Tag: Reviews

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Your New Reviews and Some of Mine

Your New Reviews and Some of Mine. You gave me, Andy Zach, some reviews of my books. And I just reviewed some books in the past month, too. So, let’s share.

I posted my most recent review the other day on Goodreads:

Your New Reviews and Some of Mine – The Eye of the World

The Eye of the World cover Your New Reviews

December 5, 2025

I first read this book in 1994, soon after it came out. I bought it because of the cover and the blurb. I thought it might be a clever knock-off of the Lord of the Rings.

Author Robert Jordan used some elements of that epic in the beginning of his story, but it is nothing like the Lord of the Rings–but it is still very good epic fantasy.

The book begins in a backwater town of Two Rivers, famous for sheep and tabac. Rand al’Thor, a sheepherder, and his two friends, Perrin ay’Barra, a blacksmith, and Mat Cauthon, a son of a horsetrader, have all been shadowed by a man in black, on a black horse. He then disappears.

That launches them into an adventure where they must flee their village for their safety and the village’s. But safety is the last thing they find.

In this fantasy world, time moves in a cycle, from Age to Age, repeating the same events from age to age. The cycle is dominated by the Dark One, imprisoned in his lair, and the Dragon, the hero for good. Creation is a pageant for the battle between good and evil to play out. Key personalities, like the Dragon, are reborn from Age to Age.

How the Dark One and the Dragon fit into these three boys’ lives is what this book is about.

Summary Blurb

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Moiraine Damodred arrives in Emond’s Field on a quest to find the one prophesized to stand against The Dark One, a malicious entity sowing the seeds of chaos and destruction. When a vicious band of half-men, half beasts invade the village seeking their master’s enemy, Moiraine persuades Rand al’Thor and his friends to leave their home and enter a larger unimaginable world filled with dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.

More of my reviews by clicking here.

Your New Reviews and Funny Memes

Chocolate Lab test Your New Reviews

We own a black lab. We’ve never tasted him.

Your New Reviews and Some of Mine – My Undead Mother-in-law

SciFi Story Fuel My Undead Mother-in-law Your New Reviews
My Undead Mother-in-law cover. Click to get yours.

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I got a new review! Someone likes Diane Newby.

Hannah Lawson

136 reviews

February 25, 2026

My Undead Mother-in-law by Andy Zach is a horror comedy that fully embraces its ridiculous premise and runs with it.

Diane Newby is technically a zombie, but that hasn’t stopped her from hosting church bake sales or cooking Sunday dinner. What has changed is her temper. With glowing red eyes, super strength, and zero patience for disrespect, she doesn’t take kindly to being treated like anything less than normal even if “normal” now includes smashing through walls when she’s annoyed.

As society struggles to adjust to the existence of zombies, a powerful criminal mastermind sees an opportunity to control them. The only problem? Zombies like Diane don’t exactly enjoy being controlled. What follows is chaos, divided loyalties, and plenty of over the top mayhem.

If you like your horror mixed heavily with satire and absurd humor, My Undead Mother-in-law delivers action, laughs, and just enough undead madness to keep things entertaining.

More of Your New Reviews by clicking here.

Summary Blurb

My Undead Mother-in-law back cover Your New Reviews
My Undead Mother-in-law back cover

My mother-in-law’s a zombie. And she has anger-management issues.

My mother-in-law, Diane Newby, zombified by accident. She still volunteers at her church bake sales and cooks pot roast for her daughter and son-in-law, Ron Yardley. What ticks her off is when people don’t treat her like a normal human being—with glowing red eyes and super strength and speed. And if she doesn’t get her own way, look out. She explodes and leaves broken plaster and body parts in her wake. Nothing stops her: not brick walls, the federal government, or middle-aged spread.

But the world’s most powerful criminal plans to control zombies. His only problem with zombies is that they have way too much free will. He has a solution for that. But will it work with Diane Newby?

The world divides into pro-zombie and anti-zombie factions. Battles break out everywhere. Which side will you take? Who will live and who will die?

