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Don't Eat Cat
In this brilliantly entertaining send-up of zombie lit, Edgar Award winner and National Book Award finalist Jess Walter offers a twist on America’s favorite You don’t have to be dead to be a zombie. Walter creates a postapocalyptic nightmare that is as sidesplitting as it is moving—and all the more damning because it’s so recognizable.
Set in the year 2040, amid rolling epidemics, economic collapses, ozone tumors, genetic piracy, and an Arizona border war, “Don’t Eat Cat” is the story of Owen, a guy who just wants to forget the results of his recent full-body scan with a grande soy latte before going to work in Seattle’s food/finance district. The world has gone straight to hell, and the most horrifying part of it is that not a damn thing has You still have to go to work, you still don’t have a girlfriend, and, unbelievably, the line at the Starbucks Financial still stretches on forever. Why? Because there’s a zombie working behind the counter, an addict of a club drug that causes its users to become aggressive, milk-pale, dead-eyed dimwits with an appetite for rodents and house pets—cats in particular (and, in very, very rare cases, humans).
When Owen finally makes it to the head of the line, the afflicted barista’s people skills falter under pressure and he mauls the store manager. It’s the first documented zombie attack in months, and it sets the sim-tweets buzzing, ultimately ending in a vigilante killing. As for Owen, he gets more than a free latte out of the He’s forced to confront the brokenness of his present life by venturing into the past. With the help of a private investigator, he heads into Seattle’s Zombie Town to search for the only woman he has ever loved.
In “Don’t Eat Cat,” some highs are better than a lifetime of being human.
. . .
Jess Walter is the author of “Citizen Vince,” “The Zero,” “The Financial Lives of the Poets,” and the forthcoming “Beautiful Ruins,” which will be published by HarperCollins in June. Praised by the “New York Times” as “a ridiculously talented writer,” he has won the Edgar Award for mystery writing and been named a finalist for the National Book Award. A former journalist, Walter lives with his family in Spokane, Washington. “Don’t Eat Cat” is his first zombie story.
Set in the year 2040, amid rolling epidemics, economic collapses, ozone tumors, genetic piracy, and an Arizona border war, “Don’t Eat Cat” is the story of Owen, a guy who just wants to forget the results of his recent full-body scan with a grande soy latte before going to work in Seattle’s food/finance district. The world has gone straight to hell, and the most horrifying part of it is that not a damn thing has You still have to go to work, you still don’t have a girlfriend, and, unbelievably, the line at the Starbucks Financial still stretches on forever. Why? Because there’s a zombie working behind the counter, an addict of a club drug that causes its users to become aggressive, milk-pale, dead-eyed dimwits with an appetite for rodents and house pets—cats in particular (and, in very, very rare cases, humans).
When Owen finally makes it to the head of the line, the afflicted barista’s people skills falter under pressure and he mauls the store manager. It’s the first documented zombie attack in months, and it sets the sim-tweets buzzing, ultimately ending in a vigilante killing. As for Owen, he gets more than a free latte out of the He’s forced to confront the brokenness of his present life by venturing into the past. With the help of a private investigator, he heads into Seattle’s Zombie Town to search for the only woman he has ever loved.
In “Don’t Eat Cat,” some highs are better than a lifetime of being human.
. . .
Jess Walter is the author of “Citizen Vince,” “The Zero,” “The Financial Lives of the Poets,” and the forthcoming “Beautiful Ruins,” which will be published by HarperCollins in June. Praised by the “New York Times” as “a ridiculously talented writer,” he has won the Edgar Award for mystery writing and been named a finalist for the National Book Award. A former journalist, Walter lives with his family in Spokane, Washington. “Don’t Eat Cat” is his first zombie story.
22 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2012
23 people are currently reading
508 people want to read
About the author
Jess Walter
49 books2,734 followersJess Walter is the author of eight novels and one nonfiction book. His work has been translated into more than 20 languages and his essays, short fiction, criticism and journalism have been widely published, in Details, Playboy, Newsweek, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe among many others.
