KrisK

I just finished reading "Z is for Zombie" and am still reeling, and a bit in awe of the journey that was this story. There are 16 chapters to this story and the end of each one will leave you anxious to get immediately into the next one. This is a post apocalyptic story that features zombies, and one zombie in particular has the main antagonist role throughout most of the story. However, the story is about much, much more than just the zombie, or the end of the world, for that matter. The story is set around a group of 8 kids and one non-communicative adult who try to make sense of, and survive in a world after 'The Changes.' In addition to the obvious challenge of survival in a now hostile world, the kids have to figure out how to relate to one another and build a life together in such a way that will give them security, but also love and happiness, too. The story is all about their journey toward that great end. Geron did an amazing job creating a world that, despite its hazards and hardships, I wouldn't mind visiting and even spending some time exploring. I loved this story, and if you give it a chance, you will too.

Back several chapters ago, when the kids were talking about a fast flying aircraft capable of making sonic booms and high altitude flying, yet without the notable sound of a jet engine, I wondered if that was a foreshadowing of some kind of alien presence in the story. Even so, I never would have imagined it the way Geron wrote it. The typical alien trope is that they are up to no good for whatever nefarious reason. To have completely benevolent aliens showing up to save us, simply as an investment in future friendship, is a wonderfully surprising and positive twist in which I took great delight. To have a happy ending is nothing special. But to have a happy ending with a surprise that reorders the reader's thinking about everything that has gone before takes a great deal of talent. To get to the end of the story and realize that 'Z is for Zombie' is not really a story about zombies at all, and to be impressed, rather than put off by that notion, is nothing short of amazing. At least it was to me! What a wonderful story, Geron. Thanks for the adventure!

Wow, what an edge of my seat, nail biting chapter that was! Since Zombo did get shredded, I guess that means your ability to extend the "bad guy" characters every opportunity for redemption only extends so far, and not to violent zombies. 😉 Your ability to set up dramatic tension in creative ways is extraordinary. It did occur to me that perhaps Zombo had tampered with the mannequins, but having Zombo buried underground and hiding right next to the mannequins, setting a trap of his own, was something I never considered and would have never even conceived. Nicely done!

Still no ultimate showdown with Zombo. Though there is now new and interesting behavior coming from the enemy. It's enough of a change in their perception of Zombo that the kids are now starting to question their plan. As a reader, I'm starting to question how I've been viewing this situation all along, and I'm remembering that Geron likes to throw in a twist, and that he likes happy endings. So maybe Zombo isn't going to get shredded after all. Resolution, one way or the other, is now within easy reach, with only two more chapters to go!

It was nice to have a chapter that further developed Marnie's character. It was also nice to have mom speak, if only briefly. We also saw that Zombo made a distant (naked) appearance. That tells us that he's still around, and healed up. I'm anxious to see what happens next.

Ah, a tension breaking chapter, and who doesn't enjoy a trip to the library! Nobody I want to be friends with. 😉 Okay, I think maybe I was a bit hasty in so casually dismissing the idea of spacecraft in my comment a few chapters back. Military aircraft can break the sound barrier at low altitude, but they definitely sound like jets, and not a cross between a table saw, a vacuum cleaner, and a dishwasher! So, if it was moving so fast that they could not even get a look at it, and they did not hear the distinctive roar of a jet engine, that suddenly opens up the possibility of some kind of alien craft. Now I'm wondering about how most everyone was turned into blue crystal things. That is beginning to sound like it could be connected to this ultra fast moving craft of some sort. More fun things to think about! I am ready for our cast of little heroes to engage the fight with the zombie. Hope that is coming to a chapter near me, soon! 😁

Another tension building chapter, I don't know how much more of this I can take! 😁 I like how collaborative the group is and that even the youngest kids have a voice and are taken seriously.

Another great chapter. It was fun watching the plan the boys made evolve and be worked out. But then there's that nagging old saying they have in the military, "no plan survives first contact with the enemy." It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

Another nail biting chapter! I was grateful for the intricate descriptions on how the hatch was made. But even though the descriptions made it seem zombie proof, there was still a lot of dramatic tension going on while the zombie was slamming into the hatch hard enough to make the entire floor around the hatch vibrate! I also liked how young Bennie had the presence of mind to know he had to be quiet, and to wake Richie and Jeremy in such a way as to keep them quiet too. It was nice to see the guys all working really well together in an incredibly stressful situation. Can't wait to get to the next chapter!

