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Hungry For You
*Print-only exclusives! This version contains three extra stories not included in the ebook edition.*
"There is no greater drug than relationships; there is no sweeter death than love."
Love is horrible. It’s ruthless, messy, mind-altering, and raw. It takes no prisoners. It chews you up and spits you out and leaves you for dead. Love is, you could say, very much like a zombie.
In this haunting short story collection, anything is possible—a dying musician turns to tea for inspiration; a police sergeant struggles with a very unusual victim; a young wife is trapped in a house hiding unimaginable evil….
With "Hungry For You", A.M. Harte explores the disturbing and delightful in an anthology that unearths the thin boundary between love and death.
"There is no greater drug than relationships; there is no sweeter death than love."
Love is horrible. It’s ruthless, messy, mind-altering, and raw. It takes no prisoners. It chews you up and spits you out and leaves you for dead. Love is, you could say, very much like a zombie.
In this haunting short story collection, anything is possible—a dying musician turns to tea for inspiration; a police sergeant struggles with a very unusual victim; a young wife is trapped in a house hiding unimaginable evil….
With "Hungry For You", A.M. Harte explores the disturbing and delightful in an anthology that unearths the thin boundary between love and death.
122 pages, Paperback
First published January 29, 2011
3 people are currently reading
596 people want to read
About the author
A.M. Harte
12 books97 followersA.M. Harte is a London-based speculative fiction enthusiast and chocolate addict whose work includes the dark fantasy novel Above Ground and the zombie love collection Hungry For You. She is excellent at missing deadlines, has long forgotten what 'free time' means, and enjoys procrastinating.
[All my star ratings are reflective of personal opinion/enjoyment. 1 star = I read it all but wasn't a fan, 2 stars = it was okay, 3 stars = I liked it, 4+ stars = I ignored people to finish reading this.]
[All my star ratings are reflective of personal opinion/enjoyment. 1 star = I read it all but wasn't a fan, 2 stars = it was okay, 3 stars = I liked it, 4+ stars = I ignored people to finish reading this.]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
April 9, 2022
Hungry For You is a collection of short stories filled different takes on zombies. Some more grotesque than others. A.M. Harte really shows a creative mind in exploring the many facets of how zombies act.
Knowing the author, I loved exploring her ideas and laughed at some of the stories, despite them being disgusting 😂 It was nice reading this book and I still got some of the stories on my mind, here a few months later after finishing it.
Knowing the author, I loved exploring her ideas and laughed at some of the stories, despite them being disgusting 😂 It was nice reading this book and I still got some of the stories on my mind, here a few months later after finishing it.
March 1, 2011
Original post at One More Page
When we say the word "zombies", the first thought is always about a virus that makes dead people...well, undead. It could be just a fluke, or a scientific experiment gone wrong, but either way, the virus spreads and everyone gets infected save for a few lucky (or unlucky ones, depending on where they get stuck) who try to live and survive amongst their undead companions.
That is almost usually the common thread for zombie novels which can get really tiring if you read about it over and over again. Every once in a while, though, we get some deviants to the norm, where zombification comes from the most ridiculous sources and yet it's still believable (case in point: Zombicorns by John Green). I like reading these story lines because really, how many times will I read about a virus that makes people want to eat other people while they rot and shuffle and mumble, "Brains"?
British author A.M. Harte is one of those who takes the zombie folklore and spins it around to give us a different taste of zombies (pun intended). When she emailed me about sending me a review copy of her anthology, Hungry For You , I was kind of hesitant to agree because it sounded so paranormal romance, and I tend to stay away from those books nowadays. However, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I decided to go for this, thinking that I would need to read a paranormal every now and then.
Surprisingly, I liked Hungry For You. I was thinking it would be another so-so read because of the paranormal romance angle, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is a collection of short stories about love and well, zombies. But like I said, the author spins the zombie folklore around, focusing on different aspects of romance and zombies, giving the creatures we all love to read and talk about and kill with pea-shooters and sunflowers a different approach altogether. Some of the stories may not even really count as a zombie story if you're a purist, but the characters acted so much like zombies that you'd really think they were infected.
I was constantly surprised by the stories in this collection, and sometimes even slightly grossed out but that's just me being squeamish (I still wonder why I like zombies so much when I feel squeamish easily). The stories were creative, funny, romantic and sad -- just like what I think romance novels are. The paranormal angle isn't really overwhelming, which I really appreciated, and I think other people who are tired of the usual paranormal will be pleased about that too. (Oh, but hey, they say zombies aren't paranormal but more science fiction -- thoughts?)
Personal favorites: Hungry For You, Swimming Lessons, A Prayer to Garlic ("vegetarian" zombies!), The Perfect Song (almost similar to Zombicorns in terms of how people become zombies, but sadder) and Arkady, Kain and Zombies (sweet and tragic all at the same time). I think there is something for everyone in A.M. Harte's Hungry For You. I like it when a book surprises me. :) I'm curious to what A.M. Harte will come up with next. :)
When we say the word "zombies", the first thought is always about a virus that makes dead people...well, undead. It could be just a fluke, or a scientific experiment gone wrong, but either way, the virus spreads and everyone gets infected save for a few lucky (or unlucky ones, depending on where they get stuck) who try to live and survive amongst their undead companions.
That is almost usually the common thread for zombie novels which can get really tiring if you read about it over and over again. Every once in a while, though, we get some deviants to the norm, where zombification comes from the most ridiculous sources and yet it's still believable (case in point: Zombicorns by John Green). I like reading these story lines because really, how many times will I read about a virus that makes people want to eat other people while they rot and shuffle and mumble, "Brains"?
British author A.M. Harte is one of those who takes the zombie folklore and spins it around to give us a different taste of zombies (pun intended). When she emailed me about sending me a review copy of her anthology, Hungry For You , I was kind of hesitant to agree because it sounded so paranormal romance, and I tend to stay away from those books nowadays. However, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I decided to go for this, thinking that I would need to read a paranormal every now and then.
Surprisingly, I liked Hungry For You. I was thinking it would be another so-so read because of the paranormal romance angle, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is a collection of short stories about love and well, zombies. But like I said, the author spins the zombie folklore around, focusing on different aspects of romance and zombies, giving the creatures we all love to read and talk about and kill with pea-shooters and sunflowers a different approach altogether. Some of the stories may not even really count as a zombie story if you're a purist, but the characters acted so much like zombies that you'd really think they were infected.
I was constantly surprised by the stories in this collection, and sometimes even slightly grossed out but that's just me being squeamish (I still wonder why I like zombies so much when I feel squeamish easily). The stories were creative, funny, romantic and sad -- just like what I think romance novels are. The paranormal angle isn't really overwhelming, which I really appreciated, and I think other people who are tired of the usual paranormal will be pleased about that too. (Oh, but hey, they say zombies aren't paranormal but more science fiction -- thoughts?)
Personal favorites: Hungry For You, Swimming Lessons, A Prayer to Garlic ("vegetarian" zombies!), The Perfect Song (almost similar to Zombicorns in terms of how people become zombies, but sadder) and Arkady, Kain and Zombies (sweet and tragic all at the same time). I think there is something for everyone in A.M. Harte's Hungry For You. I like it when a book surprises me. :) I'm curious to what A.M. Harte will come up with next. :)
February 11, 2011
There is a lot to like in this collection. It’s a nice length, each story can be devoured quickly, and then mulled over, she re-imagines zombies in many different ways, some of which I can’t say I’ve ever seen before. Which is saying something. Zombies have been done to death (‘scuse the pun), rehashed in so many ways, but often using the same old bits and bobs. You know – meteors, folks rising from the dead, brain eating, that kind of thing. I love that it explores some new angles, and blends two things you might not think to bring together as the focus point for a collection: love and zombies.
I actually wish I had this in paperback – and that’s the first time I’ve had that thought since my Kindle arrived. I think perhaps collections such as this are more fun in paper book form though, because you can easily flick through, jump from story to story, read it in any way you want to. I am still a newbie Kindle user, but it seems easiest just to read from start to finish on the thing, and not so easy to flick through a text.
This is a book I would like to flick through. I’d have an easier time picking my favourites if I could. There are a couple in there that really tickled my fancy, and when I figure out which ones they are (I’ll be reading it again, I have no doubt!), I’ll make sure I come back and post them. I think for now it’s enough to say that there are some really fantastic stories in there, and the ones that aren’t as fantastic are still good stories. A really entertaining read. I gave it 4/5 stars.
