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renee_conoulty's review against another edition
5.0
Braineater Joe woke up from the big sleep, discovered he was undead, but had no idea who he was. Set in the 1930's, in an alternate reality, where sentient zombies coexist with humans Braineater Joe put on his Private Eye hat and picked up a few detective jobs, so that he could pay for alcohol to keep his brain pickled enough to keep it functioning. He continued working on the side to uncover his own story too.
Written in a hardboiled noir detective style, you can imagine Humphrey Bogart with a gaping hole in his chest, and almost hear his drawl. Actually, I pretty much did! I listened to the audiobook and Steve Rimpici was amazing! He gave each of the characters a unique voice and portrayed Stephen Kozeniewski's dry humour flawlessly. I was smiling the whole way through and actually laughed out loud a few times. Not just an LOL that you type when you think something was funny, the one where your kids come over and ask you what you were laughing at (but you can't tell them because...well....severed heads and Shakespeare may not be quite as funny to 6 year olds)
Written in a hardboiled noir detective style, you can imagine Humphrey Bogart with a gaping hole in his chest, and almost hear his drawl. Actually, I pretty much did! I listened to the audiobook and Steve Rimpici was amazing! He gave each of the characters a unique voice and portrayed Stephen Kozeniewski's dry humour flawlessly. I was smiling the whole way through and actually laughed out loud a few times. Not just an LOL that you type when you think something was funny, the one where your kids come over and ask you what you were laughing at (but you can't tell them because...well....severed heads and Shakespeare may not be quite as funny to 6 year olds)
ctorretta's review
4.0
First, JUST LOOK at that cover! So many covers do not tell the story of what is inside the pages, even though a picture is supposed to be worth 1,000 words. Yeah, right. They always fail. This one? Epic job at bringing to mind what the book is going to be about.
Think The Walking Dead meets Jim Butcher. Gritty, intense, hilarious at times but gruesome always! Being a mystery I was curious if I would truly be able to enjoy it but with this kind of lead character and his snarkiness, I could not NOT enjoy it. (yes double negative equals a positive!)
This is the second book that I’ve read of Stephen’s and I have to say, I love his work. It’s intense and there is no pulling punches with the gore that is in his stuff. He’s laying it all out there but the gore isn’t just for the sake of having gore. It matches the story very well.
Full audio review coming to Audiobook Reviewer.com
Think The Walking Dead meets Jim Butcher. Gritty, intense, hilarious at times but gruesome always! Being a mystery I was curious if I would truly be able to enjoy it but with this kind of lead character and his snarkiness, I could not NOT enjoy it. (yes double negative equals a positive!)
This is the second book that I’ve read of Stephen’s and I have to say, I love his work. It’s intense and there is no pulling punches with the gore that is in his stuff. He’s laying it all out there but the gore isn’t just for the sake of having gore. It matches the story very well.
Full audio review coming to Audiobook Reviewer.com
bjswann's review against another edition
5.0
A hilarious mixture of noir and horror.
The titular character of Braineater Jones rises up as one of the living dead with no memory of his previous life and a hankering for booze, which he needs to consume to stop himself degenerating into a brain-eating monster. He’s forced to negotiate the perils of his condition whilst trying to find the answers to some burning questions, such as – just who was he, and why was he murdered?
This is a really fun book that should please fans of horror and noir. As a narrator, Braineater Jones is hilarious, and every page is crammed with wise cracks, cheeky similes, and period slang that really makes the character and his world come alive. Of course it’s not all just funny; there’s plenty of the horrific, the grotesque, and the downright bizarre in here as well, from intelligent undead foetuses to zombie hookers who rent out their severed body parts by the hour.
If the idea of zombie noir appeals to you, you can’t really go wrong with Braineater Jones. Go get your clammy dickbeaters on this thing!
The titular character of Braineater Jones rises up as one of the living dead with no memory of his previous life and a hankering for booze, which he needs to consume to stop himself degenerating into a brain-eating monster. He’s forced to negotiate the perils of his condition whilst trying to find the answers to some burning questions, such as – just who was he, and why was he murdered?
