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Rotten Bodies
We all fear death’s dark spectre, but in a zombie apocalypse, dying is a privilege reserved for the lucky few. There are worse things than a bullet to the brain—much worse.
The dead are walking, and they’re hungry. Steven Jenkins, bestselling author of Fourteen Days and Burn The Dead, shares five zombie tales that are rotten for all the right reasons.
Meet Dave, a husband and father with a dirty secret, who quickly discovers that lies aren’t only dangerous…they’re deadly. Athlete Sarah once ran for glory, but when she finds herself alone on a country road with an injured knee, second place is as good as last. Howard, shovelling coal in the darkness of a Welsh coal mine, knows something’s amiss when his colleagues begin to disappear. But it’s when the lights come on that things get truly scary.
Five different takes on the undead, from the grotesque to the downright terrifying. But reader beware: as the groans get louder and the twitching starts, you’ll be dying to reach the final page.
The dead are walking, and they’re hungry. Steven Jenkins, bestselling author of Fourteen Days and Burn The Dead, shares five zombie tales that are rotten for all the right reasons.
Meet Dave, a husband and father with a dirty secret, who quickly discovers that lies aren’t only dangerous…they’re deadly. Athlete Sarah once ran for glory, but when she finds herself alone on a country road with an injured knee, second place is as good as last. Howard, shovelling coal in the darkness of a Welsh coal mine, knows something’s amiss when his colleagues begin to disappear. But it’s when the lights come on that things get truly scary.
Five different takes on the undead, from the grotesque to the downright terrifying. But reader beware: as the groans get louder and the twitching starts, you’ll be dying to reach the final page.
130 pages, ebook
First published April 27, 2015
109 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
About the author
Steven Jenkins
34 books197 followersBorn in the small Welsh town of Llanelli, Steven began writing stories at the age of eight. His inspiration came from his love for ‘80s horror movies, and novels by Stephen King and the late Richard Matheson.
During Steven’s teenage years, as well as being a black-belt kickboxer, he became a great lover of writing dark and twisted poems – six of which gained him publications with Poetry Now, Brownstone Books, and Strong Words.
Over the next few years, and after becoming a father and a husband, Steven's passion drove him towards writing short stories, gaining him further publication with Dark Moon Digest: an American horror magazine. His terrifying tales of the afterlife and zombies gained him positive reviews, particularly his story, Burning Ambition, which also came runner up in a Five-stop-story contest.
Finally, in 2013, after years of hard work (and countless rejection letters), Steven got his debut novel, Fourteen Days, published by Barking Rain Press.
During Steven’s teenage years, as well as being a black-belt kickboxer, he became a great lover of writing dark and twisted poems – six of which gained him publications with Poetry Now, Brownstone Books, and Strong Words.
Over the next few years, and after becoming a father and a husband, Steven's passion drove him towards writing short stories, gaining him further publication with Dark Moon Digest: an American horror magazine. His terrifying tales of the afterlife and zombies gained him positive reviews, particularly his story, Burning Ambition, which also came runner up in a Five-stop-story contest.
Finally, in 2013, after years of hard work (and countless rejection letters), Steven got his debut novel, Fourteen Days, published by Barking Rain Press.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
June 29, 2015
Author Steven Jenkins put a call out on Goodreads a while back for any reviewers who would be willing to pick up Rotten Bodies: A Zombie Short Story Collection for the purposes of giving an honest review. Being a conscientious sort of a person, Confessions of a Reviewer offered their services and thankfully got a copy. This is the review.
Guess what? I’ve never read Steven Jenkins before. I thought this would be a good way to introduce myself to his writing. I wasn’t wrong.
This is a collection made up of six short stories all about zombies. A genre I haven’t really been keen on over the years but I am slowly getting to like it even more. This is my take on the six tales in this collection.
I AM DEAD
A very short – short exploring the mind of a man who knows he is dead. He doesn’t know why or how or even who he was before. All he knows is he is getting hungry. Very hungry. For flesh. Human flesh.
He has one rather large obstacle in his way though.
This is a perfect introduction to a collection. You feel confusion, despair and……hunger with this nameless character. A good insight into what it “could” be like to be awake when you are dead.
★★★★ for general.
★★★ for horror.
ROOM 503
Dave is an accountant. It is a boring life and things are tough with him and his wife Clare. Their only constant is their daughter Katie. She is their world. The world outside the arguments.
It is all over the news about an infection spreading throughout the country but they don’t pay the coverage much attention. Dave has to go on a course with an overnight stay the next day. He is “occupied” in his hotel in room 503 when a crowd of infected gather outside.
