Olden by James Newman; Delirium Books; 2011; $25.00 Signed & Numbered Hardcover, Digital copy $4.99 US

As someone who was blown away by his debut novel Midnight Rain, I can tell you this much with certainty: A new book by James Newman is cause for celebration. Newman is one of my “Go to” Authors, one of a rare group of small-press Writers (Brian Keene, Kealan Patrick Burke, and Jeff Strand are the others….) that never let me down. The worst of their books is generally better than the best of what the small-press usually has to offer, and even when money is tight, I know I can buy their latest and not suffer from buyer’s remorse when I get around to reading it.  So, Zombie-burnout be damned, I dove into Olden full-speed.

The good news: Olden isn’t really a Zombie novella. It’s more of a kissing-cousin to 28 Days Later…..Something is clearly wrong with these people, but they don’t seem to be re-animated corpses. Newman’s story reminded me of those old “Nature Strikes Back” Eco-Horror films of the 19670′s, such as Day Of The Animals, except instead of crazed, vengeful wildlife, we have crazed, vengeful old people.

The story gets up and running immediately, with a small group of people trapped in a room, with ravenous oldies trying to beat down the door to kill them. (Note to self: Should an “Old people go crazy” apocalypse happen, DO NOT try to find shelter in an Old Folks Home!!!!!) Newman alternates chapters between the current story, with the trapped group trying to figure out how they’re going to escape, and flashbacks, showing how they ended up there in the first place. The flashbacks are where Newman shines, using his gift for great characterization to flesh out and bring to life a cast that could have been cardboard cut-out victims. The story serves as a heartfelt elder-abuse parable, without being a preachy or moralizing to the reader.

I’ve been beating the drum for James Newman ever since Midnight Rain was released in paperback. I’ve enjoyed everything he’s written, and Olden is no exception. If you’ve read James Newman before, chances are that I don’t need to sell you. If you haven’t, give him a try…..you won’t be disappointed.

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Jan 11, 2012

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