IR VERDICT:
David Hopkins’ WEAR CHAINMAIL TO THE APOCALYPSE rollicks as a black humor-filled romp through the end times that starts with a bang and doesn’t relent, mixing in moments of suspense and pathos. Informed by a wry sensibility and a flair for the absurd, the book follows the everyman copywriter Tom as he teams up with knights from a local Renaissance Faire to survive diseased hordes of zombies, reflecting on the bygone world in biting chapters that recount “An Account of Things that Did Not Survive” like being busy, exercise, and Starbucks. Overflowing with personality and told in a distinctive voice, the book details a creatively imagined post-apocalyptic world one would want to spend more time in.