The infection is worse than first thought. Dave is beginning to wish he had stayed at home.
The most frightening thing about this story is that it demonstrates very clearly that absolutely no one has any idea when the zombie apocalypse may occur.
Everyday lives just fall apart in the blink of an eye. This story is a perfect example of that. Full of suspense, fear and “shit what would you do” moments.
★★★★ for general.
★★★ for horror.
RUN
Sarah is a fitness instructor. She has completed a couple of marathons. She needs all that experience right now with a zombie hot on her tail. Problem is he has been hot on her tail for seven miles now.
An example of just how far you would be prepared to go if your life depended on it. This story delves into the mind of someone literally running for their lives.
★★★ for general.
★★★★ for horror.
BURNING AMBITION
Rob has a busy job. It’s non-stop twelve hour shifts. He spends his days loading bodies into a furnace to destroy them. Each time he starts to load a new body he opens the black body bag to see who he’s got. They always stare at him.
Some try to fight their way out but they are already dead. Victims of the plague.
On one busy shift, to his horror, he recognises the face of one of the bodies.
Bit strange this one. I suppose it could be a job that someone, somewhere would have to do if it came to it but it was a bit surreal.
★★.5 for general.
★★ for horror.
THE PIT
Howard Thomas works in a coal mine. He is the only one left. The rest are all dead. The problem is the rest are all after him, even though they are dead.
With a dwindling battery for his helmet light, next to no water left and no weapon, he must find a way out before it’s too late. He doesn’t want to join the legions of undead in The Pit.
Simple plot for this one. One man left in a coal mine struggling to find his way out before he dies. Think The Descent. Think of any other frighteningly scary scenario you can where one person is left alone with their thoughts and their panic as they battle for survival.
Again full of tension and fear, you can almost smell the atmosphere and taste the horror in this one.
★★★★ for general.
★★★★★ for horror.
SIMON DUNN: FORMER ZOMBIE
Simon Dunn is a “former” zombie. Someone that was dead but ate enough human flesh to regenerate. He is in trouble at work and has to go see his boss.
He is in big trouble. His boss has reason to be particularly angry with him.
This is another short – short. Lots of dark humour in this one describing what it’s like to be a zombie then not be a zombie. This was one of my favourites.
★★★★ for general.
★★ for horror.
So there you have it, a short story collection all about zombies. This is a good mix of stories although all of the same type. For me, that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. I like to see a bit more variety in collections.
The stories are well written. They do get the point across in very few words. I liked the fact that Steven Jenkins doesn’t need a huge cast of characters in his stories to make them effective. He is also very good at getting you gripped and interested in the story very quickly and has mastered the art of making a very short story very effective.
A good collection that won’t take you long to get through.
General rating:
★★★.5 overall.
Horror rating:
★★★.5 overall.
Guess what? I’ve never read Steven Jenkins before. I thought this would be a good way to introduce myself to his writing. I wasn’t wrong.
This is a collection made up of six short stories all about zombies. A genre I haven’t really been keen on over the years but I am slowly getting to like it even more. This is my take on the six tales in this collection.
I AM DEAD
A very short – short exploring the mind of a man who knows he is dead. He doesn’t know why or how or even who he was before. All he knows is he is getting hungry. Very hungry. For flesh. Human flesh.
He has one rather large obstacle in his way though.
This is a perfect introduction to a collection. You feel confusion, despair and……hunger with this nameless character. A good insight into what it “could” be like to be awake when you are dead.
★★★★ for general.
★★★ for horror.
ROOM 503
Dave is an accountant. It is a boring life and things are tough with him and his wife Clare. Their only constant is their daughter Katie. She is their world. The world outside the arguments.
It is all over the news about an infection spreading throughout the country but they don’t pay the coverage much attention. Dave has to go on a course with an overnight stay the next day. He is “occupied” in his hotel in room 503 when a crowd of infected gather outside.
The infection is worse than first thought. Dave is beginning to wish he had stayed at home.
The most frightening thing about this story is that it demonstrates very clearly that absolutely no one has any idea when the zombie apocalypse may occur.
Everyday lives just fall apart in the blink of an eye. This story is a perfect example of that. Full of suspense, fear and “shit what would you do” moments.
★★★★ for general.
★★★ for horror.
RUN
Sarah is a fitness instructor. She has completed a couple of marathons. She needs all that experience right now with a zombie hot on her tail. Problem is he has been hot on her tail for seven miles now.
An example of just how far you would be prepared to go if your life depended on it. This story delves into the mind of someone literally running for their lives.
★★★ for general.
★★★★ for horror.