Walter also writes screenplays and was the co-author of Christopher Darden’s 1996 bestseller In Contempt. He lives with his wife Anne and children, Brooklyn, Ava and Alec in his childhood home of Spokane, Washington.
Walter also writes screenplays and was the co-author of Christopher Darden’s 1996 bestseller In Contempt. He lives with his wife Anne and children, Brooklyn, Ava and Alec in his childhood home of Spokane, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
October 16, 2016
the book isn't about zombie cats (sadly), but that is a cute picture, and it's difficult for me to write a review for a 20-page story unless it involves some sort of dirrrty monster sex.
this is a lightweight little zombie fantasy/regret-and-redemption piece.
it's too short to have impressive world-building or super-inventive mythology twists, but it isn't bad - it has moments of humor and moments of pathos, and moments of action.
and that's more than most people have in their 20 page short stories.
and it was only 99 cents.
is this a review? it must be - it has pictures!
September 4, 2025
3 stars
There's been a spate of highly rated Jess Walter reading among my GR friends recently, so I decided to grab one of his short stories as a sampler....
The beginning is hilarious! I laughed out loud...I don't know how many times. The writing: superb! I don't mean good, I mean George Sanders or Lauren Groff good. (And highly reminiscent of Sanders in narrative voice)
But then, as the story progressed passed the opening scenes, the air and humour started to sag out of it, and the tale depressed into seriousness and melancholy. What had been described as a "zombie fiction satire" quickly became a lament about how socially depressed people turn to drugs and druggie culture, and what that does to their loved ones.
The semi-sci fi world-building remained well crafted and vibrant, but at least for me, the fun went out of it entirely by about 70%. I signed on for a comedy zombie romp and got emotional turmoil, societal critique and blatant social class guilt tripping by the end.
Disappointing.
There's been a spate of highly rated Jess Walter reading among my GR friends recently, so I decided to grab one of his short stories as a sampler....
The beginning is hilarious! I laughed out loud...I don't know how many times. The writing: superb! I don't mean good, I mean George Sanders or Lauren Groff good. (And highly reminiscent of Sanders in narrative voice)
But then, as the story progressed passed the opening scenes, the air and humour started to sag out of it, and the tale depressed into seriousness and melancholy. What had been described as a "zombie fiction satire" quickly became a lament about how socially depressed people turn to drugs and druggie culture, and what that does to their loved ones.
The semi-sci fi world-building remained well crafted and vibrant, but at least for me, the fun went out of it entirely by about 70%. I signed on for a comedy zombie romp and got emotional turmoil, societal critique and blatant social class guilt tripping by the end.
Disappointing.
April 6, 2012
WHY NOT EAT CAT CAT GOOD BESIDES HAVE TO EAT SOMETHING DURING LUNCH WAS GOING TO DISTRACT SELF READING KINDLE SINGLE ABOUT ZOMBIES BY SNOOTY LITERARY WRITER BUT ONLY TOOK 15 MINUTES WAS VERY SHORT AND NOT ENOUGH STORY TO GO ALONG WITH INTERESTING WORLD CREATED WHERE CLUB DRUG CAUSES ZOMBISM STILL SOME SAD PEOPLE TAKE WILLINGLY TRY TO PARSE METAPHOR BUT NO SUCCESS AND SOME PARTS NOT SO FUNNY LIKE FAKE TECH SPEAK AND JOKE THAT IN FUTURE BANKS ALL OWNED BY FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS HA HA NO WAIT DON'T SEE WHY FUNNY BUT THEN ME JUST SIMPLE ZOMBIE
June 20, 2012
Bare in mind - I reserve one star ratings for works that I find morally offensive. This one is just bad.