I actually wish I had this in paperback – and that’s the first time I’ve had that thought since my Kindle arrived. I think perhaps collections such as this are more fun in paper book form though, because you can easily flick through, jump from story to story, read it in any way you want to. I am still a newbie Kindle user, but it seems easiest just to read from start to finish on the thing, and not so easy to flick through a text.
This is a book I would like to flick through. I’d have an easier time picking my favourites if I could. There are a couple in there that really tickled my fancy, and when I figure out which ones they are (I’ll be reading it again, I have no doubt!), I’ll make sure I come back and post them. I think for now it’s enough to say that there are some really fantastic stories in there, and the ones that aren’t as fantastic are still good stories. A really entertaining read. I gave it 4/5 stars.
February 28, 2012
I liked the different takes on Zombie-ism we had going on here. Each story was a snippet but it gave you enough info to get a feel for the different types of zombies that A.M. Harte has created - from the traditional flesh eaters to the zombies that gorge themselves on sex and sin to the couple that don't eat human flesh but instead prefer a more animal-centric diet.
While I definitely enjoyed the stories as a whole, I would personally love to read something longer set in the Hungry For You world (err... that's the name of one of the stories, not just the book, by the way). I was intrigued by the idea of zombies feeding off of sex and managing to retain some of their higher brain functions if they gorged themselves. Plus, I kinda like the love angle that was going on. So, yeah. I'm saying that my favorite story is the one that talks about zombie boners.
There's something wrong with me, isn't there?
Overall, this was a fun and imaginative take on the idea of the walking dead. There are several gems that stand out (zombie boners do it for me... OMG! That's going to be my new slogan!) and several that are just flat out wickedly fun. Zombie lovers, give it a try!
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
While I definitely enjoyed the stories as a whole, I would personally love to read something longer set in the Hungry For You world (err... that's the name of one of the stories, not just the book, by the way). I was intrigued by the idea of zombies feeding off of sex and managing to retain some of their higher brain functions if they gorged themselves. Plus, I kinda like the love angle that was going on. So, yeah. I'm saying that my favorite story is the one that talks about zombie boners.
There's something wrong with me, isn't there?
Overall, this was a fun and imaginative take on the idea of the walking dead. There are several gems that stand out (zombie boners do it for me... OMG! That's going to be my new slogan!) and several that are just flat out wickedly fun. Zombie lovers, give it a try!
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
February 28, 2011
Anyone that has read any of my reviews knows that I have a special place in my heart for zombie stories. I don't know why. I do know that should the Zombie Apocalypse ever come into fruition, know that I will be prepared. Chances of survival would be high. Unless they're fast and smart zombies. In that case, I haven't yet figured out what to do.
Anywho! After seeing the awesome price of this short story collection (and that it was written by a good blog buddy AND that it had zombies) I immediately bought it. How can I resist a bunch of different zombie stories? Zombies romance? The chance to pick up more survival skills is also hard to resist.
All in all, I really did enjoy the collection. In fact, I liked it much better than I thought I would. Some of the stories I really liked, some were creepy, and some were just plain weird. As promised, all of the stories are pretty short. If you don't like one, keep reading, I'm pretty sure you'll love another one.
Some of the ones I enjoyed were Promises, Hungry for You, Electricity, and Swimming Lessons. I thought Promises was pretty cute! Yes, a zombie story that was pretty cute. This might sound creepy, but Hungry for You was one of my favorite stories. According to her site, "a police sergeant struggles with a very unusual victim..." It was creepy and really different from other zombie stories you've read. No, I'm serious, it was really different. I liked it because the ending is creepy! And I like creepy! Swimming Lessons was short and creepy. One of those "are you kidding me!?" scenarios.
I didn't really get A Prayer for Garlic, but I've seen other reviews and a lot of people liked it. Clearly it is just me! Dead Man's Rose was weird the whole way through and it really creeped me out. The Cure was one that I had to reread to get it. Once I did, I liked it.
I didn't like Seven Birds because this one was probably the weirdest of the weird. I did like end though. You go girl! The Perfect Song was different and creepy but not one that I particularly liked. Probably one of my least favorites of the collection.
I still don't get Alive :(
Arkady, Kain & Zombies was unexpectedly sweet. Seriously, one of my kindle notes is: awwwwwwwwww. Electricity was another story that I liked. And I liked how the text was creatively placed.
I liked that the stories had a sweet mix of weird and creepy! And at times, cute. Yeah, I know. That's the same thing I was thinking! Cute, in a zombie book. She does a good job at writing them, what can I say?
Really, some of the stories just had me craving more. I loved this short story collection because it's just so different from any zombie stories I've ever read. I'm looking forward to a Volume 2 if she ever decides to come out with one!
List of Stories (because I couldn't find it anywhere):
A Love to Die For
Promises
Hungry for You
Swimming Lessons
A Prayer to Garlic
Dead Man's Rose
The Cure
Seven Birds
The Perfect Song
Alive
Arkady, Kain, & Zombies
Electricity
Anywho! After seeing the awesome price of this short story collection (and that it was written by a good blog buddy AND that it had zombies) I immediately bought it. How can I resist a bunch of different zombie stories? Zombies romance? The chance to pick up more survival skills is also hard to resist.
All in all, I really did enjoy the collection. In fact, I liked it much better than I thought I would. Some of the stories I really liked, some were creepy, and some were just plain weird. As promised, all of the stories are pretty short. If you don't like one, keep reading, I'm pretty sure you'll love another one.
Some of the ones I enjoyed were Promises, Hungry for You, Electricity, and Swimming Lessons. I thought Promises was pretty cute! Yes, a zombie story that was pretty cute. This might sound creepy, but Hungry for You was one of my favorite stories. According to her site, "a police sergeant struggles with a very unusual victim..." It was creepy and really different from other zombie stories you've read. No, I'm serious, it was really different. I liked it because the ending is creepy! And I like creepy! Swimming Lessons was short and creepy. One of those "are you kidding me!?" scenarios.
I didn't really get A Prayer for Garlic, but I've seen other reviews and a lot of people liked it. Clearly it is just me! Dead Man's Rose was weird the whole way through and it really creeped me out. The Cure was one that I had to reread to get it. Once I did, I liked it.
I didn't like Seven Birds because this one was probably the weirdest of the weird. I did like end though. You go girl! The Perfect Song was different and creepy but not one that I particularly liked. Probably one of my least favorites of the collection.
I still don't get Alive :(
Arkady, Kain & Zombies was unexpectedly sweet. Seriously, one of my kindle notes is: awwwwwwwwww. Electricity was another story that I liked. And I liked how the text was creatively placed.
I liked that the stories had a sweet mix of weird and creepy! And at times, cute. Yeah, I know. That's the same thing I was thinking! Cute, in a zombie book. She does a good job at writing them, what can I say?
Really, some of the stories just had me craving more. I loved this short story collection because it's just so different from any zombie stories I've ever read. I'm looking forward to a Volume 2 if she ever decides to come out with one!
List of Stories (because I couldn't find it anywhere):
A Love to Die For
Promises
Hungry for You
Swimming Lessons
A Prayer to Garlic
Dead Man's Rose
The Cure
Seven Birds
The Perfect Song
Alive
Arkady, Kain, & Zombies
Electricity
May 23, 2011
Hungry For You is a collection of short stories by A.M. Harte. The common thread that holds all of these stories together is love. This love is the warped, dark love that walks the line between life and death. I think A.M Harte said it best when she says, "Love is, you could say, very much like a zombie."
The stories that Ms. Harte has created takes a new approach on zombie love. What if being a zombie was common and couples not only had to deal with every day situations but had the added stress of decomposition to worry about? A perfect, and somewhat humorous, example is A Prayer to Garlic. Told from the wife's point of view, A Prayer to Garlic tells the story of what concerns a wife, who happens to be a zombie, has when her mother-in-law is coming over for dinner. But this isn't your average zombie couple. Mog and his wife happen to prefer pork over human meat which goes against everything the zombie mother-in-law stands for. Let's hope the garlic will disguise the pork and the mother-in-law won't notice the difference.
In The Perfect Song, Ms. Harte reminds me that there may be more than one way to become a zombie and affirms my decision to not drink tea at the same time. When a batch of contaminated tea is released as an herbal alternative to anti-depressants, Michael decides to give it a try in order to take his mind off of his current situation. Michael just wants to make Valerie proud of his music and in turn, proud of him. But how does a zombie stay focused when he is determined to get his next fix?
