Civilisation's gone ... He's stayed to bury the dead.
V.M. Zito resides in Connecticut, USA with his wife and daughter. When not writing, he spends his weekdays working as Creative Director at a New England ad agency and his weekends running on forested trails, tripping over roots and rocks.
'The story is tremendous, totally gripping and orchestrated in such a way to keep the reader on their toes, with plenty of twists, turns and dramatic moments - this is one of those page turners that grip you completely. The prose is easy to read and very clever while characterization is spot-on... The character of Henry Marco is played out brilliantly, given an incredible depth and heart-tugging back story that pretty much explains his reasons for doing what he does... The Return Man is a must for any fan of the genre, along with anyone else who isn't squeamish.' sfbook.com 'Bloody excellent.' Financial Times 'This novel is engaging, tense, gripping and very well written. I was hooked from the get-go... The novel is tightly written, in very brisk prose. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this novel, and indeed the synopsis didn't prepare me for how big this novel was going to get - not in terms of length... but in terms of scope and imagination...I found this to be an imaginative and original novel. Thought-provoking, pleasantly (not to mention surprisingly) attuned to international relations, and very human. It has a very tense atmosphere. It has great, evocative writing - the reader really gets a feel for the horrifyingly expectant existence in the quarantined states. The Return Man also has a poignant, fitting denouement, which leaves open the possibility of more to come in this setting. The Return Man is very highly recommended. This is a thought-provoking, suspenseful and above all gripping take on the Zombie Apocalypse sub-genre. Brilliant.' civilian-reader.blogspot.co.uk Zito expertly piles on thrills, cliffhangers and numerous twists, investing renewed life into the shambling, cliche-ridden corpse of the zombie subgenre. Guardian 'An overload of thrills, spills and adventure.' Sun 'The adventure in this book is astounding - I'm yet to read a zombie book with this many fight scenes, this much grit and gore and violence. The fight scenes are damn well done, told is such a gripping way you have to read faster and faster to find out what happens next...Characters in dystopian can be tricky - in these sorts of 'doom and gloom' books it's easy to disconnect from them, just wish they'd stop moaning for a while (even if they have every right to moan) and just get on with it. YET - in 'The Return Man', you can emphasise with these characters. You feel proud at how they manage to keep going on, and you hope they get there and succeed... As for plot, it moves rapidly, feels entirely realistic and doesn't drag in any part. It's interesting, it has enough detail (both descriptive and scientific) for there to be enough information to explain, but not enough to drown the reader into boredom. My copy was 400 pages long and I didn't feel it needed to be any shorter or longer than it is. This novel works well as a stand-alone, yet there is also room for more stories in this series - and I hope there are...V. M. Zito - I'll certainly keep an eye out for any other work you produce.' sentientonline.net Hands down one of the best zombie novels I've read in a long, long time. From first page to last, THE RETURN MAN is an astonishing read. With characters you genuinely give a damn about and a story that'll keep you turning page after page, this is an outstanding debut. David Moody, author of Autumn 'In a word: relentless.' Sunday Telegraph Contagion meets Mad Max. The Times ... a perfectly balanced layer cake of action and horror ... This is a stunning debut and matches the feelings I had when I first read the likes of World War Z and Hater ... you are unlikely to experience a better crafted and adrenalin fuelled thrill ride than V.M. Zito's novel THE RETURN MAN. Liberation Frequency A page-turning, action packed, well-crafted debut novel that will take your breath away. Highly recommended. The Founding Fields 'Henry Marco is a wonderful protagonist - inventive enough to be fun to read, and at the same time sufficiently complex to seem real ...A highlight of the subgenre.' Drying Ink, Best Horror Novel of 2011 Thrilling. Publishers Weekly The story is tremendous, totally gripping and orchestrated in such a way to keep the reader on their toes, with plenty of twists, turns and dramatic moments - this is one of those page turners that grip you completely. Sfbook.com THE RETURN MAN is very highly recommended. This is a thought-provoking, suspenseful and above all gripping take on the Zombie Apocalypse sub-genre. Brilliant. Civilian-reader.blogspot.co.uk Full-throttle, intense and not for night reading. West Australian The Return Man is a cracking zombie novel ... It's a real page turner, it's action packed, the characters jump off of the page, it's unputdownable and it's one hell of a rollercoaster