We are thrilled to kick off this cool Book Blitz for Bronson Palmer's Playing Dead! Participating blogs will be sharing various guest posts from the author... AND, a cool blitz-wide giveaway! So... Check out all the book blitz fun and grab your copy now!
Genre:
Young Adult
Science Fiction
Publish Date:
November 7, 2017
Publisher:
Jinx Protocol Publishing
Synopsis:
In the halls of Andrew Jackson High School, Jenaiya is a nobody. Less than a nobody. She's practically invisible. An awkward, shy freshman, she very rarely gets any attention at all, unless she's being harassed by the school's multitude of bullies. In short, she's not anyone's idea of a hero.
But in 'Age of Z,' a post-apocalyptic multiplayer zombie game, she's a gun-wielding, fast-talking GOD. She's one of the top ten players in the online dystopia, and she doesn't suffer fools lightly. It's just the way she plays, and she likes it that way. She can become the person she wishes herself to be in the real world.
However, when the game gets overrun by trolls and n00bs who threaten to destroy the game by turning it into yet another online shooter, Jenaiya cannot sit still and let that happen. The very existence of the game is on the line, as people leave in droves, and she gathers a rag-tag group of players to fight back against this new kind of 'brainless' horde. They have wildly different personalities but one goal: rid the game of the real monsters.
Jenaiya will have to outsmart her enemies, outplay the bullies, and return 'Age of Z' to its former glory. Otherwise, it's game over, and she'll have to confront the real world that awaits her on the other side of the computer screen.
*FREE on Kindle Unlimited*
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Bronson's 5 Favorite Zombie Movies & 5 Favorite Zombie Games
My first novel, ‘Playing Dead,’ combines my two favorite things in the whole world: zombies and video games. The main character, Jenaiya, is OBSESSED with an open-world PC game called ‘Age of Z,’ where players wander around and hold one another hostage for supplies so they can survive the ongoing zombie apocalypse.
It’s only fitting that I list out my favorite of each, right?
Okay, so this list might make a few of you angry. That’s okay. Rather than create a collection of all the classic zombie movies, I decided to write up my favorite zombie flicks.
Big difference. ‘Night of the Living Dead’ is, without a doubt, the most important zombie film of all-time. I love everything zombie-related George A. Romero has ever done -- even Land of the Dead -- and Return of the Living Dead is absolutely necessary in the evolution of the zombie movie. But these movies, these are the ones I can watch over and over and over again, and I can almost guarantee that you have too. Now, let’s get down to it.
5. Train to Busan (2016). Maybe the best movie on the list. ‘Train to Busan’ is an amalgamation of all the worthwhile traits of the other movies on this list. It is frequently tense, gory, and stylized. It also creates a genuine sense of drama by giving the audience characters to root for. You could do a whole lot worse than watching this unstoppable bullet of a movie. It speeds to its inevitable conclusion without leaving important filmic elements, like characterization, at the station.
4. Zombieland (2009). Most great zombie movies create a compelling sense of place, a believable apocalypse, if you will. Then they throw some people into the fray and slowly (and painfully) rip them apart over the course of 90 minutes. What ‘Zombieland’ does especially well is introduce and then develop characters who make the movie worth watching. It’s not just another brain smorgasbord. Bonus points if you, like me, watched the short-lived Amazon series.
3. 28 Days Later (2002). Okay, I have to admit something here: I didn’t love ‘28 Days Later’ the first time I saw it. Danny Boyle’s 2002 film is like a work of literature. You can watch and re-watch it and catch something different in it every time. If you’re anything like me, you’ll definitely want to watch it several times to get the movie’s full effect.
2. Shaun of the Dead (2004). Though the first movie in Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy is largely hailed as a comedic masterpiece, there are a few genuinely brutal, horrifying scenes throughout the movie. Even without the laughs, ‘Shaun of the Dead’ would make this list, and that’s saying something.
1. Dawn of the Dead (2004). Zack Snyder has had a rough go of directing the DC Universe’s dark, dark, dark movies -- ‘Batman V. Superman,’ YIKES -- but this remake of George A. Romero’s 1979 seminal film is an absolute modern masterpiece. Bonus points to James Gunn for the inventive, weird, and hilariously bizarre script.