And last but not least, the story in which this collection is named after, Hungry For You. This story takes a much different approach than the rest of its companions. Ms. Harte shows us that there is more than one way to skin a rat...or in this case, more than one way to feed a zombie. In Hungry For You, zombies do not crave flesh, but rather crave sins of the flesh. It pays to have a pretty face as only the elite survive in this tale.
I strongly suggest everyone who enjoys zombies, love stories or even just twisted tales to read Hungry For You. It's a guarantee that you will love most, if not all, of these stories.
The stories that Ms. Harte has created takes a new approach on zombie love. What if being a zombie was common and couples not only had to deal with every day situations but had the added stress of decomposition to worry about? A perfect, and somewhat humorous, example is A Prayer to Garlic. Told from the wife's point of view, A Prayer to Garlic tells the story of what concerns a wife, who happens to be a zombie, has when her mother-in-law is coming over for dinner. But this isn't your average zombie couple. Mog and his wife happen to prefer pork over human meat which goes against everything the zombie mother-in-law stands for. Let's hope the garlic will disguise the pork and the mother-in-law won't notice the difference.
In The Perfect Song, Ms. Harte reminds me that there may be more than one way to become a zombie and affirms my decision to not drink tea at the same time. When a batch of contaminated tea is released as an herbal alternative to anti-depressants, Michael decides to give it a try in order to take his mind off of his current situation. Michael just wants to make Valerie proud of his music and in turn, proud of him. But how does a zombie stay focused when he is determined to get his next fix?
And last but not least, the story in which this collection is named after, Hungry For You. This story takes a much different approach than the rest of its companions. Ms. Harte shows us that there is more than one way to skin a rat...or in this case, more than one way to feed a zombie. In Hungry For You, zombies do not crave flesh, but rather crave sins of the flesh. It pays to have a pretty face as only the elite survive in this tale.
I strongly suggest everyone who enjoys zombies, love stories or even just twisted tales to read Hungry For You. It's a guarantee that you will love most, if not all, of these stories.
May 12, 2011
I have to say that stories about zombies have never been high on my list of things to read. It’s not that I’m against them, it’s just that I’ve never been interested enough to pick up anything that contains Zombies. I am aware, however, that this sub-genre has a HUGE fanbase, so when A.M. Harte contacted me to ask me whether I’d like to review the book, I figured it was time I finally made my first foray into their world.
As it’s a collection of short stories, I guess it served as a great introduction to the world of zombies. As I said above, I don’t have anything to compare this too, but looking at other reviews, it would seem that Harte plays around with the genre and injects new life into zombies (no pun intended!). Whilst I can’t corroborate that, what I can say is that whatever she does, she’s damn good at it. I loved all of the stories in this collection and I could easily have read more. Hell, some of the stories left me dying to know more and many of them could serve as great bases for novels. I guess this isn’t a great thing in a short story collection, but it didn’t bother me too much.
The writing is creative, the plots imaginative and the twists generally unexpected. I liked that some of the twists also made me think about the preceding story in a new light. The feeling throughout this book is pretty much always creepy and it definitely had me feeling uneasy. But it kept me hooked. It had me freaked out in a good way.
I would say my favourite story is the story that gives the collection it’s title, Hungry For You, but as I said, for me there weren’t any duds in this collection.
I look forward to reading more from A.M. Harte
As it’s a collection of short stories, I guess it served as a great introduction to the world of zombies. As I said above, I don’t have anything to compare this too, but looking at other reviews, it would seem that Harte plays around with the genre and injects new life into zombies (no pun intended!). Whilst I can’t corroborate that, what I can say is that whatever she does, she’s damn good at it. I loved all of the stories in this collection and I could easily have read more. Hell, some of the stories left me dying to know more and many of them could serve as great bases for novels. I guess this isn’t a great thing in a short story collection, but it didn’t bother me too much.
The writing is creative, the plots imaginative and the twists generally unexpected. I liked that some of the twists also made me think about the preceding story in a new light. The feeling throughout this book is pretty much always creepy and it definitely had me feeling uneasy. But it kept me hooked. It had me freaked out in a good way.
I would say my favourite story is the story that gives the collection it’s title, Hungry For You, but as I said, for me there weren’t any duds in this collection.
I look forward to reading more from A.M. Harte
April 3, 2013
Reseña cortesía de TIL|The Itzel Library
4.5/5
El amor, dulce traicionero, ni los zombies se escapan de sus garras. Tanto es así que Anna ha tenido a bien abrirnos los ojos y llevarnos a un mundo totalmente distinto donde aquellos seres malvados cuyo único objetivo en la no-vida era comerse los cerebros de humanos despistados, y trasformarlos en algo digno de ver, de leer y de disfrutar.
Primero quiero decir que el poema de Gabriel Gadfly es absolutamente hermoso y da una luz extraordinaria sobre el contenido de Hungry For You, no hay mejor comienzo que ése -it's my heart that beats for you.
Si bien las antologías no son de mi completo agrado, por aquello de quedarme con la duda de lo que hay después del fin de cada relato, he disfrutado mucho Hungry For You por un sinfín de razones. Creo que la autora supo mezclar el terror, con buenas dosis de humor negro, y sobre todo, supo darle a cada zombie un lado muy humano.
Cuando veía algo sobre zombies y me pasó al leer Paciente Cero de Maberry, los veía como criaturas horribles y sin corazón, totalmente desprovistas de deseos (salvo de comer) y de sentimientos. Mientras leía Hungry For You, en cambio, me sentía conmovida por sus personajes.
Uno de los relatos que adoré completamente y del cual sería totalmente feliz si sólo hubiera un "después", es precisamente Hungry For You, el mismo que le da el nombre al libro. John y Retta son los personajes mas lindos y carismaticos de todo el libro, ambas historias me conmovieron. Tenemos un policía que no puede verse ajena a una violación zombie, totalmente dulce.
Dead Man's Rose es otro relato muy bien hecho, donde una mujer sufre los efectos de vivir con un marido abusivo. Swimming Lessons, Arkady, Kain & Zombies y Dating the Undead fueron de los mejores. The Cure, por el contrario tuve que leerlo y leerlo para intentar comprender lo que sucedió, no puedo decir que lo haya entendido del todo.
Me ha encantado leer Hungry For You y si alguien tiene la posibilidad de leerlo, sé que no se van a arrepentir, una nueva visión de los zombies y una muy buena metáfora del mundo humano, simplemente maravilloso.
++++
Love, sweet treacherous, not even the zombies escape from their claws. So much so that Anna has seen fit to open our eyes and lead to a completely different world where those evil beings whose sole purpose in non-life was eating the brains of humans clueless and transform them into something worth seeing, read and enjoy.
First I want to say that the poem by Gabriel Gadfly is absolutely beautiful and gives an extraordinary light on the content of Hungry For You, there is no better start than that -it's my heart that beats for you.
While anthologies are not to my complete satisfaction, for that to stay with the question of what lies beyond the end of each story, I really enjoyed Hungry For You by a myriad of reasons. I think she knew to mix the horror with a good dose of black humor and, above all, knew to give each zombie a very human side.
When I saw something about zombies and even when I read Patient Zero by Maberry, saw them as hideous and heartless creatures, totally devoid of desires (except food) and feelings. As I read Hungry For You, however, I felt moved by their characters.
One of the stories completely adored and which would be quite happy if only I had a "after" is precisely Hungry For You, it gives its name to the book. John and Retta are the most beautiful and charismatic characters of the entire book, both stories moved me. We have a police officer can not be done blind eye to a violation zombie, totally sweet.
Dead Man's Rose is another story very well done, where a woman suffering from the effects of living with an abusive husband. Swimming Lessons, Arkady, Kain & Zombies and Dating the Undead were among the best. The Cure, however I had to read it and read it to try to understand what happened, I can not say I've fully understood.
I enjoyed reading Hungry For You and if anyone has the ability to read, I know you will not regret it, a new vision of zombies and a very good metaphor for the human world, just wonderful.
*El material fue enviado por la autora a cambio de una reseña honesta. Nuestros comentarios se basan únicamente en nuestra lectura, no percibimos ningún tipo de remuneración por ellas.
