World War Moo

Apocalypse Cow #2

by Michael Logan

It began with a cow that just wouldn't die. Yep. That's right. They're still infected, and now the disease has spread to humans. The epidemic that transformed Britain's bovine population into a blood-thirsty, brain-grazing, zombie horde...err... herd... is threatening to take over the globe.

And there's not much time left to stop it. All of Great Britain is infected and brimming with rage. The rest of the world has a tough choice to make. Should they nuke the Brits right off the map — men, women, children, cows and all — in the biggest genocide in history? Or should they risk global infection in a race against time to find a cure?

With fanatical infected trying to escape the cursed island, and the Brits ready to defend themselves with every weapon at their disposal, including an intercontinental missile sloshing with infected blood, it may only be a matter of time before the virus gets out.

This means war.

Genres: Horror, Zombies, Fiction, Humor, Science Fiction, Comedy, Dystopia

309 pages, Paperback

First published June 9, 2015

About the author

Michael Logan is an award-winning Scottish writer, whose career has taken him across the globe.

His debut novel, Apocalypse Cow, won the Terry Pratchett First Novel Prize. Since then, the sequel, World War Moo, and two unrelated novels, Wannabes and Hell's Detective, have hit the shelves.

Michael’s short fiction has appeared in publications such as The Telegraph, Chapman and Underground Voices. He won Fish Publishing’s 2008 international One-Page Fiction Prize with We Will Go on Ahead and Wait for You.

Reviews

[Mark Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the first book in this series with reservations. In the second book the reservations are gone.

With comedy / the absurd what I look for (apart from the obvious - it has to be FUNNY) is a consistent level. I can buy into a level of humour &/or silliness but I need to feel that it isn't going to veer across the comedy map. If I've bought into a wry cynicism, I don't want it to suddenly become slapstick.

In World War Moo Logan maintains consistency. It's a sharp, comedy horror that mixes genuine pathos with the laughs and actually circles around a set of surprisingly deep moral questions. The only bum notes in the consistency stakes were the three generals we occasionally flit to, and the 'deportation' of a key character.

Despite the title the emphasis moves from the 'zombie' animals of book one to the human 'zombie' population, and has less focus on running and killing (or dying) with more politicking. There still is plenty of messy destruction though - fear not!

The writing reminds me a fair bit of Tom Sharpe (on form). I 'worry' that a non-British reader might flounder here. There are plenty of references to British pop-culture / politics that would fly right past your average American, leaving them with a lesser read. I'm guessing that very few Americans know who Noel Edmunds is, for example.

It's hard to be funny and tell a compelling tale at the same time. Logan manages it. This second book improves on an already enjoyable book 1, making the pair of them well worth your time.


Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year mailing list #prizes





..

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

World War Moo, the sequel to the outstanding Apocalypse Cow, continues the story of bloodthirsty zombie cows running rampant in England. In this second volume, the virus has now spread to humans and has infected the entire British Isles. The oddball characters and survivors from the first book are called back into action to prevent a world-wide outbreak of the virus because of the actions inept government officials and their desire for personal glory and looking out for themselves.

This is definitely not your normal zombie book. It’s a lot of fun, it is rife with droll British humor, it’s full of bombastic action sequences (I don’t think I’ve ever read about explosives strapped to zombie cows being led by a remote control car!). It brings several of the old characters back (a few surprises, too), along with a newly-developed characters that become vital to the storyline. Of course, the zombie cows and squirrels return in all their udder and nutty glory. Oh, and make sure you're up to speed on your Star Wars and Star Trek references. ;)

If you haven’t read this series, what are you waiting for?

