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Lost and Not Found
Cheating, Death
When the walking dead fill the streets, who can cheat death? Who can survive? Featuring a zombie outbreak that devastates Denver, an indecisive adulterer, and a series of violent, disturbing, and perhaps even heart-rending events of the sort you'd expect when the dead rise up to eat the living, Cheating, Death is a roller-coaster ride through a horror show both of death and of the heart. -- Cheating, Death is the fourth glimpse of the storybook universe first seen in Lost and Not Found, and gives a detailed look at the zombie outbreak that put the events of Forget What You Can't Remember in motion. Read one for fun, then read them all to get the rest of the story.
126 pages, Paperback
First published September 23, 2009
1 person is currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Teel McClanahan
33 books36 followersTeel is happily married to an English teacher and they live together in Phoenix, AZ with a grumpy old cat, a skittish young cat, and thousands of books, both read and to-be-read. Virtual Danger is Teel’s nineteenth book, and there are plenty more trying to work their way into this world through the aperture of Teel's imagination, hoping to be found and loved by readers like you. Interestingly, none of the others are books in The Death Noodle Glitterfairy Robot Saga—yet.
Teel is an independent author, artist, creative visionary, blogger, publisher, podcaster, and sometimes filmmaker. You can find out more about him and his other stories, novels, poetry and more by visiting Modern Evil Press.
Teel is an independent author, artist, creative visionary, blogger, publisher, podcaster, and sometimes filmmaker. You can find out more about him and his other stories, novels, poetry and more by visiting Modern Evil Press.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 10, 2009
Well I really enjoyed this one! I won this from a blog contest! Yeah! Autographed and all....I think if you are looking for a quick read and something different then this is a book to check out. I really enjoyed Teel's style of writing. You followed your main Character (Mel) all through the book but you got glimpses into other stories too. But you always get to come back to Mel and how those subplots actually affected him (and his family). Now get ready because there are some gruesome details and heart wrenching parts, but they make the book that more addictive. Once I started it I didn't put it down. I will say that I'm happy to have this one on my shelf!
September 17, 2018
I like this while reading zombie thriller it slowly managed to show different sides of human nature too.
November 30, 2009
This was the first book that I've read by Teel McClanahan, and after I put it down, I just kind of sat on my couch and wondered what I had just spent the last hour reading. (yes it only took an hour to read.)
The story is about the efforts of a indecisive adulterer to survive the unexpected appearence of zombies in his city. I addition to a mistress and a wife, he has two children to look out for as they make thier way across the increasingly dnagerous landscape.
The main problem I had with the book is that there was very little to characterize the people I was reading about. The asides at the beginning of the novel, where tertiary characters are introduced then quickly liquidated, took up space that McClanahan couldn't afford to waste in a book with such a low page count. This desperately hurt the novel, as we are meant to sympathize most with the protaganist, but in the end I felt nothing for him, and barely anything for his poor wife. His children were offerings to the Gods of Carnage and Horror, and his mistress seemed infinitely better off without his meddling.
As usual, I'm avoiding giving away plot, and as usual, I have to bend that rule to make a point. There is a scene in the book where the main character and his wife are arguing. This is after the revelation that he is in fact cheating on her (which is only a revelation to him, point of fact), and after some painful familial losses, and the argument spends almost a two full pages on using the protagonist's decision making process on purchasing a new car to demonstrate how hard it is for him to make decisions.
With a breakneck pace, and constant reminders that he's not a decisive person sprinkled along the entire book, having this argument when we should be ramping to the climax was as jarring as the traffic accident at the beginning that opens the way for the undead to piss in everyone's cornflakes.
The gore is tame for horror junkies, and the drama seems a bit forced in someplaces, while wholly lacking in others. Nothing is added to the zombie genre by McClanahan's zombies, or by his survivors.
The lack of depth in the characterization hinders the horror. We have no time or reason to develop a connection to these characters, and when their demise comes it seems only like a statement of fact, not the highly emotional and dramatic moments they should have been.
There is within this short novel the seed of a great zombie story. A reluctant two-timer trying to get his life on back on track, a knowing wife going through the motions of marriage for her innocent kids, a mistress who regrets her decisions, zombies, car crashes, explosions and a football stadium full of people and the undead, the army; all of these elements if given prooper attention could combine for something gripping and terrifying, if only they had the time and space to fully fill out.
Mr. McClanahan's writing is tight and competent, and he did keep the pages turning. He instilled some desire in me to see how it all turned out. I sincerely hope that he keeps writing, and hopefully something with a bit more depth and scope. Fans of good zombie stories would certainly line up for something by Mr. McClanahan with a bit more heft.
I know I would.
