/comedy series, "That Ghoul Ava" and have found it to be my new guilty pleasure.
My blog can be found at:
http://twbrown.blogspot.com/
You can contact him at:
twbrown.maydecpub@gmail.com
You can follow him on twitter @maydecpub and on Facebook under Todd Brown, Author TW Brown, and also under May December Publications.
Book Links:
DEAD
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-The-Ugly-B...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Revelation...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Fortunes-F...
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Winter-ebo...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Winter-TW-...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Siege-Surv...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Confrontat...
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-Reborn-TW-...
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 28, 2011
Ever since reading Tanith Lee's Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer, I'm always on the lookout for twisted and perverted forms of the traditional fairy tales, which is why when T.W. Brown's Gruesomely Grimm Zombie Tales was published by May December Publications, I just had to get it. I was so excited that I moved it to the top of my pile of books waiting to be read.
Normally when reviewing a collection of tales I would touch on each of the stories within the collection; I am not going to do that here, partly because there are 25 of them, and partly because most of the tales are so brief I fear I would be giving too much away.
For the most part, I enjoyed T.W. Brown's re-imaging of the Tales of the Brothers Grimm, I just wish I was more familiar with all of the Grimm's Fairy Tales. The tales are all well written, and keeping with the style of the original tales, they are all simply written, which I liked. But my excitement at the prospect of reading twisted fairy tales waned a little the further I progressed into the collection. Part of it had to do with my lack of familiarity with the complete works of the Brothers Grimm. Brown does provide the original titles for the tales retold in this collection, but the titles are given in their native language, and not knowing German, I had some difficulty telling which tale was being rebooted. Some of them were obvious, such as Hansel and Gretel, others not so obvious. Were I more familiar with the original works, this probably would have been an easier task.
My other issue with the collection is that all of the tales had been updated. They are all set in a post zombie apocalypse world, and that wasn't what I was expecting. What was I expecting? The original tales in their original settings, only with zombies. The current flood of zombie mash-ups currently available set me up for this disappointment. I admit that Brown, to some extent, did what I was so hoping these other authors would have done when writing Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The Undead World of Oz, etc., and that was rewrite the story entirely, including the zombie elements, thereby making it his own; he didn't take the original text and tweak it slightly and insert paragraphs throughout to bring in the zombie element, so for that I applaud his ambitious undertaking. My only wish is that he retained the original setting of the tales.
With that being said, I had to force myself to forget that these were reboots Grimm's Fairy Tales with zombie elements and approach them as short tales of the zombie apocalypse. Once I was able to do that, I found I was able to appreciate the stories more.
I don't wish to detract from Brown's ambitious effort here. The fact that the cover emphasizes "Volume One" leads me to believe it is his intent to "zombie-fy" the complete works of the Brothers Grimm, so I applaud him for undertaking this project. Will I pick up Volume 2 when it is published? More than likely, yes, now that I know what to expect and what not to expect. As I mentioned earlier, the stories are all well written, and since the style in which they are written mirrors the simple telling of the original tales, it makes for a quick read. Perhaps, by then, I will have better familiarized myself with the complete works of the Brothers Grimm.
Whatever failings there are to appreciate this collection for what it is are strictly mine because of my lack of familiarity with the original tales and for delving into the volume with preconceived expectations. If you are a fan of all things zombie, this is something you should consider adding to your collection.
Normally when reviewing a collection of tales I would touch on each of the stories within the collection; I am not going to do that here, partly because there are 25 of them, and partly because most of the tales are so brief I fear I would be giving too much away.
For the most part, I enjoyed T.W. Brown's re-imaging of the Tales of the Brothers Grimm, I just wish I was more familiar with all of the Grimm's Fairy Tales. The tales are all well written, and keeping with the style of the original tales, they are all simply written, which I liked. But my excitement at the prospect of reading twisted fairy tales waned a little the further I progressed into the collection. Part of it had to do with my lack of familiarity with the complete works of the Brothers Grimm. Brown does provide the original titles for the tales retold in this collection, but the titles are given in their native language, and not knowing German, I had some difficulty telling which tale was being rebooted. Some of them were obvious, such as Hansel and Gretel, others not so obvious. Were I more familiar with the original works, this probably would have been an easier task.
