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Brains
The zombie apocalypse sucks, sure, but high school wasn’t much better. You really gotta wonder how having the brains to ace tests helps you out when a slobbering zombie is on your tail, wanting to eat said brains. Moving to the woods cut down on such occurrences, but it can’t last forever. And when all the dumb zombies eat all the dumb humans, what will be left?
- GenresShort StoriesZombies
15 pages, ebook
First published February 24, 2015
About the author
P.T. Phronk
11 books52 followersP.T. Phronk writes about things that don't exist, things that might exist, and things that shouldn't exist. That’s a clever way of saying he writes fantasy, science fiction, and horror.
He received a PhD in psychology after writing a dissertation about what makes horror films frightening. So he literally wrote the book on horror, and continues to create horrific things by cover of night, while by day, he writes about science and technology, helping people out of modern digital nightmares.
P.T. Phronk sometimes just goes by "Phronk." He lives in London, Ontario. I'd say he's a solid 3.5 star author.
He also wrote Baboon Fart Story, an experiment in publishing. Here is some nice stuff that famous people sarcastically said about Baboon Fart Story:
“Its artistry in the face of ‘normality’ is awe-inspiring.” — Alan Baxter
“Arguably the highest achievement of humanity. […] A bot could not have done a better job!” — John Scalzi
“Let’s just say I like the idea of self-publishing even less now.” — Adam Christopher
“A master of modern Dadaism.” — Daniel Abraham
Phronk is also the creator of Putting Weird Things in Coffee, which is a blog about putting weird things in coffee.
Phronk has four nipples and doesn't care about fonts.
He received a PhD in psychology after writing a dissertation about what makes horror films frightening. So he literally wrote the book on horror, and continues to create horrific things by cover of night, while by day, he writes about science and technology, helping people out of modern digital nightmares.
P.T. Phronk sometimes just goes by "Phronk." He lives in London, Ontario. I'd say he's a solid 3.5 star author.
He also wrote Baboon Fart Story, an experiment in publishing. Here is some nice stuff that famous people sarcastically said about Baboon Fart Story:
“Its artistry in the face of ‘normality’ is awe-inspiring.” — Alan Baxter
“Arguably the highest achievement of humanity. […] A bot could not have done a better job!” — John Scalzi
“Let’s just say I like the idea of self-publishing even less now.” — Adam Christopher
“A master of modern Dadaism.” — Daniel Abraham
Phronk is also the creator of Putting Weird Things in Coffee, which is a blog about putting weird things in coffee.
Phronk has four nipples and doesn't care about fonts.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 14, 2016
Well that was fun! I read this quickie in one sitting.
What did I think? Well, as a horror short it ticked all the boxes. Some vivid description, a solid passage of narrative with a start, beginning and end, and a satisfying blend of horror and humor. What it also had was a surprising amount of character development for such a short story. Phronk achieved this, by focusing on the inner thoughts of the lone survivor. You see this world through this protagonists eyes and memories. It's an intimate way of portraying a character and it works here. The tense seems a mixture of first person present and past, depending on what's happening in the story at the time.
It's quite American in tone. The names, the use of language and the cliche branded this as by an American, for Americans. No bad thing, but worth pointing out. It was interesting in that it COULD have been told as a UK story though, there were no guns involved in the story. I often think a zombie apocalypse in the UK would have a different dynamic due to the lack of ranged weaponry.
You can't expect too much from a story of this length. In truth there isn't much here. What there IS, though, is good. As a test taster of Phronk's writing, it's a good sample portion.
Some say Free ebooks are either very bad or very short. This definitely fits into the latter category. If you're after a free lunchtime read this is well worth checking out. From the style, humour and drama in this, I think we can expect, longer more satisfying works from Phronk in the future.
Martyn Stanley
Author of:-
The Last Dragon Slayer (Perma-Free)
The Verkreath Horror
The Blood Queen
Deathsworn Arc: Rise of the Archmage
The Lambton Worm
Return of the Worm Slayer
What did I think? Well, as a horror short it ticked all the boxes. Some vivid description, a solid passage of narrative with a start, beginning and end, and a satisfying blend of horror and humor. What it also had was a surprising amount of character development for such a short story. Phronk achieved this, by focusing on the inner thoughts of the lone survivor. You see this world through this protagonists eyes and memories. It's an intimate way of portraying a character and it works here. The tense seems a mixture of first person present and past, depending on what's happening in the story at the time.
It's quite American in tone. The names, the use of language and the cliche branded this as by an American, for Americans. No bad thing, but worth pointing out. It was interesting in that it COULD have been told as a UK story though, there were no guns involved in the story. I often think a zombie apocalypse in the UK would have a different dynamic due to the lack of ranged weaponry.
You can't expect too much from a story of this length. In truth there isn't much here. What there IS, though, is good. As a test taster of Phronk's writing, it's a good sample portion.
Some say Free ebooks are either very bad or very short. This definitely fits into the latter category. If you're after a free lunchtime read this is well worth checking out. From the style, humour and drama in this, I think we can expect, longer more satisfying works from Phronk in the future.
Martyn Stanley
Author of:-
The Last Dragon Slayer (Perma-Free)
The Verkreath Horror
The Blood Queen
Deathsworn Arc: Rise of the Archmage
The Lambton Worm
Return of the Worm Slayer
March 22, 2015
Let's not get too excited here. BRAINS by Phronk is just a short (approx 11 pages) story. The writing is clean and gutsy. The story is a zombie story with a sub plot that examines our own humanity. Nice, its not a zombie mill story that everyone and their mother writes these days.
More than the story, I'm excited about this little press out of the wilds of Ontario. Forest City Pulp has an interesting and offbeat array of books and shorts they are unleashing upon the world. And with an author simply named Phronk, they've certainly got my attention. I will definitly be seeking out more of their stuff.
More than the story, I'm excited about this little press out of the wilds of Ontario. Forest City Pulp has an interesting and offbeat array of books and shorts they are unleashing upon the world. And with an author simply named Phronk, they've certainly got my attention. I will definitly be seeking out more of their stuff.
April 5, 2015
Pretty good. I really wish it was longer.
March 15, 2015
I think if you like kid-level snark and apocalypse settings with an undercurrent of hope, you will love this story. I loved this story!
September 12, 2019
Tried to read it, but I decided that zombie stories really aren't for me. Best of luck if you chose to. By the way, a lot of this story is about bullying which happened before the story began.
Action-packed. Tragic. Twisted.
Action-packed. Tragic. Twisted.
August 31, 2018
Quick read fun zombie story
Quick fun short story about a middle school girl living in a world full of zombies. Fun quirky short and refreshing
Quick fun short story about a middle school girl living in a world full of zombies. Fun quirky short and refreshing
September 22, 2019
Brains: either you have them or you want them. When it comes to zombies, using your brain to outsmart them from getting yours is key in P.T. Phronk's Brains.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Though high school may not be too much fun and you'd be interested in doing just about anything to get out of going, trying to outsmart and outrun zombies isn't particularly high on the list of things to do with your day either. One person's attempt to survive by venturing into the woods is narrated with colorful asides of what life was like in comparison to what it now is and the importance of brains, to both them and the zombies, in navigating through it.
Written with an abundance of snark and good attention given to the inner workings of a teenager's mind and what occupies their focus, this short story takes readers on an entertaining ride of a zombie apocalypse's beginning while also commenting upon humanity and what people place value upon when faced with a life-threatening scenario. Though brief, the story develops enough detail to generate interest in continuing to learn more about this world and how the character fares against the threat of being consumed by zombies and what further thoughts they'll share of their life before it became derailed by death's revival.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Though high school may not be too much fun and you'd be interested in doing just about anything to get out of going, trying to outsmart and outrun zombies isn't particularly high on the list of things to do with your day either. One person's attempt to survive by venturing into the woods is narrated with colorful asides of what life was like in comparison to what it now is and the importance of brains, to both them and the zombies, in navigating through it.
Written with an abundance of snark and good attention given to the inner workings of a teenager's mind and what occupies their focus, this short story takes readers on an entertaining ride of a zombie apocalypse's beginning while also commenting upon humanity and what people place value upon when faced with a life-threatening scenario. Though brief, the story develops enough detail to generate interest in continuing to learn more about this world and how the character fares against the threat of being consumed by zombies and what further thoughts they'll share of their life before it became derailed by death's revival.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews