I’ve taken a break from reading children’s books recently, and given three titles written for grown-ups a go – and they’ve all been about zombies…
** Please note – the following books feature some gruesome stuff and aren’t suitable for younger readers! **
WORLD WAR Z by Max Brooks
I read this book after a recommendation (thanks, Richard!) and was hooked from page 1. It tells the story of a world wide zombie attack and how the unifected had to organise themselves enough to fight back – but, instead of writing it as a straight forward narrative, Max Brooks ‘interviews’ survivors of the zombie war, providing a series of gripping personal stories and eye-witness accounts. The result builds up a disturbing picture of the near destruction of humanity, and its fight back from the brink of extinction.
The book also adds a couple of cool features to zombies I hadn’t come across before – such as their ability to survive and attack underwater (they don’t have to breathe after all) and the brief respite enjoyed during winter months when the remaining fluid in the creatures’ bodies freezes, rendering them utterly immobile.
If you’re looking for all out brain-chomping, this isn’t the book for you – but if you fancy reading a new twist on zombie lore, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
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PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
I wanted to read this book from the moment I heard about it. A classic of literature with a zombie sub-plot thrown in for good luck! Who could lose? Sadly, me…
I don’t like to give books bad reviews, especially now I know what goes into writing and publishing a novel, but this was something of a disappointment. Once you get past the initial gag of characters battling ‘the unmentionables’ on their travels from society ball to society ball – there’s not much left. Don’t get me wrong – the zombie attacks are fun to read, but they feel tacked on to the story (yes, I know they ARE tacked on to the original story – but I’d hoped the stitches might have been a little less obvious). And, while Pride and Prejudice was always a good book, I don’t really want to plough through it again while I wait for the next undead fight sequence. Enjoyable, but not what I’d hoped it would be.
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BREATHERS by SG Browne
Easily the best of the three, Breathers tells the zombie story from the side of the undead. Having reanimated after a car crash which left his wife dead (and staying dead), Andy is collected from the SPCA kennels by his parents and sent to live in their basement. An embarrassment to his family (having a zombie in the home lowers house prices in the area), he has no idea why his wife didn’t come back from the grave, or why he did – but he’s going to have to find a way to cope.
Joining a zombie support group seems like the first step to take and, while his visits to Undead Anonymous don’t fix his speech, broken ankle or feeling of worthlessness – he does meet characters in a similar situation to his own. There’s Jerry, a party-loving dude who never tires of telling others of his demise (or daring them to touch his exposed brain); Ian, the lawyer whose friends and family have yet to realise he doesn’t have a pulse; and the attractive yet mysterious suicide victim, Rita.
The book builds into an action-packed climax (which I won’t spoil here) that manages to be both splendidly gory and genuinely touching. I cannot recommend Breathers enough – don’t you dare wait for the recently announced movie version!
Tommy