My other issue with the collection is that all of the tales had been updated. They are all set in a post zombie apocalypse world, and that wasn't what I was expecting. What was I expecting? The original tales in their original settings, only with zombies. The current flood of zombie mash-ups currently available set me up for this disappointment. I admit that Brown, to some extent, did what I was so hoping these other authors would have done when writing Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The Undead World of Oz, etc., and that was rewrite the story entirely, including the zombie elements, thereby making it his own; he didn't take the original text and tweak it slightly and insert paragraphs throughout to bring in the zombie element, so for that I applaud his ambitious undertaking. My only wish is that he retained the original setting of the tales.
With that being said, I had to force myself to forget that these were reboots Grimm's Fairy Tales with zombie elements and approach them as short tales of the zombie apocalypse. Once I was able to do that, I found I was able to appreciate the stories more.
I don't wish to detract from Brown's ambitious effort here. The fact that the cover emphasizes "Volume One" leads me to believe it is his intent to "zombie-fy" the complete works of the Brothers Grimm, so I applaud him for undertaking this project. Will I pick up Volume 2 when it is published? More than likely, yes, now that I know what to expect and what not to expect. As I mentioned earlier, the stories are all well written, and since the style in which they are written mirrors the simple telling of the original tales, it makes for a quick read. Perhaps, by then, I will have better familiarized myself with the complete works of the Brothers Grimm.
Whatever failings there are to appreciate this collection for what it is are strictly mine because of my lack of familiarity with the original tales and for delving into the volume with preconceived expectations. If you are a fan of all things zombie, this is something you should consider adding to your collection.
July 12, 2011
I have to admit, I’m not a big fan of the idea of a mash-up, and I’d be lucky to rate a mash-up a two or three on that basis alone. I like my Austen pristine and unfouled by the undead. Shakespeare and Dickens had ghosts and don’t need zombies. The classics should remain classic. On the other hand I love the idea of fairy tales being presented with a much darker twist, especially after reading the more grim original versions of the Grimm Brothers and Tanith Lee’s gothic spin on things in her “Red as Blood” collection, many years ago. Besides, it’s not like they haven’t been warped in many other ways I’ve found much more difficult to stomach. I mean how many different versions of Cinderella, modern or medieval, are there out there exactly – everything from Ella Enchanted to Cinderelmo. It really can’t hurt to let horror enthusiasts have their go at it too (although I suppose you could say the same thing about “A Christmas Carol” – I don’t think there’s a bad sit-com out there that hasn’t mucked around with that plotline for their Christmas episode.)
Perhaps I was spoiled by reading Tanith Lee’s version of these tales, but when I read the first one, I was a little disappointed. No reflection on the writer’s skills, as the stories were well done, but it really was a simple matter of a zombie being substituted for the frog in the tale and otherwise it was essentially the same story. I was hoping that the theme of the story would be kept, but that the entire atmosphere of the story would change to reflect the horror aspect – which obviously wasn’t the writer’s intention. I still enjoyed the story, but it didn’t match my expectations, which I could also say about a couple of the other stories. The second story (as well as the majority of the others) was more to my liking – an additional twist to the tale with black humour and a modern spin. My favourite tale was the third, perhaps because of the extra eerie feel it had that I was looking for.
I liked all of the tales to varying degrees – most of the modernized ones had biting humour to them (pun intended), but I don’t think this collection quite won me over to the whole mash-up concept. The stories were fun with sufficient gore and action (check out Cindy Rallie), but I was hoping for something a little more jarring. Despite the changes, most of the stories still felt too familiar – then again, maybe I’ve been desensitized by too much zombie horror. If you are a mash-up fan with a fondness for zombies and fairy tales you will love this collection.
Perhaps I was spoiled by reading Tanith Lee’s version of these tales, but when I read the first one, I was a little disappointed. No reflection on the writer’s skills, as the stories were well done, but it really was a simple matter of a zombie being substituted for the frog in the tale and otherwise it was essentially the same story. I was hoping that the theme of the story would be kept, but that the entire atmosphere of the story would change to reflect the horror aspect – which obviously wasn’t the writer’s intention. I still enjoyed the story, but it didn’t match my expectations, which I could also say about a couple of the other stories. The second story (as well as the majority of the others) was more to my liking – an additional twist to the tale with black humour and a modern spin. My favourite tale was the third, perhaps because of the extra eerie feel it had that I was looking for.