[Marc-Antoine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am surprised with how the author has taken a ridiculous premise and surrounded with a well crafted story, characters you care about and delved into important existential questions such as our humanity. Humorous, but still thought provoking, congratulations to the author, well done!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read.
I really enjoyed Apocalypse Cow a few years back, the deserved winner of the Terry Pratchett Prize. Its taken a few years but the follow on finally made its way out.
Like its predecessor the book contains a certain amount of absurdity, the Noel Edmunds look alikes, a Benny Hill style chase , and a leader basing his decisions and actiond on his favourite TV character.Most work, some don't but overall I laughed.
Behind all that its actually a decent story. It falls somewhere into the ballpark of recent fiction looking at zombies(even if itc pointed out they are not really zombies in the propee sense) from there side as well. The nature of humanity and violence is questioned and throughout you realise the obvious threat might not be the worst one.
It was great to see some of the characters again. I really enjoyed Geldof in the first book and he is equally good this time. I could comment on another character whi shone out in the book but it would be a bit of a spoiler for readers returning from the first book.

I'm glad Michael Logan managed to get the follow on out. Not my usual read but a nice break for that. The book is not always perfect but the author tells a good story.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The follow up to Apocalypse Cow sees Britain attempting to hold back the rest of the world from destroying them in order to prevent the virus spreading. For the time being, it’s contained by the sea, patrolled by military vessels set on shooting anyone who attempts to escape.

These are not traditional zombies. They are not undead and mostly they act like normal people just much more prone to outbursts of anger and having lots of sex. Now that nearly the entire population is infected, the virus doesn’t need to spread, and the rage only tends to kick in near the uninfected. Yet without internet, the rest of the world is being fed stories of the zombie filled land via the media frenzy. Popular opinion would have the country nuked, if only the French wouldn’t object.

World War Moo is full of political satire; from nuclear deterrent to immigration, media coverage to African mercenaries and religious fanatics. There are a few times when the humour is just a bit silly, but overall it’s spot on with its observations of human nature and how governments act. It’s a shame Michael’s UK publisher didn’t pick the sequel up as there’s plenty of things that are oh so British.

The cover is a tad misleading if you are expecting a whole load of zombie cows again. There’s a few here and there but this is mostly about the people left behind. However plenty of the characters from the previous book are back along with a few new ones.

Review copy provided by author.

[Jessica Chancellor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm gonna go ahead and add this
SPOILER ALERT!

Alrighty, that's out of the way. The only disappointment I had was it didn't have the same level of humor as the first one, although it did have its fare share of great lines, but that's pretty much the only issue I had. (Aside from now being forced to wait for another book.)
Onto the spoils, Those last 20 pages brought along a (lack of a better word) sh!t storm of all the crazies I could have imagined. And even more that I never would have thought of. Tony's love for Spock, and his job as a politician, had me waiting for one line the entire book. And there was an audible "yes" accompanied by a fist pump when it happened near the end as a certain character quoted it accidentally. And that leading to the selfless heroic act of another character left me crying, quite literally. And, let's face it, Geldof proved himself.
Also, very happy that Michael Logan did NOT go with the stereotypical love story that I was dreading. So thank you, you added the possibility tastefully without going into the mush of most "young romance."
Overall, very angry I have to now wait for another one.

[Ayre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in a used book store with my boyfriend and I told him to pick any book for me and I'd read it and he picked this one. Neither of us realized this was the 2nd book a series but I can now tell you that you don't REALLY have to read the first book but you should.

England has been destroyed by a disease that makes humans and animals into angry + horny zombie like creatures. Except they're not dead, and they're perfectly normal if they're not around uninfected people. The virus is currently restricted to the UK but the rest of the world doesn't want to take the chance that the zombie virus gets out.

This book is okay but not really my thing. The title is misleading and the focus isn't on cows, it reads more like a 2010s apocalypse movie. Nothing problematic or horribly bad about the book, just not really a book for me.

[Peyton Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I had no idea this was a sequel, but other than that it was a fun slightly gory book about a "zombie" virus. I went into this book completely blind, I only picked it up because of the title and cover. For anyone that wants a quick zombie/outbreak book this is the one for you.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way back in 2012 I read Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan. I was immediately jealous. Why? Well, I’ve only ever had one idea for a story of my own. It was called Grains and was going to be about vegetarian zombies (they are scarier than you think, dammit!). Then along comes Logan with his flashy, crowd pleasing zombie cattle. I quickly realised that it was far better executed than anything I could ever hope come up with. Damn the man and his bovine mayhem! Time passed and my jealousy moved on elsewhere. Three years later, and I had finally reached the stage where I could almost look at the book fondly, and what happens? Logan’s only gone and bloody done it again.