I am beginning to feel like a broken record and possibly a ridiculous one, but most kindle singles are too short. I enjoy a good novella and long magazine piece, but the 50-pager must be a difficult length to master. Most of the kindle singles I've read could have been fleshed out to novella-length and been the better for it. "Don't Eat Cat" was my first foray into Kindle-single fiction, and I may not be venturing further. DEC tells the story of a man whose ex-girlfriend has gone zombie. Two years later, he flips out in a Starbucks at the zombie-barrista, makes the evening news, and goes looking for his zombie ex-girlfriend. The end. Seriously. Hope I didn't spoil it for you. This review is already nearly as long as the story.
Again, a problem with kindle singles: this could have been a great book. Jess Walter is not a bad writer, albeit plagued by a certain ironic tone common to contemporary literature that I tired of long ago. I would probably have read and enjoyed a well-plotted 300 pg story of a man, dying of cancer, searching for his lost love in the zombie underworld. Frankly, I would have enjoyed more zombie underworld.
Maybe Jess Walter will expand this into a book-length form (maybe he has - maybe this is what Beautiful Ruins is about?) and I will read it and like it. Until that happens, Amazon, I'd like my $1.99 back.
I am beginning to feel like a broken record and possibly a ridiculous one, but most kindle singles are too short. I enjoy a good novella and long magazine piece, but the 50-pager must be a difficult length to master. Most of the kindle singles I've read could have been fleshed out to novella-length and been the better for it. "Don't Eat Cat" was my first foray into Kindle-single fiction, and I may not be venturing further. DEC tells the story of a man whose ex-girlfriend has gone zombie. Two years later, he flips out in a Starbucks at the zombie-barrista, makes the evening news, and goes looking for his zombie ex-girlfriend. The end. Seriously. Hope I didn't spoil it for you. This review is already nearly as long as the story.
Again, a problem with kindle singles: this could have been a great book. Jess Walter is not a bad writer, albeit plagued by a certain ironic tone common to contemporary literature that I tired of long ago. I would probably have read and enjoyed a well-plotted 300 pg story of a man, dying of cancer, searching for his lost love in the zombie underworld. Frankly, I would have enjoyed more zombie underworld.
Maybe Jess Walter will expand this into a book-length form (maybe he has - maybe this is what Beautiful Ruins is about?) and I will read it and like it. Until that happens, Amazon, I'd like my $1.99 back.
April 20, 2012
Don´t read book. Even though it´s pretty short, it´s a waste of time. A few funny ideas and a different view on Zombies doesn´t make a good reading. So far the worst piece of fiction I read this year ...
June 5, 2012
Set in the near (dystopian) future, zombies live alongside nonbies (normal people) in the United States as the borders were closed to immigrants and there was labour shortage. People became zombies via a club drug that was willingly taken. Is the future so terrible that taking drugs to become a zombie is a viable alternative? Apparently yes, and when Owen's girlfriend Marci breaks up with him and becomes one of them, he sets off to get her back.
Jess Walter, the excellent author of "Citizen Vince" and "Financial Lives of the Poets" pens this zombie short story that kind of parodies the genre while telling a human story as well. I liked some of the ideas like the banks and the fast food outlets become one corporation, and that permits to have children are enforced due to the population reaching 10 billion.
Overall though, the story is kind of a downer and wouldn't say it was very funny. It was the ending that let the story down; it just petered out into nothing really. It felt too literary, too shallow and ending for the more or less decent story that preceded it.
Anyway, I still like Jess Walter and will definitely snap up "Beautiful Ruins" this July, but "Don't Eat Cat" is probably only for fans of Walter or zombie readers looking for something a bit different rather than everybody.
Jess Walter, the excellent author of "Citizen Vince" and "Financial Lives of the Poets" pens this zombie short story that kind of parodies the genre while telling a human story as well. I liked some of the ideas like the banks and the fast food outlets become one corporation, and that permits to have children are enforced due to the population reaching 10 billion.