BURNING AMBITION
Rob has a busy job. It’s non-stop twelve hour shifts. He spends his days loading bodies into a furnace to destroy them. Each time he starts to load a new body he opens the black body bag to see who he’s got. They always stare at him.
Some try to fight their way out but they are already dead. Victims of the plague.
On one busy shift, to his horror, he recognises the face of one of the bodies.
Bit strange this one. I suppose it could be a job that someone, somewhere would have to do if it came to it but it was a bit surreal.
★★.5 for general.
★★ for horror.
THE PIT
Howard Thomas works in a coal mine. He is the only one left. The rest are all dead. The problem is the rest are all after him, even though they are dead.
With a dwindling battery for his helmet light, next to no water left and no weapon, he must find a way out before it’s too late. He doesn’t want to join the legions of undead in The Pit.
Simple plot for this one. One man left in a coal mine struggling to find his way out before he dies. Think The Descent. Think of any other frighteningly scary scenario you can where one person is left alone with their thoughts and their panic as they battle for survival.
Again full of tension and fear, you can almost smell the atmosphere and taste the horror in this one.
★★★★ for general.
★★★★★ for horror.
SIMON DUNN: FORMER ZOMBIE
Simon Dunn is a “former” zombie. Someone that was dead but ate enough human flesh to regenerate. He is in trouble at work and has to go see his boss.
He is in big trouble. His boss has reason to be particularly angry with him.
This is another short – short. Lots of dark humour in this one describing what it’s like to be a zombie then not be a zombie. This was one of my favourites.
★★★★ for general.
★★ for horror.
So there you have it, a short story collection all about zombies. This is a good mix of stories although all of the same type. For me, that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. I like to see a bit more variety in collections.
The stories are well written. They do get the point across in very few words. I liked the fact that Steven Jenkins doesn’t need a huge cast of characters in his stories to make them effective. He is also very good at getting you gripped and interested in the story very quickly and has mastered the art of making a very short story very effective.
A good collection that won’t take you long to get through.
General rating:
★★★.5 overall.
Horror rating:
★★★.5 overall.
August 6, 2020
Modesty is overrated!
June 15, 2015
Watch out, it's lumbering your way; another collection of short horrors from Steve Jenkins. His last anthology, “Spine”, covered the gamut of horror. This new book focuses on just one kind: zombies.
Now zombies are not my favorite monsters. If they're supposed to be mindless, there's not a great deal you can do with the monster itself. Still, clever writers can use the subject. For instance, the TV show The Walking Dead has zombies but the stories are really about the human survivors.
Jenkins gets his zombie book off to a great start. At only a few pages, it's hard to describe “I Am Dead” without giving away much, but it has a zombie lamenting his fate—and a killer twist. 5/5
“Room 503” is fairly standard with the zombie action, but added to this is the hero's personal crisis. Unfortunately, it's hard to identify with this loser. 3/5
“Run” is about a jogger running the marathon of her life—with a relentless zombie on her tail. She tires, he doesn't. It's a short, simple story with hardly a wasted word. 4/5
“Burning Ambition” is the original short story from which Jenkins later developed his novel “Burn the Dead”. It's a story about how society has come to deal with the zombie outbreak—they're just more rubbish to be hauled off—and burned. The ending is surprising, stunning, depressing, and simply to be expected. 5/5
In “The Pit”, the zombie apocalypse is relagated only to various underground regions. That's fine—unless you're lost in the darkness of a coal mine. And that's exactly what happens to a Welsh miner who find himself alone with the dead. There's nothing really new here but it's still a well-told story. 4/5
Lastly, “Simon Dunn: Former Zombie” shows us there is a cure for being one of the walking dead—but the repercussions remain. The story is clever but very short. 4/5
Now zombies are not my favorite monsters. If they're supposed to be mindless, there's not a great deal you can do with the monster itself. Still, clever writers can use the subject. For instance, the TV show The Walking Dead has zombies but the stories are really about the human survivors.
Jenkins gets his zombie book off to a great start. At only a few pages, it's hard to describe “I Am Dead” without giving away much, but it has a zombie lamenting his fate—and a killer twist. 5/5
“Room 503” is fairly standard with the zombie action, but added to this is the hero's personal crisis. Unfortunately, it's hard to identify with this loser. 3/5
“Run” is about a jogger running the marathon of her life—with a relentless zombie on her tail. She tires, he doesn't. It's a short, simple story with hardly a wasted word. 4/5
“Burning Ambition” is the original short story from which Jenkins later developed his novel “Burn the Dead”. It's a story about how society has come to deal with the zombie outbreak—they're just more rubbish to be hauled off—and burned. The ending is surprising, stunning, depressing, and simply to be expected. 5/5
In “The Pit”, the zombie apocalypse is relagated only to various underground regions. That's fine—unless you're lost in the darkness of a coal mine. And that's exactly what happens to a Welsh miner who find himself alone with the dead. There's nothing really new here but it's still a well-told story. 4/5
Lastly, “Simon Dunn: Former Zombie” shows us there is a cure for being one of the walking dead—but the repercussions remain. The story is clever but very short. 4/5
April 3, 2018
4.5/5
This was fun!
