Jasper And The Appalachian Zombies

by Jason Nickey

Having grown tired of the stress and anxiety of his job and big city life, Trent buys a small house in rural West Virginia to start a new, more peaceful life. He quickly befriends Jasper, the crass and crude old man next door. The boring life they both lead changes quickly as they face suped up tweakers, a crazy cult, and the Appalachian Zombies! Jasper And The Appalachian Zombies expands on the original short story by Jason Nickey, and includes even more crazy adventures for Trent and Jasper.

241 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2023

Reviews

[Vicki Herbert - Vacation until Jan 2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buddies Forever...

JASPER AND THE APPALACHIAN ZOMBIES
by Jason Nickey

No spoilers. 3 stars. This story is about the adventures of two good ol' Appalachian boys having a good time while fighting through a zombie outbreak...

There are many moments that stand out in life...

Trent and Jasper met when Trent left the rat race of the big city to live in a house on Ghost Hollow Road in West Virginia...

The two neighbors became instant friends...

They drank together, told each other tall tales about their sexploits, and eventually had p*ssing contests where they measured each other's d*cks...

Then the zombies came...

While trying to fight off the fiends, they ran afoul of a cult of Satanists in the woods who killed Jasper...

But never fear...

The cult had an incantation that miraculously brought Jasper back to life in someone else's body so that he lived to raise h*ll once more...

This story moved along faster than a roller coaster. In fact, it moved a little too fast to allow any kind of meaningful character or plot development.

If you like Appalachian horror stories, you might like WICKED TEMPER by Randy Thornhorn.

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun. Jasper, alone, was worth the price of admission. Trent, our lead, was a good character to focus everything around. He was transitioning his lifestyle, met a new best friend, was combatting cults and zombies, etc. But that Jasper, he was one funny man. Vulgar, warmhearted, and chock full of sage advice, he helped Trent become a new man. The friendship was so realistic and genuine that it made me really reflect on some similar relationships that I have lost over the years. Like for a bit, Jasper is telling Trent about his old stories of chasing skirts and deceased wives, and I was so entertained that I forgot there was another preternatural going on. Now my biggest critique was that it felt like things were rushed. The cult, the move to and from Florida, the other survivors, the tweekers and zombies, Jasper’s resurrections, etc all moved at lightning speed, and really needed time to simmer with the reader. The way it was written just came across as trying to fit too much into the story. Nothing felt out of place, but the pacing was off. But, again, Jasper and Trent were the heart and soul of this story and it was fabulous. Everything else fell secondary to that.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

And just like that, I have a new favorite fictional character! Jasper, you sick, hilarious, bastard! I love him because we all know someone just like Jasper. Incredibly inappropriate at all times, crude, loud, but innately good and virtually harmless. The epitome of a "dirty old man", but this one has a heart of gold. I love Jason's style and his use of rural settings. His books all seem so believable and comforting, even when what's happening is anything but. This book is split into 3 novelette-sized sections, each following the same overall storyline. These stories include so many of my favorite horror tropes. Cults, apocalyptic times, bunker dwelling, and survival. One trope I don't typically enjoy is zombies. But these zombies are different because they're almost in the background to this over-arching friendship story.

I laughed out loud throughout this book, and a couple of times had a big case of the sadness. All emotions were accounted for during this short read. I've read four books by Jason Nickey, now. And, I can safely say, he has a fan for life!

[Rhonda Bobbitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've never laughed so much reading a zombie book. Jasper is a freaking hoot. It’s more than just about zombies. It's about friendship and survival. And that ending 🤌chef's kiss.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trent is tired of the pressures of his job and the city life, so he packs up and moves to West Virginia. He settles into a small fixer-upper and meets his next-door neighbor Jasper, who is a larger than life character who likes to answer the door naked and is somehow likeable despite his crude and crusty demeanor.

The two quickly settle into a sort of father-son relationship, with Jasper often telling wild stories long into the night. He speaks of the tweakers who have started to populate their quiet stretch of town, and before long, both men have their hands full with tweakers, a cult (their role will be important), and zombies.