World War Moo picks up a couple of years after the events in Apocalypse Cow. The world economy is suffering due to the financial drain the British crisis has placed on it. Something needs to be done, and it needs to be done soon. Needless to say, the military have come up with one very definitive option that will put an end to all this infected nonsense quick smart. Will there be a human cost? Depends on how you define human, doesn’t it?

The characters are a who’s who of oddballs and weirdos. Geldof Peters is a teenager keen to return to the UK to see if he can discover any news regarding the fate of his missing mother. Fortunately, his grandfather is incredibly wealthy and is willing to pay for mercenaries to help Geldof along the way. Ruan Peat is another teen, whose story couldn’t be more different from Geldof’s. She has managed to stay alive and un-infected for the entire duration of the crisis. Lesley McBrien makes a welcome return. The ace investigative journo is still feeling guilty over her part in the events in Apocalypse Cow. Setting out with the best of intentions leads her back to Scotland and right into the heart of another international crisis. Can the intrepid reporter make amends for the problems she has caused?

In an interesting twist on your standard zombie mythos, the infected in Logan’s novels aren’t actually dead. They just have some REALLY serious anger management issues, will eat pretty much anyone, and have a rather lusty outlook. Essentially, all base urges and emotions have been ramped up to the nth degree. The infected do still function as people up to a point, and various different factions have developed within the British Isles. The UK government still exists, after a fashion, and there is even a resistance movement try to learn how to cope with being infected. Is there a potential solution to these problems that can save the poor unfortunates who are suffering? It turns out a laid back attitude, copious amounts of special grown-up time and funny smelling herbal cigarettes may hold the key.

Let’s cut to the chase here. World War Moo isn’t Shakespeare, but then I don’t really think it is supposed to be. Is this novel going to change your life? Probably not. Are you likely to experience anything close to a life changing epiphany? I would think not. Will you be presented with a deliciously silly and entertaining novel featuring a cracking little plot and some fun characters? Oh hell yes! Look no further thrill-seeker, your requirements have been met. Once again Logan has done a grand job of mixing gross out comedy, with just a dash of satire, and some more horrific elements. I have a sneaking suspicion, an inkling even, that there may still be a bit more left to this story. I do hope so; both books in this series have been thoroughly enjoyable so far. I can only hope that Mr Logan gets the opportunity to unleash his unique brand of chaos one more time.

World War Moo is available in the US, and via import in the UK*, from St Martin’s Press now. My advice is check it and its predecessor out now. I mean it’s not vegetarian zombies, but it’s alright if you like that kind of thing… (I’m not bitter, honestly).

*I do hope World War Moo gets a proper release in the UK. In my humble opinion it entirely deserves one!

[Lainy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time taken to read - 3 days

Blurb from Goodreads

It began with a cow that just wouldn't die. Yep. That's right. They're still infected, and now the disease has spread to humans. The epidemic that transformed Britain's bovine population into a blood-thirsty, brain-grazing, zombie horde...err... herd... is threatening to take over the globe.

And there's not much time left to stop it. All of Great Britain is infected and brimming with rage. The rest of the world has a tough choice to make. Should they nuke the Brits right off the map — men, women, children, cows and all — in the biggest genocide in history? Or should they risk global infection in a race against time to find a cure?

With fanatical infected trying to escape the cursed island, and the Brits ready to defend themselves with every weapon at their disposal, including an intercontinental missile sloshing with infected blood, it may only be a matter of time before the virus gets out.

This means war.


My review

I really enjoyed the first book, now book two sees the virus has spread to the humans and the world wants to eradicate Britain before the rest of the world is infected. There is little to none media coverage and the world thinks Britain is over ran with zombies. Most of the infected are fine, still people going about their business, until they come across an uninfected, then the rage takes hold. Except for those who have learned to control it, the rest of the world want to be safe, some of the British want to infect everyone so we can all live in harmony and have the missile ready to do just that.