November 11, 2009
The zombie apocalypse is going down in a big way in Denver, and Cheating, Death is the story of a few individuals and their attempts to survive the onslaught of zombies looking for a bite. Some of those people are kind of successful; some of them just aren't. It's hard to know which group was the luckier of the two; it's the classic battle between the diner and the dinner, so to speak.
Cheating, Death reads less like a novel and more like a short story collection, with many different tales being told at the same time. It was an interesting approach that led to there being a surprisingly large number of characters for so short a book. I mean, granted, most of these characters end up as zombie munchies, but still. It did get a little tricky keeping track of who was who and whether they'd been eaten or not.
The two characters who appeared consistently throughout the book were Melvin and Frances, a married couple, and I have to say I wish they hadn't. I found them to be rather two-dimensional and the conflict between them just made me want to brush my teeth. Melvin is a cheater and a liar; I never really got to learn anything about Frances. 'Til death do you part, people. Is it possible to nominate people to get eaten by zombies? If so then sign these two up, pronto.
Oh! Stacy the girlfriend can get volunteered to be a zombie meal too. Self-righteousness is not attractive, and I find girlfriends lecturing their adulterous boyfriends on morality to be tedious in the extreme.
In the end, though, that experience of wishing these people would just GO AWAY is a key message that's entrenched throughout Cheating, Death. In the appendix of the book, there's a line that I think sums up the wry message of the book perfectly: "Zombies spread quickly because the living are stupid, too. Too bad that for the stupid people to be cleansed in a zombie apocalypse, the smart, the innocent and the clever will probably get eaten too.
This was a quick, engaging read. I wish it had been a little more filled out with more character development. I recognize that there are other books that tell more of the story, but this was the one I was reading, and I felt a little...adrift...like I was supposed to have done a reading assignment before I started. Otherwise, it's a good place to start, and it's off the beaten path of other horror novels that are out there.
Overall Grade: B-
Read more reviews at What Book is That?
Cheating, Death reads less like a novel and more like a short story collection, with many different tales being told at the same time. It was an interesting approach that led to there being a surprisingly large number of characters for so short a book. I mean, granted, most of these characters end up as zombie munchies, but still. It did get a little tricky keeping track of who was who and whether they'd been eaten or not.
The two characters who appeared consistently throughout the book were Melvin and Frances, a married couple, and I have to say I wish they hadn't. I found them to be rather two-dimensional and the conflict between them just made me want to brush my teeth. Melvin is a cheater and a liar; I never really got to learn anything about Frances. 'Til death do you part, people. Is it possible to nominate people to get eaten by zombies? If so then sign these two up, pronto.
Oh! Stacy the girlfriend can get volunteered to be a zombie meal too. Self-righteousness is not attractive, and I find girlfriends lecturing their adulterous boyfriends on morality to be tedious in the extreme.
In the end, though, that experience of wishing these people would just GO AWAY is a key message that's entrenched throughout Cheating, Death. In the appendix of the book, there's a line that I think sums up the wry message of the book perfectly: "Zombies spread quickly because the living are stupid, too. Too bad that for the stupid people to be cleansed in a zombie apocalypse, the smart, the innocent and the clever will probably get eaten too.
This was a quick, engaging read. I wish it had been a little more filled out with more character development. I recognize that there are other books that tell more of the story, but this was the one I was reading, and I felt a little...adrift...like I was supposed to have done a reading assignment before I started. Otherwise, it's a good place to start, and it's off the beaten path of other horror novels that are out there.
Overall Grade: B-
Read more reviews at What Book is That?
October 30, 2009
ZOMBIES!!!!
Ok, now that's out of the way. I've been trying to decide if I should do this review. Not because I didn't like, but because I do. You see, I'm in a bit of spot here. My husband is an author. In fact, he is the author of this book. So it could be seen as a marital obligation or some such....but it's nothing like that. I promise. I enjoyed this novel.
I'm a bit surprised with the revelation that I enjoyed a zombie novel. To date, I've only read one other zombie novel (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) and I didn't finish that one. I don't think it was a conscious choice to not read them, I just managed to read stories with other kinds of monsters. Wait! A year or so ago I read a novel with some vegetarian zombies. I don't think I'm going to count that one. This one is the real deal. Slow moving, non-thinking, brain craving zombies. Plus, it had some emotional situations that all but forced me to feel for the characters.
What I liked:
1. It's set in Denver, CO. I have a soft spot for stories that are set in locations I know well. The area of Denver this takes place in is one I've spent several weekends in. It's easy to picture where they are.
2. Frances has emotional responses to the situations she's placed in exactly how I expect people to react. She goes into overload and shuts down. Her character is well written and easy to sympathize with.
3. The story just builds and builds. The action movies fast and flows easily from one event to the next. Though each event isn't exactly unexpected....it's a zombie novel after all...each is surprising in its own special way.
