Zombie books...

[SidDithers]

OK, DU'ers, looking for summer reading recommendations. And for some reason, I'm on a bit of a post-apocalyptic / zombies kick right now. Blame it on too much Left 4 Dead.

Whadya got?

Sid

[Forkboy]

1. World War Z, if you haven't read it yet.

It's outstanding.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War (abbreviated WWZ) is a 2006 horror, post-apocalyptic novel by Max Brooks. World War Z is a follow-up to his previous book, The Zombie Survival Guide (2003). Rather than a grand overview or a single perspective, World War Z is a collection of individual accounts in the form of interviews of the characters by the author. Brooks plays the role of an agent of the United Nations Postwar Commission who published the novel a decade after the Zombie War in this fictional future after the United Nations left out much of his work from the official report, as it chose to focus on the facts and figures of the war rather than the human aspects he included. The novel charts a decade-long war against zombies from the view point of many different people and nationalities. In addition, the personal accounts describe the changing religious, geo-political, and environmental aftermath of the Zombie War.

[SidDithers]

2. Just placed a hold at my local library...

It was on my list, but just moved to the top :)

Thanks for the suggestion.

Sid

[comrade snarky]

4. I'll second the World War Z

Read it and it's ruined me for other zombpocolipse tales. Nothing else has come near it in quality.

Interesting thing, it's written by Max Brooks, Mel's son. Blazing Saddles to brain eating in one generation.

[krispos42]

8. You won't be disappointed, I don't think

I absolutely could not put it down. And after I read the last page, I took a breath, paused for a second, then began reading it again from the beginning.

[SidDithers]

10. I was 5th in line for the paper version...

so I took out the audiobook, and listened in the car for the last week.

Thanks to all for suggesting it. I really enjoyed it.

The audiobook cast was excellent too. Alan Alda, John Turturro, both Carl and Rob Reiner and a host of others. Was a nice way to spend the daily commute.

I also finished The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, which was good, but depressing. I've got Earth Abides by George Stewart up next, followed by The Rising, by Brian Keene.

Oh, and watched Dead Snow last night too, complete with Zombie Nazis!

:hi:

Sid

[Orrex]

3. Zombology!

Amazon link here

Honesty compels me to disclose that I know several of the authors, so my opinion of this anthology is admittedly biased.

Having said that, I will also state that the quality of the stories varies widely, with a few that are rather good and several that are really awful. I'll add, though, that I enjoy the book simply for its different treatments of the zombie phenomenon. The stories don't connect to one another except in general subject matter, but the authors tackle a surprising range of tones and themes.


Worth a look IMO.

[phantom power]

5. There's this thing:

an on-line graphic novel called "Last Blood": Where a band of vampires tries to defend the last humans against a world of zombies.

http://lastblood.keenspot.com/main/2006/12/25/last-blood-begins/

[Forkboy]

6. That's cool!

:thumbsup:

[HappyCynic]

7. The Zen of Zombie

If you want lighter, more comedic material, try The Zen of Zombie. Written in the style of a self-help book, the first part is the best, listing the 24 habits of highly effective zombies.

[phantom power]

9. Haven't read it, but: "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"

http://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Zombies-Classic-Ultraviolent/dp/1594743347/ref=ed_oe_p

[Dr. Strange]

11. How about something from Infectious Disease Modelling Research Progress?

http://www.mathstat.uottawa.ca/~rsmith/Zombies.pdf