The title grabbed my attention, and what kept me reading was the unique friendship between Trent and Jasper. It's really difficult to categorize this book, but think shades of The Walking Dead but with humor mixed with West Virginia folklore and topped off with an unlikely friendship between two men, a theme not often explored in books.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

[Nicole Rubbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my top 5 books this year. Trent moves from a high pressure job to quiet rural area. Shortly after his move, he meets up with his neighbor Jasper. They come to form a friendship that I will never forget.
Mind you, this friendship takes place during a time of tweaker zombie attacks. With the zombies, looming outside, Jasper who likes to walk around naked entertains Trent with stories of his youth. Filled with humor and gore, I enjoyed every page. Jason Nicky’s work never disappoints. The the only disappointing factor is I have read his entire library and now I have to wait for more.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this one blindly and I’m so glad I did! If you want a quick comedic horror story with some twists you won’t see coming, then this is definitely for you!

[The Yeti Reads and Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jasper and the Appalachian Zombies by Jason Nickey

First off, a big thank you to Jason Nickey for sending me this proof.

What can I say? I love Jasper and Trent. After reading the original short story, I wanted more, and Jason delivered it. A story filled with funny and touching moments. An excellent read from beginning to end. Filled with crazy stories, hilarious moments and two fantastic characters, this book is another winner from Jason. Look out for this writer, he’s definitely one to read.

5 severed fingers out of 5

[Damien Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re going to write about WV right, you better damn well have some solid characters. WV is filled with some of the weirdest, funniest, and unique people you’ll come across. The kind of people that you could base a whole book around by just imagining them in fantastic scenarios. Jason Nickey did just that here. This book feels like we’re being told stories over drinks while Wheel of Fortune plays in the background. There’s a tenderness to each one of these three interwoven stories that makes you genuinely feel that these are real people. This is appalachian storytelling at its best in my opinion; a voice that’s not focused on saying things the right way, but saying them in the way that fits and adds that personality to each story. Jasper is without a doubt one of the funniest, heartfelt, and strangely relatable in the way that we all know one, characters I’ve read in a long time. K thx.

[Danielle Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I’ve known a lot of bullshitters in my life, but Jasper wasn’t one of them. When he told you a story, you could just feel that he had lived that shit.”

Okay, I have no idea why this book flies under the radar because it was definitely the most fun I had reading one of Nickey’s books. 👏🏼

Jasper is goals. Neighbor goals, friend goals, such a ride or a die friend, the best wingman, amazing prepper with a bunker, and he totally has the most unhinged stories ever. Seriously, this character is such a fucking vibe and deserves way more attention. 🤌🏼

I feel like if I say much more I’ll give away plot so that’s it, that’s the review. Go read this asap. I really would like to see this book gain traction and get the love it deserves. 🫶🏼

[Derek Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun story. This is a novella, but with fantastic characters, like Jasper and Trent, and the tales they tell, it reads more like a collection of shorts from Jason Nickey. It's full of humor, sex, male bonding and naked old men. I honestly think I'll remember Jasper anytime I see anything nine inches long the rest of my life. There are of course zombies, as well as meth-heads, a cult, some magic and plenty of horny women along the way as we roll through time with these best friends. More than anything it is a tale of the love two friends share for one another.

If you're looking for a fun read, a few laughs and some undead mixed in this is the perfect book for you.

[Matthew Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jason Nickey has crafted a funny, well written book with plenty of action and heartwarming moments. The characters of Jasper and Trent were pretty great, as well as everyone else they encountered throughout their time together. We have tweakers, cults and the undead all giving our two heros grief, and it was a blast reading how they managed through their various obstacles. If you haven't read anything from Nickey yet, give this one a go, I guarantee you will love it!

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun quick read. Appalachian old man and city boy fighting zombies! It doesn’t get much better than that. Jasper and Trent are a fun couple of guys and their relationship is easy going, but they also know how to fight when shit goes sideways. Excellent read!