I would like to read some Zombie/Living Dead Horror Books.

[DonnachaOne]

Well, I'm glad I cam across this thread!

I know I've talked to a few DVDTalkers about this through e-mail already, so sorry if I'm bringing up old stuff. I wrote a screenplay for a zombie film, and since I really have no chance of seeing it adapted (a film would require a really big building and some kick-ass effects), I'd like to turn it into a comic.

I really have no idea how to illustrate (so to speak) horror in comic form, though. I will check out this "Deadworld" idea, but are there any other good "zombie" comics that I could read to get an idea of how to correctly present what I envision? My story's not wall-to-wall gore, so I'd like to make sure I can keep it interesting visually.

[travlr]

As far as zombie comics go there have been several good ones over the years. Deadworld is a great series but a little hard to get into if you can't find the earlier issues. My favorite out right now is The Walking Dead from Image comics. Very cool black and white art and a very good back story as well.

To the person who was asking about fast or slow zombies if you were asking about The Rising they are fast zombies. I never should have posted such a harsh review of The Rising. I still don't like the book but I feel bad if my words kept anyone from reading it. I forget the old if you don't have anything nice to say keep your mouth shut rule.

[claweight]

much thanks to the starter of this thread and many who have contributed some titles worth checking out!

i really enjoyed 'book of the dead' when i purchased it many years ago and have in fact re-read it several times. always wondered if there were more books of this nature out there!

i ordered 'the zombie survival guide' and 'the rising' which sound the most interesting and recommended (in that order). i'm trying to locate a copy of 'the dead'. that should satisfy me for now. i need to take a break from 'the two towers' which i'm currently reading.

[custom001]

Definitely "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson.
A classic.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...21742?v=glance

[Damage]

Has anyone read Eaten Alive!: Italian Cannibal and Zombie Movies? Obviously, a book dedicated to zombie/cannibal films, of which I'm a fan of. (Well, italian zombie movies actually.) Is it worth picking up?

[DonnachaOne]

Originally posted by custom001
Definitely "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson.
A classic.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...21742?v=glance

First book on the subject I picked up.

When 28 Days Later came out, a film I liked, I was sad that people would often point out that it had been assembled from better films... apparently no-one reads anymore.

[DJLinus]

I saw Dawn of the Dead for the first time a couple of weeks ago and just bought Anchor Bay's Day of the Dead DVD this week. Yeah, I've been on a bit of a zombie kick. I was wondering if there were any books detailing the making of the trilogy.

[DonnachaOne]

Just after going into a comic shop to look at the Walking Dead comics.

They're alright, I suppose. Nothing new to see, but I suppose there's only so much you can do with the genre.

Also, comic book stores are weird places full of weird people. Just an observation.

[travlr]

Originally posted by DonnachaOne
Just after going into a comic shop to look at the Walking Dead comics.

They're alright, I suppose. Nothing new to see, but I suppose there's only so much you can do with the genre.

Also, comic book stores are weird places full of weird people. Just an observation.

You say that likes it's a bad thing.

[claweight]

I saw Dawn of the Dead for the first time a couple of weeks ago and just bought Anchor Bay's Day of the Dead DVD this week. Yeah, I've been on a bit of a zombie kick. I was wondering if there were any books detailing the making of the trilogy.

don't know about a book but there's 'document of the dead' dvd released by synapse which is a behind scenes look at the making of the film 'dawn of the dead'. its been a while since i've seen it but the dvd itself is supposed to be pretty good.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...544799-6627258

[Giantrobo]

Man, so far "Risen" is sucking eggs

[Damage]

Thanks for recommending Brian Keene's The Rising, folks, creepy stuff!

[Giantrobo]

Originally posted by Damage
Thanks for recommending Brian Keene's The Rising, folks, creepy stuff!

Awesome book! Action, creepiness, scary, lotsa DEATH, lotsa Living Dead, a total trip!

Spoiler:

Can't wait til the next installment

[MediaJones]

As the earlier post sez, you zombie-lovin' freaks need to find the seminal zombie short story collections, "Book of the Dead" and "Still Dead", both edited and compiled by splatterpunk icons John Skipp and Craig Spector.

Also, I second the recommendation of Philip Nutman's "Wet Work." Another fine OOP book if you can find it.

Last but not least, keep your eyes on Cemetery Dance's website for a release date on "Mondo Zombie", which is a brand-spankin'-new collection of zombie short stories, as compiled by the aforementioned John Skipp. Fans of the "Dead" books don't want to miss this upcoming collection, which features stories by Clive Barker, Richard Laymon, Jack Ketchum, Lucy Taylor, Caitlin Kiernan, Brian Hodge, Douglas E. Winter, Steve and Melanie Tem, Nancy Kilpatrick and many others, not to mention the last unpublished story by "Psycho" author Robert Bloch.

If this sounds like a sales pitch, well, it is. I know Skipp and wish him all the success in the world. However, fact of the matter is, these are really freakin' good zombie tales and any serious fan of the undead should have them on their shelf.