Check out the review:
https://kyrobooks.com/2018/04/03/revi...
This was fun!
Check out the review:
https://kyrobooks.com/2018/04/03/revi...
May 6, 2015
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, I must admit I am a huge fan of anything zombie-related – books, movies, clothing, Jeep accessories – pretty much anything. I also expect books or stories that I read (yes, even stories about zombies) to have a solid plot, defined direction and impeccable grammar and composition. Nothing is more irritating than feeling my time has been wasted on an unimaginative, lackluster, poorly-executed book. But with this short story collection, I definitely was not disappointed.
This book includes 6 short zombie tales which I will summarize here:
I Am Dead: A very short story with a completely unexpected ending in which a zombie expresses his innermost thoughts and feelings. I laughed out loud at the end of this one. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Room 503: A devoted father yet not-so-devoted husband makes one judgment error too many. Will his secrets and lies finally come back to bite him (pun intended)?
Run: A former long-distance runner with a bum knee is on a deserted country road literally running for her life from an equally agile and determined zombie.
Burning Ambition: An under-appreciated worker at a cremation facility is compelled to look into the faces of the dead before sending them into the fire, which may turn out to be a more dangerous and distressing practice than he anticipated.
The Pit: A terrifying story of a coal miner trapped in complete darkness underground with scores of undead fellow miners, and his desperate attempts to find his way out.
Simon Dunn: Former Zombie: An utterly unique story detailing the trials and tribulations of a “recovered” zombie. I don’t believe I’ve ever come across anything like it before. I also laughed out loud at the end of this story.
The stories in this collection have it all – moments that are horrifying, heart-wrenching, frustrating and downright hilarious. They are all incredibly well-written and descriptive. I highly recommend this book to any zombie aficionados or fans of short stories in general. I also have another of this author’s books – Fourteen Days – which I am looking forward to starting soon.
First of all, I must admit I am a huge fan of anything zombie-related – books, movies, clothing, Jeep accessories – pretty much anything. I also expect books or stories that I read (yes, even stories about zombies) to have a solid plot, defined direction and impeccable grammar and composition. Nothing is more irritating than feeling my time has been wasted on an unimaginative, lackluster, poorly-executed book. But with this short story collection, I definitely was not disappointed.
This book includes 6 short zombie tales which I will summarize here:
I Am Dead: A very short story with a completely unexpected ending in which a zombie expresses his innermost thoughts and feelings. I laughed out loud at the end of this one. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Room 503: A devoted father yet not-so-devoted husband makes one judgment error too many. Will his secrets and lies finally come back to bite him (pun intended)?
Run: A former long-distance runner with a bum knee is on a deserted country road literally running for her life from an equally agile and determined zombie.
Burning Ambition: An under-appreciated worker at a cremation facility is compelled to look into the faces of the dead before sending them into the fire, which may turn out to be a more dangerous and distressing practice than he anticipated.
The Pit: A terrifying story of a coal miner trapped in complete darkness underground with scores of undead fellow miners, and his desperate attempts to find his way out.
Simon Dunn: Former Zombie: An utterly unique story detailing the trials and tribulations of a “recovered” zombie. I don’t believe I’ve ever come across anything like it before. I also laughed out loud at the end of this story.
The stories in this collection have it all – moments that are horrifying, heart-wrenching, frustrating and downright hilarious. They are all incredibly well-written and descriptive. I highly recommend this book to any zombie aficionados or fans of short stories in general. I also have another of this author’s books – Fourteen Days – which I am looking forward to starting soon.
October 21, 2019
After reading and loving the Dead Aware series so far by Eleanor Merry, I felt I wanted to try another zombie book and came across this collection of five short stories/novella’s by Steven Jenkins. There’s I Am Dead, Room 503, Run, The Pit and Simon Dunne: Former Zombie.
I love this version of the cover, a rather angry looking rotting female zombie. The cover gives you the clue that there won’t be any “nice zombies” or “aware zombies” in this story collection. The zombies in this collection are the monotonous, angry, flesh eating, never give up until they get you kind.