4.5/5
El amor, dulce traicionero, ni los zombies se escapan de sus garras. Tanto es así que Anna ha tenido a bien abrirnos los ojos y llevarnos a un mundo totalmente distinto donde aquellos seres malvados cuyo único objetivo en la no-vida era comerse los cerebros de humanos despistados, y trasformarlos en algo digno de ver, de leer y de disfrutar.
Primero quiero decir que el poema de Gabriel Gadfly es absolutamente hermoso y da una luz extraordinaria sobre el contenido de Hungry For You, no hay mejor comienzo que ése -it's my heart that beats for you.
Si bien las antologías no son de mi completo agrado, por aquello de quedarme con la duda de lo que hay después del fin de cada relato, he disfrutado mucho Hungry For You por un sinfín de razones. Creo que la autora supo mezclar el terror, con buenas dosis de humor negro, y sobre todo, supo darle a cada zombie un lado muy humano.
Cuando veía algo sobre zombies y me pasó al leer Paciente Cero de Maberry, los veía como criaturas horribles y sin corazón, totalmente desprovistas de deseos (salvo de comer) y de sentimientos. Mientras leía Hungry For You, en cambio, me sentía conmovida por sus personajes.
Uno de los relatos que adoré completamente y del cual sería totalmente feliz si sólo hubiera un "después", es precisamente Hungry For You, el mismo que le da el nombre al libro. John y Retta son los personajes mas lindos y carismaticos de todo el libro, ambas historias me conmovieron. Tenemos un policía que no puede verse ajena a una violación zombie, totalmente dulce.
Dead Man's Rose es otro relato muy bien hecho, donde una mujer sufre los efectos de vivir con un marido abusivo. Swimming Lessons, Arkady, Kain & Zombies y Dating the Undead fueron de los mejores. The Cure, por el contrario tuve que leerlo y leerlo para intentar comprender lo que sucedió, no puedo decir que lo haya entendido del todo.
Me ha encantado leer Hungry For You y si alguien tiene la posibilidad de leerlo, sé que no se van a arrepentir, una nueva visión de los zombies y una muy buena metáfora del mundo humano, simplemente maravilloso.
++++
Love, sweet treacherous, not even the zombies escape from their claws. So much so that Anna has seen fit to open our eyes and lead to a completely different world where those evil beings whose sole purpose in non-life was eating the brains of humans clueless and transform them into something worth seeing, read and enjoy.
First I want to say that the poem by Gabriel Gadfly is absolutely beautiful and gives an extraordinary light on the content of Hungry For You, there is no better start than that -it's my heart that beats for you.
While anthologies are not to my complete satisfaction, for that to stay with the question of what lies beyond the end of each story, I really enjoyed Hungry For You by a myriad of reasons. I think she knew to mix the horror with a good dose of black humor and, above all, knew to give each zombie a very human side.
When I saw something about zombies and even when I read Patient Zero by Maberry, saw them as hideous and heartless creatures, totally devoid of desires (except food) and feelings. As I read Hungry For You, however, I felt moved by their characters.
One of the stories completely adored and which would be quite happy if only I had a "after" is precisely Hungry For You, it gives its name to the book. John and Retta are the most beautiful and charismatic characters of the entire book, both stories moved me. We have a police officer can not be done blind eye to a violation zombie, totally sweet.
Dead Man's Rose is another story very well done, where a woman suffering from the effects of living with an abusive husband. Swimming Lessons, Arkady, Kain & Zombies and Dating the Undead were among the best. The Cure, however I had to read it and read it to try to understand what happened, I can not say I've fully understood.
I enjoyed reading Hungry For You and if anyone has the ability to read, I know you will not regret it, a new vision of zombies and a very good metaphor for the human world, just wonderful.
*El material fue enviado por la autora a cambio de una reseña honesta. Nuestros comentarios se basan únicamente en nuestra lectura, no percibimos ningún tipo de remuneración por ellas.
June 4, 2011
A while back, I remember a friend joking about how there were vampire romances, werewolf romances, ghost romances, and finally after musing over the different shades of paranormal romance out there, he said, "What's next? Zombie romance?"
A.M. Harte's Hungry For You answers that question with a resounding yes. It's a collection of short zombie love stories and poems. The topics range from zombies in love, to humans in love with zombies, to humans in love with each other fighting off the zombies, to humans facing their loved ones slowly turning into zombies. If zombies and love can be worked into it, Harte's written about it.
As writing from the point of view of flow of words, elegant prose, and vivid description, these stories were quite lovely. As writing from the point of view of world building and taking an old classic trope, the zombie, and spiffing it up for the modern reader, they are very well done. In fact, my only real complaint about this book is that it's a collection of short stories and not a novel.
There are so many intriguing questions raised by this collection: How did the zombie plague start? How did it end? Why? What happened to the zombies when it was over? and on and on, all of which I would have been very happy to know more about. It's high praise to tell a writer that you wanted more, but this collection was a bit like going to a really good restaurant, getting a plate covered in little tidbits, some are plate licking good, some are just tasty, but in the end, as you're staring at that empty plate, you're still hungry.
As with any collection of short stories, some of the tales were stronger than others. The first few in particular didn't seem like complete stories to me. I kept expecting the book to go back to those characters and tell me more about what happened. But they were left in eternal literary limbo. Once past them, I lost the sense of "Huh? That's it?" and enjoyed the stories that came next immensely.
So, if you'd like to expand your paranormal romance horizons, go grab a copy. It's well worth the money and time. And, maybe, if enough of us buy Hungry For You, we'll encourage A.M. Harte to write the full story of her version of the zombie plague.
A.M. Harte's Hungry For You answers that question with a resounding yes. It's a collection of short zombie love stories and poems. The topics range from zombies in love, to humans in love with zombies, to humans in love with each other fighting off the zombies, to humans facing their loved ones slowly turning into zombies. If zombies and love can be worked into it, Harte's written about it.
As writing from the point of view of flow of words, elegant prose, and vivid description, these stories were quite lovely. As writing from the point of view of world building and taking an old classic trope, the zombie, and spiffing it up for the modern reader, they are very well done. In fact, my only real complaint about this book is that it's a collection of short stories and not a novel.
There are so many intriguing questions raised by this collection: How did the zombie plague start? How did it end? Why? What happened to the zombies when it was over? and on and on, all of which I would have been very happy to know more about. It's high praise to tell a writer that you wanted more, but this collection was a bit like going to a really good restaurant, getting a plate covered in little tidbits, some are plate licking good, some are just tasty, but in the end, as you're staring at that empty plate, you're still hungry.
As with any collection of short stories, some of the tales were stronger than others. The first few in particular didn't seem like complete stories to me. I kept expecting the book to go back to those characters and tell me more about what happened. But they were left in eternal literary limbo. Once past them, I lost the sense of "Huh? That's it?" and enjoyed the stories that came next immensely.
So, if you'd like to expand your paranormal romance horizons, go grab a copy. It's well worth the money and time. And, maybe, if enough of us buy Hungry For You, we'll encourage A.M. Harte to write the full story of her version of the zombie plague.
August 12, 2011
Okay let's get this out in the open first. I LOVE zombies. I mean it. Those undead, rotting corpses just so happen to be one of my favorite fodders for a good story. Sure, they may not have a pulse. That doesn't mean that they can't be totally fascinating! So of course when A.M. Harte approached me to review Hungry For You, I instantly accepted. Anytime I see zombies and sexy (see the trailer) in the same paragraph, I have to wonder what is inside the pages. I dived right in like a zombie eating a brain!
Rather than review each story separately or choose my favorites, which would be hard because they are all great, I'll just give you my overall opinion. I can even give it to you in four simple words. This book is awesome. Seriously! Each story is so different, but so well-written. Picking a favorite is like trying to choose an ice cream flavor on a hot day. It's just too hard. What I liked best was that even if a story was a little slow, or weird, the next one will pick you right up again. Thus is the beauty of anthologies.
Anyhow Hungry For You is a testament to why zombies are so much fun to read. At their core they are still people, and they still have a humanity to them despite their decaying state. Each story in this anthology shows a little bit into the mind of these shambling past humans. Some are about love that grows stronger, others are about love that just won't die, and still others border on that obsessive lust that we sometimes see as love. Make no mistake, these aren't your typical zombie stories! There is a message in each short story, and that is what I loved so much about reading.
If you love zombies, or even have a slight interest in them, you're likely to enjoy Hungry For You! There is so much zombie goodness, without too much of the zombie gore. Sure, you might be a bit confused at times. I'll admit I had to re-read one or two stories again to understand exactly what they were getting at, but overall it is so worth it. Again I state, it is the humanity that these stories bring to zombie kind that makes me happy. I loved it and I look forward to more!
Rather than review each story separately or choose my favorites, which would be hard because they are all great, I'll just give you my overall opinion. I can even give it to you in four simple words. This book is awesome. Seriously! Each story is so different, but so well-written. Picking a favorite is like trying to choose an ice cream flavor on a hot day. It's just too hard. What I liked best was that even if a story was a little slow, or weird, the next one will pick you right up again. Thus is the beauty of anthologies.
Anyhow Hungry For You is a testament to why zombies are so much fun to read. At their core they are still people, and they still have a humanity to them despite their decaying state. Each story in this anthology shows a little bit into the mind of these shambling past humans. Some are about love that grows stronger, others are about love that just won't die, and still others border on that obsessive lust that we sometimes see as love. Make no mistake, these aren't your typical zombie stories! There is a message in each short story, and that is what I loved so much about reading.
If you love zombies, or even have a slight interest in them, you're likely to enjoy Hungry For You! There is so much zombie goodness, without too much of the zombie gore. Sure, you might be a bit confused at times. I'll admit I had to re-read one or two stories again to understand exactly what they were getting at, but overall it is so worth it. Again I state, it is the humanity that these stories bring to zombie kind that makes me happy. I loved it and I look forward to more!
February 16, 2011
Hungry for You by A M Harte is a short fiction collection that examines the links between love, relationships and death. There are ten short tales each with their own take on these themes. My personal favourites are listed below.
Promises - An infected man watches as his girlfriend begins to turn into a zombie. In just three short pages Harte nicely sets the tone for what to expect from the other tales in the book.
Hungry for You - This story was one of the highlights of the collection for me. It reads like a police procedural but with added zombies. Some interesting ideas about how the undead are seen, and used by the living. This reads like a prologue to a larger story and I would be keen to read more.
A Prayer to Garlic - I like when an author takes an existing mythos and turns it on its head. What happens when an unfeeling creature like a zombie begins to care?
Dead Man’s Rose–A women is trapped in an abusive relationship. She finds the strength to deal with her predicament only to end up even more trapped than before. The author uses both types of entrapment as effective metaphors for one another.
The Cure - The story feels like a homage to the work of George A. Romero. I was pleased to see the inclusion of a shopping mall in the collection. What is a zombie story without an iconic location? Again Harte takes existing mythology and twists it around making something new.
The Perfect Song - A darkly comic story of music, and tea addiction. A very simple story with the bare minimum of characters set in a single location that is made all the more effective by its confines. Fancy a brew?
I really enjoyed Hungry For You. The author has taken time to play around with existing zombie and horror conventions, and this has some entertaining results. Proof again that there is some excellent short fiction currently available if you are willing to look for it.
Currently the collection is only available as an e-book but the good news is that it will have a paper release in March.
Promises - An infected man watches as his girlfriend begins to turn into a zombie. In just three short pages Harte nicely sets the tone for what to expect from the other tales in the book.
Hungry for You - This story was one of the highlights of the collection for me. It reads like a police procedural but with added zombies. Some interesting ideas about how the undead are seen, and used by the living. This reads like a prologue to a larger story and I would be keen to read more.
A Prayer to Garlic - I like when an author takes an existing mythos and turns it on its head. What happens when an unfeeling creature like a zombie begins to care?
Dead Man’s Rose–A women is trapped in an abusive relationship. She finds the strength to deal with her predicament only to end up even more trapped than before. The author uses both types of entrapment as effective metaphors for one another.
The Cure - The story feels like a homage to the work of George A. Romero. I was pleased to see the inclusion of a shopping mall in the collection. What is a zombie story without an iconic location? Again Harte takes existing mythology and twists it around making something new.
The Perfect Song - A darkly comic story of music, and tea addiction. A very simple story with the bare minimum of characters set in a single location that is made all the more effective by its confines. Fancy a brew?
I really enjoyed Hungry For You. The author has taken time to play around with existing zombie and horror conventions, and this has some entertaining results. Proof again that there is some excellent short fiction currently available if you are willing to look for it.
Currently the collection is only available as an e-book but the good news is that it will have a paper release in March.
February 13, 2011
But I don’t care darling, because I love you, and you’ve got to let me eat your brains. ~ Freddy – Night of the Living Dead
“Love is horrible. It’s ruthless, messy, mind-altering, and raw. It takes no prisoners. It chews you up and spits you out and leaves you for dead. Love is, you could say, very much like a zombie.”
In this haunting short story collection, anything is possible—tea helps a dying musician with his inspiration for an ode to his girl, a young wife is trapped in a house hiding a form of evil you would never expect, a counterspy ponders a mission that found him face to face with a deadly virus and it’s carriers and promises are kept in life and in death .
I will admit, I’m not the biggest anthology fan. Not because I don’t like short stories. Moreso, because I get so frustrated when I read an AMAZING short story that should be a full length novel…I want more. There are a couple such tales in this anthology entitled Hungry For You, by A.M. Harte. This anthology introduces you to various images of passion and love in a world that is dark and foreboding. The question remains will love or the horror prevail in the end?
A.M. Harte takes zombies and breathes a bit of new life into them. I love my zombies, but sometimes they get very tiresome and boring. Hungry for Love and the tales within gave me a bit of hope that there are authors out there willing to take some chances and make some changes to the genre. (within reason - don’t make my zombie sparkle, please!!)
“Love is horrible. It’s ruthless, messy, mind-altering, and raw. It takes no prisoners. It chews you up and spits you out and leaves you for dead. Love is, you could say, very much like a zombie.”
In this haunting short story collection, anything is possible—tea helps a dying musician with his inspiration for an ode to his girl, a young wife is trapped in a house hiding a form of evil you would never expect, a counterspy ponders a mission that found him face to face with a deadly virus and it’s carriers and promises are kept in life and in death .
I will admit, I’m not the biggest anthology fan. Not because I don’t like short stories. Moreso, because I get so frustrated when I read an AMAZING short story that should be a full length novel…I want more. There are a couple such tales in this anthology entitled Hungry For You, by A.M. Harte. This anthology introduces you to various images of passion and love in a world that is dark and foreboding. The question remains will love or the horror prevail in the end?
A.M. Harte takes zombies and breathes a bit of new life into them. I love my zombies, but sometimes they get very tiresome and boring. Hungry for Love and the tales within gave me a bit of hope that there are authors out there willing to take some chances and make some changes to the genre. (within reason - don’t make my zombie sparkle, please!!)
August 5, 2011
A collection of zombie-themed short stories and poetry with the twist that they all have to do with romantic relationships in some way, shape, or form.
In some stories Harte sticks to zombie tropes but in not all. The ones where she varies or surprises the reader in some way are definitely the stronger ones. Where she excels though, and where I would encourage her to focus future horror writings, is when she uses the zombies and zombie apocalypse as a metaphor or an instigator for something in a relationship from women's perspective. Too often, especially in zombie movies, we see the apocalypse from a man's perspective and not from a woman's.
There are a few shortcomings though. A couple of the stories simply felt too short, and a couple of them just didn't make much sense to me. I also really wish it included a table of contents. That would be super-helpful in revisiting those stories readers would like to revisit.
Overall this book is definitely worth the add to any zombie fan's collection, but particularly to female zombie fans. It's different and fun simultaneously.
Check out my full review. (Link will be live on August 8, 2011).
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
In some stories Harte sticks to zombie tropes but in not all. The ones where she varies or surprises the reader in some way are definitely the stronger ones. Where she excels though, and where I would encourage her to focus future horror writings, is when she uses the zombies and zombie apocalypse as a metaphor or an instigator for something in a relationship from women's perspective. Too often, especially in zombie movies, we see the apocalypse from a man's perspective and not from a woman's.
There are a few shortcomings though. A couple of the stories simply felt too short, and a couple of them just didn't make much sense to me. I also really wish it included a table of contents. That would be super-helpful in revisiting those stories readers would like to revisit.
Overall this book is definitely worth the add to any zombie fan's collection, but particularly to female zombie fans. It's different and fun simultaneously.
Check out my full review. (Link will be live on August 8, 2011).
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
April 25, 2011
Any book that starts with a zombie apocalypse love poem is my kind of tome. Hungry For You by A. M. Harte is a well penned, alluring collection of romance stories laced with a satirical edge of zombie madness.
The book is a gentle smorgasbord of dark horror, small portraits of life gone horribly wrong, but still clinging to some redemption. It is a glimpse of love surviving in the zombie apocalypse, and once or twice, of other tales of undead romance. As one might expect, I enjoyed some stories more than others, but they were all well-written, engaging and great fun to read.
Hungry for You has a subtle touch of dark humour, but also has a sweet undercurrent of affection and warmth. It maintains love can survive total catastrophe, that even zombies have a heart.
Hungry for You is an interesting take on your typical zombie story, and will keep you entertained, as well as occasionally queasy.
The book is a gentle smorgasbord of dark horror, small portraits of life gone horribly wrong, but still clinging to some redemption. It is a glimpse of love surviving in the zombie apocalypse, and once or twice, of other tales of undead romance. As one might expect, I enjoyed some stories more than others, but they were all well-written, engaging and great fun to read.
Hungry for You has a subtle touch of dark humour, but also has a sweet undercurrent of affection and warmth. It maintains love can survive total catastrophe, that even zombies have a heart.
Hungry for You is an interesting take on your typical zombie story, and will keep you entertained, as well as occasionally queasy.
February 12, 2011
London author, A.M. Harte, marks the beginning of many firsts for me here at Goodreads!
Hungry For You is my first Kindle book purchase. My first Zombie book. My first real interaction with another author here and I find it all to be a wonderful experience.
Now the book. I was very hesitant to read a book about a subject I'm just not interested in. I really don't care for Zombies. HOWEVER..having said that, I LOVED this book. As it is a collection of stories, I liked some more than others but there was one I just really LOVED! A.M. Harte, does a fantastic job of stirring suspense and keeping your attention. I wasn't sure how this would read on my phone, but it was a non issue the moment I began to read. I've watched movies on a smaller screen, so why not read.
I want more books by this author and I would love to see a full novel from her someday!
5 stars all the way!
Hungry For You is my first Kindle book purchase. My first Zombie book. My first real interaction with another author here and I find it all to be a wonderful experience.
Now the book. I was very hesitant to read a book about a subject I'm just not interested in. I really don't care for Zombies. HOWEVER..having said that, I LOVED this book. As it is a collection of stories, I liked some more than others but there was one I just really LOVED! A.M. Harte, does a fantastic job of stirring suspense and keeping your attention. I wasn't sure how this would read on my phone, but it was a non issue the moment I began to read. I've watched movies on a smaller screen, so why not read.
I want more books by this author and I would love to see a full novel from her someday!
5 stars all the way!
February 14, 2011
Quirky, imaginative, haunting. Full of stories that you won't forget.
March 3, 2011
This collection of short stories offer a unique take on zombie fiction. Love, unlife and death combine to make you giggle and ponder.
January 28, 2020
Unique. Definitely something I have never read before.
January 22, 2021
Funny, sexy, dark and more than anything else ridiculously enjoyable.
February 28, 2011
If you have never read A. M. Harte's work before, you are missing out on an author of exceptional talent. Though better known for her web serials, especially Above Ground and the more recent Darksight, this collection of short zombie stories expresses an excellent range of voice that can encompass even that most difficult of subjects--Our human obsession with death and hunger. With deft precision, A. M. Harte brings a tooth grinding delivery of emotional famine, the flavours drizzled hot upon her tales of woe and horror.
Sadness is not usually the first emotion one feels when thinking about zombies, nor is empathy, which is a strange omission. With selfish single-mindedness, the hero or heroine of every zombie tale strives to survive, with the zombie dead littered like so many pieces of human debris from Grand Theft Auto in their wake. In the short story 'Hungry For You', also the collection's namesake, a police sergeant is forced to deal with a horrible case of zombie abuse. Within this tale of zombie prostitution, there is a cautionary fable against the emotional disconnect that can occur between the physical want for sex and the need for a deeper understanding, whether we be living or not.
But this need is not the only part of the human zombie universe, not when the need for control takes on a hunger of its own. In 'Dead Man's Rose', a woman is haunted by her abusive husband's force of will, a hunger that feeds on itself thanks to her own inability to confront him. In this story, even the very flowers can take on a zombified hue, their black petals curled backwards, their vines full of apathetic, vengeful fury. Human dilemmas lurk beneath the surface, where guilt and fear seep into exposed cadaver cavities. Through intense characterization, we ache for the people in her tales, be they alive or dead. There are no zombies to be shot and left twitching into their uncomfortable afterlife in these tales. They are full of the grey matter that makes us human.
With 'A Prayer To Garlic' we are assured that zombies are full of the same moral questions that plague their living counterparts--though perhaps they are muted beneath the realities of life versus death, and thus become simpler problems. Problems such as whether or not someone is vegan or a meat-eater--not really a moral issue for many so much as a liberal choice. Perhaps this is the greatest appeal of many zombie novels and movies, the idea that human beings are not above a voracious food chain that could very easily put them on the menu. While our bovine friends look on with perplexed, dark brown eyes at our predicament, one has to wonder just what kind of moral high ground we justify our diets with, especially when emotions get in the way of what's for dinner.
Hunger is a perversely needy, ugly thing, especially when it can't be sated. There is a hunger that lasts with the reader long after the last page in this collection has been turned. Like the zombies in these stories, you will long for something more, something to really sink your teeth into and enjoy the heady aroma of iron and the tough sinews of red muscle. 'Hungry For You' is a good entree, but like all good meals, you will definitely long to have it again. Keep A. M. Harte's work on your delivery list, and don't be afraid to order take-out.
August 22, 2011
(Cross-posted from Frida Fantastic)
Hungry For You is a horror short story collection that explores the links between desire and decay through tales of zombie romance. The POV character is either a zombie, or someone who is attracted to one—so while readers may be experiencing zombie fatigue, A. M. Harte injects new life into the material. There isn’t just one type of zombie in this book. It takes a more general approach as it covers some people who are not traditional zombies, but exhibit the same bodily experiences of addiction and deterioration. All the characters are sympathetic individuals, no matter how many fingernails and ears fall off, and no matter what they hunger for.
I really enjoyed this collection. It’s engaging and heart-wrenching all throughout, and I finished it in one sitting. The simultaneous themes of passion and destruction are unique, resulting in some chilling prose that straddle the darkness between the two:
[“It hurts,” she moaned, clutching at her side where I’d sunk my teeth into one of the love handles she so hated. The memory made my gums tingle. I took a step closer, could feel the growing hunger, the excitement, the urgency to eat and eat before her flesh went off.]
The stories that stood out for me were the title story “Hungry for You”, and “Dead Man’s Rose”—which are respectively about a female police sergeant with an unusual zombie victim, and a young wife dealing with an abusive relationship. About the former, it takes some serious skill to write zombies as attractive beings while maintaining them as rotting corpses. It’s infinitely twisted and awesome. Although the subject matter in “Dead Man’s Rose” isn’t new (young wife has creepy husband; young wife is stuck in a house and creepy things happen), it’s written with such a touching sadness that it affected me emotionally like no similar story has.
I was hoping that the stories would add to a greater overarching theme, but they don’t. They could be read in any order and it wouldn’t affect your experience of this collection. While every word is absorbing, the stories feel more like samplers of bigger tales, so some ideas could be explored further.
Some of the characters could be fleshed out more in terms of personality and background—while they’re all in different states of rotting and non-rotting, there were some that I could only remember as hetereosexual and in their 20’s or early 30’s. Due to the similarity of subject matter and not-as-defined characters, there are a few stories that aren’t as memorable. But really, these are just my thoughts on how a great 4-star anthology could become an even better 5-star book.
Hungry For You is a captivating read. Although I felt like some of the stories could be expanded, every single one was emotionally moving, and I suspect that I’ll be re-reading several. If you’re interested in highly original zombie stories, or exploring the dark side of passion, I recommend this book. Reading the sample will give you a good idea if these stories will tug at your heartstrings. They certainly tugged mine, and I’m very interested in reading more books by this author.
Note: A free review copy was provided by the author.
Hungry For You is a horror short story collection that explores the links between desire and decay through tales of zombie romance. The POV character is either a zombie, or someone who is attracted to one—so while readers may be experiencing zombie fatigue, A. M. Harte injects new life into the material. There isn’t just one type of zombie in this book. It takes a more general approach as it covers some people who are not traditional zombies, but exhibit the same bodily experiences of addiction and deterioration. All the characters are sympathetic individuals, no matter how many fingernails and ears fall off, and no matter what they hunger for.
