“In the Land of the Blind” won the 10th Annual Chiaroscuro Short Story Contest and was published in ChiZine in 2004. It was reprinted six years later in The Best New Zombies Tales, vol. 1, edited by James Roy Daley. Most importantly, the story was the inspiration for my zombie novel The Dishonored Dead. The story is available as an e-book for 99 cents, as seen on the sidebar, but I am presenting it here free for those interested. If you read it and enjoy it, please consider checking out The Dishonored Dead. Here’s what the novel is about:
In a not-so-distant future, the world has devolved and most of the population has become the animated dead. Those few that are living are called zombies. They are feared and must be hunted down and destroyed.
Conrad is one of the animated dead. A devoted husband, a loving father, he is the best zombie Hunter in the world. But when he hesitates one night in killing a living adult, his job is put in jeopardy. Instead of being outright dismissed, he is transferred to a program so secretive even the Government would deny its existence — and where Conrad soon learns a startling truth about how his own son might be in danger of becoming a zombie.
As living extremists become more emboldened and blow up a Hunter Headquarters, as a power-hungry Hunter becomes more enraged and will stop at nothing to gain absolute power, Conrad begins to question not just his profession, but his own existence. And before he knows it he is on a journey of self-discovery, remembering a past he was forced to forget, and soon finding himself not only a hunted man, but a man who must now save both his son and the entire world.
The Dishonored Dead is a 100,000-word zombie thriller that includes the 3,000-word short story “In the Land of the Blind,” which won 10th Annual Chiaroscuro Short Story Contest and was the inspiration for the novel.
Praise for The Dishonored Dead:
“The Dishonored Dead is one of the most original and gripping zombie novels I have ever read, offering a glimpse into the life of a zombie in a world turned backwards, where zombies live and humans are feared. Highly recommended!”
— Jeremy Robinson, author of Instinct and Threshold
“One of the most unique zombie novels I’ve ever read … a must-read.”
“A definite page turner with lots of action, tension and suspense.”
Begin reading “In the Land of the Blind” now …