Room 503 has the main character Dave taking his wife flowers, a sign of guilt? Well, the short answer yes as Dave has to go away to do with work and he is wanting to oil the waters with his wife as she doesn’t like him working away from home. It turns out she has every right to feel funny about her husband working away as he isn’t in fact working but meeting his long-term mistress in a swanky hotel to spend the weekend in bed with her! The irony is that whilst he is locked away in his hotel room with his mistress, he hears a ruckus in the street and they go onto the hotel balcony to see what is happening. The Police are facing off against . . ..what are those moaning, shuffling people, grabbing and biting? Well, they are zombies and in the fight against the Police they are winning! Dave and his mistress check out the news on the hotel room TV and on the internet on their own phones and see that there has been a virus breakout that’s turned people into zombies. To catch this virus all you need to do is be scratched or bitten by a zombie. Dave tries to phone his wife, suddenly feeling guilty about her and his daughter being at home unprotected. Obviously, Dave isn’t the only person trying to use the telephone network so he keeps getting a continual engaged tone. Dave speaks to reception who tell him what he has already seen from the balcony, and that the hotel is now in lockdown, it is not safe to leave the hotel, and their advice is to stay in your locked room. There is Police back up on the way to get the zombies away, at the moment the hotel is safe as all doors are locked etc and should hold against the zombies senselessly walking into them. Dave speaks to his mistress and says he is going to try to get to his car, despite her protests and her begging for him not to leave her alone, he sneaks out of the room, down the back stairs to see if he can make it to his car!
One of the other stories in the collection is called The Pit. This story is set in Wales during the years of Margaret Thatcher’s government, when jobs were scarce, when you took what job you could get to make ends meet and put food on the table to feed your family. The main character in this one is Howard John Thomas, he is married to Thelma and they have a 7 year old daughter called Delith and a baby son called Jacob. Howard has his own idea’s how all this horrible business began. He thinks, like others have said mining half a mile down is too far and they have found the devil. The devil being zombies that roam the mines shafts preying on the few miners left trying to work to get money to feed their families. Thelma didn’t want her husband working down the pit, but after being on the dole, it was the only job that he could get, so he took it. He tries to not think about those that are roaming round in the pit and thinks of his children, and his wife Thelma, the very reason he is willing to work in this dangerous place. Howard thinks about Delith, singing her heart out at the nativity play at school. Howard was so proud of his singing Shepherd Delith, who wants to be Mary anyway! Then he thinks about baby Jacob lying in his cot with his big blue eyes gazing up at him. Then he thinks about Thelma’s thick blonde curls waving down her back, he truly loves his family and would do anything for them. Trouble is it’s getting harder and harder to work down here in the mine. There is never enough battery power in your light, so you have to turn it off sometimes to preserve it, then if/when you get lost you run a larger risk of being caught by one of those zombies.
In the last story in the book, the main character Simon Dunn, thinks a lot about the word zombie, he hates it. Simon would prefer to be called the “walking-dead” or “coffin-walker” than zombie. He thinks zombie sounds low class, common and undignified! Simon then reveals that the official, politically correct terminology to use is “Former Zombie.” Simon also reflects on how simple his life used to be before he became a “Former Zombie.” He goes on to say he used to get up, have breakfast, watch TV, kiss his girlfriend and take the dog for a walk. Then a rather funny quote I can’t resist sharing, Simon says “Of course, the dog was the first thing I ate” that honestly made me laugh out loud as it’s so pragmatic and deadpan how the character reveals the fact, he ate his own dog.
There are some fantastic descriptions within this collection, such as “Every joint and muscle aches, and my head is pounding like a hangover”
“Even my finger hurt and creak when I make a fist” and “When I attempt to bend my legs I can feel the fluid burn and swirl around my kneecaps”
They enable you to imagine and almost feel the pain these zombies and people are feeling.
There are also some great humorous descriptions in the book too, such as a fairly newly turned zombie who isn’t sure how long he has been turned but all he can think about is his desire to feed on warm flesh. “Its all I can think about – that and trying to remember which part of the body carries the juiciest meat.” The zombie continues thinking about eating, trying to work preferences out, an animal? No, they decide they’d prefer a human. They aren’t particular as to whether its male or female but… “Preferably someone morbidly obese. I could feed on them for days. And the chances of one outrunning me are pretty remote..”
I found all the individual stories really good and in fact, in some cases I would love to read more from those characters or from within the world they were set in. Some of the stories are shorter than others, such as Run, but are still good reads. I would certainly like to read more by Steven Jenkins, zombie and/or other books he has written as I enjoyed his writing style. The stories flowed really well and quick enough to dip in and out of the book perhaps if you were on a bus or train journey.
