Zombies of Byzantium

by Sean Munger

The dead have been alive for centuries!

It’s the 8th century A.D., and the Byzantine Empire has got problems. A ruthless schemer has just overthrown the emperor and taken the crown for himself. The Saracen army is attacking Constantinople. Only one thing could make these problems look petty by an invasion of undead, flesh-eating zombies.

One young monk has witnessed the horror of the zombies and lived to tell the tale. When the new emperor hears of the danger, he hatches a wild plan. He puts the young monk in charge of creating an army of zombies to defeat the invaders. But it’s not that easy to control the living dead…

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Zombies, Horror

238 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2013

About the author

Sean Munger is the author of several novels in various genres, including the horror novels Zombies of Byzantium, Doppelgänger, The Rats of Midnight and Zombie Rebellion, the science fiction novels The Valley of Forever, Life Without Giamotti and its sequels, and the historical fiction books Romantic, Memoirs of a Great Liner and Beowulf is Boring. He also has short fiction available in collections titled Hotel Himalaya: Three Travel Romances, President in the Bathroom and The Antimeridian. A historian, he is the creator of the history podcast Second Decade, available on iTunes and other outlets. He writes about history, books, movies, art and many other subjects on his website www.seanmunger.com. He lives in Oregon.

Reviews

[Matthew Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy historical fiction in its regular form (PILLARS OF THE EARTH by Ken Follett is one of my favorite books of all time), but ZOMBIES OF BYZANTIUM combines that genre with my favorite horror subject, the living dead. The result is a fun and entertaining jaunt back in time that will leave you wondering if history was written correctly.

As I mentioned, I like historical fiction, especially when it is written around this time period. Something about the rawness of the world back then really draws me. But although it was a simpler time, the people back then obviously still had problems and issues just like we do today. For this reason, I think the concept of pitting ancient peoples against something like zombies is a clever and original idea.

ZOMBIES OF BYZANTIUM is well written with simple prose and plenty of imagination. Author Sean Munger does a brilliant job of recreating the ancient world with words and putting the reader in the center of the 8th century Byzantine Empire. This realism allows for complete immersion into the story, and thus gives a more enjoyable reading experience.

My sole complaint about ZOMBIES OF BYZANTIUM is that the characters sometimes use modern day phrases (or phrases that I don’t believe were around at that time); a couple of examples are “life of the party”, “hard-ass”, and “assholes”. This doesn’t detract from the story itself, but it was something that jumped out at me early on as I started reading.

Still, ZOMBIES OF BYZANTIUM is a great read and is definitely one you should check out. It is inventive and original, a stylish entry into the zombie fiction genre. It hits store shelves early next month, so make a note to give it a look.

[Rabid Readers Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Munger’s plotting and pacing were extremely well thought out. First he engages us with the characters, eases us into the concept and then engages us with additional key characters. None of the characters have seen zombies before or heard the lore so within the context of the storyline, that terminology is never used.

The setting of the story is the ancient world but Munger gives us a very relatable feel to today within the dialogue. He uses actual historical facts with the idea that the winners write history and the winners aren’t telling us the full story. There are no special effect moments. What these characters accomplish is what characters of the time would do.

One of my favourite characters is Emperor Leo. Our first impression is of a silly, vain man and as the story progresses he seems cunning and conniving and before long we realize that this man didn’t get where he is by some accident. He has brilliance and a cunning worthy of any ruler. Munger could have very easily used this character for comic relief alone but instead chose to build a very real person under all of the pistachios and flatulence.

Micheal Camytzes is another of the many well-constructed characters. He’s brave, clever and caring. He is the first to recognize early on that the zombies will spread. That they are not a punishment from God but a plague. He tells Brother Stephen in a bit of non-sequiter that he is smart enough to serve whatever God will best ensure that he continues to live to serve a God.

I truly enjoyed Zombies of Byzantium. Munger’s crafting is flawless. The twists and turns that the author makes within the story-line are simply genius.

[Meaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say, this was quite the page-turner. If you don't mind that all the characters from the Middle Ages think and talk like characters from the 21st century, you're in for a rollicking ride. A word to the wise, though: although there is definite suspense here, the terror side of the story really isn't there. This book is much more funny than it is scary.

(A word to the wise: the author is a friend of mine, and he gave me the book. But it was just a gift and he didn't ask me to review it, favorably or otherwise.)

[Greg Schell · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. A bit cliche in parts, but overall well written.

[Ming · Rating 5 out of 5]

It gave a plausible story with a clear explanation of why zombies are not read about in history.

[Zachary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know only so much can be expected of such a novel, but the premise, zombies being used during the eighth century Islamic siege of Constantinople in the time of Leo III, has potential. However, the execution is not very good here. It simply doesn't feel like it is really set in the Byzantine empire. The language is completely incorrect and far too modern. Moreover, there are many anachronisms that pulled me right out of the story. The Byzantines never called their empire the "Byzantine Empire"; that was a label only applied much, much later. They referred to their polity as the Roman Empire, of which it was in fact a continuing rump state, or otherwise as "Romania". There is also reference at one point to using up all the oxygen in a room, but oxygen wasn't known of for another millennium. The character of Leo is also not very well constructed, though it is obvious that the author does not at all like the man, no matter his achievements. Finally, the voices of all the characters sound too similar, so without labels in the text, it is hard to differentiate. Still, for all the problems, there is talent here, and the book, though flawed, it worth a read for those into zombie fiction.

[Gabrielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The priests pray in Latin, despite being part of the Greek Orthodox Church. People are referred to as Byzantines, despite that being an external moniker from a later period. People talk about court marshals in the army. The empress attempts to seduce the monk protagonist.

The idea is cool, and the story is relatively well structured, but the language is forced and anachronistic in an unbearable manner. I gave up on this book half way through.

[Pam Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the review of this book in the Manhattan Kansas Mercury and had to read it myself. I am a fan of historical fiction so any connection to the Byzantine Empire intrigues me. This is, of course, part of our fascination with zombies. It is a good, fast read and should make you grin. I hope there are more to come.

[Holden Attradies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alternative history and zombies, what's not to like? The book was a real pager turner, although the story did kind of run out of the steam the last couple of chapters. Beyond that my only real complaint was that the point of view character felt a little too modern, almost as if the story had originally been written as the main character being a time traveler from modern times, but that that aspect of the story was dropped at one time but his dialog all pretty much left the same.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining read. It's great to have a story like this set in 8th century Byzantium. The style is light and fast-paced, but the use of modern language and terms is jarring. I was also prepared to overlook the inconsistencies and historical inaccuracies in the name of entertainment.

[Susan Outlaw]

Okay, so I didn't finish it. I returned the book as it was due back and forgot all about it.

[Heather Lara-anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

had a seriously hard time getting past the 20th century language and culture of a book set in the 8th century. Felt like it was written to be an action movie not a book.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

a fun little romp through medieval Byzantine history.

[James Mullins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched story set in the 8th Century. Author did a good job of showing the historical adaptability of Byzantium to situations even supernatural ones such as zombies!

[Phil Wardlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a fun read. Keep in mind the dialog is modern day, not 9th century dialog. I think the modern dialog made it an easier read for me.