Risk Of Infection~A Novella By Tom Conrad

I told them I’d go it alone, give me a crash course in driving the ambulance and I’d be tickety-boo, but when Roxy saw the hurt and desperation in my eyes she was resolved to help. Jack is still glaring at me. He sees it as a clear and simple manipulation. He sees it as an act of sodding self-indulgence, an action beyond the sodding pale, of me risking the life of his woman to save Hilary, a slip of a materialistic girl who I’m neither with or who is truly interested in me. A vain, self-important femme fatale, shacked up with a slime ball git in a suit. Jack definitely thinks he has a point, but–but I can’t think about that now. I gotta get to Hilary. I gotta find her again. I gotta save her, save us. Fight against all these super creeps and the scary monsters trying to keep me from Hilary.

This novella is classic Tom Conrad. Quirky, dark, fun humour at its best. The kind of humour that only a funny guy from England can deliver. And, deliver he does.

Risk Of Infection takes place around the time of the London Olympics (taking place shortly this summer, 2012 for any of you living under a rock). The country of Britain is being taken over by flesh eating zombies and, of course, there’s the love-struck Frank Drake who feels the need to make sure his ex-girlfriend (who dumped him a year ago and he’s never gotten over her) is alright. Why? Well, that’s the quirky, dark and fun part.

He’s stuck in his father’s house with his father and older brother, Jack. It’s stifling in the house with the three of them, but it beats going outside and risking getting their brains eaten out of their heads by a rogue neighbour with the dreaded infection.

While trying desperately to get in touch with Hilary (who keeps ignoring his text messages), she ends up getting in touch with him. But her message is weird. She mentions to Frank that her boyfriend has a fever. Frank thinks she should leave her place, since that could be the beginning of the infection in the boyfriend. She refuses, but then her next message to Frank is just a jumble of letters that don’t make any sense. Frank is worried and decides that he’s going to risk his own life to go out to find Hilary.

Jack won’t let him go out by himself, and neither will his father. The three Drakes set out on a wild ride full of mayhem, adventure and zombies.

The games were supposed to be an advert for Britain. It was supposed to say something like:

‘Look the days of Empire may be behind us, but we’re not completely useless. Okay our trains don’t work, we don’t manufacture or produce very much, our society is pretty unequal, frustrated and miserable and it rains and awful lot, but one thing we do know how to do is throw a jolly good bash.’

But three billion people were no longer seeing a glimpse of a cool Britannia facade, of Union Jack clad cheerleaders leaping from open top red buses, of athletes using traditional pork sausages for skipping ropes and a William Shakespeare impersonator doing the long jump. Three billion people were now concentrating on infection. Britain was INFECTED!

They run into zombies from every direction, olympic athletes and the crowd alike eating limbs, noses and brains of those that are too stupid to be inside. Frank, his brother Jack, their father and Jack’s girlfriend, Roxy, are amongst those that are too stupid to be inside. But, infactuation can lead you to do crazy things. Crazy things like risking your life and those of your family, to rescue a girl that doesn’t love you anymore.

Risk of Infection is a coming of age story, a story of love, lost love and becoming a man when all he’s been before was a boy. He’s relied on his brother and father to get him out of situations before, but now Frank does what he can to help his ex-girlfriend. He would risk everything for her.

Does he make it to her in time? Will he become a zombie in the process? What about his family? He’s risked everything for them, and they’re along for the ride, never leaving his side.

I enjoyed this story and the humour, therefore I give this novella 5 stars.

For 99 cents, you can’t beat the quirky humour of Tom Conrad. He writes in an unique style that only he can, which makes his humour come to life. You can get Risk Of Infection here: http://www.amazon.com/Risk-Of-Infection-ebook/dp/B008HW8ZJ6/ref=sr_tc_2_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341593945&sr=1-2-ent

If you want more of this author’s humour, check out his first book in his trilogy, Rich Pickings For Ravens. http://www.amazon.com/Pickings-Ravens-Afterlife-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B007U7KULA/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341593945&sr=1-1&keywords=tom+conrad You can see my review of this book here: https://bethsreviewsandpromotions.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/rich-pickings-for-ravens-the-afterlife-crisis-trilogy-by-tom-conrad/