I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus: A Breathers Christmas Carol

By: S.G. Browne
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: October 2012
ISBN: 978-1476708720
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: November 2, 2012

Andy Warner is having a very bad day. He’s been poked, prodded, electrocuted, and oh, yes, he can’t scream because his mouth has been sewn shut. Did I mention Andy is a zombie?

Andy was once a normal, somewhat boring “Breather” (human), but that was before the car accident that took the life of his wife and left Andy, er, more or less dead. Reanimated as a zombie, Andy led a zombie civil rights movement that ended in, well, complete failure. Now he’s living, um, existing, in a research facility where he is the organization's prized experiment. That is until a member of PETZ (People for the Ethical Treatment of Zombies) sneaks into the facility and frees all the zombies. Andy is the only one who is able to escape the humans who are sent to capture the escaped zombies.

With Christmas just around the corner, Andy is soon wearing a Santa outfit to try and blend in with the Breathers. He meets a young girl, Annie, who has the same name, and is about the same age, as his own daughter who was left an orphan when Andy and his wife died in the car accident. The catch is that Annie, age 9, believes Andy is the real Santa Claus and who can resist a sweet little girl with a drunk for a mother and no Christmas tree? Apparently, not even zombies can resist such a cute girl. Andy decides to bring cheer to Annie while also helping Patrick, a zombie friend who was re-captured, gain his freedom.

To say this is a dark comedy would be an understatement. It’s about as “black” as you can get and it is fabulously funny to boot. The author has a knack for turning rather gross topics into comical ideas and does it again and again, throughout this somewhat brief tale. The style is engaging, witty, and you'll be groaning and laughing throughout.

Quill says: Dark, bizarre, very funny, and yes, with a bit of sentimentality thrown in, I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Clausis the perfect Christmas read for those who like VERY black comedy in their holiday reading.