Outpost by Adam Baker

Outpost - Adam Baker's 2011 debut novel is a bitterly and chillingly bleak tale of isolation and desperation set on a derelict refinery platform in the Arctic Ocean.


They took to job to escape the World. They didn't expect the World to end.

Hope is dashed in one of the most inhospitable places on earth time and time again. Just when you think things can't get any worse another bombshell is dropped. The crew battles the environment, starvation, despair and something far more sinister as the world around them falls apart and they are left to fend for themselves through the long, dark Arctic winter.

The book's prose, punctuated with bold staccato exposition, pulls you through the tale at breakneck pace. The tale plays out like a classic 80's sci-fi action-horror with justified comparisons to The Thing, Alien and The Abyss.

Outpost is an edge of your seat tale about survival in the face of overwhelming odds but it is also about finding yourself and facing your demons.

It is a zombie novel, but not a typical zombie novel. City streets, military bases and farmhouses are replaced with the harsh chill of the Arctic and the science fiction undertones keep it fresh and engaging.

Outpost is easy to read and it is clear to see why Mr Baker has caught the attention of the mainstream. Outpost is a book that your auntie or uncle might read on holiday, you don't need pre-conceived notions about zombies or science fiction to tear through it like a pack of hungry ghouls and the characters are sympathetic, believable and engaging.

Turn down the lights and be sure to wrap up warm.

Outpost is published by Hodder & Stoughton.

Adam Baker's highly anticipated second novel Juggernaut is scheduled for release in February 2012.

Juggernaut. Released in Feb 2012

Zombie Gaming and Entertainment

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Zombie Science 1Z - Live Lecture

"Zombies" they say, "...why that's just not possible."

If I had a pound for every time someone had said that, I'd have... well, a field trip to Poundland that's for sure.

For many who take an interest in the undead rising from the grave to feast upon us, topics such as:

What causes zombieism?
Should zombies walk, or run?
Wouldn't zombies simply rot away? or
What is the best way to kill a zombie?

...have been the fuel of many an armchair debating society's discourse.

If only we had science to back up what we know, from instinct, to be true. If only.

Zombie Science 1Z is the answer to our prayers. At last, an established scientist, with a white lab-coat and pens in his pocket no less, is willing to put his head above the scientific community's parapet and stand firm in the face of the inevitable horde.

Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Zombie Science 1Z.

Zombie Science 1Z is a lecture format show, complete with course notes, that educates and entertains. Split into three modules: The Zombiesm Condition, The Cause of Zombieism and Preventing and Curing Zombiesm. Doctor Austin, Theoretical Zombiologist of the Zombie Institute of Theoretical Studies (ZITS) uses real-world examples to explore the science and the fiction of the shambling abomination we (think we) know and love. There are even online exams you can take.

The course is intense, but I hope to graduate soon.

In his mission to educate the masses, Doctor Austin takes us into the once-forbidden secret world of clipboards and bunsen burners. We caught the last night of Doctor Austin's current run of live shows at The Courtyard Theatre as part of the London Horror Festival.

Zombie Science 1Z was the perfect evening's entertainment and our journey home was sustained by a wonderfully tasty Swiss roll, although we narrowly missed out on the cauliflower (you probably had to be there!). It was a pleasure to meet Doctor Austin. A convergence of great minds... well, more like he blinded me with science whilst I grinned and then said. "Your Zombie show is EPIC!"

Doctor Austin and Zombie Ad. "and crossbows." he said.

If you missed Doctor's Austin's spectacular lectures this year do not despair, much of his life's work is contained within his book Zombie Science 1Z from Severed Press available now at Zombie Shop.

Zombie Science 1Z by Doctor Austin, available at zombieshop.co.uk

We're pretty sure he'll have something special planned for 2012. Zombie Science 1Z was a superb night out and highly recommended for all zombie enthusiasts. Visit the ZITS website and be sure to follow Doctor Austin's Zomblog for up-to-the-minute articles and information on future shows.

Please be careful out there and remember, in the words of Doctor Austin.

"You can always make new friends, but there's no cure for Zombieism."

"Knowledge... and crossbows." he said.

Now, please wash your hands.

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Get Yer Zomb On!

The Official Zombie Handbook (UK) by Sean T. Page

We've read the books, played the games and even acted out our survival simulation. But, do we really, and I mean REALLY, know what to do when a zombie attack turns this green and pleasant land into planet terror?

The Official Zombie Handbook (UK) is the Ministry of Zombies answer to this worrysome question.

Read this book and avoid becoming a cheap meat-snack for the zombies!

There is no escaping immediate comparisons with Max Brooks’ The Zombie Survival Guide. Whilst Brook’s guide is best enjoyed washed down with a beer and some pretzels, Page’s work is the perfect accompaniment to a nice cup of tea and a packet of custard creams.

Split into easy to digest sections, The Official Zombie Handbook (UK) brings the prospect of surviving an onslaught of flesh-eating undead very much into our rather British world of double-decker buses, the welfare state, cricket on the green and a distinct lack of easily obtainable firearms.

The only thing missing is a section on how to queue during the zombie apocalypse.

The Official Zombie Handbook (UK) is a must read alongside the deeds to your Victorian sea fort (so obvious I don’t know why we never thought of it).

It skirts a very fine line between meticulously researched detail laced with subtly dark humour and a paranoid survivalist mantra. Which is, in our opinion, exactly the way any guide to surviving a zombie apocalypse should be.

You can WIN a FREE copy of The Official Zombie Handbook (UK) signed by author Sean T. Page over at the Zombie Shop facebook page. Competition ends 6th November 2011.

Get Yer Zombie On!

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