Reading – PAIN by Harry Shannon

Dark Regions Press (website, Twitter) brings us PAIN*, a limited edition zombie survival novella by Harry Shannon (website). A few annoying typos disrupted my attention at times, but in the end PAIN was a fun, fast read that felt like it was begging for Hollywood to step in at any moment and start filming. But that’s the sort of things you’re supposed to say when winding down, so let’s jump back to the beginning.

A Clown, Two Mercenaries, a Doctor, and Others Hide in a Small Town ER

PAIN* doesn’t waste any time, which isn’t surprising when you realize that the entire story is contained in a 120-page hardcover book. Starting with a team of mercenaries on the run from something, the story unfolds as it rushes to introduce all of the characters and drive them all to the story’s primary location, a small town emergency room that has been forced to close down as the town is evacuated by the US government. An exercise, the people of the town think, but in reality a bioweapon has contaminated the area, turning the citizens into near-mindless zombies.

Nearly a Dozen Wait for Death

By about the one-third point of the story all of the main characters who are destined to fight zombies have assembled at the ER and we watch as they prepare the building — and themselves — for the oncoming fight. Shannon’s writing is nasty and twisted, with the story moving you quite quickly and all the time very entertaining. This was my first experience with Harry Shannon’s work, but after enjoying PAIN* I can say that I’m going to seek out some of his other shorter works. (Peter Schwotzer’s review of PAIN mentions a Shannon short story collection, A Host of Shadows*, so I may have to give that a shot.)

Closing Thoughts

Horror Bob’s horroreview.com review of the book tells it wonderfully when he writes:

Harry Shannon takes his ideas from the scariest of zombie film moments and enhances them into something deeper. As the reader, you are thrust right into the action of the plot. As you read the book, you’re trying to think your own way out of this mess while developing your own ideas as if you were in this situation.

Dead on, though dead isn’t the word you want to be thinking as you read through PAIN*. By the end of the tale many have lost the struggle, a few have survived, and the government manages to extinguish the problem in a less-than-friendly way. A fun read, and one that fans of zombie survival will want to track down.