This is a really fun book that should please fans of horror and noir. As a narrator, Braineater Jones is hilarious, and every page is crammed with wise cracks, cheeky similes, and period slang that really makes the character and his world come alive. Of course it’s not all just funny; there’s plenty of the horrific, the grotesque, and the downright bizarre in here as well, from intelligent undead foetuses to zombie hookers who rent out their severed body parts by the hour.
If the idea of zombie noir appeals to you, you can’t really go wrong with Braineater Jones. Go get your clammy dickbeaters on this thing!
neilsb's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
pelicanfreak's review against another edition
5.0
Braineater Jones
Upon first discovering this book and checking it out, one might be under the impression that it’s some sort of joke or spoof. Check it out anyway – trust me. I love this book. Off the bat, I find myself laughing at it – I do not mean in a mocking way. I mean because the author has a way of writing that is quite humorous. ‘Braineater Jones’ describes his surroundings and situation in a way that paints a very clear picture, provides humor and makes me need to read on. As I do, there are several mysteries afoot and none of them are your typical mystery novel style. This book is like nothing I’ve read before and I just want more.
While Jones is undead, there isn’t any apocalypse / zombie situation going on. People are going about their lives during a difficult time in our history- some are living and some are.. well.. unliving. Jones’s personality promptly shines through, despite the fact that he cannot remember who he is – this is a brilliantly designed character surrounded by other well designed, and funny characters.
The author was even considerate enough to include a glossary in the back to help with some of the slang from the past though I must say I didn’t find this necessary. Any phrases I hadn’t heard before were used in away that were self-explanatory meaning there was no need to be checking back & forth.
Upon first discovering this book and checking it out, one might be under the impression that it’s some sort of joke or spoof. Check it out anyway – trust me. I love this book. Off the bat, I find myself laughing at it – I do not mean in a mocking way. I mean because the author has a way of writing that is quite humorous. ‘Braineater Jones’ describes his surroundings and situation in a way that paints a very clear picture, provides humor and makes me need to read on. As I do, there are several mysteries afoot and none of them are your typical mystery novel style. This book is like nothing I’ve read before and I just want more.
While Jones is undead, there isn’t any apocalypse / zombie situation going on. People are going about their lives during a difficult time in our history- some are living and some are.. well.. unliving. Jones’s personality promptly shines through, despite the fact that he cannot remember who he is – this is a brilliantly designed character surrounded by other well designed, and funny characters.
The author was even considerate enough to include a glossary in the back to help with some of the slang from the past though I must say I didn’t find this necessary. Any phrases I hadn’t heard before were used in away that were self-explanatory meaning there was no need to be checking back & forth.
charshorrorcorner's review
4.0
Zombie Noir. That's what I'm calling it, since there's nothing else that quite fits this original novel.
Braineater wakes up dead in a pool. With me so far? He's on a mission to find out who he was, why he's dead and a number of other things. (Seriously, he has a numbered list of questions to which he's trying to find answers.) To accomplish this, he needs to keep drinking alcohol, because that's what keeps Braineaters like him fresh. Will he get the answers he seeks? You'll have to read this, (or listen to it), to find out!
I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit while listening to this on audio. The creativity of both the story and the narrator are amazing. The characters-a dude in a jar, a dude that's just a head, (HILARIOUS!), mix and match prostitutes, (you'll see), are CRAZY fun and the voices that Steve Rimpici comes up with for them are absolutely perfect.
I highly recommend the audio book of Braineater Jones. It's funny, imaginative and entertaining. What more can you ask for from Zombie Noir?
*This audio was provided free of charge as part of a Sponsored Group Listen in the Horror Aficionados group at Goodreads. Even though it was free, this is my honest review.*
Braineater wakes up dead in a pool. With me so far? He's on a mission to find out who he was, why he's dead and a number of other things. (Seriously, he has a numbered list of questions to which he's trying to find answers.) To accomplish this, he needs to keep drinking alcohol, because that's what keeps Braineaters like him fresh. Will he get the answers he seeks? You'll have to read this, (or listen to it), to find out!