You might not survive this book. But at least you’ll die laughing.

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Have You Met My Villains from Villain’s Vacation?

Villain's Vacation cover What is it like?

Have You Met My Villains from Villain’s Vacation? My book is .99 starting March 1st up to March 8th. Get your copy by clicking here.

My Secret Supers are on summer vacation from 7th grade at a coaster park? Why would international criminals target innocent, 7th-grade superheroes? I’ll tell you why, revealing their motives by excerpts from my book.

If you’re not familiar with my Secret Supers team, I tell you all about them here: Meet My Disabled Superheroes. For each heroic teen (or pre-teen), I’ll give you a description from my book.

First villain up, Loretta.

Have You Met My Villains – Loretta

Meet My Villains
Loretta disguised as Becky Robinson in Villain’s Vacation

A popup window appeared on my computer screen. “Loretta, do you wish to accept a video call from John Smith?” I read. I quickly clicked Accept.

As soon as a black-and-gray-haired man appeared on my computer screen, I said, “Oh, Papa Smith, I want to give up.”

“Why would you do that, Loretta? You’re one of the most successful children in our family business.”

“Bah! Four crummy kids beat me.”

“Well, yeah, but you didn’t know they were there in Maryville and they would come after your agent.”

“Sure, I knew they were there. They were all over the national news this past year.”

“But everyone just thinks they’re regular disabled kids. Heck, Andy Zach published their story as fiction. No one knew they had superpowers until we caught them on video defeating your agent.”

Have You Met My Villains – Loretta – Part 2

“The telekinesis kid, Jeremy, is really powerful, but the telepathic pair, Kayla and Dan, can’t be stopped or intercepted. That’s before you add a real super girl, Aubrey. Their disabilities gave them the perfect disguises.”

“That’s an idea. What if we publish that video and tell everyone they have superpowers? The fame would disrupt their lives and maybe distract them so we can take over Maryville.”

“Hmmm. Maybe. But that would also point back to us as the source of the video. And people might think it’s just a deep fake.”

He sighed. “You’re right. The government might also enlist them in the NSA or some other secret agency. We don’t want any attention from them. Tell you what. Take a vacation. You haven’t had a break for a long time. Maybe if you do something completely different, you’ll come up with a solution to the Secret Supers.”

“There’s a good idea, Papa. My last one was in Paris? Three years ago?”

“Yes. That was after you successfully rigged that state election and got our candidate elected.”

“What would be a complete change for me? Something outside a city, something fun—I know!”

“What?”

“I’ll go to Coaster World!”

“That’s right. You always loved coasters as a kid.”

Have You Met My Villains – Papa Smith

Meet My Villains
Papa Smith – or is it his clone?

“Hi, Loretta. Are you all refreshed from your Paris vacation?”

“Hi, Papa Smith. Yes. I had a lot of fun waterskiing on the Riviera. I also cheated the casino in Monaco out of a million bucks.”

“Of course.

 “But now I’m refreshed and bored. I haven’t had a job since I left for Coaster World.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that. I’ve got a challenging assignment for you—the Secret Supers.”

Have You Met My Villains – Papa Smith, Part 2

“Ugh! I sure want to get back at them. But they’re backed up by the NSA. I’m not eager to tackle them and the US government.”

Papa stroked his hair. “The best cure for falling off a horse is to get back on. How about if I get a partner for you?”

“They’d better be awfully competent. I can’t really work with anyone who’s incompetent, or average, or merely a genius.”

“How about if you and I work together?”

I gasped. Papa Smith had raised me. He’d been very vague about what happened to my parents, so he was the only parent I’d known. I’d dreamt of working with him in the family crime business, but I hadn’t seen much of him once I went to college and began teaching, over fifty years ago. He was the one person I was pretty sure was smarter than me. Or at least he knew more.

Can You Handle My Villains? These Readers Did

What They Say About Villain’s Vacation

As electrifying as their powers!

