Apocalypse Cow (Apocalypse Cow, 1)

Geldof isn't your typical teenager. He absolutely detests hemp because his mother insists that he wear all hemp clothing which he is extremely allergic to. His parents are liberal hippies who walk around naked, and they are strict vegetarians. His father spends his days gardening and smoking weed, while his mother preaches her beliefs to anyone who will listen. Terry spends his days working in a beef slaughterhouse where he mindlessly kills cows. Across town, Lesley is an aspiring reporting going absolutely nowhere. Soon all three of their paths will collide thanks to a virus unleashed among the cattle population causing the cows to become zombies. The virus quickly spreads throughout the animal population bringing death and mayhem. Terry and Lesley stumble upon the truth, and it is up to them,with the aid of Geldof and a few others, to get the truth out to the world. Can the trio survive the cow apocalypse?What I Liked:*Being a sucker for a good zombie book, I had to pick up Apocalypse Cow. Even though I was a bit disappointed in the predictability of the story, I found that I liked the characters, and that I enjoyed the twist on zombies. You will think differently about cows and rats after reading this one.*There are three main characters. Geldof, an awkward, brilliant, teenage math genius, forced to acquiesce to his parents strong hippy views. Geldof longs to eat meat and he fantasizes endlessly about his neighbor Mary. Terry is an average man who toils in a slaughterhouse. He is unable to form any romantic attachments because he is convinced he smells like rancid meat. Lesley is an intrepid reporter who has yet to receive her big break. I loved this rag tag band of characters, and I liked that there were misfit, awkward and struggling. The rest of the characters are just as interesting from Fanny, Geldof's liberal mother who believes animals will get their dues, to the crazed, meat eating neighbor next door. I liked the different personalities and watching them clash and then learn to work together. This is surprisingly a very character driven story.*Even though there wasn't much originality with the whole zombie virus aside from the fact that it affects animals. I did like the twist with the zombie animals. I also liked the sinister motives behind the zombie cows, and it was a bit terrifying to think that it could possibly happen.*The story is full of blood, guts, death and mayhem as the population succumbs to rampaging zombie animals. You can expect some nasty deaths, and lots of action. I liked, though, that this wasn't all horror and gore. It has some surprising funny moments. The strong cast of characters also helps to balance out the horror. If you like your horror on the lighter side, this is a good one to pick up.*The ending is satisfying in that it brings to a close the story without leaving a bunch of unanswered questions. It seems it is going to end well, and then the author throws out a tantalizing tidbit for the next book. Not exactly a cliffhanger, but it does end with a big hook for book two.And The Not So Much:*I picked up Apocalypse Cow expecting a unique zombie book, but unfortunately aside from the twist with the zombie animals, it plays out like a typical zombie book. You get the arrival of the virus followed by the quick and catastrophic destruction of society. The story line tracks a rag tag group on the run as they try and reach safety, and of course along the way, they encounter all kinds of obstacles and their numbers are diminished as they move along. It plays out like any other zombie book you have read. It does have the zombie animals and some humor going for it.*I was led to believe that his was going to be a funny book. While there is some comedic relief in it, overall, the story isn't that funny. I was hoping for quirky and demented but that isn't what I got. Again, this is pretty much a regular zombie book.*There is a twist at the end with the sudden mutation of the virus, and it didn't really make sense as to why all of a sudden the virus changes. It wasn't realistic especially considering the number of times the main characters were exposed.Apocalypse Cow was an entertaining read that provides a new twist on zombies. I enjoyed the characters and story, but was a bit disappointed that the book ended up being predictable and that is played out like any other zombie book I have read. I was hoping for a bit more originality and I wanted more humor. Still if you are a fan of zombie books, this is worth a go.I purchased a copy of this book. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

A fresh take on rotting, undead flesh, "Apocalypse Cow" is a darkly humorous tale of a British government bio-weaponry experiment gone wrong. For fellow yanks who might be considering this book, it is set in the UK and written by a Scottish author, so be prepared for the occasional use of terminology that might not be completely familiar. This book is definitely not for the squeamish, as there is considerable violence and gore, but for anyone who enjoys a good zombie / rage virus tale and/or who likes dark, offbeat humor, this will be a fun read.I deducted one star, perhaps unfairly, because based on other reviews and the campy cover, I was expecting it to be more of a comedy than it was. Even so, it was a solid, entertaining book and an excellent first novel by author Michael Logan.