What I didn't like:
1. This isn't a real complaint. It's more of a recommendation. Don't expect a completely satisfying, wrap everything up , ending. As a stand alone novel the end seems to come to fast and is honestly a bit of a let down after the continual action of the book. However, I know something a lot of readers might not. The events in this story lead up to the events that happen in another novel. Seen as a series, the ending is perfectly reasonable.
Overall:
I had a lot of fun reading this novel. I read it in the course of an afternoon and was hard pressed to put it down anytime during. The wife in me wants everyone to read it. The reader in me thinks most people....people who enjoy zombie stories...will enjoy it.
Ok, now that's out of the way. I've been trying to decide if I should do this review. Not because I didn't like, but because I do. You see, I'm in a bit of spot here. My husband is an author. In fact, he is the author of this book. So it could be seen as a marital obligation or some such....but it's nothing like that. I promise. I enjoyed this novel.
I'm a bit surprised with the revelation that I enjoyed a zombie novel. To date, I've only read one other zombie novel (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) and I didn't finish that one. I don't think it was a conscious choice to not read them, I just managed to read stories with other kinds of monsters. Wait! A year or so ago I read a novel with some vegetarian zombies. I don't think I'm going to count that one. This one is the real deal. Slow moving, non-thinking, brain craving zombies. Plus, it had some emotional situations that all but forced me to feel for the characters.
What I liked:
1. It's set in Denver, CO. I have a soft spot for stories that are set in locations I know well. The area of Denver this takes place in is one I've spent several weekends in. It's easy to picture where they are.
2. Frances has emotional responses to the situations she's placed in exactly how I expect people to react. She goes into overload and shuts down. Her character is well written and easy to sympathize with.
3. The story just builds and builds. The action movies fast and flows easily from one event to the next. Though each event isn't exactly unexpected....it's a zombie novel after all...each is surprising in its own special way.
What I didn't like:
1. This isn't a real complaint. It's more of a recommendation. Don't expect a completely satisfying, wrap everything up , ending. As a stand alone novel the end seems to come to fast and is honestly a bit of a let down after the continual action of the book. However, I know something a lot of readers might not. The events in this story lead up to the events that happen in another novel. Seen as a series, the ending is perfectly reasonable.
Overall:
I had a lot of fun reading this novel. I read it in the course of an afternoon and was hard pressed to put it down anytime during. The wife in me wants everyone to read it. The reader in me thinks most people....people who enjoy zombie stories...will enjoy it.
November 9, 2010
When flesh eating monsters fill the streets, who can cheat death? Who among the helpless humans can survive the all you can eat buffet which is Denver? Will it be the indecisive adulterer Melvin, his wife and kids, the mistress, the National Guard?
The first 30 pages were a bit choppy in writing brief character set-up and dialog, but smoothed out nicely as the action picked up and the brains started flying. This is a very short book and a fast easy read for a few hours of bloody entertainment…(eck).....The story follows Melvin (the cheating dog) and his wife Frances in an "end of the world" zombie take-over. They and the rest of the townsfolk try and flee the city before the flesh eaters can eat them or infect them with the zombie virus. But theres no way out of the city and no where to hide.
Melvin was a cad, and I hated his character, one bad decision leads to a devastating outcome and things just go downhill from there……the whole time when I was reading from Melvin’s perspective ….I was thinking OH…I hope you get ate by the zombies you fool!!!!!!!!
Pretty much once you get going it’s just a race towards the end to see who’s going to survive and who's going to get ate. This is a zombie book so most of the characters lacked depth; it kind of gave me the same feel after I watched the movie Grindhouse, surprisingly I liked Stacy the mistress. I didnt want to like her but she was really the only character who had any smarts. Zombies to me have always been the big dummies of the monster world, yet Teel makes them scary.
I had a good time reading this even though I’m not a blood and guts fan, but wouldn’t recommend this for any young readers. Although there’s no sex scenes, only a couple swears it is a very gory book- the violence is off the charts and has some very disturbing scenes…but if your into the zombie thing have fun…..
The first 30 pages were a bit choppy in writing brief character set-up and dialog, but smoothed out nicely as the action picked up and the brains started flying. This is a very short book and a fast easy read for a few hours of bloody entertainment…(eck).....The story follows Melvin (the cheating dog) and his wife Frances in an "end of the world" zombie take-over. They and the rest of the townsfolk try and flee the city before the flesh eaters can eat them or infect them with the zombie virus. But theres no way out of the city and no where to hide.
Melvin was a cad, and I hated his character, one bad decision leads to a devastating outcome and things just go downhill from there……the whole time when I was reading from Melvin’s perspective ….I was thinking OH…I hope you get ate by the zombies you fool!!!!!!!!