This is so very different from the first book, there aren't as many cows in this one although there are some mention of infected animals the main focus is on humanity. The relationships of those still living, infected with uninfected, how those few managed to overcome the rage & attempt to teach others to hold onto their humanity. There is a fair bit of politics in this one and although there is still humour involved, politics isn't really my thing. Some of the humour and scenes are a bit foolish but to be honest, it works well with the overall theme of the book. It is interesting, funny, black humour, murder, relationships, humans adapting, love, courage and anger to name just some of the topics this tale covers.

It is a fresh idea on the whole zombie apocalypse & I enjoyed finding out what happened to the characters from the first book and meeting some new ones. How humanity deal with the struggle and life choices in the face of being wiped out. I hope Logan considers a third installment, I would certainly read it and recommend this to those who enjoyed Apocalypse Moo, 3/5 for me this time. Thanks to the author for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Jeff Jellets · Rating 4 out of 5]

“What’s a cow laugh sound like, then?” Tom said. “I wasn’t there, so I can’t rightly say. A bit evil, I imagine, like: Moo-ha-ha!”

The zombie cows (and sheep … and people … and bunnies) are back in Michael Logan’s wryly wrought sequel to Apocalypse Cow … the equally cleverly named World War Moo. Britain has fallen to the infected and with the feisty mammalian hordes threatening to spill across the channel into the rest of Europe, world leaders seem to be tilting toward a final solution: blow Merry Ole’ England right to smithereens!

Logan weaves a compelling story that picks up rather nicely on the themes and characters introduced in the previous book – with a pretty spiffy plot twist for one of the last book’s main characters – and then brands the tale with his trademark sense of humor and his hysterically twisted choice of similes that elicit page after page of chortles and quite a few outright guffaws. Funny, but refusing to fall into outright silliness, Logan walks the tightrope between the absurd and the outright ridiculous, fortunately prancing without a fall into outright slapstick. For its premise, World War Moo has a compelling amount of weight – in terms of plot, characterization, and consequence – but is delivered with the tongue-so-firmly-in-the-cheek that I think only a Brit could accomplish it so well.

Of course, zombie-snobs beware -- as the author himself points out in a rather funny "I'll review my own book" piece on Goodreads ... we aren't dealing with the typical "walking dead" zombie per se in this one, but ‘intelligent’ zombies (which personally I find a bit less appealing than their undead cousins). As with David Moody’s Hater series, humanizing the rage-filled machines that were gobbling everyone to pieces in the last book, is a really hard sell. Logan, however, does a credible job of it, but it’s always a bit hard to “walk-back” your monster. Likewise, the titular cows are mostly sidelined this book, and World War Moo is clearly just the first volley in a bigger engagement. Don’t expect too much closure at the end of this one as it is clearly just the middle chapter of a trilogy.

Still … whether you are a zombie fan or just a fan of dark British humor, World War Moo is certain to tickle (or is it chew?) your funny bones.

Looking forward to book three …

P.S. Best laugh-out-loud moment … Michael Logan names a prostitute. Good gosh … sprayed my Angry Orchard out my nose …

[Tim Roast · Rating 4 out of 5]

“World War Moo” is the second book in the Apocalypse Cow series. If you’ve read the first you know what to expect from this one, zombies, OTT characters taking the mickey out of each other and cows.

This story begins where it left off in the previous book, the zombie outbreak that started in cows has spread to humans and taken over the whole of Britain which is now cut off from the rest of the world. To bring the virus to an end the rest of the world is considering eliminating Britain, rather than find a cure for the disease, and it is the task of a group of individuals, some zombies who have learnt to control themselves, and some humans, to stop this.

I got this book through entering a competition for the author to put my namesake in the book. Therefore there is a Tim Roast in this story, and needless to say I was most interested in how this particular character got on. He is the (“sorry excuse for a”) government chief scientist, with a “V-neck pullover, badly knotted tie, and a pair of glasses so ginormous they made his eyes look like snooker balls.” Thankfully he doesn’t get killed so is likely to appear in the next book in the series too. (Authors, I am available for more roles in books.)

