BLACK REDNECK VS SPACE ZOMBIES
by Steven Roy
BLURB:
Jefferson Balladeer hates Picayune, Mississippi, and rightly so. Adopted by a white farming family, he was indoctrinated into a traditional small town culture. He was taught to ride a horse and shoot a gun.
In an effort to impress Big Beau, his older adoptive brother, Jefferson becomes the best at these things. He becomes a rodeo star and an expert marksman, but in spite of all this Jefferson is never truly accepted by the people of Picayune. You see, Jefferson is black. In fact, everyone calls him the Black Redneck.
When Jefferson is old enough to think for himself and learns that his adoptive father may have adopted him to have another hand on the farm, Jefferson puts Picayune in his rearview mirror with no intention of ever coming back.
Ten years later, Jefferson has reinvented himself. He’s a successful novelist with no trace of his once thick accent. Heck, he hardly ever eats meat.
It’s about this time that he learns Big Beau has died and left him the sole heir of Balladeer farms.
Jefferson’s plan is to return to Mississippi and turn the giant farm into a subdivision, much to the chagrin of the people of Picayune.
But, what Jefferson thought would be a minor inconvenience becomes a struggle for survival when the Devourer, the most feared creature in the galaxy, crashes into the woods surrounding Balladeer farms and starts turning unsuspecting teenagers into space zombies.
Now to survive long enough save the world and get back to his new life Jefferson will have to embrace his roots, strap on his guns, and mount up, because there’s only one man on Earth who has a chance against the Devourer and he’s called The Black Redneck.
MY REVIEW:
The title of this book has everything to do with a great sci-fi zombie story and just a hint of racism. Jefferson Balladeer ’was adopted by a white redneck family and grew up wanting to be the first Black Redneck. At the age of seventeen, he is told a half truth about his adoption and leaves Picayune, Mississippi in a huff, never looking back, until his adopted brother dies ten years later. Jefferson comes back to handle the affairs and sell off the estate ASAP. He wants nothing to do with his hometown or the people he knew growing up. Unbeknownst to him, an alien life form, called the Devourer, has decided to take up residency on his land. Specifically in his catfish ponds. And so the battle begins.
The plot is pretty straightforward for a hero battling monster story. The chapters are short and listed as quirky title names vs numbers; The Devourer Feeds On Birds. There are some flashback scenes, which Steven Roy clearly states are flashbacks. I’m not sure if Steven did this on purpose, keeping in the theme of a B-rated movie, or he just didn’t know how to segue from one scene to another.
Most of the main characters are very compelling. The ones that stick out in my mind are Jefferson, Mary and Tom, and Gray Man and Old Ed. I thought Daisy’s character could have been enhanced a bit, but the story is from a male perspective. Maybe he doesn’t understand women that well. Oh, and I almost forgot Shorty and of course the Devourer. I thought Steven did a great job in descripting the biology of an alien life form and how the alien grew and reproduced herself.
I enjoyed some of the witty and humorous dialogue. And the story did draw me in and I couldn’t wait to get to the end. But the story is told in a stilted narrative style, telling vs showing, and I know this story would have been so much better if the author had spent just a bit or time with filling in the emotional gaps. I felt like this was a 2nd or 3rd draft and not the polished script. And please, get rid of the over usage of metaphors.
Steven Roy acknowledges that he had an editor, but you couldn’t tell it. There are so many grammar errors, cause and effect errors and past and present errors that get in the way of the reading. Supposedly he corrected some of these errors. I would hate to see what this story looked like before.
Final Analysis: Even though I really like the story and would recommend the book, I can only give 3 feathers. It’s just not fair to other Indie Authors who actually take the time and spend the money to make their books presentable. BTW, awesome cover.
Another one to add to your Halloween TBR list. Click the cover today:
