Official Review: Dead to Rites by Nick Carcano

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[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dead to Rites" by Nick Carcano.]

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Dead To Rites by Nick Carcano is a short story set in the Occult .45 series. This particular short story is about Preston Cobb, gun seller.

Passing through Mexico on Dio De Los Muertos with a shipment of guns for the government, Cobb finds himself surrounded by the undead. Escaping the cemetery, he aligns with a group of nuns to fight against the zombie horde and the Devil himself as the latter attempts to regain his powers.

This is a short, quick read. It’s a fun zombie story, that doesn’t take itself too seriously but isn’t just one joke after another until the story loses all credibility. Cobb is a coward, having no problem getting himself out of harms way, no matter who takes his place, yet somehow he makes that endearing.

The nuns are also great, having no problem stepping up and doing what is necessary, and taking names with the guns Cobb provides them. The setting and backstory are just as believable as the characters, and are done with as much swiftness and detail as the rest of the story so that you understand what’s going on, but aren’t so bogged down with boring detail about every little thing to the point that you don’t care anymore.

I do feel that the ending was a bit rushed, and I kind of wish there had been more of a hoorah or to-do with the devil and if/how he will eventually be defeated. That's not to say the ending is unsatisfying, because I don't necessarily think that. Just that there was all this build up of will they succeed/won't they and then when the time comes we're left with a shoulder shrug/oh okay, catch ya later. And it's a little bit disappointing because I feel like the characters should be more – depending on who they are – joyous that they won/angry that they didn't. This fight has been going on all night, and you watched people that you know die, you yourself almost died, or you're the devil and you've been waiting literally a thousand years for this chance to come around again, and all you can muster is eh? I need more than that!

However, despite that, I still very much enjoyed this story, and the short excerpt at the end for another Cobb adventure has me wanting to continue with the series.

I give this a 4 out of 4 and highly recommended, and very enjoyable.

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