Gil's All Fright Diner

By: A. Lee Martinez

Narrated by: Fred Berman

Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Welcome to Gil's All Night Diner, where zombie attacks are a regular occurrence and you never know what might be lurking in the freezer....

Duke and Earl are just passing through Rockwood county in their pick-up truck when they stop at the Diner for a quick bite to eat. They aren't planning to stick around-until Loretta, the eatery's owner, offers them $100 to take care of her zombie problem. Given that Duke is a werewolf and Earl's a vampire, this looks right up their alley. But the shambling dead are just the tip of a particularly spiky iceberg.

Seems someone's out to drive Loretta from the Diner, and more than willing to raise a little Hell on Earth if that's what it takes. Before Duke and Earl get to the bottom of the Diner's troubles, they'll run into such otherworldly complications as undead cattle, an amorous ghost, a jailbait sorceress, and the terrifying occult power of pig-latin. And maybe - just maybe - the End of the World, too.

Gory, sexy, and flat-out hilarious, Gil's All Fright Diner will tickle your funnybone - before ripping it out of its socket!

©2009 A. Lee Martinez (P)2009 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Fans of Douglas Adams and Joe R. Lansdale...will happily sink their teeth into this combo platter of raunchy laughs and ectoplasmic ecstasy." ( Publishers Weekly)

OK but some things are a little over-the-top

Not done with the story yet, but the narrator's female voices are a bit distracting - exaggerated, kind of caricature-like at times, and the author's constant, extreme describing of one woman's fatness feels really unnecessary and off-putting. It rather takes away from the story in my opinion.

Worth a listen

An amusing listen, it cracked me up at times, and as an owner of a Scottish Terrier, I was naturally charmed by the introduction of one.

It grows on you

Skip this if it’s your first Martinez book. Otherwise once you know what you’re in for it’s okay but not great.

The world is surprisingly well thought out. The plot is tight. The voices were distinct and appropriate.

But I’m not a big fan of redneck characters, I prefer intellectual characters, which is why the book wasn’t great for me.

The book includes some very very light sex scenes so probably not appropriate for very young listeners.

Entertaining, Amusing More than Funny

I was really hoping to find another laugh aloud funny author, and had high hopes for Lee Martinez. This book was certainly entertaining, and the narrator did a fine job drawing out the humor, but I smiled more than laughed. The main characters are well depicted and engaging, and their nonchalance in the face of the bizarre was fun. But I found the asides and incidental comments more enjoyable than the plot itself, which felt a little predictable. I'd listen to another of his books after this, but with slightly lower expectations.

Occult humor story - works great

I've summed up A. Lee Martinez by comparing him to the following canon authors in two other reviews...

If you like Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams, Robert Asprin, Christopher Moore or Terry Pratchett, then this is a mug of ale or glass of wine from the same brewery my friend. Some good ol' light-hearted fun.

This book is his cover of the horror / macabre genre set in the southwest United States. Somehow, he makes it work. Incredibly readable - or listenable.

Great story, better read it

While I enjoyed listening to the audiobook, the narrator was trying way too hard, and the hysterical subtleties of the characters were often reduced to hayseed slapstick. A pity, because Martinez created some great characters here, Duke and Earl, the zombie cows, Mistress Lillith the teenage hellraiser . . . Do yourself a favor and read the novel before you listen to the audio version.

In my TOP TEN Books EVER!

Funny, riveting, great reader, Wonderful monster story! I will listen to this one over and over again.

Lots of fun – urban fantasy at its best

Very funny, with interesting plot ideas. Think of what would happen in Douglas Addams tried to write Monster Hunter International and you will have some idea of this book.

Not bad

Not bad, but I enjoyed other books by this author more. Don't get me wrong. It's not a bad book and I did enjoyed it, but I preferred the other books I own from A Lee Martinez. That's just my opinion though.

Good book, but...

The narrator's voice is a little bit grating. When he's doing dialogue it's fine, but the actually narrator ends up being rather obnoxious. I managed to listen to the whole thing though, and the story/writing is solid.