5.0 out of 5 stars

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2024

“Villain’s Vacation” by Andy Zach, narrated by Michael Stafford, whisks you on a thrilling ride as four disabled seventh graders with superpowers take on Coaster World. The writing is as electrifying as their powers, keeping you glued to each twist and turn. Stafford’s narration brings each character to life, adding an extra layer of excitement to this action-packed adventure.

Nemesis

Secret Supers are back for another adventure!

5.0 out of 5 stars 

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2022

In this sequel to Secret Supers, Jeremy has been experimenting on his hamster. As a result, Dancer has learned how to read, and is reading everything he can to learn about the human world. When Jeremy discovers this, he gets Dancer one of his old cell phones so Dancer can text the group.

As for the superhero business, the group needs some downtime and goes on vacation to Coaster World. What they don’t realize is that the villain they defeated also loves roller coasters and wants revenge against the Secret Supers.

Will the Secret Supers be able to defeat the villain and enjoy their vacation, or are their crime-fighting days numbered?

This was a fun sequel to Secret Supers. Not only did we have Andy Zach as a character in the book, as though the events were true and actually happened, but I loved the inclusion of a Super-Hamster helping out Jeremy and his friends. In this battle against the villain, the Secret Supers struggle, as the villain seems to have figured out how to neutralize their powers, and they not only have to call in support but also reveal themselves to some non-Supers.

Jennifer C.

Have You Met My Villains? – Click Here to Find out!

Villain's Vacation cover What is it like? Can You Handle My Villain's
Villain’s Vacation cover

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What Would You Do With An Undead Mother-in-law?

What Would You Do With An Undead Mother-in-law? That is if your mother-in-law had super strength and speed and regenerated from any injury? And had glowing red eyes to boot? In my novel My Undead Mother-in-law. that’s Diane Newby. Find out what her son-in-law Ron Yardly thinks. Read the excerpt below. My book is .99 from January 18th until the 25th. Get your copy by clicking here.

My Undead Mother-in-law Chapter 1 Icon Meet My Undead Mother-in-law What Would You Do With
My Undead Mother-in-law Chapter 1 Icon

As we pulled up in Karen’s parents’ drive, I was reassured by the sheer normality of their three-bedroom suburban home: green yard partially covered with snow, evergreen bushes, two-car garage. There was no sign zombies lived there. Of course, what sign could I expect? A skull and crossbones and Beware of Zombies? Perhaps a biohazard sign?

Diane greeted us at the door. “Hello, my love!” She hugged Karen.

Karen barely flinched as she looked into her mother’s bright-red eyes. But she grunted “Ugh!” at the force of her embrace.

“Ease up, Mom.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Hello, Mom,” I said as I hugged her as hard I as could.

She hugged me back twice as hard.

“Ugh,” I grunted too.

Diane still had blond-highlighted brown hair, as she did when I first met her. She’d gained a pound or two though. She smelled of the body talc White Linen. I recognized it because Karen and I bought it for her birthday last year, pre-zombie. And she still wore her cat-eye reading glasses on a chain around her neck.

My Undead Mother-in-law.

What Would You Do With My Undead Mother-in-law, Part 2

Happy Mother's Day Meet My Undead Mother-in-law What Would You Do With
Diane Newby, in her natural environment.

Diane seated us on the living room sofa. “Supper’s on. I have a nice pot roast for us tonight. Donnie and Maggie should be here soon. George!” she called. “The kids are here!”

A heavy tread down the stairs announced George Newby. His eyes shone red too, but while Diane was built like a middle-aged woman, George was a classic wide-body. His shoulders filled the stairway. You’d think he was a truck driver or a lineman rather than an accountant.

“Hi, Karen. Hi, Ron,” he rumbled. He hugged his daughter, as if he held a baby bird, and shook my hand without hurting me in his bratwurst fingers. His bright-red eyes looked squarely into mine.

“I’m so glad you made the trip. You can help us put to rest the ugly rumors that people with zombiism aren’t human. It’s just a disease. It’s not even harmful,” Diane enthused as she sat across from us. George sat next to her in a brown leather recliner.