Many of the other characters, such as a band of mercenaries that are called upon to infiltrate Britain, in the book are also namesakes of people who entered this competition, and you can tell by the way the author introduces and describes them that he had a lot of fun with it.

The book is quirky, and has good scenes in it, such as a “bar full of bearded and smirking Noels (as in Noel Edmonds) cavorting in Christmas pullovers so garish they should have carried an epilepsy risk warning, playing pranks on each other and grinning smugly.” The story took a while to get going, what with the character introductions, re-introductions of characters from the first book and where they’d ended up, plus the setting the scene bits, and there are less cows than before, but once the story got going there was plenty of action and plenty of fun.

[Donna Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Where there’s war, there’s udder destruction.” Michael Logan’s new release, World War Moo, is the sequel to Apocalypse Cow. Mix the zombie apocalypse with mad cow disease, toss in some technology, then ask the spirits of Terry Pratchett and Monty Python to hop into the cauldron. What follows is a deeply mooooving story that is bound to amuse. Many thanks go to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me a glimpse in advance.

How does one contain the deadly infection that has taken over the British Isles, and why are some people inexplicably immune to it? The world appears to have gone stark raving mad, or at least, part of it has. Trade among nations has been obliterated, and famine is rampant. Inflation is out of control, and when you find yourself spending a thousand pounds for a rat kebab, it’s pretty clear that simply surviving ought to be the order of the day.

Not so for young Geldof. His Grandfather Carstairs, the evil genius who twiddles his moustache to prove his inner nature, has appeared and told him that his mother is alive and in danger. Fanny must be rescued from Britain before the bombs fall; there’s even talk of dropping neutron bombs. Grandfather Carstairs has come to help Geldof, not because of any depth of affection, but because he needs an heir to take over his evil empire. He has to find out whether Geldof is “man enough” to do the job.

In addition to being entertained, I greatly appreciated Logan’s metaphorical explanation of the difference between male and female brains. In fact, much of the book is composed of hilarious metaphors and similes. English teachers’ paradise meets the zombie cow apocalypse: the stuff of which dreams are made.

This absurd story, second in its series, was released yesterday. Better get going before they’re all gone!

[Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining series, really looking forward to the next book. Well written and enjoyable, the characters are entertaining and has just the right amount of humour thrown in, not something I've found in many zombie books. It all works well together. The zombie bunnies and the sniper was just hilarious.

[Kimmyh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picks up the story from the previous book and now that, basically, everyone is infected with the virus they've managed to get on with
their lives, more or less, and to deal with the rages issues caused by the disease they've learned lots of sex, drugs and for some, even meditation, helps curb the murderous impulses.
However, the rest of the world is terrified that the virus is going to spread to their shores and their Leaders have gotten together and decided the only way to stop the potential spread is
to bomb Britan out of existence.

Naturally, when the Brits find out about the plan they aren't too keen and come up with a plan of counter attack involving bombs filled with infected blood, since if everyone has the virus they will all have to find a
way to live in harmony until a cure can be found, plus, upon the initial infection everyone will be too busy either trying to eat, or avoid being eaten by,their fellow man to worry about dropping bombs.

While I didn't think this was quite as funny as the previous book, it was amusing, but, is one of those stories that I think you would have to have read the prior one to understand what is going on as a lot of the characters from 'Apocalypse Cow' appear in this one as well.

[melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 2nd installment didn't quite grab me the way the first one did. But, I admit that probably is because it follows a bit more military/government/mercenary kinda storyline versus following the misfit crew from the 1st one. Those misfits are still there (sadly with the exception of Terry who was my fave from the first book), but the POVs go from them to the military guys.

A few months have passed and the military on both sides (non-infected vs infected) are gearing up to save themselves. Lesley is still a twit but does manage to actually redeem herself. Geldof is and will always be a dork, but at least he always tries to do his best which sadly can't be said for the rest of the world.

We meet a neat band of mercenaries in this one, but I didn't really care for either sides of the government characters as they were a bit lame.

There's some room for a further novel, so I'm definitely interested in where this goes, but it did kinda feel like a middle book where there's some progressions but the end doesn't really feel like the end (if that makes sense).

*Digital review copy provided by NetGalley & the publisher.

[Mkittysamom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I had to go back and re-read the first book as I forgot what happened. The generals are HILARIOIUS!! It all started with zombie cows and the infected people whom it seemed to transfer to...making them angry,aggresive, and super horny..somehow are trying to find a way for Britain to not get blown up since no medical cure has been found. Our fave arrogant journalist from Book 1 redeems herself and Gandalf...finds a girl...how many will bet that he will die a virgin or find a girl?! Anyone?? The skin flakes, and evil Grandpa make me wonder.... And as Britian is trying to sustain a peaceful environment...the hippie treatment may work!! This sequel is great except lands on a BIG FAT CLIFF...WITH ZOMBIE COWS RUNNING OVER IT! Lol Terry Pratchett,Bless him, gave the first book rave reviews and an award so on his behalf and mine. Read IT :)

[Lynne Nunyabidness · Rating 3 out of 5]

As often happens, I liked this second book in the series begun with Apocalypse Cow (Apocalypse Cow) less than I did the first. Nonetheless, I did like it a good bit. It seemed to me that this book focused less on the drama of a secret government facility and an infectious outbreak and more on larger issues of what makes us (the us being Homo sapiens in this case) human and the things we do to save the ones we love. Oh, and the power of marijuana to chill us all the fuck out. The book is still chock-a-block with government plots, camouflaged commandos, and killer livestock and is a hell of a lot of fun.

[Leeann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the sequel to Apocalypse Cow and it is every bit as good! I loved that the USA, China, and Russia are working together to to annihilate Britain. Of course, most of their work is done on golf courses or while playing drinking games. While they are playing golf/planning destruction, the good folks, infected or not, of Britain are trying to determine a way to get off the giant island. It makes for a great read!

[Cheilon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sad that this book is so terrible because the premise- that after the initial feeding frenzy brought on by the infection, people regained control of their senses and led somewhat normal lives until their next bout of uncontrollable rage- was an interesting one. But there was no depth to the plot, the characters were terribly annoying and... Not to sound morbid, but then just wasn't much terror or violence. What's a zombie book without some good old fashioned bloodletting?

[Jennifer Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series enough that I'm really hoping there will be more books to come. The ending definitely left room for a continuation of the storyline, and I'm actually a little anxious to know what happens next! I'm also happy that the fanatic vegan character redeems herself in this book.....which is actually a spoiler, since readers are led to believe that she died in the first book, so that's why I've tapped the "spoiler" tab on this review.

[Emma Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an unexpected gem. Very well written and witty. The plot line is so unusual and isn't your typical zombie book, but never fear it is not as cheesy as it looks. I couldn't put this down and snorted with laughter so many times while reading this. Such a great story that's out of the norm!

[Museelo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do not be misled by the cover, this book was not funny.

I bought this book, thinking it was a stand alone, and reading it was more than enough for me to understand the plot and not be interested in reading more. If I had known, I would've read Apocalypse Cow, and would've probably found the humor I was looking for in this book, alas I'm completely giving this up.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to be allowed to read an advance copy of World War Moo and it is an excellent follow-up to the award-winning Apocalypse Cow. I think Mr Logan will be an author to watch in the future!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was kind of disappointed by this book. It took me over 150 pages to finally get interested in the story. I read the first book and now I have to read the next one. I don't really know if I can say I am looking forward to it, but it's a trilogy.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one, much more so than Apocalypse Cow.

The characters were great, the story very well put together. I especially liked Geldof and Ruan and how their relationship panned out.

Logan has a great sense of humor and it shows thru in every word.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review here:

http://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/2...

It's a little les subtle with its metaphores than the first book, and the rage virus seems to have been retooled for this one. But still, there are worse ways to spend reading.

[April Tolliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

damn cliff hangers

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh yeah as funny as the first one, great to see the some of the characters back and some new ones, and clearly left open for a third in the series.

[Disa]

loved it...