Zombie Nights

by Tom Lichtenberg

Being a zombie, not so easy. That could have been Dave Connor's six word memoir. "At first he couldn't remember how he'd ended up in that shallow grave; he just knew it was hell to claw his way out, and that the taste of its dirt would remain in his mouth for the rest of his time on this earth" ... Expect the unexpected in this existential resurrection thriller.

Genres: Zombies, Horror, Fiction, Paranormal, Short Stories, Ebooks, Fantasy

102 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

I've written a lot of stories, and one thing I've learned is that stories have a life. They want to be read, and they're brought to life by readers. Readers give them meaning, give them substance and fulfill their destinies. Stories aren't picky about who reads them. They welcome everyone. Money means nothing to them - they don't care how much the reader paid and they equally don't care how much the author made. Stories want to live and they want to be a part of your life. I often think of them as like paper boats you place upon a stream. You never know where they'll end up!

I tend to go for speculative fiction, sci-fi, satire, magical realism, post-modernism, eclectic lit, and generally stay away from horror, romance and paranormal unless there's some good humor in it. I like a light touch, with real ideas.

While a few of my stories are on Wattpad, lots more can be found (and all for free) at Smashwords.com, Feedbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, and the Apple iBookstore. If you really want to, you can also buy them cheaply on Amazon Kindle.

Reviews

[Midu Hadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a highly entertaining short story and instantly made me want to start reading other books by the same author. The author didn't waste time in describing things that weren't important to the story and I loved how he was able to let us feel how dangerous the bad guys/bullies were, even while laughing at them. All I'm saying is I want more!

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[Scott Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is good. I give this book 5 stars.

[HippieWitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting but it’s a pretty good read!!

[Vannessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short novella but a fairly fun read. Dave wakes up buried in a grave and eventually digs himself out. He has no recollection of who he is, what he is doing in the grave, where he is or anything. He wanders around and ends up going to his uncle's house. It's familiar to him, but he doesn't know why. He can't talk, doesn't feel hunger or thirst and the only way initially that he can communicate is through writing. Everything has to be relearned and he just wanders around at night (the daylight hurts him), feeling a sense of peace.

One night he meets a woman who helps the homeless. She thinks that's what he is. And whilst wandering around after deciding he wants to help others he stumbles across some of the gang who originally killed him. Cue a very quick ending.

The idea of the different side to zombie life was interesting. It showed that not all zombies want to eat you alive, but then again that's what I like about zombies. In this one, no-one was particularly bothered that Dave was a zombie, even his really old uncle had guessed at what he was and just accepted it. I was expecting a little bit of fear at least. The only ones who were bothered were the gang and that was because he should have been dead. I do think more could have been made with the gang related story - maybe that could have been how Dave turned into the flesh-eating zombie I expected.

The editing errors were not as apparent as other people have noted in their reviews (I am a stickler for grammar and punctuation errors and can't say any jumped out at me, but maybe I read it that quickly I just didn't notice!). I was disappointed with the ending - it was over before it even began to be honest. I do think there was potential there for more, but it just didn't deliver.

Not really a zombie book in the terms of the "proper" walking dead, but a quick, light read if you need one!

[Randy Harmelink · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a zombie apocalypse type story or a gory brain-eating zombie story, this one is not for you.

This is a story about one person who "wakes up" in a grave as a zombie, with no idea who or what he is. But he is able to learn things, and slowly the story unfolds and tells us how he ended up in the grave.

I found it interesting, but lacking in depth. I agree with other reviewers that the ending was rather abrupt and unsatisfying.

I didn't notice the numerous editing errors others have mentioned, so possibly the book has been updated based on previous complaints.

[Celéste · Rating 1 out of 5]

Listened to some audiobook version of the book and it was a total waste of time. I don’t even want to give it 1 star.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

You ever wake up feeling like a zombie? Your head isn't clear, you stumble around in the dark, and you smell like death(okay maybe not quite death). Dave Conner rolls over in his grave (quite literally) and starts walking around but has no clue how he got there. He ends up at the house of a family member who takes him in despite his peculiar odors and sloughing skin (and the oozing hole in his abdomen). Dave can't remember anything about himself or the life he had. His story unfolds as he wanders the town at night longing for the familiarity of life.

I had no expectations and nothing to lose in reading this story. I downloaded it for free to my Nook from Smashwords.com because it sounded good. It definitely didn't disappoint. I actually felt for Dave and would have read a longer version with this character's full story playing out. The short story (novella) worked for me and had some good twists and turns throughout. You come to realize that zombies aren't all that bad their just misunderstood (they don't all want to chase you around until you stumble and they pounce on you and eat your brains out). Zombie fans will like this book for the unique take on the zombie tradition and non zombie fans will like it for the lack of cerebral chomping action and the non-zombie zombie story. This story made me want to check out more from author Tom Lichtenberg. This can also be ordered on Amazon.