ride. dogeardiscs.wordpress.com This is an outstanding piece of fiction. If it came from the pen of an established name I would say they were at the top of their game. For a first time writer, it is nothing short of an astonishing piece of work. I would heartily recommend it to anyone with a pulse. V. M. Zito is most definitely a writer to look out for. geeksyndicate.wordpress.com I have to say that its one of my favourite zombie debuts of all time as well as making this a title that's going to be well up on my UF favourites for the year. It's well written and whilst the concept on paper is remarkably simple, it is one that will attract readers the world over as the stories hero is manipulated into doing the governments bidding ... All in a cracking story and when backed with an author whose writing style I couldn't get enough of, definitely a title to get before the hype hits. falcatatimes.blogspot.co.uk Forget 28 Weeks or 28 Days Later - THE RETURN MAN is the most immediate, action packed tale of hunting and avoiding the undead that I have ever read. If you love the movies of George Romero, The Walking Dead comic books and tv show, then you are in for a real treat here ... booksandwriters.wordpress.com The adventure in this book is astounding. The fight scenes are damn well done, told in such a gripping way you have to read faster and faster to find out what happens next ... you can emphasise with these characters. You feel proud at how they manage to keep going on, and you hope they get there and succeed ... sentientonline.net I enjoyed every terrifying bit of this book, and if you love zombies, good writing, and great storytelling, I think you will too! mybookishways.com I wouldn't be surprised if we see a version of THE RETURN MAN on the big screen. bookonaut.blogspot.co.uk Zito throws in an international intrigue and action angle that would make Tom Clancy green with envy. www.scaryminds.com A strong debut. techmonkeymag.com [THE RETURN MAN] absolutely mesmerised me ... An impressive debut novel. This is strongly recommended; those who enjoy classic horror will appreciate it, but it should also find an appreciative wider audience among those who enjoy well written, well plotted stories with very strong characterisation. aussiespecficinfocus.wordpress.com The storyline is original, the characters are alive on the page, the action and gore scenes are top-notch, the writing is superb, and it's a fun time. This is a damn good book and it has potential to be a zombie classic. buyzombie.com 'Compelling, captivating and at times hauntingly scary.' fantasybookreview.co.uk V.M. Zito has written an amazing book, so good I finished it in just two days. themanlybookworm.blogspot.co.uk
Zito's debut is thrilling, melancholy, and stomach-churningly gory. In the desolate heat and haunting emptiness of the zombie-infested American Southwest, ex-neurologist Henry Marco is hired by the living to "return" their undead loved ones, a euphemism for blowing their brains out. Marco also yearns to find and "return" his own wife. Hired by the Department of Homeland Security to track down a scientist who may have developed a cure, Marco embarks on a journey across the desert, encountering packs of shuffling, flesh-chewing zombies; sadistic gangs of bikers; and a Chinese assassin with whom he inadvertently teams up. Zito amps up the action with a nightmarish showdown in the bowels of an abandoned prison and viscerally unbearable descriptions of human mutilations. The zombies are pretty standard and Marco's philosophical ruminations are sometimes both redundant and expository, but taken as a whole, this is a sturdy and crowd-pleasing novel that squarely hits its target. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
It has been four years since the Resurrection split the United States into two nations: the eastern Safe States, overcrowded by 50 million refugees with not enough food, supplies, or jobs to go around, and the western Evacuated States, the silent wastelands of the living dead. It is here that Henry Marco, former neurologist and bounty hunter for hire, makes his living. Engaged by grief-stricken survivors, he hunts down living dead loved ones and puts them to rest-that is, he kills them. Marco is highly skilled at his job, so much so that Homeland Security wants him for a secret mission vital to the future of America. When he teams up with Kheng Wu, a Chinese secret agent disguised as an American soldier sent to back him up, he's in for the ride of his life through a world dominated by death. VERDICT Zito's debut is stunning, a harrowing, haunting, and beautifully written novel that belongs on the very top shelf of the zombie canon alongside Max Brooks's World War Z, Mira Grant's "Feed" series (Feed; Deadline), and the groundbreaking Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. [In June, Orbit will publish Blackout, Grant's concluding volume to her zombie trilogy.-Ed.]-Jeanne Bogino, New Lebanon Lib., NY (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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