Zombies : the recent dead

You can't kill the dead Like any good monster, the zombie has proven to be ever-evolving, monumentally mutable, and open to seemingly endless imaginative interpretations: the thralls of voodoo sorcerers, George Romero's living dead, societal symbols, dancing thrillers, viral victims, reanimated ramblers, video gaming targets, post-apocalyptic permutations, shuffling sidekicks, literary mash-ups, the comedic, and, yes, even the romantic. Evidently, we have an enduring hunger for this infinite onslaught of the ever-hungry dead. Hoards of readers are now devouring zombie fiction faster than armies of the undead could chow down their brains. It's a sick job, but somebody had to do it: explore the innumerable necrotic nightmares of the latest, greatest, most fervent devotion in the history of humankind and ferret out the best of new millenial zombie stories: Zombies: The Recent Dead. Contents ix Preshamble (2010) essay by Paula Guran xii The Meat of the Matter (2004) essay by David J. Schow xxii Deaditorial Note (2010) essay by Paula Guran 29 Twisted (2009) novelette by Kevin Veale 54 The Things He Said (2007) shortstory by Michael Marshall Smith 64 Naming of Parts (2000) novella by Tim Lebbon 128 Dating Secrets of the Dead (2002) shortstory by David Prill 142 Lie Still, Sleep Becalmed (2007) shortstory by Steve Duffy 171 The Great Wall: A Story from the Zombie War (2007) shortstory by Max Brooks 178 First Kisses from Beyond the Grave (2006) novelette by Nik Houser 218 Zora and the Zombie (2004) novelette by Andy Duncan 239 Obsequy (2006) novelette by David J. Schow 267 Deadman's Road [Reverend Jedidiah Mercer] (2007) novelette by Joe R. Lansdale 293 Bitter Grounds (2003) novelette by Neil Gaiman 334 Glorietta (2009) shortfiction by Gary A. Braunbeck 334 Beautiful White Bodies (2009) novelette by Alice Sola Kim 342 Farewell, My Zombie (2009) shortfiction by Francesca Lia Block 354 Trinkets (2001) shortfiction by Tobias S. Buckell [as by Tobias Buckell ] 362 Dead Man's Land (2009) shortfiction by David Wellington 378 Disarmed and Dangerous (2009) novelette by Tim Waggoner 395 The Zombie Prince (2004) shortstory by Kit Reed 409 Three Scenes from the End of the World (2009) shortfiction by Brian Keene 420 The Hortlak (2003) novelette by Kelly Link 445 Dead to the World (2009) shortstory by Gary McMahon 458 The Last Supper (2003) shortstory by Scott Edelman

You can't kill the dead! Like any good monster, the zombie has proven to be ever-evolving, monumentally mutable, and open to seemingly endless imaginative interpretations: the thralls of voodoo sorcerers, George Romero's living dead, societal symbols, dancing thrillers, viral victims, reanimated ramblers, video gaming targets, post-apocalyptic permutations, shuffling sidekicks, literary mash-ups, the comedic, and, yes, even the romantic. Evidently, we have an enduring hunger for this infinite onslaught of the ever-hungry dead. Hoards of readers are now devouring zombie fiction faster than armies of the undead could chow down their brains.
It's a sick job, but somebody had to do it: explore the innumerable necrotic nightmares of the latest, greatest, most fervent devotion in the history of humankind and ferret out the best of new millenial zombie stories: Zombies: The Recent Dead.

Publishers Weekly

In this hefty anthology of 22 short stories originally published between 2000 and 2010, zombies run the gamut from shambling, mindless killers to transformed super-cool high school students. Introductions by Guran and David J. Schow contextualize the zombie oeuvre. In Kevin Veale's darkly hilarious "Twisted," two men manage to escape the zombies by ingesting huge amounts of drugs. In Kit Reed's call-and-response "The Zombie Prince," a strange creature and a recently rejected woman have an increasingly intimate conversation about loss and life. Tim Lebbon's coming-of-age novella, "Naming of Parts," in which a boy and his parents flee zombies across postapocalyptic England, delivers an emotional punch despite its by-the-numbers adult child role reversal. In "Zora and the Zombie," Andy Duncan combines fact and fiction as Zora Neale Hurston confronts zombies in Haiti. This collection has something for every zombie fan. (Jan.)

"The living dead are more alive than ever! Zombies have become more than an iconic monster for the twenty-first century: they are now a phenomenon constantly revealing as much about ourselves--and our fascination with death, resurrection, and survival--as our love the supernatural or post-apocalyptic speculation. Our most imaginative literary minds have been devoured by these incredible creatures and produced exciting, insightful, and unflinching new works of zombie fiction. We've again dug up the best stories--even some poetry--publish in the last few years and compiled them into an anthology to feed your insatiable hunger"--Page 4 of cover. Zombies have an enduring hunger for human brains-- and humans have an enduring hunger of zombie fiction. Explore the necrotic nightmares of the undead: voodoo sorcerers, viral victims, literary mash-ups, the comedic, and yes, even the romantic