I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit while listening to this on audio. The creativity of both the story and the narrator are amazing. The characters-a dude in a jar, a dude that's just a head, (HILARIOUS!), mix and match prostitutes, (you'll see), are CRAZY fun and the voices that Steve Rimpici comes up with for them are absolutely perfect.
I highly recommend the audio book of Braineater Jones. It's funny, imaginative and entertaining. What more can you ask for from Zombie Noir?
*This audio was provided free of charge as part of a Sponsored Group Listen in the Horror Aficionados group at Goodreads. Even though it was free, this is my honest review.*
lauriereadslohf's review against another edition
4.0
This review and the rest of the crap I write can be seen @ my blog Bark's Book Nonsense . Stop by and say hey.
I listened to a copy of the audiobook provided by the author for the Horror Aficionados Sponsored Group Listen. Please feel free to join us!
It’s the 1930’s and a man wakes up in a pool with a big hole in his chest and no memory of what transpired the night before. But he’s not exactly a man anymore . . .
He manages to track down more of his “kind” and learns that he needs booze to keep his brain from turning to complete mush. But booze costs money and his money is dwindling fast. He becomes known as “Braineater Jones”, PI for the dead who are still walking around. Surprisingly enough, he finds tons of work and has little time left to crack his own case. Who plugged him and why? He seems like a nice enough guy, he thinks, but he doesn’t really remember.
This book is a mashup of a noir, hard-boiled detective type of story set in a world where the dead don’t die. I’ll be honest and tell you I’m not a big fan of the noir but this story is a riot and would make a fun movie that I’d pay to watch. It is seriously funny and has some kooky ideas about body parts that actually made me laugh. I never do that. The narrator reads the story with such joy and enthusiasm that it’s infectious and his voices are hilarious.
It’s sometimes gross but a zany kind of gross. “He made a noise like a big wad of oatmeal getting sucked up a puckered anus.” If you need a laugh and like something just a little off kilter, I’m pretty certain this one will do the trick.
See more of my reviews at my blog Bark's Book Nonsense .
I listened to a copy of the audiobook provided by the author for the Horror Aficionados Sponsored Group Listen. Please feel free to join us!
It’s the 1930’s and a man wakes up in a pool with a big hole in his chest and no memory of what transpired the night before. But he’s not exactly a man anymore . . .
He manages to track down more of his “kind” and learns that he needs booze to keep his brain from turning to complete mush. But booze costs money and his money is dwindling fast. He becomes known as “Braineater Jones”, PI for the dead who are still walking around. Surprisingly enough, he finds tons of work and has little time left to crack his own case. Who plugged him and why? He seems like a nice enough guy, he thinks, but he doesn’t really remember.
This book is a mashup of a noir, hard-boiled detective type of story set in a world where the dead don’t die. I’ll be honest and tell you I’m not a big fan of the noir but this story is a riot and would make a fun movie that I’d pay to watch. It is seriously funny and has some kooky ideas about body parts that actually made me laugh. I never do that. The narrator reads the story with such joy and enthusiasm that it’s infectious and his voices are hilarious.
It’s sometimes gross but a zany kind of gross. “He made a noise like a big wad of oatmeal getting sucked up a puckered anus.” If you need a laugh and like something just a little off kilter, I’m pretty certain this one will do the trick.
See more of my reviews at my blog Bark's Book Nonsense .
triciab04's review against another edition
4.0
BRAINEATER JONES BY: STEPHEN KOZENIEWSKI
This is NOT your average zombie novel! As much as I love the standard zombie thing, I really enjoyed this story! I mean what's not to like...undead that stave off munching brains by consuming alcohol, a surly zombified private dick fumbling through piecing things together, a brothel, talking heads (seriously only a HEAD), robots, voodoo, bootleggers, Nazis and pretty much any other thing you didn't even know you wanted!
I loved the zombies! It was really different to see them still have most of their mental faculties in their undeath. They do suffer from a bout of temporary amnesia upon first waking up in their afterlife, which only adds to the suspense and fun of them trying to figure out who they are, why they're kind of alive, and what the hell to do now that they are naked in a swimming pool with a gapping hole in their chest.