[travlr]

Well I know I slammed The Rising earlier in this thread but this is fun so I thought I would share. I met Brian Keene today at a book signing here in the DC area. I had an interesting talk with him about the book and my feelings about the ending. Brian was very cool and understood how I felt and said it was a tough choice to end the book like he did. Then it was fun to talk to him about what I thought might have happened. He signed my copy for joe I promise the next one will have an ending.

[Gatsby]

I'm glad I came across this thread! I'll be taking a long trip with a sixteen hour flight and wanted to purchase a scary book that will keep me turning the pages.

I finally chose 'The Dead' over 'The Rising'. Hope it's as good as the reviews on Amazon say it is!!

[Giantrobo]

Originally posted by travlr
Well I know I slammed The Rising earlier in this thread but this is fun so I thought I would share. I met Brian Keene today at a book signing here in the DC area. I had an interesting talk with him about the book and my feelings about the ending. Brian was very cool and understood how I felt and said it was a tough choice to end the book like he did. Then it was fun to talk to him about what I thought might have happened. He signed my copy for joe I promise the next one will have an ending.

spoilers ahead:



I still don't understand the anger over the "ending". What's the big deal? It's going into another book? So what?

The Rising is wild ride that starts on page 1 and keeps going never losing steam. I only wish RISEN was as interesting.

[travlr]

Well actually when the book was written there weren't plans for a sequel. The ending as described by Brian was supposed to be like the ending to the movie The Thing. Were you are just kind of left to decide what happened on your own. He did give away what happened while I was talking to him though. If you go to his site you will see I'm not alone in my dislike of the ending.

[Giantrobo]

Originally posted by travlr
Well actually when the book was written there weren't plans for a sequel. The ending as described by Brian was supposed to be like the ending to the movie The Thing. Were you are just kind of left to decide what happened on your own. He did give away what happened while I was talking to him though. If you go to his site you will see I'm not alone in my dislike of the ending.

I know you're not alone. I guess I had know from jump it had ended with a cliffhanger and I had assumed another book was coming. Perhaps that's why it didn't bother me as much.

[Giantrobo]

I finally finished "RISEN"...

It took waaaay to long to get to "the point", there were no scary or tense parts whatsoever, and the ending sucked ass.

I'm very disappointed with it.

"THE RISING" pissed all over "RISEN". "The Rising" had me tensed up and freaked out with scary Zombie/crazy human situations.

[Venom]

www.raptorman.us is pretty cool. it's presented as a web journal from a military guy from a few weeks before a zombie plague hits. as a journal, it can be brief and a bit lacking on the details and such. but no the less it is a great read and they (he) is selling it in book forum now from the website. of course if you didn't want to support it or just want to check it out, you can read it all free on the website.

[AGuyNamedMike]

Originally Posted by Venom

www.raptorman.us is pretty cool. it's presented as a web journal from a military guy from a few weeks before a zombie plague hits. as a journal, it can be brief and a bit lacking on the details and such. but no the less it is a great read and they (he) is selling it in book forum now from the website. of course if you didn't want to support it or just want to check it out, you can read it all free on the website.

Dangit, now I'm thoroughly engrossed in this guy's story. It's a good read, but the white text on black is giving me a headache.

[cheapskate]

Originally Posted by AGuyNamedMike

Dangit, now I'm thoroughly engrossed in this guy's story. It's a good read, but the white text on black is giving me a headache.

They want you to buy the book...

Now that this thread has risen from the grave - I can actually comment on some of the earlier suggestions...(now I've had time to read them).

Simon Clark - Stranger: Just finished this last night. Engrossing but fairly standard "zombie" tale. A few surprises, and an interesting interlude in an underground bunker. Interesting setup for the beginning of the end of the world. The "zombies" in the story are actually "bread bandits" - virus riddled homeless from South America...

The Dead - Mark Rogers: Typo-riddled; almost to the point that it's unreadable. Standard zombie fare, but with an overly religious tone that some might not enjoy (I didn't). Expensive purchase... oh well.

Reign of The Dead - Len Barnhart: Solid zombie book. I'll probably read the sequel. The characters are uninvolving, but there's plenty of action. Again, an expensive purchase...

The Rising by Brian Keene: One of the best - if not the best zombie book I've read in a long time. Can't wait for the sequel! Like others have said, the "ending" is very sudden and unexpected - but there's more on the way! The next book apparantly deals with survivors stuck in a skyscraper while the city of the dead continues to grow around them. Cool!

Zombie Survival Guide: Hilarious! Totally straight-faced which makes it the best zombie reference guide available. I keep a copy of it in my underground bunker...

Bentley Little - The Walking: I read this a while back and never thought of it as a "zombie" book. It has walking dead - but none of the other aspects of zombie stories that we're used to. I thought the ending was terrible - but that's always the worst part anyway. I enjoyed "The Policy" a lot more. Infact, I thought this was one of Little's weaker novels.

A good friend of mine has a story about to be published in the zombie anthology "Cold Flesh". You can read more about it here and here. It's supposed to be out by June 2005.

Thanks to everyone for the recommendations!

[RonG617]

No one has mentioned They Thirst by Robert R McCammon. It is out of print, but can still be found pretty cheap in used book sites. He is a very good writer. Swan Song is a favorite of mine.

[Baron Of Hell]

Not a book but a good read. Check out the journal section.

http://www.raptorman.us/index.htm