HUNTING ZOE is a novella that takes place in the world of
LOVE LIES DYING...
She’s beautiful.
She’s sexy.
And she’s very dangerous...
They cracked the code,
and were on the road to their destiny...
Glen and Mark know the story behind Zoe. The real story.
They've figured it out, they've done the research, they've
found all the clues.
They're on the hunt - the hunt for Zoe.
Glen knows he's right. He knows she's waiting out there for
him.
Nothing will stop him. No one will get in his way. He'll be
the first...
But will he be the last?
The hunt is on.
Because Legends Never Die...
HUNTING ZOE
Seek and ye shall find.
Legends Never Die...
Hunting Zoe is an entirely new spin on the idea of a
"sequel". Set in the real life world, where Love Lies Dying
is a work of fiction, Hunting Zoe blurs the lines between
reality and fiction.
The Bloodletting Press U.S. limited edition comes with some
exciting extras:
* When Fantasy Met Reality - Hunting Zoe introduction by
Brett McBean
* Hunting Zoe
* Broken Cookie - short story
* Schism - short story
* CellCaNdy - short story
* Dead of Night - German version - first English release
short story
* Jungle - short story, first time printing
* Steve Gerlach On The Edge - FULL and UPDATED Gerlach
interview with Ron Clinton.
This release collects for the first time five Gerlach short
stories, some of which see their first US release and, in
the case of JUNGLE, its first printing anywhere. The
interview is an updated and uncut interview between Gerlach
and Clinton - an abridged version first seeing print in
Cemetery Dance Magazine a few years ago.
Read reviews of HUNTING ZOE by Steve Gerlach here:
"With Hunting Zoe, Steve Gerlach moves into full throttle.
Intense and gripping - don't plan on doing anything else
once you start reading this one.
Gerlach is a master storyteller, and he is in high form.
If you liked Love Lies Dying, you'll love Hunting Zoe."
-- Brian Keene, author of The Rising, Terminal, and
Fear of Gravity.
"A truly unique and original take on the concept of a
sequel, Hunting Zoe examines an inverted intersection
between reality and fiction
and manages to successfully blur the boundary even
further."
-- Cemetery Dance Magazine, Issue 51, USA
"Gerlach is the King of Australian thrills!"
-- Oh Yeah! Magazine, Australia
"Gerlach is one of Australia's premier dark thriller
writers."
-- Shadow Writer, UK
"A fast-paced, impossible-to-put-down, thrill-ride of a
novel!"
-- Wild Roses Productions, Australia
"Zoe.
Oh yes, Zoe...
The mere utterance of her name can bring a shudder of
delight and terror to those who have had the pleasure of
reading LOVE LIES DYING (Probable Cause Productions, TPB,
2001; Bloodletting Press, HC, forthcoming), Steve Gerlach's
infamous novel of erotic suspense. For these fortunate
readers, Zoe's horrific antics and cryptic personality
commonly linger in their minds as among the small-press
highlights of 2001. As such, the simple whisper of her name
can still conjure up vivid memories of bloodchilling
delights. She's a hard gal to forget.
And now she's back. Well, sort of. 'Seek and ye shall
find...' states the novella's publicity.
Gerlach has penned a sequel of sorts with the tremendous
HUNTING ZOE (Wildroses Productions, 2004). In the clever
and witty style that has fashioned a consistently
commendable body of work, Gerlach has devised a sequel that
continues the legacy of his female protagonist while at the
same time taking a wry look at fanaticism and celebrity
worship. HUNTING ZOE begins with a intriguing premise: the
terrifying story told in LOVE LIES DYING was true. This
followup then -- this short sharp novella told in rousing
short chapters and terse, clean dialogue -- has two
obsessed young men following Zoe's violent, bloody trail
step-by-step as it was described in the original novel.
Along their brief travel, they encounter odd townsfolk and
even stranger circumstances among the various original
settings from the novel. The puzzling duality of what's
real and what's not, of what's imagined and what's only
feared, is one that not only advances the furious pace of
this admirable work but also makes this sequel much more
than just a simple followup. And perhaps the most
frightening aspect of this novella is not the lengths to
which fixation will lead an individual...but what that
individual will find when they discover that obsession can
spread to others like a virulant, deadly plague.
'Seek and ye shall find' indeed. You've been warned."
-- Ron Clinton, Washington, USA -
r-and-jclinton@email.msn.com
"I read Hunting Zoe last night as I crawled into bed. It's
one of those books that you start to read one chapter and
you can't stop, and you tell yourself, 'Just another 10
pages,'cause you're tired, but then that 10 pages is up
and....well, soon enough you're done the book and wide
awake.
The book is fairly short at 168 pages and fairly expensive
at $50, but it's limited to 200 copies, signed, and all
that. It's a very nicely produced book as well.
This is a companion book to Gerlach's Love Lies Dying,
which I haven't read. And, no, it didn't matter at all.
It's not a sequel, but it sure makes me want to read the
earlier book. Larry Roberts, if you see this, get that book
published!!
Hunting Zoe is not as extreme as Rage but it's definitely
got points that are x-rated.
Gerlach's style here is very reminiscent of Richard Laymon.
I don't know if that's deliberate (Gerlach runs the RLK!
website), but it works great. The book is very easy to read
and has just a great story.
Very highly recommended."
-- John Little, USA
"Let me chime in with my thoughts on HUNTING ZOE... I Loved
It! Just the idea of the story in itself is amazing. The
pace is fast - so buckle up before opening this book! If
HUNTING ZOE gives a peek into LOVE LIES DYING, then bring
on LOVE LIES DYING. I did hear that it was in the stages of
being proofed, so hopefully the wait won't be too much
longer. Then I can read HUNTING ZOE again and look for the
extra links that I no doubt missed.
Are you going to drop any hints about future Zoe
appearances, or what?"
-- Leigh Haig, Australia
"Think you know Zoe? Think you know where she was? Think
you know where she is now? Pal, you don't know jack.
Because you haven't read Hunting Zoe…
But I have.
She's beautiful, sexy and very, very dangerous. But do you
think that would stop two teenage boys, obsessed with even
the idea of a real Zoe, from trying to hunt her down; to
track and trace her like a stolen car with satellite
navigation? Not a chance in hell; at least, not in Steve
Gerlach's world. If you think you know the whole story
about Zoe Barber - you're wrong.
Dead wrong.
In Hunting Zoe, Gerlach takes us to familiar places,
different only because they are real. Everything about the
book is real. It's not a novella; it's not a work of
fiction. It's a journal of sorts. A very special journal,
logging the journey of Glen and his pal Mike.
Glen has read Love Lies Dying. He's met Zoe, in all her
magnificance, and now he's ready to meet Zoe again. This
time, however, he won't settle for words on paper. This
time, he will meet the real Zoe.
In flesh and blood.
With Hunting Zoe, Gerlach once again takes on a thrill ride
through the world in his head, throwing us around in the
backseat. He'll take us to places we've never been,
introduce us to characters we wish we never met, and show
us things we would never have known. But, above all else,
he'll prove to us one very important little message…
Legends Never Die.
And he does it all in one short ride of a novella through
hell.
If you liked The Nocturne, loved Rage and were blown away
by Love Lies Dying, then get your hands on Hunting Zoe.
It's definitely the best novella you'll read this year, and
there is not a chance that you'll be able to put it down
before that very last word.
Can you hear that? That quiet voice off in the distance?
It's Zoe, and she's calling your name…"
-- Troy Taylor, Australia