It was so entertaining to see Braineater Jones (yes that is his name...that he gave to himself) throwing himself into bad situation after bad situation trying to figure things out. All the while trying to stay hopped up on enough hooch to not turn into a real braineater. Oh yeah, did I mention that there's the whole problem of alcohol being really freaking hard to come by?
I love the whole noir vibe too. Think Sin City in the 1930's, with a real undead problem. Just awesome. The lingo, the feel, the cesspool of a city, I dug it all, in a big freaking way.
I also appreciated the humor. Kozeniewski has a wry sense of humor, and it really fits perfectly in this story. There are so many other things I could say about this book, but 75% of the fun of it was being shocked by what was happening next. It was clever, funny, surprising, grisly, morbid, unique, and about 100 other awesome things.
On a side note, can someone please make this into a graphic novel, cause that would be some next level stuff! And yes....please judge this book by it's cover, because it's equally as badass inside.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This is NOT your average zombie novel! As much as I love the standard zombie thing, I really enjoyed this story! I mean what's not to like...undead that stave off munching brains by consuming alcohol, a surly zombified private dick fumbling through piecing things together, a brothel, talking heads (seriously only a HEAD), robots, voodoo, bootleggers, Nazis and pretty much any other thing you didn't even know you wanted!
I loved the zombies! It was really different to see them still have most of their mental faculties in their undeath. They do suffer from a bout of temporary amnesia upon first waking up in their afterlife, which only adds to the suspense and fun of them trying to figure out who they are, why they're kind of alive, and what the hell to do now that they are naked in a swimming pool with a gapping hole in their chest.
It was so entertaining to see Braineater Jones (yes that is his name...that he gave to himself) throwing himself into bad situation after bad situation trying to figure things out. All the while trying to stay hopped up on enough hooch to not turn into a real braineater. Oh yeah, did I mention that there's the whole problem of alcohol being really freaking hard to come by?
I love the whole noir vibe too. Think Sin City in the 1930's, with a real undead problem. Just awesome. The lingo, the feel, the cesspool of a city, I dug it all, in a big freaking way.
I also appreciated the humor. Kozeniewski has a wry sense of humor, and it really fits perfectly in this story. There are so many other things I could say about this book, but 75% of the fun of it was being shocked by what was happening next. It was clever, funny, surprising, grisly, morbid, unique, and about 100 other awesome things.
On a side note, can someone please make this into a graphic novel, cause that would be some next level stuff! And yes....please judge this book by it's cover, because it's equally as badass inside.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
ctgt's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of the audio version.
Initially when the HA group was offering copies from the author I didn't add my name because, frankly, even though I'm a big fan of noir I'm pretty much done with zombies. But when the author made additional copies available I figured I would give it a try. Surprisingly it was the zombie aspects that made this interesting, the noir angle has twists but was really pretty standard fare. I liked that the author set the story during prohibition and then made alcohol a critical part of zombie survival. But my favorite part was the mix and match body parts and I loved when Jones ends up with a zombie head for a partner(he even duct tapes it to his shoulder for a time). For the most part, the narrator does a really good job with the voices although a couple voices sounded too cartoonish for my tastes.
A pretty good story and if the author builds on the zombie aspects I would read another book in the world.
6/10
Initially when the HA group was offering copies from the author I didn't add my name because, frankly, even though I'm a big fan of noir I'm pretty much done with zombies. But when the author made additional copies available I figured I would give it a try. Surprisingly it was the zombie aspects that made this interesting, the noir angle has twists but was really pretty standard fare. I liked that the author set the story during prohibition and then made alcohol a critical part of zombie survival. But my favorite part was the mix and match body parts and I loved when Jones ends up with a zombie head for a partner(he even duct tapes it to his shoulder for a time). For the most part, the narrator does a really good job with the voices although a couple voices sounded too cartoonish for my tastes.
A pretty good story and if the author builds on the zombie aspects I would read another book in the world.
6/10