Zombie Games
Okay, now for the zombie games on my list. Thought ‘Playing Dead’ is based largely on open-world zombie titles, like ‘H1Z1’ and ‘State of Decay,’ all of my favorite zombie games are somewhat...different from that. Not that I didn’t like ‘DayZ’ or ‘The Forest,’ but THESE games are head and shoulders above the rest. Or should I say...brains above the rest? Nah, that’s stupid. So, ANYWAY, here are my top 5 favorite zombie games of all-time.
5. Plants vs. Zombies (2009). I thought I would get the most controversial choice out of the way first. ‘Plants vs. Zombies’ is neither serious nor entirely zombie-focused, but it is probably the most FUN game on this list. I’ve put more time into ‘PvZ’ than any other game, save for ‘BioShock’ or ‘Don’t Starve,’ and that’s saying something. It’s construct is simple: strategically place a variety of defensive plants on your lawn to stop the incoming zombie apocalypse. It has to be played to be believed, and if you’re one of the three people who have never heard of ‘PvZ,’ download it on your iPhone. Go. Now.
4. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999). Why not the original ‘Resident Evil,’ you ask? Okay, I’ll tell you. When ‘RE3’ was released on the PS1 back in 1999, I played it RELENTLESSLY that Christmas Break. I beat it, and then I went back and beat it again. There was something about the way it was sectioned out -- something about the pacing -- that completely drew me in. To wit, ‘RE3’ is probably not the best ‘Resident Evil’ game -- *cough cough* RE4 *cough cough* -- but it is a great combination of the survival horror elements of the first two and the action-oriented gameplay of the later installments. And, surprisingly, it still holds up today.
3. Dying Light (2016). I dug the first ‘Dead Island’ game when it came out -- and it inspired some things about ‘Age of Z’ in ‘Playing Dead’ -- but the big problem was: IT WAS COMPLETELY BROKEN. It just didn’t work, sometimes. Anyone who played that game within the first two weeks knows exactly what I’m talking about. So, that said, I was completely elated when a different intellectual property with the same basic idea was released back in 2016. (Remember those halcyon days?) ‘Dying Light’ completely fixes that formula and introduces some amazing platforming elements, as well. Who knew that Parkour could be so fun after the initial craze back in 2009?
2. Left 4 Dead (2008). The most fun I’ve had being scared. Unlike most horror games, which really are only frightening in an intellectual sense -- ooh, there’s a lot of blood! Woooooo! -- ‘Left 4 Dead’ creates a genuine sense of terror for the gang of four (or 4?) who play it. Anyone who’s stumbled into a close space with a Witch knows EXACTLY how anxiety-ridden ‘L4D’ can be. I mean, sure, it’s a first-person shooter, but Turtle Rock (and Valve) managed to imbue this title with a lot of story and drama, while keeping it firmly placed in the background. The dynamic, ever-changing instances throughout each of the campaigns makes the game infinitely replayable. You can even play heavily-modded versions of the game on Steam right now, and the servers are still going strong. The sequel is also pretty kick-ass.
1. Telltale’s The Walking Dead, Season One (2012). Oh, the feels. I still can’t think about Telltale’s beautifully-written but mechanically-flawed game from 2012 without getting a little emotional about it. The game centers around a precocious tween, Clementine, and her protector, a guy named Lee, as they venture down the length of Georgia to find Clem’s parents. Along the way, players pick up a band of survivors and have to make some pretty difficult decisions along the way. Telltale repeated the formula with a second season, and though I generally liked Season Two, it never quite reaches the heights (or the depths) of that first iteration. Telltale basically gives the game away, at this point, so if you haven’t played it yet, Oh my God, please do.
So...there you have it. These are the ten zombie things I love the most, and if you pay some attention while reading ‘Playing Dead,’ you’ll see how they came to influence how I approached the writing my first novel. I hope to continue to explore these themes in my upcoming works. In fact, my second book, ‘Vault of Code,’ should be out sometime in 2018.
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**About the Author**
Bronson Palmer is a Young Adult writer specializing in thrillers. He is a lover of zombies. Playing Dead is his debut science fiction novel. Bronson lives in Nashville, TN.
Stay connected with Bronson Palmer
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***The Giveaway***
Giveaway Open to the U.S. & Canada Only
Note: Not responsible for Lost or Damaged Prizes in Your Mailbox
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