A great chapter for building tension and anticipation, I'm feeling both right now.

Oh, you are bad!

Another excellent chapter, and now with an added element to think about with the jet airplane. Despite some of the comments suggesting it might be an alien spacecraft, the boys clearly see it as a fast moving, high altitude flying, jet airplane. I suppose they could be wrong, but they seem like pretty bright guys so far, so I don't think there's any reason to doubt them. Doesn't really matter at this point anyway. They can't do anything about what they saw. They can only speculate about what it might mean for their future. I like how you continue to emphasize the silence and how much it affects the characters. There have been a few times in my life that I've been in a truly silent place, so silent that after a time you can hear your own heart beating. It's quite unnerving. Though the characters in this story are not dealing with total silence, just the absence of the noise created by all human activity would take a lot of getting used to.

Well, even if it didn't catch fire, the heat alone would have made the occupants inside the fort extremely uncomfortable, perhaps even dangerously so.

Oh, I don't mind waiting until the end of the story to find out how things turn out. After all, that's what makes for a good story. But the start and stop reading often experienced simply due to the vagaries of how online posting is governed in each particular site is something I'm not a big fan of. Sometimes the next chapter drops the next day, sometimes it's a week or a month, or even never...😱 Being able to read the whole story through, or at least be able to choose when I'll pause reading, is my preference. Wasn't there a discussion about this over one of your other stories?

Another great chapter! I enjoyed seeing Richie's leadership skills in action. While he's clearly too young to have been a Sloan School of Management graduate, he does have some clear collaborative leadership skills going on, which I think will help him and his cohorts conquer this pesky zombie! 😉

Another great chapter. The kids seem to be realizing that they are up against something with intelligence as well as brute strength. Time for some war room planning?

Haha, yeah, what I said before, glad I don't have to wait around, hanging on that cliff for the next chapter! The zombie using the trees, especially such big ones, as missiles surprised me. I thought maybe he was putting together some way to get inside the fort, or maybe stack the wood underneath and set a fire. Great nail-biter chapter!

I am SOOO glad I am not reading this when you first posted it. The advantage to being a latecomer is that cliffhangers are no problem! 😁 Loving your usual attention to detail in describing the settings, the waving grass to the side of the road, the silence inside the grocery store, the hiss of air escaping from the can of peanuts; these are simple little things, but add so much to the depth of the story.

Wow, powerful chapter. I liked the scene where all the other kids gathered around Richie and just touched him to show their support. No words necessary. Introducing the reader to Jack via a dream (nightmare) was creative and effective.

This is my first multi chapter story from Geron. Looks like a great start to an interesting story. I'm looking forward to the journey.

Very nice Haiku poems, interesting and educational too, regarding your new home, Thailand.

It's amazing to me how Geron was able to pack so much into such a short story, but he did. I had tears in my eyes at the end of the story, and I was not reading it at Christmas time! There are many comments on this story saying how it is about Christmas magic, childhood innocence/belief, and that's certainly true. But I liked how Geron also included responsibility and integrity to a sense of duty that the father made sure his oldest son understood. There was also a sense of strong bonds of family love demonstrated by every member of the family in their own unique way. While this is certainly a feel-good Christmas story, with a very happy ending, it's more than that, too. You only have to peek just a little below the surface, and you'll find it, just as I did.

All of your stories I've read so far have been great. But this is the first one I've had to finish through blurry, tear-filled eyes!

Another delightful tale from Geron. This one a short story inspired by a photo prompt, the link for which is posted at the end of the story. Billy and Peter are the two main characters, two young teens navigating their way through the age-old question of 'does he like me in the same way that I like him'? There is some romancing and flirting exchanged between Billy and Peter in such a way that it is never quite certain which of the two boys will be the first to go out on the limb to declare his feelings; thus the title, "The fox and the hare". As with all of Geron's stories I've read so far, this tale is well told and very much a feel-good kind of short story. I recommend it.

A very fun and satisfying short story for a Saturday morning read. I followed the link you provided to the photo and thought you did a great job building your story around that prompt. It was a nice twist at the end having Billy realize he was really the hare and not the fox! I also liked the positive and affirming scene Billy had with his father.