So, to sum up this is a really good collection of short zombie stories! This selection of stories would be a great initiation to the zombie genre and is a fantastic introduction to this author’s work too.
I love this version of the cover, a rather angry looking rotting female zombie. The cover gives you the clue that there won’t be any “nice zombies” or “aware zombies” in this story collection. The zombies in this collection are the monotonous, angry, flesh eating, never give up until they get you kind.
Room 503 has the main character Dave taking his wife flowers, a sign of guilt? Well, the short answer yes as Dave has to go away to do with work and he is wanting to oil the waters with his wife as she doesn’t like him working away from home. It turns out she has every right to feel funny about her husband working away as he isn’t in fact working but meeting his long-term mistress in a swanky hotel to spend the weekend in bed with her! The irony is that whilst he is locked away in his hotel room with his mistress, he hears a ruckus in the street and they go onto the hotel balcony to see what is happening. The Police are facing off against . . ..what are those moaning, shuffling people, grabbing and biting? Well, they are zombies and in the fight against the Police they are winning! Dave and his mistress check out the news on the hotel room TV and on the internet on their own phones and see that there has been a virus breakout that’s turned people into zombies. To catch this virus all you need to do is be scratched or bitten by a zombie. Dave tries to phone his wife, suddenly feeling guilty about her and his daughter being at home unprotected. Obviously, Dave isn’t the only person trying to use the telephone network so he keeps getting a continual engaged tone. Dave speaks to reception who tell him what he has already seen from the balcony, and that the hotel is now in lockdown, it is not safe to leave the hotel, and their advice is to stay in your locked room. There is Police back up on the way to get the zombies away, at the moment the hotel is safe as all doors are locked etc and should hold against the zombies senselessly walking into them. Dave speaks to his mistress and says he is going to try to get to his car, despite her protests and her begging for him not to leave her alone, he sneaks out of the room, down the back stairs to see if he can make it to his car!
One of the other stories in the collection is called The Pit. This story is set in Wales during the years of Margaret Thatcher’s government, when jobs were scarce, when you took what job you could get to make ends meet and put food on the table to feed your family. The main character in this one is Howard John Thomas, he is married to Thelma and they have a 7 year old daughter called Delith and a baby son called Jacob. Howard has his own idea’s how all this horrible business began. He thinks, like others have said mining half a mile down is too far and they have found the devil. The devil being zombies that roam the mines shafts preying on the few miners left trying to work to get money to feed their families. Thelma didn’t want her husband working down the pit, but after being on the dole, it was the only job that he could get, so he took it. He tries to not think about those that are roaming round in the pit and thinks of his children, and his wife Thelma, the very reason he is willing to work in this dangerous place. Howard thinks about Delith, singing her heart out at the nativity play at school. Howard was so proud of his singing Shepherd Delith, who wants to be Mary anyway! Then he thinks about baby Jacob lying in his cot with his big blue eyes gazing up at him. Then he thinks about Thelma’s thick blonde curls waving down her back, he truly loves his family and would do anything for them. Trouble is it’s getting harder and harder to work down here in the mine. There is never enough battery power in your light, so you have to turn it off sometimes to preserve it, then if/when you get lost you run a larger risk of being caught by one of those zombies.
In the last story in the book, the main character Simon Dunn, thinks a lot about the word zombie, he hates it. Simon would prefer to be called the “walking-dead” or “coffin-walker” than zombie. He thinks zombie sounds low class, common and undignified! Simon then reveals that the official, politically correct terminology to use is “Former Zombie.” Simon also reflects on how simple his life used to be before he became a “Former Zombie.” He goes on to say he used to get up, have breakfast, watch TV, kiss his girlfriend and take the dog for a walk. Then a rather funny quote I can’t resist sharing, Simon says “Of course, the dog was the first thing I ate” that honestly made me laugh out loud as it’s so pragmatic and deadpan how the character reveals the fact, he ate his own dog.
There are some fantastic descriptions within this collection, such as “Every joint and muscle aches, and my head is pounding like a hangover”
“Even my finger hurt and creak when I make a fist” and “When I attempt to bend my legs I can feel the fluid burn and swirl around my kneecaps”
They enable you to imagine and almost feel the pain these zombies and people are feeling.
There are also some great humorous descriptions in the book too, such as a fairly newly turned zombie who isn’t sure how long he has been turned but all he can think about is his desire to feed on warm flesh. “Its all I can think about – that and trying to remember which part of the body carries the juiciest meat.” The zombie continues thinking about eating, trying to work preferences out, an animal? No, they decide they’d prefer a human. They aren’t particular as to whether its male or female but… “Preferably someone morbidly obese. I could feed on them for days. And the chances of one outrunning me are pretty remote..”