I liked all of the tales to varying degrees – most of the modernized ones had biting humour to them (pun intended), but I don’t think this collection quite won me over to the whole mash-up concept. The stories were fun with sufficient gore and action (check out Cindy Rallie), but I was hoping for something a little more jarring. Despite the changes, most of the stories still felt too familiar – then again, maybe I’ve been desensitized by too much zombie horror. If you are a mash-up fan with a fondness for zombies and fairy tales you will love this collection.
June 8, 2014
First paragraph:
In Olden times, when wishing still helped, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful, that even the sun which has seen it all, was filled with wonder every time he cast his radiance down and felt it reach her face. Not far from the king’s palace there was a great, dark forest; and under an old lime tree in the forest was a wellspring. When the weather was very hot, this youngest and most fair princess went out to the forest and sat near the edge of the cool wellspring. And during such times as she was overcome with boredom, she brought with her a golden ball, throwing it high into the air and catching it. It was her favorite plaything.
Brown's "Gruesomely Grimm Zombie Tales" is a mostly modern fusion of Grimm's fairy tales with zombies, and since I'm a fan of both, this book was a lot of fun for me to read! I say mostly modern, because although a few of the stories are set back in the day, so to say, most of them are set in the modern ZA, with references to FEMA shelters, trailer park meth heads, the Chicago Sears Tower, heck, anywhere and anything the fertile imagination of this author could come up with. Quite enjoyable.
Contained within this first volume are 25 twists on the standard fairy tale classics, some of which are easy to recognize, such as "Cindy Rallie" and "Violet and the Seven Zombies", and some of which seemed obscure, such as "The Zombie and the Cannibalistic Voodoo Queen Shack Up." It doesn't help much that the original title of the Grimm's tale is given in the German, so unless you're interested in doing a little Internet research, simply take the story and enjoy the heck out of it. I know I did.
In Olden times, when wishing still helped, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful, that even the sun which has seen it all, was filled with wonder every time he cast his radiance down and felt it reach her face. Not far from the king’s palace there was a great, dark forest; and under an old lime tree in the forest was a wellspring. When the weather was very hot, this youngest and most fair princess went out to the forest and sat near the edge of the cool wellspring. And during such times as she was overcome with boredom, she brought with her a golden ball, throwing it high into the air and catching it. It was her favorite plaything.
Brown's "Gruesomely Grimm Zombie Tales" is a mostly modern fusion of Grimm's fairy tales with zombies, and since I'm a fan of both, this book was a lot of fun for me to read! I say mostly modern, because although a few of the stories are set back in the day, so to say, most of them are set in the modern ZA, with references to FEMA shelters, trailer park meth heads, the Chicago Sears Tower, heck, anywhere and anything the fertile imagination of this author could come up with. Quite enjoyable.
Contained within this first volume are 25 twists on the standard fairy tale classics, some of which are easy to recognize, such as "Cindy Rallie" and "Violet and the Seven Zombies", and some of which seemed obscure, such as "The Zombie and the Cannibalistic Voodoo Queen Shack Up." It doesn't help much that the original title of the Grimm's tale is given in the German, so unless you're interested in doing a little Internet research, simply take the story and enjoy the heck out of it. I know I did.
May 9, 2014
I did not like this book at all. Although I'm a complete zombie enthusiast I just couldn't help but feel that the book just fell short. The modifications made to the original fairy tales were not well written or constructed and in some instances the fact that the author tried to "modernize" the story by using language and lingo used today just made it seem like I was reading a story written by a teenager. I've read other works where classic stories were merged with modern "popular" horror concepts like 'Pride Prejudice and Zombies', which I really enjoyed but this was a far cry from a good read and felt more like a fastidious assigned book that due to my OCD tendencies had to be finished since I started it. Don't waste your time on this....in my opinion, not worth it.
October 6, 2012
I hope the guys on Booked podcast are paying attention.
While I have enjoyed everything I've read from Mr. Brown, I went into this book kind of with a small amount of skepticism. I mean, how do you mash up Grimm's Fairy tales without botching it at least some? Boy, was I wrong. Todd took tales I read in my childhood, and put a zombie twist on them that left me hoping he'd do a second book just like it.
This was no small feat. Something on this level took some definite planning and knowledge of the fairy tales to begin with. I was, as usual, highly impressed with TW Brown's work. Keep 'em coming man, keep em coming!
While I have enjoyed everything I've read from Mr. Brown, I went into this book kind of with a small amount of skepticism. I mean, how do you mash up Grimm's Fairy tales without botching it at least some? Boy, was I wrong. Todd took tales I read in my childhood, and put a zombie twist on them that left me hoping he'd do a second book just like it.
This was no small feat. Something on this level took some definite planning and knowledge of the fairy tales to begin with. I was, as usual, highly impressed with TW Brown's work. Keep 'em coming man, keep em coming!
July 11, 2012
I really liked this, and found the combination of zombies with fairy tales extremely well executed thematically. It worked extremely well. I did not give it a higher rating simply because a few things rubbed me the wrong way. There were some characterizations that seemed on the line of inappropriate; maybe I'm overly sensitive to potential issues along racial lines, but a couple of lines of dialogue seemed too... stereotyped in dialect. Give it a fair shot and make up your own mind, but be aware that you may want to choose other reading if easily triggered.
Likewise, some of the female characterizations troubled me, and that's even harder to take a clear stand on given the source material. Women we often the 'rightful' recipients of punishment in the fairy tales, or personality-less trophies to be granted to a hero. That makes it very hard to tell whether this is just working with what the author had, or if there are times it leans further towards just not being okay. The fact that I can't tell worries me. There's one scene in particular in which the protagonist is awarded a bride that just flat out seems too misogynistic to be written off as working closely with the source material, especially as the scene describes sexual activity.
Basically, judge for yourself, but if you are easily triggered by violence against women or potential misogyny, steer clear. The larger context of the book is violence against, well, humans, and the context of the fairy tale involves indiscretion in both genders being punished; this book does a good job of keeping the divide more equal than the source. Still, if you know you are especially hard hit by any of the themes I've mentioned, go ahead and skip this read. It's good, but it's not good enough to expose yourself to a potential trigger.
Likewise, some of the female characterizations troubled me, and that's even harder to take a clear stand on given the source material. Women we often the 'rightful' recipients of punishment in the fairy tales, or personality-less trophies to be granted to a hero. That makes it very hard to tell whether this is just working with what the author had, or if there are times it leans further towards just not being okay. The fact that I can't tell worries me. There's one scene in particular in which the protagonist is awarded a bride that just flat out seems too misogynistic to be written off as working closely with the source material, especially as the scene describes sexual activity.
Basically, judge for yourself, but if you are easily triggered by violence against women or potential misogyny, steer clear. The larger context of the book is violence against, well, humans, and the context of the fairy tale involves indiscretion in both genders being punished; this book does a good job of keeping the divide more equal than the source. Still, if you know you are especially hard hit by any of the themes I've mentioned, go ahead and skip this read. It's good, but it's not good enough to expose yourself to a potential trigger.
Read
September 6, 2011While I agree that mash ups have been run into the ground...I think this has a proper twist. If you are tired of the same old zombie blood and gore...this is much more light-hearted. Most have been modernized, though a few have been kept in a more classic time frame. The original German titles are listed under the new, modernized version.
This is NOT the standard zombie fare. Some of these stories are designed to be taken tongue-in-cheek. The morals and messages of the original Grimm Brothers' tales have been kept in tact as much as possible.
This is NOT the standard zombie fare. Some of these stories are designed to be taken tongue-in-cheek. The morals and messages of the original Grimm Brothers' tales have been kept in tact as much as possible.
August 29, 2014
Not the best of the zombie mash-ups since there was a lot of just subbing out a character into a zombie. Some of the misogyny was over the top. I know the Grimms were responsible for most of that, but the author modernized quite a few things and he could have modernized that aspect. With that being said, there were a few kick-ass female characters as well. Stars taken for a few editing issues and the drawings were just horrible.
April 22, 2014
Seemed like a great idea, but poor execution. Some of the tales you can guess what they are from the story line and some just didn't not seem like anything recognzable at all. And you can't tell what story is a retelling of what cause the Grimm title is entirely in German. It wasn't horrible but I sure did not like it.
December 13, 2013
just terrible. there is nothing interesting about this. it's literally a case of subbing out a character and making them a zombie. zombie lit usually has some sort of subtle dicussion on human nature in it whereas here is feels like Mad Libs script.
April 25, 2017
Fun idea, poor execution.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews