The Do-it-yourself Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse, by Bud Hanzel and John Olson. Illustrations by Mark Stegbauer

I’ve only reviewed one other ‘zombie survival’ type book so I thought it was time for another. That was when John Olson contacted me. The timing was perfect on John’s side. I agreed to do a review and he sent me a PDF copy of the book. I finished reading this wonderful guide in a few sittings. I’d like to thank John and Bud for supplying me with a copy and also for giving me the opportunity to review their work..

Since this is a ‘zombie survival’ book trying to come up with a plot summary is very tricky. I will not even try to attempt it. I will, however, talk about what is mentioned in the book. Bud Hanzel and John Olson do a magnificent job describing everything a person will need to survive the zombie apocalypse. They cover locations, how to choose them, which to stay away from, why to pick this location over that one? They are very precise and give in depth thoughts about picking certain locations and avoiding others. Another thing they cover is choosing the correct tools for the job. In a zombie apocalypse most people will panic and forget that tools can be used for other unintended uses. I will try not to give away too much because this information is covered thoroughly in the book.

Ever wonder why the dead rise? Well they also cover explanations for the dead coming back to life, or “un-life”, according to their guide . There is just so much information in this short book that I cannot possibly sum everything up in this review. Instead, I will move on to my thoughts on the book.

I loved it. It’s as simple as that. The Do-it-yourself Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse is brilliantly written and very entertaining. The authors do a fantastic job bringing this information to the reader while making them chuckle. I laughed out loud a few times while reading the book. Another good thing about this book is that I got the feeling that Bud and John genuinely care for the reader's safety, even though zombies are not a real threat.

Something to look forward to is the illustrations. There are images on every page that go along with what is being mentioned in the text. Some are outrageously hilarious. The pictures with cartoon figures in real life backgrounds are my favorite. Artist Mark Stegbauer, does a magnificent job illustrating the book to perfection.

Another thing I noticed that not many authors do is how well they know firearms. They do not call magazines ‘clips’, they actually use proper firearm terms. Either they are firearm fanatics or they did some cold hard research. I also like how they used firearm images when they reference a specific gun. That really helps the readers understand what they are talking about.

The Do-it-yourself Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse is the kind of book that I can go on for hours talking about. I try to limit myself to a specific word count on reviews to stop me from doing that. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and entertaining read. I will have to give The Do-it-yourself Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse, 5 Undead Heads out of 5.

(UPDATE) The Do-it-yourself Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse is now avaliable on Amazon.com. Click on the link to the left and pre-order a copy! Bud and John do plan on being at ZomBcon and they will be signing copies of their book. If you plan to attend, please make sure you pick up a copy of this fantastic guide.