Overall though, the story is kind of a downer and wouldn't say it was very funny. It was the ending that let the story down; it just petered out into nothing really. It felt too literary, too shallow and ending for the more or less decent story that preceded it.
Anyway, I still like Jess Walter and will definitely snap up "Beautiful Ruins" this July, but "Don't Eat Cat" is probably only for fans of Walter or zombie readers looking for something a bit different rather than everybody.
December 7, 2013
I read this in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012, but it definitely deserves its own rating.
Genius. Cutting. Prophetic.
Genius. Cutting. Prophetic.
April 21, 2012
A cute little story. The ending seemed a out of place with the rest of the story. I found parts of the story to be funny and over all it was a nice, fun read.
October 29, 2012
So this was a very short story but definitely worth the 20-30 minutes it took to read it.
Zombies do exist! Well they're actually strung out and addicted junkies but hey that's more realistic than full on apocalyptic dead people coming back to life kind of stuff.
One thing I love about this story was how the author combined financial and fast food industries as the future of services. This alone is such a great social commentary. Money and food rule most people's lives and it would just make sense that these two would be combined and seemed completely realistic.
I also liked how the author wrapped up the story. For the most part the main character is discussing his drugged up ex-girlfriend and how he basically cut her out of his life until he felt like he needed something in return from her. He kind of makes it seem like he never has any luck and that it's the world's fault that he's a "victim" throughout the story only to realize at the end that he has made himself the victim and no one else. He realizes at the end of the story that all the time he has spent accusing his ex-girlfriend of being selfish that he has in turn made the same mistake by expecting her to be there for him during the toughest time of his life when he had turned his back on her during her most difficult time.
The story is pretty funny and satirical throughout but then ends up being actually quite tragic as the main character realizes that all he really wanted was someone to share his life with but that he hadn't done any of things that would've allowed for him to stay with the person he actually loved and will end up alone in his final days.
All in all a good read, I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for something short to fill up your lunch time one day.
Zombies do exist! Well they're actually strung out and addicted junkies but hey that's more realistic than full on apocalyptic dead people coming back to life kind of stuff.
One thing I love about this story was how the author combined financial and fast food industries as the future of services. This alone is such a great social commentary. Money and food rule most people's lives and it would just make sense that these two would be combined and seemed completely realistic.
I also liked how the author wrapped up the story. For the most part the main character is discussing his drugged up ex-girlfriend and how he basically cut her out of his life until he felt like he needed something in return from her. He kind of makes it seem like he never has any luck and that it's the world's fault that he's a "victim" throughout the story only to realize at the end that he has made himself the victim and no one else. He realizes at the end of the story that all the time he has spent accusing his ex-girlfriend of being selfish that he has in turn made the same mistake by expecting her to be there for him during the toughest time of his life when he had turned his back on her during her most difficult time.
The story is pretty funny and satirical throughout but then ends up being actually quite tragic as the main character realizes that all he really wanted was someone to share his life with but that he hadn't done any of things that would've allowed for him to stay with the person he actually loved and will end up alone in his final days.
All in all a good read, I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for something short to fill up your lunch time one day.
October 31, 2012
"Don't Eat Cat," currently available on iBooks and Kindle, is just amazing and made me go in search of other fiction (non-zombie fiction) by Jess Walter, all of which (so far) is just as good.
In "Don't Eat Cat" zombies are a metaphor for drug addicts more than anything else and they only can function in a way that gives new meaning to "low level entry job."
Zombies or not, though, the writing is where it's at. One of my favorite lines goes something like this: "But THIS is the Apocalypse? F**k you! It's ALWAYS the Apocalypse. The world hasn't gone to sh*t. The world IS sh*t." Not exactly eloquent or elegant, true, but this quote sums up why I think I like apocalyptic fiction (with or without the living dead) so much.
The way our world is (at times) can feel so barren and bleak (for everyone, I'm pretty sure) but No Matter how bad it may get, we know we're alive because we find ourselves stronger and more determined to survive than we ever thought possible.