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dave is not your average zombie. He doesn't eat brains (or anything else, for that matter). After being murdered by a local gang, he rises from his grave and returns back to the only family he has left, an uncle. He learns to speak almost normally from daytime television and and at night, he wanders the streets, trying to help the less fortunate among the living. He makes friends.

Dave crawled out of the grave one day and becomes a better human than he ever was. But, unfortunately for Dave, the gang members who stabbed him to death see him one day and want him dead (again).

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I read in another review, it's short but fun to read. Considering how many books I've zipped through recently, this story is memorable.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that I bought back in 2011 so I was glad to finally get around to it. This book is about Dave, who crawls out of his own grave with a fatal wound and no memory, and when he returns to somewhere familiar, he has to contend with his previous life and what led him to the grave in the first place.

I really enjoyed this book for the characters and the development of Dave the zombie and what he does with his second chance, as well as the plot around whether Dave's killers would find him again or not. That said, the ending was really abrupt and I did feel cheated out of any kind of resolution. Dave/Eddie gets killed and that's it? Nothing abut his uncle, or Rags or what he did to help? A few pages more would have made for a more satisfying ending.

3.5 stars!

[João Pinto da Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read

Very enthralling nd immersive short story with relatable characters. Very succinct and straight to point writing style. Takes the "waking up feeling like a zombie" to a new level

[Victoria Zigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed by the lack of emotion and ease of acceptance by those who encountered the zombie. Other than that, this was a great read, especially if you like the kind of zombie book where the zombies are more than just mindless creatures stumbling around looking for victims.

[Aviar Savijon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magnificent story it is a zombie book but not like any other i have read as it gives the viewpoint of the zombie and the workings and adjustments of what occurs after coming back alive. I Loved it!!!!!

[Rochelle Barozzi · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was going great....then the ending was....dumb.

Stupid ending. P.Od me off. It could have gone many ways. With this ending i have no desire to read any further in the series.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 1 out of 5]

For all of you out there like me who picked this book based on the title, let me give you a heads up. This is not a gory zombie story with the living dead eating people. This is not about a guy who is a zombie wanting to or trying to eat his loved ones. It is a dead guy wandering around with little memory of his life and with no purpose, who crosses paths with various thugs, lowlifes and gangsters that he knew before he died. And that's about it. I'd call it a gangster book with a dead guy in it, I wouldn't even really call him a zombie.

So was it any good? For me, no not really. First it wasn't what I expected it to be. What really was the point in Dave? When he came back from the dead he didn't DO anything except wander around town. He didn't solve the puzzle of his death, he didn't chew on anyone, he didn't have a purpose and eventually he just walks back to his grave. Well it wasn't really exciting to read that plus we also find out that he wasn't a good guy when he WAS alive. Then I didn't really like the countless scumbags brought into the story for no real reason except to talk about Dave and how he was killed. Why were there so many in such a short book and why were are so poorly developed?

As for the plot, well it was just plain boring. No action scenes, no fight scenes, no zombie attacks and little of interest happening plus the editing was poor. Disappointing read.

[mirbass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rough around the edges (read: poorly edited), this short story was only 81 pages on my iPad, including title pages, & yet boasted at least ten characters that seemed to come & go like zombies in the night... (Er... *shrug*) Ultimately, this short story had way too many characters, & I felt the ending was rather abrupt. It also seemed to be lacking a purpose, & details within the story often contradicted other details (eg., the zombie is described early on as completely lacking a sense of smell, yet later is able to distinguish the smoke from a campfire, from the smoke from cigarettes). However, despite all this, I found myself quite drawn to the main character - Dave the Zombie - and came to care what happened to him. It is the author's clever characterisation of the zombie - a creature that is, essentially, lacking in character - that saves this story for me: 3 stars.

[Lainy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dave Connor awakes to find himself buried, as he fights to claw himself out he discovers a wound that undoubtidly put him in there (along with the person who inflicted said wound). Puzzled as to who he is, what happened to him and where he is Dave stumbles around in the dark until he finds something he feels familiar with.

The story progresses with Dave discovering his previous life, how to communicate and fit in with life as he is now. Although he is a "zombie" I wouldn't have put this in with zombie stories as it is so very different from every other one I have read. I thought it was going to have a big confrontation and retribution but the story took a different turn and I was quite disappointed. After a bit it just fell flat for me and I think it had so much potential. It could be listed more as a gangster type story than a zombie, so for me 2/5.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Being a zombie, not so easy. That could have been Dave Connor's six word memoir. Expect the unexpected in this existential resurrection thriller."

Short story downloaded for free from Smashwords. A different take on your usual zombie story. The main character starts his 'life', when he claws out of a shallow grave. He does not know who he is or what happened to him, he just follows his instincts...

