How does the world end?
On the eve of the destruction of one of the most abysmal human monsters to ever live, Dr. Herman Volkner is finally able to put the skeletons in his closet to bed. He’s the physician in charge of administering the lethal injection to the despicable Homer Gibbon, who’s responsible for the deaths of so many men, women, and children it’s easy to lose count.
Instead of administering the triple phase cocktail of sodium thiopental, pancuronium bromide, and potassium chloride, Volkner instead introduces Gibbon to a top secret CIA bioweapon; codename Lucifer. The drug is a mix of the Coupe poudre, Toxoplasma gondii, Dicrocoelium dendrictum, and Euhaplorchis californiensis all swirling through the eggs and larvae of a hypermetabolic version of our old friend, the Emerald Cocroach wasp.
The bad news is, a little too late we find out that the bad guy actually had someone who cared step forward and claim the body. Instead of being sealed into a cheap box and dropped in a hole out behind the prison, Gibbons is instead transferred to a mortuary in rural Pennsylvania where the alarm clock goes off and he is once again free to go about his business. His morning snack is quickly followed by the second course cleaning lady, and then it’s off for a little walk to meet-up with Aunt Selma.
Desdemona Fox and JT Hammond of Stebbins PD are called in to investigate a break-in and they instead find breakfast and lunch pointing them to a bloody trail of footprints which lead out the back door. JT goes to check out the trail while Dez takes up the gloves and fills in for round two with Gibbons’ lunch and we get front row tickets to the end of the world.
Remember when I told you that Maberry was good? Well, let me clarify that. After taking home the 2006 Bram Stoker award for Best First Novel (Ghost Road Blues, Pinnacle Books) and 2007 Bram Stoker for Nonfiction (The Cryptopedia, Citadel Press), He thought he’d add a New York Times Bestselling Author credit to his list (The Wolfman, TOR.) His Joe Ledger books have been optioned for production by various big players and he’s firing from both barrels for Marvel Comics (you’ll have to click each word separately for complete awesomeness.)
Debuting at ZomBcon in Seattle, The first thing I have to say about this novel is that it’s probably the most uncompromising piece Mayberry has released to date. The sober realities of the end of all things are pretty clear in this book. I can’t really get into specifics without spoiling the un-characteristic twist at the end, but what I can say is that things are not pretty in Stebbins, folks. Dead of Night is no roller-coaster; it’s a pedal-to-the-metal journey through the genre like you’ve never experienced. Expect language, gritty violence, sexual themes, and horror. The book will drive your mind and heart through the gauntlet and then leave you shaken.
Available in hardback, TPB, and Ebook formats everywhere October 25th, 2011. Pre-order today from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your favorite local bookseller. And one lucky Zombies & Toys reader will win a first edition copy signed by Jonathan Maberry himself. Entering is just as easy as you’ve always had it, just send an email to maberry@zombiesandtoys.com with your name and address. We’ll draw the winner in two weeks.
This is how the world ends. Not with a bang, but with a bite…
Jonathan Maberry NY Times Bestseller and Multiple Bram Stoker Award winner
ROT & RUIN -available from Simon & Schuster
THE KING OF PLAGUES -March 29 from St Martins Griffin
WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE -available from Citadel Press
MARVEL UNIVERSE VS THE PUNISHER -available from Marvel Comics
Website & Blog: www.jonathanmaberry.com
www.facebook.com/jonathanmaberry www.twitter.com/jonathanmaberry
PROUD Member of The Liars Club, http://liarsclubphilly.com
