Izzy Von’s Sequel Novel 'Xmas Of The Dead' Offers Unique Take On Zombie Tropes

“I’m taking a ride
With my best friend
I hope he never lets me down again
He knows where he’s taking me
Taking me where I want to be
I’m taking a ride
With my best friend”

— Depeche Mode, “Never Let Me Down Again”

Travelogues are as old as writing itself. From Marco Polo to Kerouac, there’s always a vicarious satisfaction to be gleaned reading of someone’s journey in a land you’ve never seen. This is true even in fictional form, where details of strange fantastical realms can provide much-needed escapism from our own troubled times.

One person that understands that never-ending appeal is Texas author Izzy Von, who returns to the wild world of the walking dead (and worse) she created in last year’s rowdy romp A Dandy Among The Dead in the recently released sequel novel, Xmas Of The Dead, a rollicking escapade through a most unusual zombie apocalypse.

For the uninitiated: When fully half the world’s population inexplicably drops dead and resurrects as human-hankering revenants the day after Thanksgiving—an event cheekily referred to by survivors as Black Friday—civilization is destroyed. Ten months later we’re introduced to The Dandy, a.k.a. The Fashionable One, a.k.a. Her Chicness, a.k.a. the Warcane Wielder, a nomadic scavenger cruising The Lone Star State on her electric pedicab in a tireless search for supplies. A fashionista of the highest order even after society’s collapse, The Dandy’s solitary road-tripping existence is thrown a serious curve when she encounters eleven-year-old Ashley hiding in a house’s closet; Ash has survived alongside her brother Andrew—a curiously pacified zombie who craves books rather than brains—and after vanquishing the remaining rotters, The Dandy reluctantly agrees to shepherd the siblings to their grandfather’s Louisiana residence. Along the way the trio must contend with a variety of monsters, undead and human alike, including The Templars, fire-and-brimstone pseudo-religious survivalists intent on exterminating anyone who doesn’t adhere to their narrow-minded extremist ideology.

Xmas Of The Dead picks up literally where its predecessor finished (the opening chapter is labeled ‘24’ in continuance from the previous volume), with the revelation that Andrew is possessed by an enigmatic celestial consciousness that grants him superhuman abilities each time he is killed, including teleportation and an omniscient understanding of the world around him. Once on their grandfather’s farm, Ash and Andrew are forced to (temporarily, at least) say goodbye to The Dandy, who, after seeing a museum exhibit devoted to antique toys, decides to play post-apocalyptic Santa by delivering plundered gifts to those who have helped her since Black Friday. Along the way we’re introduced to Mr. Meeks, the seemingly innocuous old man with a beyond-genius I.Q. who taught The Dandy most of her survival skills, and several of her other comrades-in-arms, including Serena, a woman haunted by a zombie ghost (yes, really), and Theresa, a breed of intelligent zombie known as a Grey Eye, who cut off her leg and attached a machine gun to the stump. More than anything, The Dandy’s goal is to reach the fortified enclave known as The Convent to reunite with her wrestling champion ex-boyfriend Kory, but can our heroine make it past the ever-mutating undead hordes and merciless Templar death squads to reach it? And will The Convent still be standing even if she does?

Like its preceding volume, Xmas Of The Dead is decidedly offbeat. Von’s single greatest asset is her rapier use of dialogue: conversations flow fast and free between characters in a realistic, believable way, punctuated by copious cursing, pleasant wink-and-nod pop cultural dollops and genuinely laugh-out-loud humor. The distinct characterizations are also a boon; Xmas deepens The Dandy’s emotional journey, and her continuing on-the-road relationship with the bratty-yet-resourceful Ash serves as the novel’s narrative backbone. Yet The Dandy’s panache is merely the flamboyant armor protecting a sensitive, sentimental heart, and the sequel adds further dimension to the Warcane Wielder’s vibrant personality. Despite the novel’s flair, however, a certain melancholy pervades this Xmas—a lament for the devastated world, for friends who have died, for romances unfulfilled. It’s a more personal journey, leaning less on action and violence and more on serious emotional ruminations about love, loss, and, perhaps most fittingly, death. Accordingly, we gain additional insights into The Dandy’s past, and many of the book’s most powerful scenes are where she revisits old haunts.

Another asset is the author’s willingness to experiment with traditional zombie tropes. The mysterious events of Black Friday didn’t only resurrect people as Romero-style shoot-’em-in-the-head gut-munchers, but as a growing menagerie of grotesque creatures: the aforementioned Grey Eyes, zombies able to regenerate from any wound with whatever material is near them; massive tentacled monstrosities called Leviathans; Bubblers, underwater zombies that have conjoined into a single seething mass; the ‘Bridgertons’, ghouls who share a hive mind and trap people on bridges; and The Withered, mummified corpses who ride giant skeletal beasts across the desert. Add to that the lingering mystery concerning the oft-referenced Land of Red and Black, an ever-expanding patch of scorched earth that may be ground zero for the events of Black Friday, and Von has firmly established hers as one of the more unique end-of-the-world scenarios in recent indie horror.

While it may share the strengths of its predecessor, Xmas Of The Dead also retains its weaknesses. Punctuation and word usage errors pop up with unfortunate regularity that serve to pull the audience out of the story, however briefly. There’s also surprisingly little recap within the narrative regarding events of the previous novel, which won’t pose a problem for returning readers, but newcomers who happen upon Xmas without experiencing The Dandy’s initial excursion will be woefully lost.

Despite these flaws, Xmas Of The Dead offers more of the same in a comforting way, like taking a ride with your best friend after far too long apart. As the second in the proposed four-book A Dandy World series, the novel guarantees another appearance of The Fashionable One will arrive in due time.

I hereby bestow Xmas Of The Dead a solid 3.5 (out of 5) on my Fang Scale. I’m eager to see where Von’s imagination takes her characters from here. Bring on Book 3!