IGX

I've been experimenting w/the horror genre for a little while since I never read any of it previously. I liked Wellington's zombie series well enough but it didn't really grab me.

The Rising and The City Of The Dead by Brain Keene are worth a look. The zombies have an interesting twist, the characters are engaging, and the action is hot and heavy. Not high end literature in any way but enjoyable good mind candy IMO. It's a two book series so you need to read them in order.

Also, Howard Stern fans might find his book Castaways interesting. The book isn't nearly as well written but it has some fun moments.

I'm always up for a good zombie apocalypse. I liked Wellington's 'Zombie Island' but I couldn't get behind 'Zombie Nation.' My satisfaction decreased proportionately as 'mystical' elements were introduced.

I like 'nuts and bolts' zombies; the best example of that subgenre is 'World War Z.' If you are brave enough to get past the stigma of a mature man reading funny books Robert Kirkman's 'the Walking Dead' from Image Comics is pure genius. It's been collected into a series of trade paperbacks and is readily available as a torrent-- if you don't have ethical qualms.

I've only read the second book in this series, its not 'zombie' per se--but pretty good:

I am currently watching "Dead Set," a Channel 4 miniseries from the Brits. It concerns a zombie apocalypse occurring while a cast of "Big Brother" are safely sealed inside their house. So far so good, esp for a TV show. ( I have 3 episodes to go.)

Plague Year and Plague War were some fairly intense reads.

"Shock Waves", aquatic Nazi zombies and Peter Cushing, need I say more?



This is considered to be the Citizen Kane of Nazi zombie movies.

vern wrote:"Shock Waves", aquatic Nazi zombies and Peter Cushing, need I say more?



This is considered to be the Citizen Kane of Nazi zombie movies.

In this case, "atmospheric" translates to "criminally slow."

I'll see your Nazi zombies and raise you some undead Knights Templar.

Any zombie fan should enjoy Max Brooks' World War Z. I recommend the audio book strictly based on the fact that Alan Alda does one of the voices.

steelydan wrote:

I heartily endorse this recommendation.

Maza wrote:

steelydan wrote:

I heartily endorse this recommendation.

I just read this. I've never read any literature from Austen & Bronte era. This takes what I presume is the Pride & Prejudice story line and tosses in assorted ravening zombies. It's not horror. It's more entertaining spoof.

Also, this is as close as I'll ever get to reading Jane Austen unless someone comes up with "Emma meets Frankenstein".

This takes what I presume is the Pride & Prejudice story line and tosses in assorted ravening zombies.

Yeah, 80% of the original text of the novel, with zombie improvements. And ninjas, you forgot about the ninjas.

GoDogGo! wrote:

vern wrote:"Shock Waves", aquatic Nazi zombies and Peter Cushing, need I say more?



This is considered to be the Citizen Kane of Nazi zombie movies.

In this case, "atmospheric" translates to "criminally slow."

I'll see your Nazi zombies and raise you some undead Knights Templar.

Would that be the "Blind Dead" series? I saw "Horror Of The Zombies" as part of a 50 pack collection, and I understand it is part of a 4 movie series about undead Knights Templar. Most of the non-zombie stuff sucked, and some of the special effects were laughable (most unconvincing miniatures EVER), but the zombie attack scenes were well done. The B.D. advanced on their victims like the very embodiment of leprosy and decay - great costuming and makeup and obscuring the zombie faces with hooded robes was a bit of genius. (Plus the sound track was heavy on the chanting/antiphonal chorus voices - eerie and sinister indeed, in that context).

World War Z was, in its way, brilliant. I'm not sure the author could do anything that good again without the literary gimmick of a series of memoirs (let him step right around typical novel plot and structure and dialog problems and get right to the good parts), but I give him props for pulling it off almost flawlessly.

Abandoned by Wolves wrote:
Would that be the "Blind Dead" series? I saw "Horror Of The Zombies" as part of a 50 pack collection, and I understand it is part of a 4 movie series about undead Knights Templar. Most of the non-zombie stuff sucked, and some of the special effects were laughable (most unconvincing miniatures EVER), but the zombie attack scenes were well done. The B.D. advanced on their victims like the very embodiment of leprosy and decay - great costuming and makeup and obscuring the zombie faces with hooded robes was a bit of genius. (Plus the sound track was heavy on the chanting/antiphonal chorus voices - eerie and sinister indeed, in that context).

Oh fuck yeah. Highly atmospheric but the supporting cast (in all of them) is so goddamn annoying that you root for the Templars non-stop.

These films also demonstrate the unfortunate fact that if you're a lesbian in a Spanish horror film, you're gonna get raped. Sorry about that, it's the rules.

EoD.

That's from Fulci's first zombie film; easily the most fucked-up scene in the whole thing, and I think it also inspired the heavy presence of underwater zombies in "WWZ."

"Patient Zero" by Jonathan Maberry

It's kind of Lee Child's Jack Reacher character meets bio-engineered muslim terrorist zombies. Mucho carnage and a pretty good read.

GoDogGo! wrote:That's from Fulci's first zombie film; easily the most fucked-up scene in the whole thing, and I think it also inspired the heavy presence of underwater zombies in "WWZ."

That scene is where the whole zombie genre jumped the shark. IMHO.

Another gem for Zombie fans...critics loved it and so do I.

Dead Snow: Modern Norwegian film with Nazi zombies

The best Norwegian zombie film ever, unless there's another one.

Fuckin' nerds.

Gav wrote:Fuckin' nerds.

And proud of it, gonad-greaser!

Best news yet for Zombie Fans:

Variety has announced that AMC is signing a development deal to produce a series based on Robert Kirkman’s Image comic book series, The Walking Dead.

Included in the discussions is Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont and Terminator producer Gale Ann Hurd.

“This is not about zombies popping out of closets,” said AMC SVP of programming, Joel Stillerman to Variety. “This is a story about survival, and the dynamics of what happens when a group is forced to survive under these circumstances. The world is portrayed in a smart, sophisticated way.”

http://blog.newsarama.com/2009/08/11/am ... king-dead/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walking_Dead

beefheart wrote:“This is not about zombies popping out of closets,” said AMC SVP of programming, Joel Stillerman to Variety. “This is a story about survival, and the dynamics of what happens when a group is forced to survive under these circumstances. The world is portrayed in a smart, sophisticated way.”

Wow that is a unique take on the zombie genre!

One of the best Zombie Films ever:

I'm reading Plague Year right now and I've got Patient Zero on order.

Also seen a couple of series of books called Tomes of the Dead and the Afterblight Chronicles.

Gotta check them out before I pick them up though.

FYI, mathematical models of zombie outbreaks.