I really enjoyed this collection. It’s engaging and heart-wrenching all throughout, and I finished it in one sitting. The simultaneous themes of passion and destruction are unique, resulting in some chilling prose that straddle the darkness between the two:
[“It hurts,” she moaned, clutching at her side where I’d sunk my teeth into one of the love handles she so hated. The memory made my gums tingle. I took a step closer, could feel the growing hunger, the excitement, the urgency to eat and eat before her flesh went off.]
The stories that stood out for me were the title story “Hungry for You”, and “Dead Man’s Rose”—which are respectively about a female police sergeant with an unusual zombie victim, and a young wife dealing with an abusive relationship. About the former, it takes some serious skill to write zombies as attractive beings while maintaining them as rotting corpses. It’s infinitely twisted and awesome. Although the subject matter in “Dead Man’s Rose” isn’t new (young wife has creepy husband; young wife is stuck in a house and creepy things happen), it’s written with such a touching sadness that it affected me emotionally like no similar story has.
I was hoping that the stories would add to a greater overarching theme, but they don’t. They could be read in any order and it wouldn’t affect your experience of this collection. While every word is absorbing, the stories feel more like samplers of bigger tales, so some ideas could be explored further.
Some of the characters could be fleshed out more in terms of personality and background—while they’re all in different states of rotting and non-rotting, there were some that I could only remember as hetereosexual and in their 20’s or early 30’s. Due to the similarity of subject matter and not-as-defined characters, there are a few stories that aren’t as memorable. But really, these are just my thoughts on how a great 4-star anthology could become an even better 5-star book.
Hungry For You is a captivating read. Although I felt like some of the stories could be expanded, every single one was emotionally moving, and I suspect that I’ll be re-reading several. If you’re interested in highly original zombie stories, or exploring the dark side of passion, I recommend this book. Reading the sample will give you a good idea if these stories will tug at your heartstrings. They certainly tugged mine, and I’m very interested in reading more books by this author.
Note: A free review copy was provided by the author.
February 23, 2011
Short stories are such huge teases.
Having said that, this haunting collection of short stories left me with an insatiable appetite. But, um, not for human flesh, or, you know, braaaaaaaaaaaains. Nope, I’ve got a fever. And the only thing that can cure it? Is more work by A.M. Harte.
Although, if you want to throw in some cowbell, that’d be nice too.
Right. Less irreverence, more review.
Ms. Harte really took Zombies to a whole new level for me. She took the mythos, turned it on it’s head, and spun it right round. Multiple times. Threw them all in a box and then went way, way out of the box. Especially when you consider that the entire collection are little more than love stories.(She said, as if love stories are somehow small, fragile things she knows they’re not.)
Ms. Harte writes with such beautiful subtlety that I really needed to pace myself reading Hungry For You. I could not go through the stories at a dead sprint, I needed time to let the stories simmer in, to really take in the full effect of the passion that drove the majority of the stories. It was a winding experience. I loved it!
Because these were the sort of stories I’d been hoping to get when I revamped this blog under ‘Fiction with a Dark Side’. This exploration of the darker side of love, the lighter side of death, the grays and in betweens.
Usually with anthologies, I like to go through the stories one by one and tell my readers here why I liked them. I’d really like to do that now but the temptation to give something away is just two great. One of the best things about Hungry For You is the subtle, yet powerful twists. I read each slowly, with awe, trying to anticipate ‘how is she going to do it this time’, and often than not, I failed, delightedly. Too caught up in the stories.
Well, ok. I totally saw how Swimming Lesson was going to end but I’m pretty sure she just threw that one in there so we can feel smart for figuring it out.
I really enjoyed every single story (all eleven of them!)-because every single story reeked of creativity and bit of tragedy and oh-don’t act like you all don’t know I’m a hopeless romantic complete masochist.
However my Favorites were:
Hungry For You - Yep! The Antho’s name sake is a story. “A police sergeant struggles with a very unusual victim…”
A Prayer to Garlic- This one is just so delightfully quirky I can’t even think of a way to describe it without completely ruining it.
Dead Man’s Rose - “A young wife is trapped in a house hiding unimaginable evil….”
The Perfect Song-“A dying musician turns to tea for inspiration.” Were I forced to choose, I would have to pick this one as my favorite. One of the driving concepts behind it-involving tea- just tickled the heck out of me and I think any writer, aspiring or pro, could relate to the protagonist’s frustration.
This a brilliant collection that I recommend to any Zombie lovers (especially those of you that like to see new takes on the mythology, you’ll get them in spades in Hungry For You ) , those of us who like our fiction on the dark side, or for readers who love love, no matter what it does to you.
Having said that, this haunting collection of short stories left me with an insatiable appetite. But, um, not for human flesh, or, you know, braaaaaaaaaaaains. Nope, I’ve got a fever. And the only thing that can cure it? Is more work by A.M. Harte.
Although, if you want to throw in some cowbell, that’d be nice too.
Right. Less irreverence, more review.
Ms. Harte really took Zombies to a whole new level for me. She took the mythos, turned it on it’s head, and spun it right round. Multiple times. Threw them all in a box and then went way, way out of the box. Especially when you consider that the entire collection are little more than love stories.(She said, as if love stories are somehow small, fragile things she knows they’re not.)
Ms. Harte writes with such beautiful subtlety that I really needed to pace myself reading Hungry For You. I could not go through the stories at a dead sprint, I needed time to let the stories simmer in, to really take in the full effect of the passion that drove the majority of the stories. It was a winding experience. I loved it!
Because these were the sort of stories I’d been hoping to get when I revamped this blog under ‘Fiction with a Dark Side’. This exploration of the darker side of love, the lighter side of death, the grays and in betweens.
Usually with anthologies, I like to go through the stories one by one and tell my readers here why I liked them. I’d really like to do that now but the temptation to give something away is just two great. One of the best things about Hungry For You is the subtle, yet powerful twists. I read each slowly, with awe, trying to anticipate ‘how is she going to do it this time’, and often than not, I failed, delightedly. Too caught up in the stories.
Well, ok. I totally saw how Swimming Lesson was going to end but I’m pretty sure she just threw that one in there so we can feel smart for figuring it out.
I really enjoyed every single story (all eleven of them!)-because every single story reeked of creativity and bit of tragedy and oh-don’t act like you all don’t know I’m a hopeless romantic complete masochist.
However my Favorites were:
Hungry For You - Yep! The Antho’s name sake is a story. “A police sergeant struggles with a very unusual victim…”
A Prayer to Garlic- This one is just so delightfully quirky I can’t even think of a way to describe it without completely ruining it.
Dead Man’s Rose - “A young wife is trapped in a house hiding unimaginable evil….”
The Perfect Song-“A dying musician turns to tea for inspiration.” Were I forced to choose, I would have to pick this one as my favorite. One of the driving concepts behind it-involving tea- just tickled the heck out of me and I think any writer, aspiring or pro, could relate to the protagonist’s frustration.
This a brilliant collection that I recommend to any Zombie lovers (especially those of you that like to see new takes on the mythology, you’ll get them in spades in Hungry For You ) , those of us who like our fiction on the dark side, or for readers who love love, no matter what it does to you.
March 1, 2017
An entirely new take on the zombie genre with every story included here. Definitely enjoyed it although I wish a couple of the stories had been longer.
June 20, 2011
Hungry For You is a collection of short stories that explore the meaning of love, death and relationships through the re-imagining of traditional zombie lore.
While this collection definitely falls more under horror than under romance (not a lot of happy endings in sight), it's a different kind of horror. Not that there isn't gore, blood and dark alleys of doom to be found, but to me the more horrifying moments were caused by the relevations of people their motivations and emotions, and sometimes very evil deeds.
I don't know, it's hard to explain, and horror isn't my usual genre. I guess I'll stick with that the stories are scary, but with an emotional punch.
My personal favorites were Hungry For You and Dead Man's Rose, the latter was truly claustrophobic and creepy. Recommended to zombie fans who like new variations on the theme, and to fans of short stories in general. You can try it out on Goodreads for free, so nothing's stopping you :)
For full disclosure I'm adding that I'm friends with the author, but I don't think that influenced me here. I also know the poet who wrote the introduction poem, and I've actually translated that to Dutch one day. And to fully disclose myself here, I once made a video reading of that poem as well...