I found all the individual stories really good and in fact, in some cases I would love to read more from those characters or from within the world they were set in. Some of the stories are shorter than others, such as Run, but are still good reads. I would certainly like to read more by Steven Jenkins, zombie and/or other books he has written as I enjoyed his writing style. The stories flowed really well and quick enough to dip in and out of the book perhaps if you were on a bus or train journey.
So, to sum up this is a really good collection of short zombie stories! This selection of stories would be a great initiation to the zombie genre and is a fantastic introduction to this author’s work too.
June 25, 2017
Steven Jenkins does well with short stories - this is my second collection of his that I've read and quite enjoyed. Spine collected different types of horror stories, while this one comprises simply zombies shorts. Yes, a go-to favorite reading for me.
Of all the stories, I think I enjoyed "Run" the most. Athletic trainer Sara has survived the apocalypse, but going out for supplies one day she encounters another runner, this one zombified. Dave in "Room 503" got what he deserved. And I hate that we never find out what happened to little Katie. But this is horror, so I'm sure it wasn't good.
Overall, very well done series of stories. Kudos.
Of all the stories, I think I enjoyed "Run" the most. Athletic trainer Sara has survived the apocalypse, but going out for supplies one day she encounters another runner, this one zombified. Dave in "Room 503" got what he deserved. And I hate that we never find out what happened to little Katie. But this is horror, so I'm sure it wasn't good.
Overall, very well done series of stories. Kudos.
March 6, 2023
This short collection is offers mostly stories that don't end well and, as a fan of bleak endings, I really enjoyed that. At least one of the stories felt really new to me (not a small feat considering just how much zombie stories I consume) and except for one story that dragged its feet a little too much for me it was a quick and fun read.
May 25, 2017
Absolutely gruesome and amazing collection of stories. I loved them all
May 25, 2016
A highly enjoyable collection of stories about zombies. There's nothing that gets the heart beating faster than the fear of a chase through dark, enclosed spaces and Jenkins portrays such events with exquisite accuracy making the reader squirm with fear.
October 12, 2015
Another awesome book from Steven Jenkins (And it was free - again!!!)
six original takes on the zombie genre.
My personal fave: THE PIT
six original takes on the zombie genre.
My personal fave: THE PIT
August 14, 2024
"Rotten Bodies" is a collection of stories on zombies. I liked every story. Specially Room 503, Run, and the last one Simon Dunn: former zombie.
Room 503: Dave & Clare married with a five years old Katie. Their marriage life was not going well. For that reason, Dave was dating with a pretty blonde. He tells his family that he has a seminar in Birmingham, instead, he meets with the blonde in a hotel. Meanwhile, news of infection is all over the tv.
Run: Instructor Sarah is running on a deserted country road. Something or someone is chasing her. Is she able to save herself?
Simon Dunn: former zombie: a fat woman bit Simon in a mall, as a result, he became a zombie. But now he is human again.
This is the first time I have read a book about zombies. I enjoyed every story. :D
Steven Jenkins has very nicely written every story. Some stories will give you chill and some will give you pleasure for the ending. Last but not least, the cover of this book is really nice. It gives a creepy feeling
Room 503: Dave & Clare married with a five years old Katie. Their marriage life was not going well. For that reason, Dave was dating with a pretty blonde. He tells his family that he has a seminar in Birmingham, instead, he meets with the blonde in a hotel. Meanwhile, news of infection is all over the tv.
Run: Instructor Sarah is running on a deserted country road. Something or someone is chasing her. Is she able to save herself?
Simon Dunn: former zombie: a fat woman bit Simon in a mall, as a result, he became a zombie. But now he is human again.
This is the first time I have read a book about zombies. I enjoyed every story. :D
Steven Jenkins has very nicely written every story. Some stories will give you chill and some will give you pleasure for the ending. Last but not least, the cover of this book is really nice. It gives a creepy feeling
August 28, 2018
Rotton Bodies is a collection of short horror stories all zombie related.
I AM DEAD - This was a short glimpse inside the mind of a new zombie who knows exactly what he is.
ROOM 503 - I never changed from liking a character to wishing they were dead so quickly. The characters in this short really shine through and the suspense had me turning the pages quickly. This is by far my favorite out of the other stories.
RUN - I would have love to read about what happened after all the running was done.
THE PIT - All the talk about god in the end threw me off. Still a great read.
SIMON DUNN: FORMER ZOMBIE - A former zombie who doesn't want to take any responsibility for his actions. Does he not have any remorse with what he has done? I couldn't tell.
