Monday, August 13, 2012

Braaaaains...


If you’re sick of vampires, or just disappointed that the current vampire literature lacks of the “bite” of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, there’s good news! The library has plenty of zombie books that can be counted on to paint a terrifying picture of the undead that will make you a little less comfortable around graveyard.

If you’re seen the TV show, The Walking Dead, why not read the graphic novels that inspired the show? The Walking Dead: A Continuing Story of Survival Horror, Book One begins with Rick Grimes and his friend and fellow officer, Shane, in a shootout with an escaped prisoner. Rick is shot, and when he wakes up in a hospital some time later he quickly discovers that the world he remembers is gone. In his new reality, the dead have risen and society has crumbled, leaving the survivors to fend for themselves. Amazingly, Rick manages to find his wife and son with Shane and a group of other survivors in an encampment just outside of Atlanta. However, Rick’s joy at finding his family is short-lived, as he soon discovers that the zombie apocalypse isn’t the only danger that they face. Their new existence is brutal, and the pressure of surviving in a broken world can make good men succumb to their most evil desires.

In Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick, Alex is a teenager dying of terminal brain cancer when she makes the fateful decision to cut school and travel to the Great Lakes in Michigan to spread the ashes of her parents and put to rest her personal demons. She’s camped in the Waucamaw Wilderness, a place she often visited with her parents, when she meets Jack Cranford, his granddaughter Ellie, and their dog Mina. Ellie, Alex discovers, has just lost her solider father in an explosion and is having trouble coping. Jack has taken her camping to help her sort through her issues. As Jack and Alex are talking, they are both experience a strange pain and hear a loud, metallic screech that sends the local wildlife into an uproar. The unexplained event kills Jack, and as Alex soon discovers, wipes out all of their electrical devices. She and Ellie set off to find help, and along the way they discover that the event has transformed their fellow campers into savage predators.

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry adds a twist to a tale of two teenagers looking for summer employment. Benny Imura and his friend Lou Chong live in a post-apocalyptic world infested with zombies (or Zoms, as they call them) and lacking modern technology. The boys need to find a job by the time school starts or face having their rations cut in half. Chong finds work as a “spotter” (a lookout for zombies) but after trying several jobs Benny is forced to work as his older brother’s apprentice. Working for Tom is the last thing Benny wants to do since he blames Tom for their parents’ death. Tom Imura is a “closure specialist” and is well-respected by the community, but Benny isn’t impressed by his brother’s reputation. He prefers the company of his heroes, Charlie Pinkeye and Marion Hammer, two bounty hunters who tell fascinating stories about their work killing Zoms. After a seemingly innocent event leads to unexpected violence, Benny is forced to reevaluate his opinions about his brother, his former heroes and the world they live in.

Monster Island: A Zombie Novel by David Wellington poses the question, what would happen if zombies could think? The story alternates between the perspectives of Dekalb, a former United Nations Weapons Inspector, and Gary, a medical student who has made the decision to become a zombie after taking steps to keep his brain alive. The story begins with Dekalb as he arrives in New York City with a group of girl soldiers from the Free Women’s Republic of Somaliland. The leader of the Free Women’s Republic, Mama Halima, suffers from AIDS. She believes that Dekalb can find the drugs she needs to survive, and in return she will offer him a life with his daughter, Sarah. Unable to find what Mama Halima needs in Africa, Dekalb and the girls have come to New York to search the UN Building, which Dekalb knows has a stockpile of HIV medication. When the group encounters Gary, they are wary but allow him to join them. Shortly thereafter he commits a heinous act that has unexpected consequences for all.

Other recommended Zombie titles:
 
Zombies Don’t Cry by Rusty Fischer
Forrest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
Generation Dead by Dan Waters