“Mom, we love you. You don’t have to convince us,” I said.

“Of course not. I know that. It’s just that we’ve had people talking behind our backs at church and the public health officials trying to pressure us to get the treatment to eliminate the disease.”

“Don’t you want to get rid of it? I think the antibiotics for it are safe and effective.”

“You’d think so, but we actually have never felt better in our lives! I have more energy than ever, and so does George—right, George?”

“Yup.”

“My arthritic aches and pains have completely disappeared, and George’s old football knee injury is all better too.”

My Undead Mother-in-law.

What Would You Do With My Undead Mother-in-law and the Villain, Vik Staskas

Meet My Undead Mother-in-law What Would You Do With

Vik Staskas absently stroked his long glossy-black hair as he skimmed through the day’s news on his wall-mounted monitor from his five-hundred-foot superyacht. He noted the surge in zombie cures and sought to tap into the money. He hired operatives to infiltrate the Midley Beacon and SPEwZ Inc., the business arm of the famous charitable zombie organization. The possibility of failure didn’t occur to him. He succeeded in everything he tried: a street thief as an orphan in Belgrade; a college student in Paris, where he got his PhD in robotics; and taking over European organized crime without the nominal bosses knowing he existed. He was ready to take over the US.

He developed remote-controlled cyborg animals and insects. He used them to spy, to infiltrate, to conquer, to steal, to kill. They were unstoppable. He planned his first hijacking of a zombie blood air shipment from Gary, Indiana. He could think of several practical uses for cyborg-controlled zombies in his crime empire. As they were, zombies had too much free will for his taste. He chuckled. Even zombies didn’t stand a chance against him.

My Undead Mother-in-law.

Readers Speak About Meeting My Undead Mother-in-law

What Would You Do With Her?

Not your standard zombie tale

My Undead Mother-in-law icon chapter 8 Meet My Undead Mother-in-law
My Undead Mother-in-law icon chapter 8

4.0 out of 5 stars 

When I started to read this book, I was leery. As far as I know, I’m less interested in zombies than anyone on the planet. How could I give a reasonable review? Turns out, it wasn’t hard at all. I’ve said before and it turned out to be true here that, if you have a ridiculous premise that’s hard to swallow, run with it, normalize it, and readers /viewers will eventually accept. And it worked.

The original premise of cognizant, virtually indestructible zombies was lobbed and backed until I was a believer, actively rooting for zombies. Plenty of (bloodier than average) action, some smiling, if not guffaw humor, a nice fulfilling story arc in an easy readable length made for a fun book (if bloody action doesn’t bother you) with charm that didn’t take itself to seriously but still capable of many a tender and touching moments.

I’m glad my prejudice didn’t keep me from enjoying this out-of-the-common-way story.

Stephanie Barr

Let’s start with wow!

5.0 out of 5 stars 

Best August Videos Meet My Undead Mother-in-law
Zombie corgi in Scotland from ‘My Undead Mother-in-law’

I am a huge zombie fan, I had thought the genre had worked itself out for a while and then I read this book. I think I have been scarred for life! I foresee months if not years of counseling in my future.

Not everyone is going to like every book, you know what that’s all right. Maybe they don’t understand the book. If you want to envision hordes of undead animals attacking the evil… sorry I don’t do spoilers. Think of a slightly sardonic look on life and you will be getting close.

While reading this book I was reminded of a visionary work of Cinema, “Polterygiest: Night of the Chicken Dead” a great movie by Troma Entertainment. Do yourself a favor check out this book.

an avid reader

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SciFi Story Fuel My Undead Mother-in-law Meet My Undead Mother-in-law
My Undead Mother-in-law cover. Click to get yours.

Any newsletter subscriber gets free audiobook codes–as long as they last. Click here to get yours. Don’t wait until they’re gone!

Do you want an autographed book? I’ll mail it directly to you with free shipping and I pay the taxes! Click here to get yours. My shipping may not be the same day, but at least it’s free–for you.

Got questions? Comments? Reach me directly by clicking here. I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can.