Review of Weston Ochse's �Empire of Salt�

“Empire of Salt” by Weston Ochse

review by Robert Brouhard

Now, like many of you, I am weary of Zombies.  I still like them though, and I won’t turn down a good zombie book.  If you are a lover of zombies, there are a TON of books to choose from out there, but it can still be hard to find a good one that you can sink your rotted teeth into.  When Weston Ochse offered Horror Drive-In a free review copy, I’ll be honest, I was leery.  I haven’t over-saturated my zombie reading, so I jumped on the grenade and had him send it to me.  Fellow readers, thankfully, “Empire of Salt” by Weston Ochse is just the right seasoning for your undead desires.

First thing you’re going to have to realize when you pick up this book is that it is a novel.  Yes, it is over 300 pages and it tells a story, but what I mean is that this book isn’t action, action, action (at first).  It tells you a whole story. It has characters that feel real. Apart from a quick “cold-opening” we don’t really see any zombie action for the first 50 or so pages.  We get to know our characters and start to enjoy being around them before good ole Weston Ochse can rip some of them (all of them?) into bloody nasty chunks.  Plus, it helps the atmosphere and tension get ramped up big time.

Here’s the press release for the general description of the book: 

The Olivers have a chance to make a new home at Salton Sea. Looking forward to California fun, sun and adventure they are unprepared for the ecological devastation they find. The sea is rotting, the town of Bombay Beach is dying and the citizens are like bait, waiting to be plucked from their homes by what comes from the sea.

Beware the coming of the green, they say. Beware the coming of the night.

There is definite action in this book, and it comes fast and hard, as it should in a Zombie Novel.  The ending is the kind I like, semi-open with enough to keep my brain going on the story for hours/days after I finish.

This book is part of Abaddon Books’ Tomes of the Dead series of novels.   Most of these are only available as eBooks now… including “Empire of Salt” which is almost impossible to find in its original paperback form except in used condition.  But don’t worry; the paperback doesn’t have any extra bells and whistles.

Many times I found myself laughing my butt off at the smallest humorous descriptive terms and turns of phrase that Mr. Ochse is a master of.  And thankfully, they didn’t “pull me out of the story” so much that I couldn’t continue reading.  A good smart laugh is great thing in a book like this.

If you can't stand zombies, stay away.  If you like zombies, try it!  If you love zombies, GET IT NOW!

Available in paperback (used)

Available in eBook