Review: Z Nation: The Complete Series (2014-2018) ** and a 1/2 out of ****

Mostly known as a Walking Dead rip-off, Z Nation, a quirky and uneven series, is actually much more than that.

What begins as a silly, tongue-in-cheek horror/comedy show, ends as a politically charged apocalyptic thriller. Let's take a look at each individual season.

Season 1: Created by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler, and hampered by a cast of actors who haven't yet found their groove and a ridiculously low-budget of a reported $700,000 per episode, the series nevertheless begins with a bang, delivering a quirky, funny, and action-packed pilot, and setting itself up as the anti-Walking Dead; irreverent, humorous, and silly. Throughout the first season, thanks mainly to some inspired twists and John Hyams' kinetic direction, the show tries to do its best with limited resources, and while the budget constraints make a couple of episodes almost unwatchable, overall, the season never stops being entertaining, and the ending is intriguing.

Season 2: Arguably the best season of the series, this is where the cast (especially the immensely funny Keith Allan), crew, and writers fire on all cylinders, delivering some of the show's best episodes, some of which are near-perfect exercises in zombie-action mayhem. Again, thanks to John Hyams' excellent direction, and some inspired touches by the writers, this is the season where Z Nation comes into its own and transcends both its origins and its genre. The ending is somewhat a letdown, but there is no doubt that this is the season where the show became something much better than it had any right to be, even rivaling the quality of some of the later seasons of The Walking Dead.

Season 3: Although the season begins with a fantastic, visually stylish two-parter, this is the season where things start to go awry. Here, the show's heavy handed politics start to rear its ugly head, with the humor and inspired quirkiness taking a backseat to uneven writing and some truly boring plotlines. Things pick up a bit near the end, but this is the season where Z Nation starts to lose its footing.

Season 4: An uneven season, again suffering from heavy-handed politics and some of the series' worst episodes. The opening and closing episodes are good, and the main storyline, about general Warren's recurring visions of bizarre apocalyptic events, allows fan favorite Kellita Smith to truly show her acting chops. The season finale, a thrilling and haunting episode, is a series highlight. An extremely uneven season, though.

Season 5: The nadir of the entire run of the series, it is here that the show's creators drop almost everything that made the show special, and turn it into a preachy, boring, and almost unrecognizable creation. Bad writing, uneven performances, and some truly nonsensical political proselytizing make this season a chore to sit through. Even Kellita Smith looks bored throughout the show, and the writers give the always reliable Keith Allan almost nothing to work with. Again, the ending is good, managing to be both uplifting and somber, but it isn't enough to recommend the entire season.

All in all, Z Nation is an interesting addition to the zombie genre, and with 69 episodes to go through, fans of the genre are sure to find plenty to enjoy, if they decide to stick with it and forgive it its numerous shortcomings, that is.

© Ahmed Khalifa. 2019.

Book Review: The Bachman Books by Stephen King *** out of ****

As a huge Stephen King fan, I have to admit that, for me, early King is the best King. Books like Salem's Lot, The Stand, and Pet Sematary remain unparalleled in their ability to entertain, frighten, and transport. The Bachman Books, first published in hardcover in 1985, is an omnibus of the first four books King published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The books themselves were written in the late 1960's and early 1970's, at a time when King was, in his own words, "infatuated with the art and craft of writing."

Why King published these four books (and Thinner, which is not included in this omnibus) under an alias is a matter of debate, and King himself has always answered the question with cagey evasiveness. The short answer seems to be that King wanted to know whether he really was a good writer, or if his success was just a fluke and his name nothing but a comforting brand. The four novels included in this volume (Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, The Running Man) are somewhat uneven in quality, but King's unique and hypnotic voice is loud and clear, and the stories themselves are compelling and entertaining. But it is obvious why Bachman's tales never caught the public's fancy like the tales of uncle Stevie. Uncle Stevie's tales, with a few exceptions, like Pet Sematary, are dark but ultimately human and hopeful stories of good versus evil. Simply put, The Bachman Books are not.

Rage, the first one published under the Bachman name, and long out of print at King's request, is an addictive, immensely readable tale, but one which is also brutal, angry, and relentlessly nihilistic. Dealing with bullying, teenage sexuality, mental illness, parental abuse, and teen violence in schools, Rage is an almost overwhelming exercise in hopelessness and, well, rage, and the heavy-handed and immature writing doesn't help matters much. Its pitch-black ending, reminiscent of William Golding's The Lord of The Flies, is one of King's most pessimistic and grim. 

The Long Walk, the second novel published under the Bachman name, is, hands down, the best book in this collection, and an underrated masterpiece. Here King is at his most hypnotic and assured, taking a simple concept - in an alternate future where resources are scarce, male children between the age of 12 and 18 are encouraged to participate in The Long Walk, a contest in which one hundred boys embark on a never-ending walk, with the last one still alive getting whatever he desires for the rest of his life - and using it as an exercise in storytelling excellence. Although the dialogue is occasionally stilted, and the cast of teens sometimes act and talk a lot older than their age, this is a near-perfect novel; atmospheric, highly readable, and thought-provoking, with an ending that is nothing short of haunting.

Roadwork, considered by many, and at one time by King himself, to be the weakest Bachman book, is a touching, somber tale about a middle-aged man coming undone. Unable to deal with his young son's death, his failing marriage, and his house being torn down to make way for a new road, he starts down a path that ultimately leads to his destruction.

Roadwork is basically a psychological drama about one man's inability to let go, and the consequences of that failure. This is a loosely plotted tale, with enough incident and believable characters to make it enjoyable. But even though it remains compelling till the end, it's a predictable, straightforward story, and one which hasn't aged as well as other King books.

The Running Man, the fourth book to be published under the Bachman name, is arguably the worst of the Bachman Books. A superficial, slow-going tale of a dystopia where the poor are enlisted to participate in televised game shows that always end in death, The Running Man suffers from some of King's weakest, most heavy-handed writing, and an unlikable protagonist. Its saving grace is its brevity. It was very loosely adapted as a feature film in 1987, starring Arnold Schwarzeneger.

Taken together, The Bachman Books are a revealing look at Stephen King before he became a phenomenon. This is Stephen King at his rawest. It is also surprising how political these novels are, with every one of them dripping with working-class rage and bitterness, where every authority figure is a nasty villain, and every rich person is either corrupt or willfully unaware of the plight of the poor. King seemed to show more maturity and restraint as he grew older and more successful, but here, in this phase of his life, the rage, for better or worse, was palpable, and because of it, the writing was leaner, sparer.

Highly recommended for fans of King, or for readers who think King is nothing but a horror writer. Writing as Richard Bachman, King may not have sold as many books, but he sure as hell proved he could write anything he wanted, and write it well.

© Ahmed Khalifa. 2019.

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