Choose Your Doom: Zombie Apocalypse

David Brown

 For our book review today, Deanna Knippling and Dante Savelli bring us the 224 page Choose Your Doom: Zombie Apocalypse. It promises on the front cover that there are “No Happy Endings” and even accompanies this warning with a skull and crossbones. At first glance, this book looks like any other choose-your-own adventure that many of us have grown up on. For those of you that are uninitiated, the choose-your-own adventure books are not meant to be read from cover to cover. You read the book until you come to a page that will offer your choice of actions. The number of choices is not always the same, but you will find that each choice can drastically change the outcome of the story.

In this adventure you play as Tobe, the son of a scientist who works his life away as a wage slave at a restaurant. One day, you look out to see many strange people and realize that you are in the center of a zombie apocalypse. I cannot say anything else about the story as it becomes yours to control at this point. The ending is determined by you as are many of the plot points and characters that show up… or don’t. I can say two things about the story from my time with it: First, there are many different outcomes and it becomes a vastly different story depending on the choices you make. Second, in my count there are nine different conclusions to the story.



If you are not careful, one aspect of the book that can easily be overlooked is the masterfully drawn illustrations. These, at times, range from comedic to outright unnerving. The art here helps bring together many of the things that are read. This leads us to the story itself. Even though there are many possible directions that the characters can take, the story carries you along at a brisk pace. As is the nature of any choose-your-own adventure story, you will be reading many of the pages more than once. Though, you never feel like you are. There is even enough humor thrown in to make even the most jaded of readers crack a smile.


Some may argue that the story is a bit simplistic at times, but this too can be chalked up to the fact that this is a story meant to branch off into many different angles. As a result, the writing must be fairly simplistic in order to help with the vast number of changes that can take place. This is a great story that can maintain your interest many times over; well worth the price when you consider that you are getting several stories for the price of one. This is definitely a good flagship in the choose-your-doom series and leaves me with much anticipation for Doom Press’ next book, Choose Your Doom 2012. The humor and witty storytelling apparent in this book will truly make a zombie fan happy. You will be foaming at the mouth with glee as you read every page and hunger for more as each story unfolds before you.


If you think Choose Your Doom sounds like a ride you want to take, make sure to stop by your favorite bookstore and pick up a copy.  Of course if you're lazy like me, you can order it through stores online or direct from Doom Press.  Doom Press has also been kind enough to give you a chance to win a copy!  For your chance to win, email your name and address to doompress@zombiesandtoys.com.  While we do have a few copies to give away, we won't select a winner until after Christmas.  So don't hesitate to buy your gift copy!