NO FLESH SHALL BE SPARED / NO FLESH SHALL BE SPARED: DON'T LOOK BACK
Set in a near future where society has dealt with the global outbreak of the Living Dead, a new highly lucrative international sport, zombie pit fighting, emerges. NO FLESH SHALL BE SPARED is the story of Cleese, his recruitment and rise to supremacy in this violent world where every match could be his last. The Dead will fall. Friends will die. The question that arises is that of Cleese's fate in the ensuing mayhem.
Praise for Thom Carnell’s NO FLESH SHALL BE SPARED:
"No one has done more for legitimizing the beauty of the horror genre than Thom Carnell."
- Clive Barker, author/director: BOOKS OF BLOOD, LORD OF ILLUSION, HELLRAISER
"Just when I thought no writer could tell an engaging story within the done-to-death zombie genre, along comes Carnell with a sledgehammer tale of the living dead. Like Lindqvist's HANDLING THE UNDEAD, NO FLESH SHALL BE SPARED is a unique, refreshing take on the undead mythos. Imagine if Martin Scorsese took over the Ultimate Fight cartels in a world gone mad. Carnell has delivered a devastating debut novel."
- Philip Nutman, author: WET WORK
“Thom Carnell writes with the raw sense memory of a battered child and the brute muscularity of a bouncer in a bar fight. His debut novel NO FLESH SHALL BE SPARED is scarred, scary, deeply disturbed, and worth every bloody minute of it. You have to read this book. You might need therapy later."
- Craig Spector, author: UNDERGROUND, TO BURY THE DEAD; (with John Skipp) ANIMALS, THE LIGHT AT THE END
“…NO FLESH SHALL BE SPARED trumps pretty much every summer action movie released over the past few years in terms of muscular, rambunctious fun. A peek into a lesser-explored dimension of the zombie mythos is always welcome, and if you perhaps know of any real fourteen-year-old-boys that you’d like to see put down the game controller and dig into an actually book, buy them NO FLESH SHALL BE SPARED now and thank FANGORIA later.
- Fangoria
“NO FLESH SHALL BE SPARED is an impressive debut novel by Carnell that shows surprising depth and character development. He also shows the ability to repulse and fascinate in the same keystroke… Carnell has an interesting writing style, one part Lansdale, one part King, with just a splash of Dashiell Hammett thrown in for good measure.”
– Dread Central
“George A. Romero and the UFC collide in this surprisingly smart action novel of Snake Plisken-like fighters going at it with the undead in a dystopian future's most popular sport. Whoever decides to make this an action movie will be my hero.”
– Twitchfilm.com
“Carnell takes his time to explain things and let them unravel at a reasonable pace rather than shove it down your throat as if he only has thirty minutes to tell you his story. This is not a race car of a novel, and I am surprised by Carnell yet again in the fact that this is his first novel. NO FLESH SHALL BE SPARED is a refresher the zombie genre, and my biggest regret is that it came out in a time when the market is just over saturated. It’s hard to find a good novel about zombies that hasn’t been seen or done before, but Carnell does just that. He returns to a more patient, in depth manner of storytelling that I haven’t seen in far too long, yet still manages to surprise the reader with a new twist on an already-old story.
– Twisted Geeks podcast
“This book is fucking amazing. If you’re into zombies or you’re just into suspense, good novels, whatever, you need to give it a peek. Great book! Man, talk about coming out of the gate strong. This book is blowing me away.”
– Mitchell Boone, Boone Bros. podcast
Set a few years after the events of NO FLESH SHALL BE SPARED, DON’T LOOK BACK continues the story of fighter, Cleese. Cleese thought he’d been slick in hiding his finances from the notorious Joseph Weber and his World Gladiatorial Federation, but he was wrong. Captured and brought back into the fold, Cleese finds himself back in a world of hurt, back for a new – and VERY lethal – game. Along the way, Cleese will be reunited with some old friends, make a few new ones, and find a renewed purpose for his life.
Praise for NO FLESH SHALL BE SPARED: DON’T LOOK BACK:
”This is exciting and reaches a great conclusion. Beginnings and endings worth reading again. If you already dig Cleese, you’re set by the third chapter. If you like seeing well-conceived growth in characters, new characters sans “deus ex machina” qualities, and reasons to care bout ‘em, jump in. If you didn’t read the first one, that’s okay. Each stand alone well. While I like a new character in here, and look forward to future use, I still favor NFSBS for it’s mad pace. This one’s merely savage. One damned fine savage bit of beauty. “
~ D. Burnham, Amazon reader