I am new to the zombie genre and wasn't sure what to think when I started reading. However, by the end of the first chapter I was hooked.The theme of the book, while being bizarre in the extreme, does bare enough resemblance to matters that we see in the papers on a daily basis to make it believable in a weird and scary way.As for the cast of characters, they really make the book come alive as does their bumbling and life threatening escapade through the streets of Glasgow and further afield.The book is a fun and fast paced read that kept me looking out for what was on the next page. I can't wait to see what Michael Logan comes up with next, maybe a sequel with Geldof leading an elite team of cow killing commandos to halt the spread of the virus on the landland!

This is a fairly straightforward zombie novel. The only "humor" I found was on the front cover. I was expecting something along the lines of Martinez or Wong...nope. I never laughed, or felt the need to smile. Here is a brief synopsis:1-the virus that destroys England begins in domesticated animals2-the virus mutates and moves to people3-a cast of characters escape from the evil-doer that started the problem4-There are so many characters you won't care for any of them...although some of them are one bubble off center5-there is the possibility of a sequel (isn't there always???)There, that's the book. I LOVE zombie novels. This was an ok zombie novel.And as for the Pratchett prize...I think if I see that on a book again, I will know to regard it with a grain of salt.

I was very intrigued with this book. Seemed like a good, silly horror read. I like comedic horror. However, I have found it difficult to finish this book. It reads to me like a novella that was padded out to novel length, and nothing has really leapt out at me as being all that witty or irreverent. Perhaps if it wasn't padded out so much with blah details and was a leaner, meaner book, I could swing with it. It is written well and with care, but I was expecting that crazy, biting Brit humor, and it just seems... meh. Not the nutty zombie cow novel I was hoping for. I mean, come on, zombie cows, right? This book should be totally insane. Instead, it plays it straight just a bit too much.

This author was recommended by one of my favorites (Christopher Moore; check him out if you liked this). With it winning the Pratchett award, I worried my expectations would be too high, but I was pleasantly surprised. As others mentioned, it's not exactly unpredictable, but the story is told well enough to be engaging regardless. Lots more death than I'd expected, but that's not a bad thing with this sort of story. I enjoyed the book and will be reading the sequel.

I love zombies books (as you may have noticed), so when I heard about this one I thought I just had to give it a read. Geldof is a 15 year old Vegan boy, embarrassed by his hippy parents. If they aren't screaming at the neighbors for their murder and consumption of flesh(animals of course), forcing him to be a Vegan and wearing God awful natural fiber clothes his mum is bartering for food in the shop with vegetables. What follows is an unlikely team against the zombie animals. Something goes wrong at the abattoir, a weird plague amongst the cows gets out and spreads among domestic animals and soon everyone in Glasgow (and Britain) is at risk of being humped, mauled and or eaten.This book is hilarious, disgusting and so UN PC - it has everything rolled into one story. The nerdy boy with the crush on the teacher, the hippy parents, the teenage bullies that need to be addressed or obeyed and of course the threat of being killed by rabid flesh eating animals from cows to rats.Some of the brutality to the animals is a bit uncomfortable reading (in any kind of context) but taking the book as it is with silliness you can get through it, after all it the small matter of survival. This is my first encounter with this author and I would read him again, I also secretly (not so secret now) hope there is a follow up to this book. Will Geldof survive? Does he get the woman of his dreams and be the hero at the end? Well you have to read it and find out for yourselves folks, 4/5 for me this time.

I love Logan's writing style, which is very reminiscent of Pratchett's and easy to get lost in. The concept is funny too (though more a Christmas cracker joke groan than laugh out loud, for me) - an original take on the done-to-death topic of zombies, which works very well. My only criticism is that there's not much of a plot here - the story is so simple and predictable that it almost slips past you. The fact that this book was still very entertaining and enjoyable despite such a simple story is testament to Logan's excellent character development.

A visceral and highly disturbing slice of comic horror - about as black as you can get. The UK is brought to a standstill after a top-secret lab in Scotland unwittingly unleashes an animal-infecting 'zombie virus' into an unsuspecting society. A motley band of survivors attempt to flee to France, and their journey is documented in all its foul, dysfunctional glory.The book's title gives a good indication of the targeted readership, and the various human sex scenes, inverse bestiality, and macabre killings make this a fun if utterly wrong read.

Not really funny at any stage and what started as an interesting idea goes really nowhere. But it passes anafternoon

Interesting story, told from multiple perspectives. Realistic in that not everyone has a happy ending. The characters did develop and change in response to events, which keeps you interested.