In so much of the apocalyptic novels I've read the people who most want to survive are the ones with the least amount to live for...ironic, but kind of true?
March 18, 2013
I always find it a bit funny when the summary is so long like this one is when the piece is a bit over 20 pages. I guess they need to give extra reasons to purchase the short story since it isn’t free but is so short? Anyway, Don’t Eat Cat is a mixture of humor and a harsh view of reality. Zombies being a clear metaphor for anyone from druggies (the most obvious example) to the lazy and unmotivated (if you read between the lines/look deeper). The short plot is the selling point in this piece as you fly through this journey to discover what is left of humanity in the world as it is and the depth of some people’s motivations and choices. The best line by far in Don’t Eat Cat is delivered by a ‘zombie’ “That nobody chooses. That we’re all sick. We’re all here.” An enjoyable and surprisingly eye-opening short story, I’d say Don’t Eat Cat hit all the marks it was aiming for spot on, quite well done.
Rating: 4/5
Rating: 4/5
January 19, 2013
This is not a great book I don't think. A novella. Zombie lit, which just itself makes it interesting. It won't take you long to read. There are some funny moments. Got the feeling that Jess Walter, usually a touching and gently good author was out for some fun one afternoon and this was the result. You won't waste too much time and it is funny in parts
January 10, 2026
With perhaps the greatest title of all time, ‘Don’t Eat Cat’ by Jess Walter is a memorable short story about life in a near future during a zombie apocalypse. But here the zombies are created due to their rampant drug use. And with their 60% unemployment rate which is a drag on the economy, many corporations have programs to train them to work …
This story is a worthy one-sitting read.
This story is a worthy one-sitting read.
July 10, 2024
Nice short story, interesting message. Some boring rambling from time to time, but if you really look into it, not a word was wasted. The author know what he's doing...
I still prefer his novels though.
I still prefer his novels though.
May 2, 2025
Not one of my favorite Jess Walter's books. The story is too odd for me, but the writing is good.
March 23, 2013
The allegory of Western developed nations in the near future being divided into zombies (the drug addicts, underachievers, and other "non-contributors" to the economy) and the non-zombies (the ambitious, over-worked, money-obsessed upper/middle classes) is perfect. In typical politically correct fashion, the non-zombies are told not to "call them zombies" even though their condescension is obvious. Even if you have the strength of character in an over-polluted, over-crowded, inflation-riddled society NOT to take the easy way out (i.e., become a zombie) you are doomed to live a shallow, unfulfilling life and die young of cancer, so why try? The main character consumes his mind and time with working long hours trying to climb the corporate ladder, at the cost of any kind of satisfying social or emotional life. That's hardly futuristic, but will continue to become more of a problem in the direction we are heading. The writing is not stellar, and this should have been longer to further flesh out implications, which is why only 4 stars.
January 10, 2013
I loved this story. I dug that it was short, to the point, funny, and had some nice thinking value inside it. I'm not sure what the author intended for us to relate the story to, but i have come up with a few ideas that seem to fit. Without giving anything away, the characters all seem very human and very real inside of this "don't call them zombies" context. The future aspect of this story is also important i think, because many of the small details seem to fit into a possibly overpopulated and big business run future.The futuristic parts i could almost compare to a William Gibson kind of future that's not as distant. I think any Jess Walter fans will like this story, any zombie fans, and any reality based future lovers also.
August 16, 2015
Review
I don't have a long winded thoughtful post to give you about this story, I just have to say that I absolutely adored it. The meaning behind this is fantastic and I probably read Mr. Walters explanation to anyone who would listen. This story was entertaining, funny, enjoyable and thought provoking. It took an old idea and made it into something new. And it accomplished all this in four chapters. It's a perfect story to read when you're babysitting and the kids asleep, or when you can't sleep at night, or when you're at dinner with your parents and don't want to join in on conversation. It's a quick read, so you have no excuse to put it off. I would highly recommend it!