While this collection definitely falls more under horror than under romance (not a lot of happy endings in sight), it's a different kind of horror. Not that there isn't gore, blood and dark alleys of doom to be found, but to me the more horrifying moments were caused by the relevations of people their motivations and emotions, and sometimes very evil deeds.
I don't know, it's hard to explain, and horror isn't my usual genre. I guess I'll stick with that the stories are scary, but with an emotional punch.
My personal favorites were Hungry For You and Dead Man's Rose, the latter was truly claustrophobic and creepy. Recommended to zombie fans who like new variations on the theme, and to fans of short stories in general. You can try it out on Goodreads for free, so nothing's stopping you :)
For full disclosure I'm adding that I'm friends with the author, but I don't think that influenced me here. I also know the poet who wrote the introduction poem, and I've actually translated that to Dutch one day. And to fully disclose myself here, I once made a video reading of that poem as well...
June 9, 2011
I really enjoy zombie movies and the odd zombie game, and even though I have a soft spot for horror stories and dark fiction born from my reading background, I haven’t read many zombie books or stories in general. When I first read the description for Hungry For You I was a little wary, mainly because I’ve read my fair share of paranormal romance (enough to last me a lifetime – not a major PR fan here) and I admit I was a little concerned about love mixed in with zombies, but I was willing to give it a go with an open mind. And I also thought maybe it couldn’t be too much of a stretch to like zombie stories in print so why not start with a short story collection?
Well wasn’t I happy I decided to read it? It’s a short read, but one that might be better read spaced out. I read a few stories, then switched to another book that was a review request, before coming back to it. The first time I spent reading it I read far fewer stories compared to the second. I think for me, even though it is something that can easily be read in a day and probably better if you’re a zombie fiction fan, it would be better to space it out so I’m not inundated with zombie love.
For the rest of my review please check out my blog.
Well wasn’t I happy I decided to read it? It’s a short read, but one that might be better read spaced out. I read a few stories, then switched to another book that was a review request, before coming back to it. The first time I spent reading it I read far fewer stories compared to the second. I think for me, even though it is something that can easily be read in a day and probably better if you’re a zombie fiction fan, it would be better to space it out so I’m not inundated with zombie love.
For the rest of my review please check out my blog.
August 6, 2011
Hungry for You is a collection of tales that surround a single event that takes place in the near future; Zombiepocalypse.
At first I didn't get it, thinking it was novel and trying to fix on a protagonist. Maybe I should have read the blurb before buying the booking. It was an impulse purchase, following reading an interview with the author at Gayla Drummond's blog, Feral Intensity. But once I got past that fact, I was able to enjoy the volume for what it is. Hungry for You doesn't attempt to pull different characters together or even try for an overarching plot. Instead its held together by a common theme; love. Each story presents a relationship dynamic between humans and zombies or zombie and zombie, made unique by how the plague of zombification has impacted these relationships and how different forms of love transgress the boundaries of life and death.
The writing is good and the volume showcases the author's storytelling abilities well. I recommend it to fans of zombie flash-fiction.
At first I didn't get it, thinking it was novel and trying to fix on a protagonist. Maybe I should have read the blurb before buying the booking. It was an impulse purchase, following reading an interview with the author at Gayla Drummond's blog, Feral Intensity. But once I got past that fact, I was able to enjoy the volume for what it is. Hungry for You doesn't attempt to pull different characters together or even try for an overarching plot. Instead its held together by a common theme; love. Each story presents a relationship dynamic between humans and zombies or zombie and zombie, made unique by how the plague of zombification has impacted these relationships and how different forms of love transgress the boundaries of life and death.
The writing is good and the volume showcases the author's storytelling abilities well. I recommend it to fans of zombie flash-fiction.
October 13, 2017
I received this book in Goodreads giveaway many moons back, but recently reread it before giving it to a friend, and it was just as lovely as I remembered.
It's a quick read, but the stories are all well-developed enough to give you a concept to imagine and think over when you're done. I'm not usually one for romance, let alone paranormal romance, but the stories were all a little bit cute and a little bit gross at the same time. But my favorite aspect was how each story gave a different example of what a "zombie" could be.
I really enjoyed The Perfect Song. A mundane situation, writing a song, turned into something of a dark comedy about addiction. The story the book is titled after, Hungry For You, definitely reads like the start of a much longer novel. I'd enjoy reading more into this particular world!
Overall, highly recommend this book for all those who enjoy zombies, horror, gore and a touch of comedy!
It's a quick read, but the stories are all well-developed enough to give you a concept to imagine and think over when you're done. I'm not usually one for romance, let alone paranormal romance, but the stories were all a little bit cute and a little bit gross at the same time. But my favorite aspect was how each story gave a different example of what a "zombie" could be.
I really enjoyed The Perfect Song. A mundane situation, writing a song, turned into something of a dark comedy about addiction. The story the book is titled after, Hungry For You, definitely reads like the start of a much longer novel. I'd enjoy reading more into this particular world!
Overall, highly recommend this book for all those who enjoy zombies, horror, gore and a touch of comedy!
July 23, 2011
When I was asked to review Hungry For You by A.M. Harte, I must admit that I was leery. Zombies have never been my thing, aside from Resident Evil, and even that movie was somewhat graphic for me. #sorry #weakstomach #nogoreforme.
Having said that, I will admit that I am also the type of person who will try anything once, especially if it comes highly recommended. That is part of the reason I took reading Hungry For You to heart. I must say, I am glad that I did. This book is not like any zombie flick or literature that my eyes have crossed.
Overall, I was pleased with Hungry For You. I like where A. M. Harte went with the stories and her unusual spin on them. If you’re a zombie fan, this book is one you will want to add to your collection. It is definitely worth reading and I recommend you do so.
Read the entire review at ParaYourNormal
Having said that, I will admit that I am also the type of person who will try anything once, especially if it comes highly recommended. That is part of the reason I took reading Hungry For You to heart. I must say, I am glad that I did. This book is not like any zombie flick or literature that my eyes have crossed.
Overall, I was pleased with Hungry For You. I like where A. M. Harte went with the stories and her unusual spin on them. If you’re a zombie fan, this book is one you will want to add to your collection. It is definitely worth reading and I recommend you do so.
Read the entire review at ParaYourNormal
July 4, 2011
A series of short stories dealing with zombies, the complications of a zombie apocalypse and true love~
The stories themselves are all pretty interesting, I would have liked to see more connection between them because you inevitably look for a connection and may end up a bit confused. No you really have to clear your mind for each story because other than some reoccurring details (zombies created by deadly virus, the UK was quarantined, zombies may not be so bad lol) each one is stand alone.
What's nice about that is you can stop and start without too much trouble. This is a great read for a commute or for waiting rooms. At the same time I got quite attached to the police officer and the zombie she rescued in an early story and kept hoping for a hint as to what happened to them later on ^O^
The stories themselves are all pretty interesting, I would have liked to see more connection between them because you inevitably look for a connection and may end up a bit confused. No you really have to clear your mind for each story because other than some reoccurring details (zombies created by deadly virus, the UK was quarantined, zombies may not be so bad lol) each one is stand alone.
What's nice about that is you can stop and start without too much trouble. This is a great read for a commute or for waiting rooms. At the same time I got quite attached to the police officer and the zombie she rescued in an early story and kept hoping for a hint as to what happened to them later on ^O^
February 22, 2011
I'm not a big fan of zombies or love stories, but there's a lot to enjoy in this collection. Firstly, the opening poem ( by Gabriel Gadfly) sets the tone for the book, and brought a smile to my face. The closing piece (presumably by the author) was a perfect ending.
For the stories themselves, I enjoyed The Cure and Swimming Lessons, which suited my cynical view of love. Seven Birds was written in an interesting style that elevated the story from a simple tale of rejection, and I enjoyed it very much. Alive was a nice flash piece that, once again, captured the feeling of longing that seems to characterise many of the stories. Dead Man's Rose also stands out as a creepy take on love.
Harte's zombies aren't scary, they're very human and likable. All up a very entertaining read.
For the stories themselves, I enjoyed The Cure and Swimming Lessons, which suited my cynical view of love. Seven Birds was written in an interesting style that elevated the story from a simple tale of rejection, and I enjoyed it very much. Alive was a nice flash piece that, once again, captured the feeling of longing that seems to characterise many of the stories. Dead Man's Rose also stands out as a creepy take on love.
Harte's zombies aren't scary, they're very human and likable. All up a very entertaining read.
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