I liked the writing style and the main plot. There are some side plots that don't go anywhere and some characters that start off very promising and then disappear again. There are several plot bunnies here that could have turned it into a longer and more interesting story. The ending was disappointing. A bit out of nowhere and without resolving anything.

I didn't have any issues with the editing except for the strange font used.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new and different take on the traditional zombie story, it starts at the grave of Dave Connor as he wakes up, crawls out of his grave and makes his way to the home of a family member although he can't remember who he is or anything of his former life and is working on instinct alone. His uncle takes him in despite is perculiar look, odour and the gapping hole in his abdomen (not to mention the bits of skin flaking off him) and tries to help him get his 'life' back on track. Told through the eyes of Dave, this novella shows the softer side of the zombie world and shows that they're really just mis-understood and they don't really want to eat your brains, they just want to get on with their 'lives'.

[Aubrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story was poorly edited; this made it difficult to tell definitively whether it was also poorly written, or if the consistently missing punctuation, and occasionally missing words, were more of an issue.

Characters were added in a seemingly random fashion; for such a short novel (60 pages on my ereader), there didn't seem to be much space to be adding so many people - I would start to get accustomed to the presence of one character, only to have another side-story line added in the next chapter.

The ending was sudden and didn't seem to fit - it was almost as though the author couldn't think of anything else to do with the protagonist and just ended the story.

Overall, for me, the best part of this story was its brevity.

[C.M. Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zombie Nights, by Tom Lichtenberg has an appealing charm, but is a thriller with twists. It tells the tale of Dave Connor's. Poor Dave was murdered by a gang of no good thugs, and left in a shallow grave in a park, dead!

Of course Dave rises and becomes a Zombie, but not the Walking Dead type, he is a little different. Dave expresses to readers how a Zombie feels, thinks, moves, etc. It is quite a different perspective on the world of Zombies.


He finds a place to live with his Uncle, when he just turns up at the door one night and his Uncle helps him to learn human traits once again. I really enjoyed this very unique Zombie experience and would suggest for any Zombie fans out there to give it a go!

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the stupidest books I have ever read...HELL it wasn't even a book it was more like a really short story with some serous pointlessness. All the story is about is a guy that wakes up in a grave from where he was bared by a couple of goons that killed him. he wakes up as a Zombie and he roams around until he find his uncle that he hadn't seen for years , so all though the story he is trying to find out what he is going to do and he ends up getting killed by a Zombie hunter really pointless.

[Chelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, was that terrible. Not only was the grammar and spell-check non-existent, but the plot was just plain dry. I've never been into reading zombie novels, and I only read this one to complete my A-Z book challenge "z" letter requirement, but I sincerely hope all zombie books are not like this one. There was practically no action at all, and when there was it was completely boring. It seems like there may be a sequel by the way it ends, but you certainly won't find me reading it. At least I could read it in under an hour!

[Sam Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Zombie Nights' caught my eye for two reasons. The first being my love for a good Zombie story. The second for being so short. I was craving a short, interesting read to start my day.

Tom Lichtenberg gave me exactly what I was looking for.

Following Dave's thought process as he relearns how to act human is a fascinating twist on a zombie story. I didn't much like the twist ending but overall a great read.

[Samantha Parrish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh...not much to say.

The book definitely has an interesting take on the whole zombie aspect. It would have made for a very interesting novel. I feel like the author was headed that way...setting up some characters,some conflict, etc, but then for whatever reason just gave up and wrote a sloppy ending that doesn't really tie in. I would love for the author to refinish this book in novel form. I would definitely read that!

[Criss Rosenlof · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started well, and aside from the seeming random additions of new characters/story lines, clipped along nicely... until the end. Completely random, and made no real sense.

I would have enjoyed a longer novel, in which we could explore the side stories, but all in all not a bad read. It just could have been better.

Somewhat disappointed.

-Papa Bear

[Netanella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dave the zombie crawls out of his grave and walks around town. He finds his uncle who dresses him up and puts deodorant on him. Dave walks around some more and meets random people form his living life. Strange short story, but also kinda boring. What bothered me was why didn't any more pieces fall off of Dave as he was decomposing?

[Katy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a short story than a book, this was an interesting take on the usual zombie story. I didn't feel all that strongly about it one way or the other. If I had to choose one emotion to describe my feelings towards this I'd probably go with 'sad'. I did like "Eddie"/Dave but there are only a very few people to whom I'd recommend it.

[Audra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in the book. I did not enjoy it because it did not fulfill my expectations of what I thought a book about zombies would be.I was forcing myself to finish this one.

I didn't like the characters because of their personalities.I did find their actions possible if I held all else as possible.

[Nesie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Existential Resurrection Thriller"? Not so much. Existential, yes. Thriller? No.

I give the author props for great characters & descriptive prose. The plot here is nonexistent at best, and what could have been existential ends up dull and pointless.

Luckily it's a short novella.