I don't have a long winded thoughtful post to give you about this story, I just have to say that I absolutely adored it. The meaning behind this is fantastic and I probably read Mr. Walters explanation to anyone who would listen. This story was entertaining, funny, enjoyable and thought provoking. It took an old idea and made it into something new. And it accomplished all this in four chapters. It's a perfect story to read when you're babysitting and the kids asleep, or when you can't sleep at night, or when you're at dinner with your parents and don't want to join in on conversation. It's a quick read, so you have no excuse to put it off. I would highly recommend it!
February 27, 2013
This was a quick short story by the master Mr. Walter. After reading his
-The Financial Lives of the Poets, 2009.
-The Zero, 2006
-Citizen Vince, 2005
-Land of the Blind, 2003.
-Over Tumbled Graves, 2001 .
This was just a fun fast 30 page story, when it was done I wanted more. Maybe Mr. Walter could develop this character into a full novel in the future. I will not go into the story-line, many other reviews have already done this so I will just rate the book on its elements (1 to 5 being highest):
Protagonist Development: 5
Antagonist Development: 5
Minor Character Development: 5
Storyline: 5
Setting: 5
Theme: 5
Writing Style: 5
Overall Rating: 5
-The Financial Lives of the Poets, 2009.
-The Zero, 2006
-Citizen Vince, 2005
-Land of the Blind, 2003.
-Over Tumbled Graves, 2001 .
This was just a fun fast 30 page story, when it was done I wanted more. Maybe Mr. Walter could develop this character into a full novel in the future. I will not go into the story-line, many other reviews have already done this so I will just rate the book on its elements (1 to 5 being highest):
Protagonist Development: 5
Antagonist Development: 5
Minor Character Development: 5
Storyline: 5
Setting: 5
Theme: 5
Writing Style: 5
Overall Rating: 5
November 14, 2012
A clever little story (novelette) about a world inhabited by people who overuse a drug that turns them into oversexed, very hungry zombies (which we are always being told they should not be called--it is wrong to call them zombies, okay?) who seem to represent a portion of our population who has withdrawn from the productive/interactive paths of society. The main character is sick of all the zombies, but his bitterness is really entrenched over the betrayal of a friend who chose to go 'zombie'.
I would have liked to see this developed more. It seems like one of the really good ideas that never really went anywhere.
I would have liked to see this developed more. It seems like one of the really good ideas that never really went anywhere.
March 18, 2014
Walter introduces a clever premise here, mashing up zombies with a dystopian future. The haves and have-nots are divided into regular people and soul-sapped quasi-zombies who are exploited in low-wage jobs and once in a while eat cats. The premise is ripe to satirize pretty much everything about modern society, but as soon as the premise is introduced, the story -- being a 99-cent Kindle Single -- ends.
I would love to see this world explored more (not that there's a paucity of zombie lit out there), and am a little disappointed its length. It doesn't seem to work as well as a short story as it does the first chapter of a book. But it's a fun, quick read.
I would love to see this world explored more (not that there's a paucity of zombie lit out there), and am a little disappointed its length. It doesn't seem to work as well as a short story as it does the first chapter of a book. But it's a fun, quick read.
November 6, 2013
Fourth Star for this:
"Sure, the world sees crazy now. But wouldn't it seem just as crazy if you were alive when they sacrificed peasants, when people were born into slavery, when they killed firstborn sons, crucified priests, fed people to lions, burned them at the stake, when they intentionally gave people smallpox or syphilis, when they gassed them, tortured them, dropped atomic bombs on them, when entire races tried to wipe other races off the planet. But this is the Apocalypse? Fuck you! It's always the Apocalypse. The world hasn't gone to shit. The world is shit."
"Sure, the world sees crazy now. But wouldn't it seem just as crazy if you were alive when they sacrificed peasants, when people were born into slavery, when they killed firstborn sons, crucified priests, fed people to lions, burned them at the stake, when they intentionally gave people smallpox or syphilis, when they gassed them, tortured them, dropped atomic bombs on them, when entire races tried to wipe other races off the planet. But this is the Apocalypse? Fuck you! It's always the Apocalypse. The world hasn't gone to shit. The world is shit."
May 4, 2012
Very short, but I guess that's what you get from a Kindle Single. It starts well w/a compelling dive into this future world filled with zombies you're not supposed to call zombies, but just as you start to understand the ground rules, the story abruptly ends. This is what short stories do, so on the terms of a sort of E.A. Poe definition of a good work of fiction, this succeeds well. It's humorous and the narrator has a distinctive voice an perspective. Recommended, but only three stars bc it just ends so abruptly as to leave you hanging and vaguely unsatisfied.
June 26, 2012
This is a really cool Sci/Fi short. Set in the near future, it is a narrative about the experiences of a person going about their day in a seriously transformed world.
I liked how the details of this future were so insane, but with recent world events, in reach of reality.
The personal story woven in to this bleak future was very well done.
Being a short story, this is an extremely short read. I would definitely read this author again!
I liked how the details of this future were so insane, but with recent world events, in reach of reality.
The personal story woven in to this bleak future was very well done.
Being a short story, this is an extremely short read. I would definitely read this author again!
July 1, 2012
The first chapter of this short is absolutely hilarious. The story is a satisfying take on the zombie apocalypse with a tight resolution, but nothing ever lives up to the mirth of that first chapter. And, it must be said, it is zombies we're talking about. That story device isn't old at all.
But, as stories-that-are-intended-to-be-read-in-one-sitting go, this is a highly engaging and entertaining one.
But, as stories-that-are-intended-to-be-read-in-one-sitting go, this is a highly engaging and entertaining one.
September 20, 2012
I felt like a liar clicking "read," but I just heard this at Jess Walter's reading. But, man. This guy can write. He takes the old zombie story, an archetype that he is admittedly not a fan of, and spins it into a short story criticizing the popular view of the world. Basically, the world isn't going to sh*t, it is sh*t.
Every bit of Jess Walter's style is present in this writing, from the dark humor to the Bambi's mom eat-your-heart-out tragedy. In twenty-six pages.
Every bit of Jess Walter's style is present in this writing, from the dark humor to the Bambi's mom eat-your-heart-out tragedy. In twenty-six pages.
March 2, 2013
There has been a spate lately of very good zombie books and this is one of them, albeit a short one. What makes it so good? Simply put, a nice little twist which turns it from a horror book into something a little deeper, something which asks questions about what it is to be alive and what it is to feel, or more specifically, what it means to opt out of feeling.
A quick read, well worth it. And cheap too...
A quick read, well worth it. And cheap too...
April 8, 2012
Like many of the others who have read this single, I felt as though the concept was rich enough to birth a far more in-depth exploration. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the humor and I found the philosophical ramifications of the ending to be fairly thought-provoking. Definitely worth the price, even though it is an extremely short/quick read.
April 26, 2012
It's extremely short which is a downer. When I bought it I thought it was going to be maybe 50-70 pages. Guess not!
It was a good read, highly enjoyable. The end was slightly.. Off. I didn't enjoy it, it was too abrupt. It didn't explain anything of what had been read so y'know.. Alright but I wouldn't recommend it highly to everyone.
It was a good read, highly enjoyable. The end was slightly.. Off. I didn't enjoy it, it was too abrupt. It didn't explain anything of what had been read so y'know.. Alright but I wouldn't recommend it highly to everyone.
June 28, 2012
Jess Walter was a finalist for the National Book Award and a winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award. This is astonishing to me considering what it was that I just read. Don't Eat Cat is Walter's first zombie story. I hope it's his last. I really have nothing else to say about this book other than that I'm glad that it was so short. Read into that what you will.
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