Reboots: Undead Can Dance - by Mercedes Lackey & Cody Martin (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Portions of this book have previously appeared in Reboots and Reboots: Diabolical Streak "Unfettered oddball entertainment."-Publisher's Weekly Say hello to Humph the Boggart, the principled, down-on-his-luck private detective, Skinny Jim the zombie, and Fred the werewolf, in this film noir style space opera. Humans aren't alone anymore--in fact, they share a planet with undead and near-dead beings, living in...semi-harmony, depending on who you ask! This is the world of Reboots--where zombies, vampires, and werewolves live side-by-side with humans, taking whatever jobs they can to coexist peacefully. So, what better job to give almost-dead or dead beings, than one that consists of no air, cosmic radiation, and a lack of life-sustaining essentials? In comes a cast of interesting, unique, and downright paranormal creatures as they travel through space.

Review Quotes

"Lackey (the Valdemar series) and Martin (the Secret World
Chronicles series) go all in on the offbeat, crafting a universe where
vampires, werewolves, and zombies are real-and also astronauts. Normal humans
("Norms") have dealt with the problems created by ferocious undead beings by
shipping them off-planet. Their ensuing spacefaring adventures are chronicled
here in four parts. Part one, "Bad Moon Rising," introduces talking zombie
Skinny Jim who conceals his ability to speak to avoid being exterminated after
an ill-fated war launched by a zombie emperor, a conflict that led to an
alliance between Norms, the Fangs, and the Furs. Part two, "Just the Right
Bullets," leans heavily on Casablanca and Maltese Falcon references,
introducing an ethereal parahuman PI named Boggart who quotes Rick Blaine.
Boggart recurs in the following sections as well, which continue to navigate
interspecies relationships in claustrophobic extraterrestrial environments.
Most of the humor works ("There's not a lot of intellectual stimulation amongst
Zombies, if you don't count munching on the occasional rehydrated brain. You
don't find us sitting around discussing Kierkegaard") and the fast pace keeps
the pages turning. The light approach, signaling that the authors aren't taking
this genre mash-up too seriously, helps suspend disbelief. It's unfettered
oddball entertainment."--Publisher's Weekly