I would love for Room 503 to be continued as a full out story. I wondered what happened to the other characters. This is still a good read and I recommend it!
I AM DEAD - This was a short glimpse inside the mind of a new zombie who knows exactly what he is.
ROOM 503 - I never changed from liking a character to wishing they were dead so quickly. The characters in this short really shine through and the suspense had me turning the pages quickly. This is by far my favorite out of the other stories.
RUN - I would have love to read about what happened after all the running was done.
THE PIT - All the talk about god in the end threw me off. Still a great read.
SIMON DUNN: FORMER ZOMBIE - A former zombie who doesn't want to take any responsibility for his actions. Does he not have any remorse with what he has done? I couldn't tell.
I would love for Room 503 to be continued as a full out story. I wondered what happened to the other characters. This is still a good read and I recommend it!
July 27, 2018
Pretty good stories
Have enjoyed those horror stories, well written with a bit of humour and wit. Speaking of the monologues of those characters pretty funny.
Well in some ways for some characters I can only say, Karma can be a Bitch LOL
I liked the introduction of those different stories, first one is good. As well for Run. And the short one at the end LOL
Have enjoyed those horror stories, well written with a bit of humour and wit. Speaking of the monologues of those characters pretty funny.
Well in some ways for some characters I can only say, Karma can be a Bitch LOL
I liked the introduction of those different stories, first one is good. As well for Run. And the short one at the end LOL
September 8, 2017
Great collection of quick reads.
Thought the stories were well written and some were quite unique instead of the usual zombie story. Even with them being quick reads I still found myself becoming invested in the characters and their safety! Glad I downloaded.
Thought the stories were well written and some were quite unique instead of the usual zombie story. Even with them being quick reads I still found myself becoming invested in the characters and their safety! Glad I downloaded.
October 27, 2017
This book of short zombie related stories was the first book I have read by this author, I found the stories easy to get into and thought the stories were just long enough to draw you in and want more. I will be looking out for other books by this author.
March 18, 2018
Absolutely Loved It?
If you like reading about zombies, this is a great book. Some of the stories were humorous and some were somewhat sad. It wasn't gruesome or terribly bloody. I honestly wouldn't be able to tell you which story I liked most because they were all excellent.
If you like reading about zombies, this is a great book. Some of the stories were humorous and some were somewhat sad. It wasn't gruesome or terribly bloody. I honestly wouldn't be able to tell you which story I liked most because they were all excellent.
January 23, 2019
This book has identical stories as that of another zombie fiction author- names have been changed slightly etc but I literally couldn't finish reading the stories because I had already read them somewhere else
August 18, 2019
Having really enjoyed some of his other short stories and being a big fan of zombies I had to give this book a try. While I did enjoy it and found the stories to be quick and entertaining reads, I felt that they all resembled tales that have already been told before.
June 8, 2025
A great mix of short, snappy zombie stories, from grim and gruesome to darkly hilarious. Occasionally treading in familiar territory (seems unavoidable in such a well-mined genre), but still manages to surprise with some fresh ideas and surprising twists.
June 18, 2017
Burn the Dead series was good, but this was basically a rehash of those books, same theme, nothing new, bit of a disappointment.
July 8, 2017
I loved the first story, "I am Dead", and enjoyed "Room 503", but most of the rest were run-of-the-mill for me. I could probably read them again a year from now and not remember I'd read them.
July 28, 2017
An interesting and humorous stroll through the zombie world!
October 18, 2017
Cool
These stories are just right for the Halloween season. Delightfully spooky and fun to read. I will be checking out more of this authors books right away!
These stories are just right for the Halloween season. Delightfully spooky and fun to read. I will be checking out more of this authors books right away!
March 17, 2018
Thanks
Great book. Loved all of the stories. Will be reading more of your books. Thanks again.
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Great book. Loved all of the stories. Will be reading more of your books. Thanks again.
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April 20, 2018
Fine
Fun, silly, good, read, nice short stories, quick easy read! !
"Rotten Bodies: A Zombie Short story collection" by Steven Jenkins
Fun, silly, good, read, nice short stories, quick easy read! !
"Rotten Bodies: A Zombie Short story collection" by Steven Jenkins
June 25, 2018
Just insanely awesome! Steven Jenkins has such a way with words that you become the characters! You feel each moment, each emotion and each fear and heartache... you want his books to never end.
August 15, 2018
Love it love it love it!! My favourite type of book by my new favourite author!! A series of short stories which are great and a little bit scary!!!
August 24, 2018
I'm really in the zombie thing now....
I loved the book, it is well written and very easy to read.
I want some more...
I loved the book, it is well written and very easy to read.
I want some more...
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