Pretty much once you get going it’s just a race towards the end to see who’s going to survive and who's going to get ate. This is a zombie book so most of the characters lacked depth; it kind of gave me the same feel after I watched the movie Grindhouse, surprisingly I liked Stacy the mistress. I didnt want to like her but she was really the only character who had any smarts. Zombies to me have always been the big dummies of the monster world, yet Teel makes them scary.
I had a good time reading this even though I’m not a blood and guts fan, but wouldn’t recommend this for any young readers. Although there’s no sex scenes, only a couple swears it is a very gory book- the violence is off the charts and has some very disturbing scenes…but if your into the zombie thing have fun…..
December 31, 2010
Genre: Horror (Zombie-movie)
I’ve been a fan of Teel McClanahan III ever since listening to the podcast version of Untrue Tales… Book One. Cheating, Death is a unique take on the zombie-movie genre. I have to say that in spite of some people’s complaints about the main character, Melvin Spall, I found him absolutely hilarious. He is indecisive when it comes to life outside of his workplace. He is cheating on his wife, Frances, with a much younger woman, Stacey, and is there at ground zero when a car pileup ends in the release of zombies into a highway of people. What will follow over the next day will end in Denver Colorado being a fight for survival for those still alive, and the descent into madness by both Frances and Melvin.
Teel does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life and giving them a credibility. He also shows how quickly human beings can make a situation worse. What I really dig about this story, is that the author doesn’t dumb things down in any regard. The book is shot to a mature audience that can stomach gore and the various emotional elements faced by some of the characters. The reading is killer as well, lending weight to an already well-written novel. Overall, I highly recommend you guys check this sucker out, because it is a great listen.
You can find a variety of ebooks, artwork, audiobooks, and paperbacks by Teel McClanahan III by visiting http://modernevil.com/ You can also subscribe to this novel and numerous other high quality podcast novel titles by visiting http://podiobooks.com/
I’ve been a fan of Teel McClanahan III ever since listening to the podcast version of Untrue Tales… Book One. Cheating, Death is a unique take on the zombie-movie genre. I have to say that in spite of some people’s complaints about the main character, Melvin Spall, I found him absolutely hilarious. He is indecisive when it comes to life outside of his workplace. He is cheating on his wife, Frances, with a much younger woman, Stacey, and is there at ground zero when a car pileup ends in the release of zombies into a highway of people. What will follow over the next day will end in Denver Colorado being a fight for survival for those still alive, and the descent into madness by both Frances and Melvin.
Teel does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life and giving them a credibility. He also shows how quickly human beings can make a situation worse. What I really dig about this story, is that the author doesn’t dumb things down in any regard. The book is shot to a mature audience that can stomach gore and the various emotional elements faced by some of the characters. The reading is killer as well, lending weight to an already well-written novel. Overall, I highly recommend you guys check this sucker out, because it is a great listen.
You can find a variety of ebooks, artwork, audiobooks, and paperbacks by Teel McClanahan III by visiting http://modernevil.com/ You can also subscribe to this novel and numerous other high quality podcast novel titles by visiting http://podiobooks.com/
January 7, 2010
Having won this book on Goodreads I didn't know what to expect. I was nervous after reading the back of the book and relaizing this is part of a series. I don't usually like to read a series unless I start at the beginning. I do feel like maybe I missed some parts of the story starting with book 4 (I think it is book 4) but by page 4 I was intrigued enough to want to keep going.
Again, not knowing much about this series, I am not sure if it is geared towards Young Adults. I wish the book had more description but if it is a YA book then that would make sense.
I am intrigued enough that I may need to go back to the beginning and read the first few of the series. I have a burning question of shy were they hauling a bunch of zombies in a truck for the start of the book??? Curious minds want to know. I think my answer may be in book 3.
Again, not knowing much about this series, I am not sure if it is geared towards Young Adults. I wish the book had more description but if it is a YA book then that would make sense.
I am intrigued enough that I may need to go back to the beginning and read the first few of the series. I have a burning question of shy were they hauling a bunch of zombies in a truck for the start of the book??? Curious minds want to know. I think my answer may be in book 3.
October 22, 2009
This is an awesome zombie book! I couldn't put this book down just hoping to see what would happen next. The author did a great job of describing the zombie carnage with out grossing me out. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves zombies or really anyone who loves a book filled with good clean gore!
January 12, 2010
I just finished reading Cheating Death and I liked it. Teel's book was engaging and kept me reading each chapter. I read it in one night not something I can say I've done before.
What I learned from this book was how to defend myself against zombies and how to defend my family.
What I learned from this book was how to defend myself against zombies and how to defend my family.
November 13, 2009
A little gory and violent for my tastes, but it was still entertaining and humorous. This would have been perfect if I would have read it for Halloween.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews