Zombies vs. Unicorns

by Holly Black (editor), Justine Larbalestier (Editor)

It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths--for good and evil--of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Young Adult, Zombies, Anthologies, Horror, Fiction

432 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over thirty fantasy novels for kids and teens. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world dominated by Sparkling Vampires and Hot Werewolves, one dynamic duo dare to analyze the true question of our era - Zombies VS Unicorns.

Twelve short stories (each involving either Zombies or Unicorns) provide ample evidence for both sides, it is up to you to decide which one is truly better.

The highest justice by Garth Nix - Right off the bat we are toeing the line. An undead queen carried by a unicorn of death has one last wish - a kiss from her husband. Macabre and fun.

Love will tear us apart by Alaya Dawn Johnson - WOW. Just literally wow. This one is by far my fave of the set. Stay with me here - a gay zombie falls in love with the zombie hunter's son. I know. I know. I'm getting chills. It was so well written (and from second person to boot) and the characters are flawless. Alaya needs to turn this one into a whole story

Purity test by Naomi Novik - Our homeless heroine is recruited by a unicorn for some very dastardly deeds. Very entertaining and for once, the virgin thing isn't so cut-and-dry.

Bougainvillea by Carrie Ryan - Iza and her family control one of last zombie free islands on earth. When a mysterious boy visits, Iza begins to wonder at what price her safety costs.

A thousand flowers by Margo Lanagan - We start with one very drink man looking for somewhere to pee. In his stupor, he managed to follow a unicorn and discover a passed out girl in a state of great distress. Nine months later something very peculiar happens.

The children of the revolution by Maureen Johnson - whewww, a mother's love knows no bounds...but even so, you'd think she'd draw the line at zombifying children? Creepy and disturbing!

The care and feeding of your baby killer unicorn by Diana Peterfreund - Unicorns are back, they are hungry and meat is on the menu. Wen, a young girl, finds a baby killer unicorn and she doesn't have the heart to kill him.

Inoculata by Scott Westerfeld - One of the last human settlements is constantly surrounded by zombies. The teens in this one felt a little stereotypical-YA-winers but it wasn't too bad. The ending didn't make sense to me - too many plot holes.

Princess prettypants by Meg Cabot - What do you (a no-nonsense 17 yr old feminist) do when an aunt (rich, but distant) gives you a unicorn named Princess Prettypants? Obviously go on the most badass adventure possible!

Cold hands by Cassandra Clare - A town with a steady population of the undead. A murder covered up by a family. One, stunning conclusion.

The third virgin by Kathleen Duey - A unicorn with a death wish and serious substance abuse problems. Never thought I'd read about a junkie unicorn!

Prom night by Libba Bray - Hosting prom is stressful. Hosting prom using generators, scavenged decorations and stale snacks because the stupid zombie apocalypse happened is even worse.

Audiobook Comments
There were 3 readers for this one, which helped with high variety in tone / character in the short stories. The introductions to each story sounded wooden, but then again, they were a bit awkward to read too.

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[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm)]

Team Zombie started with one of the strongest stories in the book, but in the end it was Team Unicorn for the win.

The most dazzling contenders:

- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Alaya Dawn Johnson [Team Zombie]
- "Purity Test" by Naomi Novik [Team Unicorn]
- "A Thousand Flowers" by Margo Lanagan [Team Unicorn]

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zombies Vs. Unicorns and who is the winner?

Zombies! Thanks to Carrie Ryan's Bougainvillea. Undoubtedly the creepiest, most spine-tingly zombie story I have read since... well, since Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Haters of that book shouldn't be dissuaded though. This story is lacking the angst and lurve triangles found in Forrest. Instead, we get complex, unique, sympathetic and believable characters in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. And of course a healthy dose of the zombie horror that Ryan does so very, very well.

Notable zombie mentions include:

Maureen Johnson’s wonderfully bizarre Children of the Revolution, where we see something akin to a mix between old fashioned voodoo type zombies, new age religion and celebrity culture. Yeah, I know, it sounds like too much. But trust me, Johnson makes it work.

Libba Bray’s Prom Night This is the woman who wroteA Great and Terrible Beauty? It surprised me, because although I liked (liked, not loved) the first Gemma Doyle book, this dark, post-zombie apocalyptic story is not only better written, but so much more emotional and thought provoking. This one will stay with me for a long, long time.

Not so awesome zombie entries include:

Garth Nix’s The Highest Justice I’m not really sure whether this is Team Zombie or Team Unicorn, because it has a little of both. Either way, I didn’t care for it.

Alaya Dawn Johnson’s Love Will Tear Us Apart I liked it but…. think Twillight: The Zombie Version. Granted, this is written so much better than Twillight. However, I can’t help thinking that the novel everyone loves to hate inspired this one.

Scott Westenfeld’s Inoculata struck me as an introduction to a larger story, rather than a complete short.

Cassandra Clare’s Cold Hands didn’t even belong here. Really. Zombie light. For kids. Kids who are not very discriminating readers.

On the unicorn side, the case for their dominance and supreme scariness was very nearly won by Diana Peterfreund’s The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn. Silly title, no? Oh yeah, I agree. This is the first story I read from this collection. I know virtually nothing about Peterfreund’s writing (although I apparently know lots about her author-behaving-badly reputation) so I was more than a little curious to find out what kind of writer she is. This story blew me away. For a short story, there was an amazing amount of depth to it. Peterfreund created a complex and believable world in which unicorns ~ scary, evil killer unicorns exist. This was also a bit of a coming of age story, a romance story, and a little bit of religion thrown in as well. Yes, I know it seems like way too much. But it worked. I was hooked from the moment the young protagonist Wen sees a live unicorn at a circus side show… the unicorn growls… it’s handler grabs Wen’s arm and hisses to her, “You’re one of us” Oh gawd, I literally got chills at that moment and was reminded of the superbly creepy scene from Freaks when everyone is chanting, “Gooble Gobble one of us, one of us.” Long story short… I think I’m going to have to read some of Peterfreund’s work in the future.

Notable unicorn mentions:

Meg Cabot’s Princess Prettypants had the feel of a silly teen movie, but I loved it anyway. Just as light and fluffy as the title implies.

Kathleen Duey’s The Third Virgin is dark, thought provoking and almost creepy enough to be a zombie story. Only there aren’t any zombies ;)

Not so awesome unicorn stories are:

Margo Lanagan’s A Thousand Flowers is very… typical of Lanagan. What the fuck is it with this woman and bestiality??? I was disappointed to find this story difficult to get into. She presented a vague world, and multiple points of view. I found the whole thing to be a bit messy and the story just never got a good flow.

Naomi Novik’s Purity Test just didn’t do it for me. A little fantasy oriented a little snarky. Somehow this seemed to be lacking imagination.

Like all anthologies, this was a mixed bag. But the great ones more than made up for the so-so stories. Zombies Vs. Unicorns, as so many people have said, is such a fantastic concept. I am kicking myself for not having read this collection sooner!

[Max Lau • Maxxesbooktopia · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If you love someone, you’re not supposed to want them to come back. Better a peaceful sleep in the earth than the life of a zombie–not really dead but not really alive, either.”- Zombies Vs. Unicorns, Cassandra Clare.

My thoughts: Introduction

Let us start off with the introduction in each of the story that was presented in the book. Every introduction began with a heated conversation between Holly (Team Unicorn) and Justine (Team Zombie). Their conversations were mostly about how you should switch your team to Team Zombie instead of Team Unicorn or how disgusting zombies really are. While I was reading the book, I looked forward on reading the introduction of each story because I enjoyed them and it made me laughed. I am sure you will laugh as well if you read the book!

The plot of each story was unique and it proved how much time and effort the authors clicked the plot of their stories together! Some of the short stories in the book make me wish for a whole physical book dedicated to the stories I really want to read more about because some of them ended with a cliff-hanger and Oh my goodness, that’s not cool! I need more of them!

The pacing for this book was not at all fast. It was slow in some stories and fast in the others. It took me 7 days to finish the book and this book was definitely worth the time! (Even though I kind of failed my June To-Be-Read Piles…)

Some of the stories in the book dragged and let me tell you this: I did not enjoy the part where it dragged. We, as readers, tend to get bored when a story drags. So.. Yes, I did get bored and yawned a little at some point but I forced myself through those parts and the result is: I loved this book!

But I did not enjoy all the stories in the book. Some stories that were written by Libba Bray, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfeld and Margo Lanagan felt flat to me. The characters did not really appeal to me in any way and there were quite a lot of unexplained things that bothered me throughout their stories. Bu-, but, I loved their writing style which I will talk more about later on, and I will, no doubt, be reading the work they published!

Now, let us get on with the writing style!

Writing:

For the writing style section, I will be doing it according to whose story was presented first, second, etc. For example, Garath Nix’s story was the first story that was presented in the book, so, I am going to talk about his writing style first.

Team Unicorn: Garath Nix’s (Story Name: The Highest Justice) writing style for this book was great! It was simplistic, lyrical and articulate. Even though his story felt flat for me, I still want to read more from him and I can’t wait to read his other work beside Zombies Vs. Unicorns!

Team Zombie: Alaya Dawn Johnson’s (Story Name: Love will tear us apart) writing style for this book was simply beautiful! I found her story to be intriguing because she writes like none other authors. She wrote ‘Love will tear us apart’ in second person point of view: you. It was weird and pretty uncomfortable in the beginning, but after a while, my love for the story and her writing style started growing and I ended up really enjoying the POV.

Team Unicorn: Naomi Novik’s (Story name: Purity Test) writing style for this book was fabulous! I don’t think I can form a proper sentence… word, I mean, for her writing style.. So, I will just have to say that her writing style was fabulous.

Team Zombie: Carrie Ryan’s (Story Name: Bougainvillea) writing style was awesome! I am going to read her other work soon. Her story and her writing style pulled me in until her story ended. (And I still cannot believe it ended that way.. [Spoiler])

Team Unicorn: Margo Lanagan’s (Story Name: A Thousand Flowers) writing style was rare, I would say. Rare in saying how she changes point of views so quickly and professionally! Her story felt flat for me but her writing style totally did not!

Team Zombie: Maureen Johnson’s (Story name: The Children Of Revolution) writing style and plot were oddly beautiful and touching. Firstly, Her writing style was as clear as the crystal… If you get what I am trying to say. Secondly, the plot of the story killed my heart and touched my heart with healing powers at the same time. I just can’t… That ending definitely destroyed me. (Sorry, I can’t tell you guys! I would be spoiling you if I have told you about the ending!)

Team Unicorn: Diana Peterfreund’s (Story name: The care and feeding of your killer baby unicorn) writing style was very lyrical! Her writing style makes me want to read her other work, such as, ‘For Darkness Shows the Stars’ now! Her writing style was truly a work of art!

Team Zombie: Scott Westerfeld’s (Story Name: Inoculata) writing style was not my favorite in this book. His writing style was a little inarticulate and a little too flowery but I am still looking forward on reading his other work even though I didn’t really like his writing style and the story!

Team Unicorn: Meg Cabot’s (Story Name: Princess PrettyPants) writing style was fantastic! I did not really like her writing style in the beginning because I found it to be indirect, but I have grown to love her writing as the story progressed further.

Team Zombie: Cassandra Clare’s (Story name: Cold Hands) writing style was great.. As always! Her story was bittersweet and I loved it! I will be reading ‘The Mortal Instrument’ Series soon!

Team Unicorn: Kathleen Duey’s (Story name: The Third Virgin) writing style was clean and articulate. Basically, the plot of her story was about a unicorn becoming suicidal. Kind of weird because I have never thought of unicorns turning suicidal. Now, the story sticks in my head ever since I finished the book.

Team Zombie: Libba Bray’s (Story name: Prom Night) writing style was consistence and fabulous! I loved her writing style, but unfortunately, the story she wrote felt flat for me.. But, I am still looking forward on reading ‘The Diviners’ book trilogy by her!

Characters:

For the characters section, I am just going to talk about a few characters in the book that I loved! So, let us get on with it!

Jess (From The Highest Justice): She was a character that was brave, badass and kind. She is, no doubt, in my favorite characters list and I wish we can have a physical book fully dedicated to her and her trials in the throne.

Grayson (From Love will tear us apart): She is definitely the best character in the book! She had a great character growth in a short story. She was not kind and not a good person. That’s all I am going to talk about her because I do not want to spoil the surprise for you guys!

Iza (From Bougainvillea): She had… a great character growth but the character growth came crashing down at the end of the story. To be honest, I kind of died off a little because she had potential but she turned into what her [Spoiler] was. But, all in all, I still loved her.

Wen (From The Care and Feeding of your Baby Killer Unicorn): She was pretty weak in the beginning, but her character growth increased as the story proceeded. Wen was kind, a little annoying, brave and adventurous! I loved her character in this book!

Overall:

I am giving this book an 80% rating. I loved it and I recommend you all to check this book out!

“She feels like someone has planted a tree in her chest and then pressed fast foward on the world, branches growing and twisting and pushing her apart from the inside.”- Zombies Vs. Unicorns, Carrie Ryan.

This review is also posted at Maxxesbooktopia: Zombies Vs. Unicorns by Holly Black and other collective authors

[Kat Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zombies...

Unicorns...

How could this possibly go wrong?

I mean, they're just so awesome!

I'll review what I've read so far and update as I go.

The Highest Justice by Garth Nix.

Nix! You're one of my favourite authors! This story was kind of awesome in that I felt like this should have been the beginning to one of your amazing big adventure series. Instead, just as it got started and became exciting, it ended! It was too big an idea squeezed into too small a story that you just couldn't do it the justice it deserved. Also the unicorn was a Dues Ex Machina.

Inoculata by Scott Westerfeld

*Blinks* What the...

The chic/chic love was awesome and the CONCEPT of the innoculation was awesome... but that was the beginning to an amazing story. Not a short story. I mean... what was with that ending? It wasn't even an ending!

The Purity Test by Naomi Novik

*Laughs and falls over*

Okay, chica, I'm going to go find what you've written and read it. That's just win!

Bougainvillea by Carrie Ryan

Nice. Very nice. Good and emotive writing too! You're another one I might have to go check out.

Okay - will update when I've read more.

[Meggy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably the worst anthology I've ever read. The stories themselves weren't that bad, although some of them were pretty... out there. Not many of them made sense or kept to the overall theme of the actual collection. And I don't mean that I expected the stories to be about zombies and unicorns having it out, but I expected the stories to at least center around zombies and/or unicorns. But the majority of the stories only mentioned unicorns or zombies briefly. The zombie stories were the worst offenders, as many of them were just about people living in camps or compounds and the undead were only mentioned at the beginning or end of the stories. The editors' remarks were really what made the collection horrible, though. Holly Black manages to write paragraphs while managing to say nothing at all, and Justine Larbalestier was an absolute harpy. Just insult after insult (all in "good fun", I'm sure) to "Team Unicorn" and being an outright brat made me put down the book and shake my head numerous times. Overall, the stories are lackluster, the editors incompetent, and the appeal severely lacking.

[Annalisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for amusing zombie stories. No really, I am. And I grew up on The Last Unicorn, bad singing and all. So when I heard of the concept of this book, what makes better fiction, zombies or unicorns? I had to smile. What a fun idea for a short story anthology.

I cracked the cover thinking "zombies for the win, all the way." I never laugh when I read, crack a smile at most, but not laugh. The introduction alone, a debate between editors Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier about the benefits of zombies and unicorns, had me laughing out loud. Oh the stories that could fill this anthology. So who won my heart? Team zombies or team unicorns? Here's the fickle trail of my loyalty:

1. The Highest Justice by Garth Nix. The most interesting thing about this story was the titillation of a zombie appearance. It was okay, had the flair of a medieval unicorn story but without any of the mystique of the medieval creatures. I think Nix should have stuck to team zombie and left the description of unicorns to someone who wanted to write about them.

2. Love Will Tear Us Apart by Alaya Dawn Johnson. The story started out crass with way too many f words. I'm not a fan of crass humor (or the f word), not even a little. The zombie POV with descriptions of his virus as a psychopathic disorder were awesome and the battle of love vs zombie feeding was good too (Twilight-esque without the cheese), but all that crassness made me feel dirty and I never recovered from it. Plus, I'm not a fan of same-sex romances. I know zombies are gross, but they can be funny or scary without the crass factor, right? Maybe I don't want to be on team zombie.

3. Purity Test by Naomi Novik. Score one for humor. Jokes about finding a virgin in NYC, Harry Potter, and how dragons are so much cooler than unicorns, which begs the question: dragons or vampires? Sequel, anyone? Midway through it fizzled and got old, but a team unicorner who has a sense of humor about unicorns, maybe I'm switching teams.

4. Bougainvillea by Carrie Ryan. We already know Ryan can write a best seller about the zombie apocalypse. Couldn't she surprise us with a good unicorn story? Or even a different zombie story? Okay the story was interesting and memorable (beside the tense shifts that drove me crazy), but zombie apocalypse, dictatorship keeping the last remaining humans intact, rebellious teenager, haven't we read this before, from her?

5. A Thousand Flowers by Margo Lanagan. The POV shifted in the middle of the story, dropping the only character I connected with. Several vague explanations and descriptions later (not a fan of the writing), we learn that the point of unicorns is not to save the wrongly accused, to heal the princess child, to avenge the robbery of her purity, but beastiality, and a romance that leaves a lot of victims in its wake (including its readers with those graphic images in our head, not only beastiality, but with a child, nice). What ever happened to the magical creatures that were supposed to be the point of this anthology? Are they ever going to make an appearance? Definitely team zombie at this point.

6. The Children of the Revolution by Maureen Johnson. A satire about celebrity-adopted children "cured" from death by a zombie virus. Tom Cruise on his no medication media rant, Angelina Jolie adopting yet another child, celebrities who don't actually raise their children, I'll let you decide what Johnson is mocking. Either way, the satire made me smile. I knew there was a reason I was team zombie.

7. The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn by Diana Peterfreund. If I can't get a magical unicorn the way they are depicted in medieval fiction, I'll take a killer, wild-animal version with the vampire unicorn slayer who just can't kill them. Another story that tied into the mythology and storyline of her novel, even more so, but since I haven't read it, I didn't have the same expectation for new creativity I did with Ryan. A strong story and protagonist. I'm not discounting team unicorn just yet.

8. Inoculata by Scott Westerfeld. I was into this story until it just ended, a flat, empty, quitting of words because it'd already gone on too long. Westerfeld tried to make a quick, enlightening statement, or maybe just make me think about zombies a different way, but it didn't work for me. (There's some girl-on-girl action, same girl later going for some girl-on-boy action. It is in vogue these days.) The story was just developing when it ended, leaving me to wonder if maybe there just weren't any more good zombie stories out there. My loyalty is in limbo.

9. Princess Prettypants by Meg Cabot. Again with the sense of humor about unicorns. None of team zombie have touched humor (except Johnson with her satire that's not nearly as strong as this story). Cabot says, yeah okay, so unicorns are the obnoxious fairytales of little girls, but if one showed up on your doorstep, would you actually turn it away (or sell it on ebay) or would use that fierce, magical power to intimidate your ex-boyfriend? Oh yeah, and happy endings aren't so bad either. Mock all you want, you know deep down, you'd love a unicorn. Score one for team unicorn.

10. Cold Hands by Cassandra Clare. Not having read the Mortal Instruments series myself, I had heard that Clare's writing was atrocious, but I found her writing in this quite beautiful. Her zombies aren't the brain-sucking types, just undead cursed to return from the grave seeking out the company of their loved ones, making the love story not quite the moral dilemma of Johnson's story, but I still liked it. It's a sweet zombie love story. I'm still open to either team.

11. The Third Virgin by Kathleen Duey. I liked the idea of this psychopathic zombie unicorn story more than I liked the all-tell, no-show delivery of it. I find myself wondering if any of the team unicorn writers actually like unicorns.

12. Prom Night by Libba Bray. A story about zombies on prom night? I am so there. Only, that's not what this story was about. Another zombie apocalypse, this one where the adults got infected and only children survived, and as their food and hope runs out, they hold prom. Not a bad story (although Bray once again pushes the "I know what teens are like" display too far), but it wasn't quite the story I'd wanted to read when I know Bray is capable of humor and zombies on prom night lend themselves to it.

There was no zombie/unicorn showdown. None of the unicorns I'd expected showed up and there wasn't enough humor in the zombie stories. Each team had a story that left a bad taste in my mouth, but there were plenty that shined, which is rather difficult with a short-story anthology. So who won? Team zombie or team unicorn. I'd have to say the editors. Their commentary was hands down the best part of the book.

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful anthology of unicorns and zombies!

Thoughts:
1. Loved Holly and Justine's intro to each story. Justine is hilarious.
2. Surprisingly, a lot of mature content. FYI.
3. Loved how most of the stories were really dark.
4. I really like unicorns now :D
5. Fav. stories: Carrie Ryan, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot. And awesomesauce goes to Diana Peterfreund, and Libba Bray of course.

I DON'T KNOW WHO TO CHOOSE >__< Video review soon!

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a big anthology reader, because there are usually as many stories I don't like as ones I do, and it's easy to put them down between stories. As far as I can recall, I liked every single story in Zombies vs. Unicorns, and I couldn't put it down even between stories. Chances are, if you're a YA SFF reader, there are at least a few authors in here you love; there was only one name I didn't recognize.

Special mentions to Naomi Novik's awesome New York-set unicorn story; Diana Peterfreund's contribution set in the Rampant universe; and Maureen Johnson's creepy zombie baby-sitting story, which I was reading on the subway when someone sat down next to me and I jumped about two feet in the air. Oh, and Garth Nix's, which is the only one that actually pits a zombie against a unicorn. (The unicorn wins.)

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many great rivalries in history. Ahab vs. the Whale, Edison vs. Tesla, Hamilton vs. Burr, Coke vs. Pepsi, boxers vs. briefs... Wolfe vs. Mailer... Goodreads vs. Everyone Hey, look what I found about author put downs! http://www.examiner.com/article/the-5... Just a thing, no heated debate needed, thought it was neat is all) .

Of course, there would be Zombies vs. Unicorns.

Rightfully so. Back in my pre pubescent(and I will say it, 'chaste') days, unicorns rocked. My little pony, The Last Unicorn, those velvet paintings at the flea markets with sparkly depictions (this was pre-Lisa Frank). It was a special time. I won't wince when I use the word 'pure'. I would later call it 'guilded-cage' syndrome, but what have you.

My Johnnie Rotten/Charles Bukowski/Joy Division days didn't give much thought to either Unicorns or Zombies. Wasn't my thing... Zombies ate brains, they weren't depressed little beings..... and I haven't really considered the rivalry so pressing in my little bubble.

Then you bring in the YA authors. The newer crop who give us these buffet king like offerings (Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, 21 Proms) --ooh, look, they have some Scott Westerfield... should I mix that with some Barry Lyga or will that give me an upset stomach? John Green? No way! Double that! and I will definitely be having some Libba Bray for dessert!---

And now I have to choose between zombies and unicorns. Sigh.

Zombies won. Out of the 12 stories, I liked more of the zombie ones than the unicorns... but this isn't saying that the unicorns didn't make me laugh or cry or anything... I guess that as I've aged, I've discovered I have more in common with zombies.

Which presents a whole bunch more of discussion at therapy next week.

My favorites: 'Love will tear us apart' by Alaya Dawn -you had me at Joy Division, but kept me at Squeeze.

'Children of the Revolution' by Maureen Johnson because the idea of Brangelina have zombie children just fucking rocked.

'Cold Hands' by Cassandra Clare because I love a good doomed but not love story. And the prince sounded really hot.

'Inocula' by Scott Westerfield because aren't we all zombies inside, just a little?

'Prom Night' by Libba Bray because I love Libba Bray and I love hope when there isn't a future for it.

I will gives props to 'Princess PrettyPants' and 'The Third Virgin' for not making me hate unicorns and bringing back just a little bit of that worship.

In all, please keep these anthologies a-coming. I love you guys. Don't quit me.

[stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

so, i'm not really a huge fan of short story collections, as i'm not really a fan of short stories. however, a lot of my favorite YA authors have chosen this year to be part of anthologies (Diana Peterfreund, Claudia Gray, i'm looking at you!), i have found myself reading more of them.

which makes them a little hard to review - having so many different stories and authors.

however, i think this is the best collection i've read in a long time. first of all, you have zombies, which usually means the end of the world, which of course i love. and then you have killer unicorns, which thanks to ms. peterfreud, are the coolest things ever.

i remain fully on team unicorn, though Scott Westerfeld's zombie story, Carrie Ryan (come on, she like invented zombies) as well as Garth Nix's (truly creepy - wait, that might have been a unicorn story too) were stand-outs on the zombie side.

but when you have a baby unicorn in a cardboard box in a garage who you know is a man-eating monster, another unicorn named (i kid you not) PRINCESS PRETTYPANTS who actually FARTS RAINBOWS, is there really a chance? Meg Cabot, i love you too.

plus it was edited well, though i think justine did a much better job defending zombies than holly did with unicorns. but that's probably just because unicorns haven't always been scary, while zombie have. going against the grain!

conclusion: enough stories that i don't think you should miss to read it. (winners: diana peterfreund, meg cabot, garth nix, scott westerfeld, carrie ryan. major winners.)

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Rating: —> 2.5–3 Stars

Whew. Four, FOUR (4) YEARS AGO, I went into this looking for some FUUUUNNNNN from some of my fav YA authors (plus I’m a sucker for cool freaking covers).

Minus the cool af cover… that is NOT what I got.

So, um, Well… that was a chore & a f*cking half to read. I H A T E anthologies (minus A Quick Bite Of Flesh, take note zombie horror lovers, THAT anthology was actually totally worth it & actually, mostly, GREAT).

I won’t lie… the majority of these short stories were either boring as all hell, weird (& not in the good way), I believe one was actually borderline problematic, and/or were just… blegh. But there WERE a FEW standouts that were GREAT. I particularly loved Libba Bray’s story (I think? I don’t know. Lmao it’s an anthology, & this is a lazy AF review that KNOWS it’s a lazy AF review so I just can’t bring myself to give a damn lol), I’ll have to make SURE, but yeah, pretty sure? 😅

I just had to write a review because I have been trying to read past pg 150 for FOUR YEARS. Yes, FOUR LONG YEARS this book spent on my “on-hold” shelf. I just… god I love holly black but I really do not recommend this unless you do not have OCD & so you can allow yourself to skim & find what you like. Unlike little ol’ me who DOES have OCD & am incapable of skimming or skipping a damn page, plus ADHD which made this a chore & a half to read, because how are you to focus when it’s an anthology of short stories that once you get into them & can finally FOCUS… they’ve freaking ended & they’re switching between unicorns & zombies, unicorns, zombies, freaking unicorns, FREAKING ZOMBIES, and on and on for over 400 pgs?! *sighs* you could say I’m a TEENY bit tired, & a ttteeeeeeeeeennnnnnyyyyyyy bit FRUSTRATED AF.

But hey I feel accomplished as FUUUCCCCCKKKKK(!); Feels good to get this GD book off of my on-hold shelf! Woo!

It is really taking everything in me to keep this at 3 stars, it may be 2.5 rounded up 🤔.

Anyway… READ AT YOUR OWN RISK, FRIENDS!.

Thank you to the low-key, HIGH-KEY INCREDIBLE, supportive AF, friendly, & laid back GR & Discord (though I only participate on discord— it’s easier to interact, & thus more active there!) group Books Out Of The Blue (let me know if you’d like an invite ! We are hosting an amazing Bingo event that ends at the end of July & Is SUPER chill, no pressure, & incredibly fun, just like the group itself!!! This group was life changing for me, so if you’re interested… comment or DM me!!) for this month’s week–long Pride “unexpected” readathon, our 1st Bi-Annual Bingo event, & both of those, as well as, of COURSE, the group as a whole, for giving me the strength to finish this freaking BOOOOOK! Lmao!

[Amy Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story collection puts forth the much-debated question - zombies or unicorns? On Team Zombie (led by Justine Larbalestier) we have Libbra Bray, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, Scott Westerfeld, and Carrie Ryan. On Team Unicorn (led by Holly Black0 we have Kathleen Duey, Meg Cabot, Garth Nix, Margo Lanagan, Naomi Novik, and Diana Peterfreund.

I am a unicorn lover so of course, going in, I was Team Unicorn however after finishing this I am on the fence. There were good stories from both sides. Although two stories that really stood out for me were Unicorn (The Third Virgin and The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn), the absolute best story here was a zombie one - Bougainvillea by Carrie Ryan.

Definitely pick this us if you like either zombies or unicorns!

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthologies are so difficult to review because they're a mixed bag, ya know? So even though this anthology had a handful of brilliant stories I'd have to say it was all sullied by a short story that contained bestiality. Oh, yeah, and all the zombie romances--between zombies and humans (What the what?!). Ew. And so, so wrong. So wrong.

If I have time I'll review each short story separately.
***
Why it has taken this long for such a book to be conceived and written is beyond me. I know I've spent many a night contemplating which would win in a battle to the death (or, in the case of Zombies, second death), Zombies or Unicorns.

Seriously though, I really am excited to read this anthology. Call me a dork--I don't care. The book description is incredibly amusing and a lot of my favorite authors have contributed, so I'm willing to bet this book is nothing but FULL OF WIN.

[hope ❅ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay so when I stared this book I was automatically thinking "this is definitely going to be a terrible " I mean seriously? Zombies and unicorns. I have to say I kinda hate both. But on about the 60th page this book finally picked up and I was like "yeah okay, this is pretty good." then on the 80th all that hope I had for this book was crushed to smithereens.
I don't know why I even picked this book up, it was kinda horrible. The writing was decent but the plot and characters were dull and dissatisfying.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has everything from gay zombies to unicorns that fart rainbows that smell like flowers. What more could you want from a zombie and unicorn anthology?

That being said, some of the writing was..... not good. And the intros for the stories were beyond cringy.

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit, I kind of knew before starting that I'd love Zombies over Unicorns.

I don't know, the unicorn stories just didn't. . .work for me. The gore and the stabbing and the chomping - I just couldn't see it. The zombie stories - almost every last one was great. The mac & cheese one was particularly great. Although Carrie Ryan's addition will always be my favorite. Her series The Forest of Hands and Teeth just has a special place in my heart.

All in all, a fun set of stories full of gore and silly moments along with interesting plots and quick reads. So glad I finally read it!

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a sad fact that the transformation from child to adult is commonly defined as the growth in both ability and instinct to put books such as this down not for reasons of the work inciting genocidal hatred or solidifying the accompanying trigger-happy fragility complexes of the all too able, but for being rather silly, or limited, or kitsch in scope. Therefore, I don't take especial pride in noting that the majority of these do not appeal, but only take comfort in the fact that I did my best to give each story its due, critiquing on the basis not of fanciful topic, but level of writing, however demographically-teen. The hilarious thing is, Holly Black, the author who haunted my teen/young adult/not so young adult years, doesn't even feature in this other than as an editor and erstwhile prefacer, and I refuse to count her over the top bantering as a quality reread of Valiant or Tithe. Slightly frustrating, but she isn't the only name I recognized out of past familiarity or glancing always-passed-the-books-on-the-shelves-by reference, so it was a nostalgic, if varied in reward, sojourn through the fantasy of my youth.

Despite the fact that the subject material is such a hit or miss (although I wonder what the authors would make of the zombie resurgence still swamping entertainment in various cinematic forms), there is a surprising amount of middle ground. No 5's, but this has as much to do with my inherent dislike of the short story format and its tendency to tie together loose ends too neatly as it does to evaluation of various technical flaws. The 4's go to 'Bougainvillea' by Carrie Ryan, wonderfully written as well as skillfully balancing the fine line between novel world building and the short and sweet of a short story, and 'A Thousand Flowers' by Margo Langan, so well crafted and tantalizing in its diving deep into the land of sexual taboo (and I'm not talking any variation of the same-species canoodling here) that I have to wonder how anyone who's read this passes this off as entirely for teenagers. The same holds for 3 star 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' by Alaya Dohn Johnson (also an example of the appreciably substantial amount of queerness) and 2.5 star 'Cold Hands' by Cassandra Clare, both of which touch upon, you guessed it: necrophilia. One could technically make a similar argument for 2 star 'The Children of the Revolution' by Maureen Johnson, but does it count if they're both dead? Anyway, to return to the threes, Garth Nix is one of my absolute favorites (I think only a story by Philip Pullman, or Holly Black herself of course, would have appealed more), but his 'The Highest Justice' was too straightforward to merit anything higher than a 3. 'Purity Test' by Naomi Novik, 'Inoculata' by Scott Westerfield (bonus star for the queerness), and 'Prom Night' by Libba Bray (bonus star for Zoroastrianism and actual Iranian people participating in it) all garnered 2s for not doing anything out of the ordinary while reasonably entertaining, while 'The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn' by Diana Peterfreund, 'Princess Prettypants' by Meg Cabot, and 'The Third Virgin' by Kathleen Duey got 1 stars for including such things as Christocentricity, normalization of rape culture, and ableism without even providing a decent story to make up for it. I suppose 'The Third Virgin' can get a half a star more, but the whole wander-thousands-of-years-in-a-supposed-frontier-aka-US-till-only-succeed-when-white-people-get-there is a bit much.

I wish I had read this back in 2010, or at least whenever I first acquired it, as I've grown too used to the calcification of "proper" literature to push for as much queerness as I encountered amongst these supposed immaturities. It would've probably done me some good, and I would've gotten more out of watching the rise of 'The Walking Dead' and the White Walkers and 'The Last of Us' and 'World War Z' and every other zombie iteration of a possibly leveling off yet still innovatively engaging fad. As it stands, I'm hellbent on getting a proper Holly Black at my next sale, as that is one I experienced at the right time that I'm highly curious about reexperiencing and reevaluating. Other than that, it's time to move on.

[Andye.Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I started to write my review for this (amazingly fantastic) book, I realized that writing it all together would be completely impossible. It would be like trying to review twelve different books at the same time. Therefore, allow me to present My Reviews in a Sentence:

The Highest Justice by Garth Nix (Unicorn):

I loved it and wished I could have had more of the story, but it was my first short story so I soon became acquainted with the fact that they often just end.

Love will Tear us Apart by Alaya Dawn Johnson(Zombie):


Weird, just weird... I thought the idea was crazy interesting, (a love story from a zombie's perspective) but there was excessive cussing (like every other word) and I just felt like that took away from the story.

Purity Test by Naomi Novik(Unicorn):


This one was short, funny, and completely unique, I love a unicorn with spunk.

Bougainvillea by Carrie Ryan(Zombie):


Oh, my, gosh, this story was SO fabulous, it's definitely one of my two absolute favorites, I just seriously loved Isa, she was so strong and undoubtedly the most heroine-ly in the whole book.

A Thousand Flowers by Margo Lanagan(Unicorn):

A short story is.. well.. short, so why would you want to spent the first five minutes on a guy just talking about where he wants to pee??? well that wasn't the strangest part... this one was... kind of disturbing.

The Children of the Revolution by Maureen Johnson <3 (Zombie):

All time favorite, right here, sure it was bizarre, not to mention I read it while babysitting, (bad idea) but it was crazy and exciting and there was just something about the creepiness that I loved.

The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn by Diana Peterfreund:

I think this was probably the most well-rounded story of them all, it had the thriller feel, but it also had a love story (I loved Eve, and yes, he's a guy), a completely satisfying ending, and so many tips for when I stumble upon my own baby killer unicorn.

Inoculata by Scott Westerfeld (Zombie):


Oh Scott Westerfeld... will I ever find anything you've written that I don't love?? if only there was more to this story, I'd love to read what happens after the thousands of zombies start following their car...

Princess Prettypants by Meg Cabot(Unicorn.. of course):

Cute, hilarious, and sweet in comparison to the rest of the stories, I loved it, but of course I did, it's Meg Cabot's.


Cold Hands by Cassandra Clare (Zombie):


Sadly, I found this story kind of forgettable, in a sea of zombies and unicorns I guess it just didn't stick out in my mind... it was interesting and kept my attention, but wasn't astounding..


The Third Virgin by Kathleen Duey (Unicorn):


This was the only story that was truly sad, it made me want to love a unicorn.. If only to save it's life.


Prom Night by Libba Bray (Zombie):

Gah, this story NEEDS a book, I loved it, but I was just dying to read about what happened before.. before they were safe(ish).

"Anything random is inevitable."

So there you have it. You should seriously read this book.

-Kit
Reading Teen


Sexual Content:
In #2: Moderate/Heavy
In #9: Mild/Moderate
Others: None/Mild
Profanity:
In Stories 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7: Minor
Others: Heavy/Very Heavy
Violence: Moderate/Heavy (All zombie and unicorn violence)
Other Notables:
In Prom Night some kids are caught dealing drugs.
In Princess Pretty Pants there's brief underage drinking by background characters.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I resisted reading this one for awhile, because 1) I'm not a big fan of short story collections in general and 2) while I love zombies, I couldn't understand the appeal of dedicating half the collection to unicorns.

Seeing the epic debate over the merits of zombies vs. unicorns in NYC, however, changed my mind, and I am SO GLAD I picked up this collection. Most of the unicorn stories are somewhat tongue in cheek, and with a collection of authors like these, I really never should have doubted the quality of stories for either team.

On Team Zombie, my favorite stories were Scott Westerfeld's, set in an abandoned pot farm where the adults are losing it while the kids think the zombies are essentially no big deal, and Maureen Johnson's, where a celebrity adherent to a weird religion has turned her adopted kids into zombies as part of a religious rite. Carrie Ryan's story, set in the same world as The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead Tossed Waves was a great addition to that world, too. For Team Unicorn, I really liked Naomi Novik's unicorn who isn't too careful about finding virgins in Central Park, and Meg Cabot's avenging unicorn. Diana Peterfreund's story is set in her already existing killer unicorns universe, and has almost convinced me that I need to hunt down those other books. The story works well on its own, but I was constantly wondering if these characters had a bigger life in the other novels or if, like in Carrie Ryan's story, these were all-new characters set in a familiar world.

Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black introduce each story with a good deal of bickering. Justine is much more hostile towards unicorns than Holly is towards zombies. Holly is just creeped out by zombies, while Justine sees unicorns as offensive. It's great.

[Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (...more It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths--for good and evil--of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn? Cover Blurb


I Loved this Anthology! First, lets get this out of the way, I'm 100% TEAM ZOMBIE! Since there are twelve stories in this anthology:
six zombie/six unicorn, I've decided to review them in a head to head smackdown! Let's see who is triumphant!

ROUND ONE
The Highest Justice vs Love Will Tear Us Apart

Garth Nix's story: The Highest Justice: interesting tale.
It also has a necromanced zombie! Princess Jess is bringing her recently reanimated mother to confront her father the King. She has invoked the help of the Unicorn Elibet, a silent tool of vengeance that has been attached to her family for generations.

The purpose of their journey is to confront the King and his sorcerous mistress who Jess suspects is responsible for her mother's death.

The story is well written and dispels the gentle unicorn myth.


Alaya Dawn Johnson gives us : Love Will Tear Us Apart. A very sweet and funny tale of Phillip Grayson a teen zombie. Phillip begins to hang out with the uber popular jock,Jack. Phillip's feelings for Jack straddle the line between intense hunger and an even intenser physical attraction. Jack seems to reciprocate these feelings but both of them are hiding deep secrets that threaten their slowly growing love.

I loved the dark humor and teen angst in Alaya's story. It was also unique to see a Gay protagonist. I really felt attached to the characters and was rooting for them to get together.

WINNER? TEAM ZOMBIE !!


ROUND TWO!

Purity Test vs Bougainvillea

I'm a huge fan of Naomi Novik's Temeraire books so I was excited to see her take on Unicorns. Young Allison has been rudely awakened from her nap on a Central Park bench, by a Unicorn horn poke! She is confused and hungover as she takes in the irritable talking Unicorn Belcazar. Belcazar is on a mission to rescue some baby unicorns and has demanded Allison be his companion, despite her lack of virginity :) I loved this story! so much fun. Allison and Belecazar have great chemistry between them, even though it's sarcastic and argumentative.

Carrie Ryan's Bougainvillea is a story set in the same world as the book The Forest Of Hands And Teeth. Iza is the daughter of a powerful Govenor on the island of Curacao. She feels trapped in her life despite its many comforts. One rash decision up ends her life and forces her to make decisions about her future. I enjoyed learning a little bit more about the world after the Return. Iza is an interesting character and i'd like to see more of her in a future story. The zombie action is a little brief but intense!

WINNER? TEAM UNICORN !!

ROUND THREE
A Thousand Flowers vs The Children of the Revolution

I struggled with Margo Lanagan's story : A Thousand Flowers. Set in ancient times, it starts out interesting enough. A young man comes across a unicorn. Entranced he follows the Unicorn and comes across a beautuful young princess lyng on the ground. She has obviously attacked. Trying to help her the young man, Manny is captured by the King's guard. When the Princess declares him innocent he is released, until several month later when he is hunted down. It has become discovered the Princess is pregneant.At this point the story fell apart for me. It becomes obvious who the source of the child is . The narrative also shifts abruptly and the ending is anti clamatic.


Children of the Revolution: Maureen Johnson. What was supposed to be a romantic farm vacation in England turns into a nightmare for college student Sofie. Abandoned by her boyfriend Franklin, Sofie takes a Babysitting job with a reclusive celebrity that will fund her way home. These aren't ordinary children though, and one simple act of compassion changes Sofie's life. This was an enjoyable story, not action packed but a definite twist ending.


WINNER? TEAM ZOMBIE!!

ROUND FOUR
The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn vs Inoulata

Dina Peterfreund's story is set in the same universe of her Novel Rampant. Unicorns have returned to the world,and they aren't happy! They are vicious man eaters.The main character Wen has experience with them. In fact she is irrestible to them, she witnessed them attack and kill her cousins . Now barely a year later she is at a carnival freak show with some friends. The carnival advertises a live unicorn called Venom. Wen's friends think it's fake but once Wen is in the tent she instantly knows it isn't.

Wen can feel the unicorns emotions, read it's thoughts and has fantastic powers when she is in a unicorn's presence.This link draws her back to the circus where she witnesses Venom give birth and plead with Wen to rescue her baby.

This is a marvelous story! My heart raced when I read it! Wen experiences a deep struggle with her choice to save little "Flower". She struggles with what her faith and her parents would expect her to do vs what her heart is asking of her. Beautifully written. It has made me RUSH to read Diana's book Rampant.

In Scott Westerfeld's story Inoculata a small group of teens and adults are living on a secure farm. The watch the evergrowing numbers of undead who surround their fences day and night. Young Allison also watches Kayln, a beautiful young girl who she is in love with. One night while talking to Kayln she discovers a shocking secret that changes the lives of everyone in the camp. Nicely told and an interesting take on infection and survival in an undead world.

WINNER? TEAM UNICORN!!

ROUND FIVE

Princess Prettypants vs Cold Hands
Meg Cabot's Princess Prettypants is about Liz Freelander's seveenth birthday. In a day that steadily is going from bad to worse she is shocked to find her big gift of the night is a Unicorn shipped to her by her eccentric Aunt. This was a fun story. Meg deftly chronicles the High School terrain and sets up a series of events that lead to a fun climactic ending and a little romance :)

Cold Hands is the love story of James and Annie. the have been childhood pals and are expected to be engaged until an accident tears them apart. Loved ones rarely stay gone in the English town of Lychgate, and a courageous act by Annie may be the key to their reunion.

WINNER? TEAM ZOMBIE!!

ROUND SIX

The Third Virgin vs Prom Night

The Third Virgin by Kathleen Duey examines the healing powers of Unicorns. It narrates the 500 year journey of a Unicorn that cannot die or be killed. It's healing prowess is immense, but he also has the power to withdraw the life force of those he touches. The spark he feels with this act is the only true joy he gets in his existence. His desire becomes an addiction ,coupled with a cruel streak of deception and manipulation of his virgin companions.His "third virgin" Ree bears internal and external scars due to a family tragedy. As the unicorn heals her he also lays a emotional trap for her that may lead to pain and death. This was a wonderful and disturbing story. Kathleen explores how time, isolation and addiction might shape the perspective of an already alien creature.

Prom Night by Libba Bray has the feel ofLord Of The Flies with braiiins. There is little zombie action but ,the threat is immenient. Instead the story focuses on Jeff and Tahmina, the "police" in a small fenced in town abscent of adults. The teens move thru their year with as much normalcy as possible, including hosting a Prom. A very interesting tale examining teen relationships and the abscence of adults in their world.

WINNER? TEAM UNICORN!!

A Tie!!! I have to create a bonus category for the wonderful introductions/debates/rivalry's by the wonderful Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier before each chapters. Based on that the over all winner in this Battle Royale is :
TEAM ZOMBIE!!!!
As if there was any doubt :)

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I'll do that thing I do when I review anthologies: review them by short stories. I mean, what other way is there? You may have absolutely hated one (NEGATIVE ONE STAR!) But loved another (1000 STARS!!:D) So I give each story the right to be represented. YEAH! So let's get on with it!!

The Introduction: Yeah, I know it wasn't a short story, but I really enjoyed it anyway. I like those authors. So it was fun to read! Read funny introduction! Yes! I don't know why I'm talking like that...

The Highest Justice: 3 stars
Umm, it was pretty good. It was short, that's for sure. It didn't seem to have that much of a story arc to me. It felt like a snippet from a longer book. That's the thing with short stories (and it's hard): you have to make sure you don't unknowingly make it a snippet from a novel.

Love Will Tear Us Apart: 3.5 stars
That was good too, though not mind blowing. It was slightly confusing. Did Grayson die at the end? How did he not eat? He's gonna turn into a raging maniac! The concept was pretty interesting, though.

Purity Test: 5 stars
That's what I'm talking about!!! This was hilarious, had a proper story arc, was awesome, had unicorns, and did I mention that it was hilarious? Or that it had unicorns? Yeah. The best one so far!! I want more of these!

Bougainvillea: Four stars (because of the writing.)
It made me slightly sick, which I think was the aim.
This reminded me heavily of The Walking Dead. Guy walks in, takes over, calls himself the Governor, becomes a ruthless psycho. Area becomes overrun, mass murder commences. It was depressing and creepy and it didn't have Chandler Riggs in it. No me gusta.

The creepy thing I didn't see coming was her becoming the psycho dictator. It was sad and creepy but unfortunately not unrealistic.

Team Unicorn 4 Life!

A Thousand Flowers: -1 stars
Ew. EW! EWEWEWEWEW! EWWWWWWWW!!!!
I can't unread that. I am scarred for life. Future readers, I would highly suggest you skip this story. It is confusing and nasty.

The Children of the Revolution: 5 stars
Oh my goodness oh my goodness! That was really creepy and scary. That would make a really good horror movie. It's 2:16 in the afternoon and I'm still freaked out. Super scary, just like a zombie story should be. Also disturbing. Did I mention disturbing? It was disturbing.

The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn: 4 stars
That was interesting, entertaining, and I told myself that when it was over I had to do my math homework. Which I really don't want to do but I've been procrastinating all weekend...

Inoculata: 4.5 stars
Nice job as usual, Scott Westerfeld. Gripping, melancholy, all that a zombie story should be. I enjoyed that very much, as much as you can enjoy a bittersweet tale of the undead. I suppose it's a different kind of enjoyment.

Princess Prettypants: 4.5 stars
Oh how I love Meg Cabot. She is just so fun and sparkly and awesome- Just like this story! It was super satisfying and that unicorn totally kicked ass, almost literally. And that High School Musical party...I lol'd.

Cold Hands: 5 stars
THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. Yes. This is a fantastic zombie story. Fantastic. I loved it. The romance, the mystery, the action, the narration, the fact that Cassandra Clare wrote it...all awesome. This is definitely one of the best stories in the book.

The Third Virgin: 3.5 stars
Well, that was interesting and all, but it was hella depressing. It was beautiful and all, but it was hella depressing. It was a unique take on the unicorn story, which I appreciated, but it was hella depressing.

Prom Night: 4 stars
Another very interesting take on the apocalypse. I enjoyed it. It sort of reminded me of a zombie version of Under the Dome. I tried to read that last summer, and wish it was a short story like this was. Or even a shorter story. I mean, it had over a thousand pages. This didn't, though, and it was a good story!

So, who is the winner of this battle? I was Team Unicorn at the beginning, but am I still? Time for some averaging!

On average, I rated unicorn stories 3.16 stars. It think it was my rating for A Thousand Flowers that brought it down so much.

On average, I rated zombie stories 4.33 stars.

Does this mean zombies win? It depends on how how you think about it. If I decide the winner based on which of the two I think is better, then I'd obviously choose unicorns. I mean, zombies are awful (except for the ones in Cold Hands). They kill people and change people in more ways than one. They do carry diseases! They're ugly and insanity and murderous. Unicorns are beautiful but powerful healers and fighters for justice. They are awesome. I had unicorn wallpaper in my room when I was a little kid. I was a unicorn for Halloween. I had a stuffed unicorn named Daisy. Unicorns rock.

If I decide the winner based on which would win in a fight, unicorns would also win. That horn. Plus they can heal from injuries. So pretty much undefeatable. Don't even try to argue with me here.

People who know me would say, "But Maya, you love The Walking Dead. How are you on Team Unicorn?" It's true. The Walking Dead is one of the best shows ever. I love it. But the zombies aren't the reason I love it. I don't love the zombies. I love Carl, Daryl, Glenn, Beth, Maggie, Rick...the people.

But despite all I just said, math states that I liked the zombie stories more on average. This is true, because of the disturbing quality of some of the unicorn stories. You'd have thought that the zombie stories would be the disturbing ones, but no. Unicorns aren't just rainbow sparkles.

I come to the conclusion that, even though unicorns are better than zombies, this book didn't make me think that, nor that zombies are worse. Just like the Walking Dead isn't good because of the zombies, these stories aren't good or bad because they have unicorns or zombies in them. They don't really show if one is better, just which stories are good or bad or all right. Does that make sense? Probably not.

I liked this book. The authors are cool. You should read it if you want to looks at unicorns and/or zombies in a different way.

[Sydney S · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't think I was the right audience for this. The book itself is a beautiful hardback with a gorgeous cover (not with the black on it like in the thumbnail) but that's about the only thing I liked about this collection of short stories. I read this one so fast only because I was basically skimming the stories after the first 3 stories I read at random were just so damn boring. I'm disappointed in the authors, who are known for writing some pretty popular fantasy or horror books. I was really hoping to love this because I've been wanting to read more short stories after loving The Language of Thorns, but this book almost put me in a reading slump. I wouldn't say I'm a big unicorn fan, and I really have never found zombies to be interesting, so maybe it's my own fault for buying this book in the first place.

The concept was cool, and I like that there's commentary from the editors in between each story, but as a whole this collection feels so lazy and thrown together. Like the writers just did not care at all. If you love unicorns and zombies, maybe you'll like this collection. I just honestly think the stories were pointless and boring on their own.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

I ended up skimming and skipping stories after the first few, and I think there were only two stories I really enjoyed in the whole thing.

Also. I was pretty horrified by the content level for a book labeled '14 and up'. *Technically*, it wasn't graphic, but there were all kinds of references and implications around subjects like orgies and rape, plus the more direct gross and brutal parts of the zombie stories, the story that included the death of an infant, and much other similarly disturbing content. I wouldn't say I 'recommend' this book for any age, but it should really be aimed at older teens and adults based on the content.

[Chloe Clementine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never considered that zombies and unicorns could have me in a chokehold, then again, here we are.

Age rating: 15-16+

Extra info:
- Swearing varying throughout the short stories
- Some lgbtq+ characters

Content/trigger warnings:
- Death 😵
- murder 🗡️
- gore
- Some very…. Interesting… unicorns who may or may not murder? 🦄🔪
- A girl who makes some very questionable decisions concerning SpongeBob
- May have you laughing a bit too much
- Drugs/alcohol
- May make you rethink everything you’ve ever thought about either Unicorns or Zombies
- there is either way to much flower sent (yes I mean actual flowers) or lack there of (🧟‍♀️)

[Amanda Kratz · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is actually an interesting premise. A few authors got into an argument on one of their online message boards about which creatures were better Zombies or Unicorns. They then decided to write stories about them and compile them into a book. There is #TeamZombie & #TeamUnicorn. Several very silly tales with many popular authors you may recognize like Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Scott Westerfeld, Naomi Noviak, Meg Cabot & many others.

Here are brief thoughts about the short stories contained within. I will give each story a score of 1-5 stars to see which wins #TeamUnicorn or #TeamZombie (Because why not?)

Team Unicorn:

The Highest Justice by Garth Nix: - I always find Garth Mix’s writing just a bit young for my tastes. This is a quick story about a young princess who’s mother is a zombie being brought before the king for justice. It’s just too short and too random really to judge it harshly. I always expect these stories to have a funny ending or a surprise twist and this was straight forward. ⭐️⭐️

Purity Test by Naomi Novik - so the premise of this one is imagine you got so sloppy drunk and passed out in Central Park only to be awoken by a unicorn who needs you help. Quick and cute. I’d like to see where else it went. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Thousand Flowers by Margo Lanagan - There are somethings you just can’t unread this is one of them. It warns you before but yes there is beastiality in this story we don’t really see it but at the same time you know - full on Catherine the great. Yeah not for me. ⭐️

The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn by Diana Peterfreund - Who doesn’t want a pet unicorn? Only instead of a cute fluffy ball of joy they were a man eating pile of rage? Would you still want one? This is cute kinda leaves on a cliff hanger. I’d like the next chapter please. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Princess Prettypants by Meg Cabot - Ah finally a cute sweet story! Yay unicorns and rainbows and non zombie romances! And who wouldn’t want a unicorn for a birthday present? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Third Virgin by Kathleen Duey - In my opinion the most disturbing story of the book. That’s right the unicorn story is more bothersome than all the zombies. We all know unicorns are magical, but what if that magic had a dark cost(whether real or assumed is the question). I really liked this one. It has some interesting viewpoints at the end despite its twisted Ness. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Team Zombie:

Love Will Tear Us Apart by Alaya Dawn Johnson - Hilarious!!! It’s kind of what I’d imagine Edward Cullen was thinking as he kissed Bella Swan. This is a quick, dark, humorous, tale of a zombie boy in love with a zombie hunter boy. The ending felt a bit rushed but I would love to see more works by this author! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bougainvillea by Carrie Ryan - This short story is a bit of a jumbled mess but I like the dark twisted ending. The story keeps hopping back and forth between the past and present and really seems kinda all over the place but the ending is spot on! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Children of the Revolution by Maureen Johnson - so imagine if Angelina Jolie went around adopting zombies children and then hired a nanny to care for them. That is the premise of this short story. A lot of weird drowning on about the nanny’s boyfriend, but not bad. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Inoculata by Scott Westerfeld - so there is a zombie infection and you’ve managed to survive for years. Your crush says hey I got bitten but I’m not a zombie I’m going to infect you and maybe you’ll be immune too. - A recipe for disaster if you ask me ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cold Hands by Cassandra Clare Well we had beastiality on team unicorn, why not necrophilia on team zombie. A story of murder and betrayal, but in a town where the dead can rise can you get away with your crimes? ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Prom Night by Libba Bray - Prom & Zombies. Although to be fair other than the events occurring on prom night there wasn’t much prom in the story. I expected more of a Carrie vibe but still one of the darker stories in the collection⭐️⭐️⭐️

So in the end we have #Team Unicorn at 19 ⭐️s and #TeamZombie at 20⭐️s. (Wow I didn’t realize it would be that close I thought Team Zombie was dominating) while I do prefer unicorns over zombies The proof is in the stars Zombies are just more fun to write about.

Who do you think should win #TeamZombies or #TeamUnicorn?

[Crowinator · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess Black and Larbalestier have been debating the merits of zombies vs. unicorns on the Internet for a while now, but I missed the hoopla until it finally spilled over into this anthology of twelve stories. At first, I thought that each story would be a death match between a zombie and a unicorn, but that would have gotten old fast, so I’m glad instead that each author represents a side: on Team Zombie, it’s Alaya Dawn Johnson, Carrie Ryan, Maureen Johnson, Scott Westerfeld, Cassandra Clare, and Libba Bray; on Team Unicorn, it’s Garth Nix, Naomi Novik, Margo Lanagan, Diana Peterfreund, Meg Cabot, and Kathleen Duey.

The two editors, Holly Black pulling for unicorns and Justine Larbalestier for zombies, duke it out in the introductions to each story. These “arguments” lose their charm and get repetitive quickly, because when it comes right down to it, there isn’t much to say about zombies vs. unicorns that isn’t handled better just by reading the stories. I’m not saying that some of these intro pieces are not funny, because they are, but as a cumulative effect they grow boring. Still, it doesn’t cost much to read them, and they do introduce points of contention in the zombies vs. unicorn debate (for example, is it more interesting that zombies represent society’s political or social illnesses, or that unicorns paradoxically symbolize both virginity and raw sexuality?).

I’ve read a lot of zombie stories (and seen a lot of movies), but my experience with unicorns is more limited: Peter S. Beagle’s The Last Unicorn, which I don’t remember well as a novel or a cartoon from my childhood; Holly Black’s short story “Virgin”, and . . . that’s about all I can remember. So, I was actually looking forward to reading the unicorn stories, just to see what’s out there in the modern day, but I ended up on Team Zombie anyway. I don’t know if I find zombies more interesting because I enjoyed the stories more, or if I enjoyed the stories more because I find zombies more interesting, but it’s still the case: overall, the zombies won out.

I liked all of the zombie stories in this collection, but my top ones were: “The Children of the Revolution”, by Maureen Johnson, the zombie babysitting story which was funny and creepy and had a killer ending; “Bougainvillea”, by Carrie Ryan, which is set in the same universe (after the Return) as her two novels and continues her excellent storytelling; and “Prom Night”, by Libba Bray, which had a subtle, disquieting ending as doomed teenagers, after all of the adults in town have been quarantined or killed, attempt to soldier on with the high school tradition of prom.

For the unicorn stories, the only one I really cared for was “The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn”, by Diana Peterfreund, which is set in her Rampant universe and definitely made me want to read the novel. Several of the stories explored the dangerous side of unicorns, but this was the one I felt did it best. I also enjoyed Meg Cabot’s “Princess Prettypants” as a kind of as tongue-in-cheek, light-hearted revenge fantasy, and I thought two of the others – Margo Lanagan’s and Kathleen Duey’s – were both disturbing in a good way. (I’ve come to expect that from both of them, though I’ll admit that as someone who admires Lanagan’s short stories, I was kind of disappointed in her entry.)

Both sides of the debate concerned themselves with issues of power, violence, and sexual desire (or should I say, sexual hunger?), but I thought it was curious that a lot of the zombie stories I liked had a strong romance element, involving zombies of various sentience levels, while several of the unicorn stories focused more on their dangerous side, often as a vengeful judge/punisher of wrongdoing.

Cover comments: Honestly, this book should sell based on the cover design alone. The cut-out of the zombie fighting a unicorn, and the cartoonish but graphically violent scenes of their death match ranging over hill and dale, is some of the best I’ve seen. Not only does it effectively present the focus of the book, it’s hilarious and eye-catching. It's like looking at an I-Spy or Where's Waldo book, but with a sick twist.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book with a very important premise: Which is cooler, zombies or unicorns? The whole debate, and the deeply entrenched opinions on each side, are wonderfully reminiscent of the great astronauts vs. cavemen debate (on this, as in almost everything else, I'm Team Angel. Er, I mean Team Astronaut). Two authors, Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier lead two teams of authors, Team Unicorn and Team Zombie respectively, in writing stories. The stated purpose was to determine which were cooler. The real purpose, of course, was to create a fun romp of an anthology. They succeeded.

Each story was introduced by both Holly and Justine discussing how this story tips the balance toward or away from their chosen team. The banter was extremely amusing, and reminded me of many similar debates I've had with my friends over the years.

To no one's surprise whatsoever, I came down firmly on the side of Team Unicorn. Holly's opinions pretty much echo my own: I don't care for shambling, disease, or the walking dead. I liked best the zombie stories where I could pretend they were "some other kind of undead thing I like." (Holly rocks, by the way. I must find more books by her. Or invite her to my next party.)

I had to grit my teeth to get through the creepy zombie stories. Eugh. But I loved the unicorn stories (even the upsetting ones).

The thing is, I understand Team Zombie's point of view. Zombies are a great metaphor for human society. They are entropy made animate and a perfect cipher for commercialism, materialism, and soullessness. But I just don't like them. I like unicorns. Even the ones whose farts smell like rainbows, and who live in Fairyland, and prefer virgins as company. It's the same as the way that I can recognize that lots of music is much more sophisticated and deep and worthy than my happy country music; I just like country music and unicorns better. (I feel like I ought to burst into a rendition of "Fireflies" by Patty Griffin. Or, even better, Faith Hill.)

I want all my friends to read this book, so I can see if my guess of who would be which team is correct.

[Littlebookterror · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, this was a weird anthology. The commentary before each short story was cringey at best and awful at worst, I think it was supposed to be funny? While I like the idea of that I found the execution to be terribly lacking.
As for my general enjoyment... there were only two stories that really stood out to me ( Love Will Tear Us Apart and The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn). The fact that while I love unicorns I am not a fan did not help my ratings when it comes to the Team Zombie stories.

The Highest Justice - Garth Nix
★★✩✩✩
I was not a fan, the combination of unicorns and zombies felt weird to me and I don't think it's something to mix together. Neither were really given the place to develop in such a short time; it felt pointless.

Love Will Tear Us Apart - Alaya Dawn Johnson
★★★★✩
Gay zombies? Fucking hilarious apparently. A bit chopped up since the story had so many interlides but it was quite worth my while.

Purity Test - Naomi Novik
★★✩✩✩
Love the name Belcazar. The story? Not so much.

Bougainvillea - Carry Ryan
★★★✩✩
Interesting and unusual. The pirates aspect was a good additions but the wonky timelines made it hard to keep up.

A Thousand Flowers - Margo Lanagan
✩✩✩✩✩
dnf. I did not care at all.

The Children of the revolution
★★★✩✩
Cults are always creepy and it doesn't get any better if you add zombie children to it.

The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn - Diana Peterfreund
★★★★✩
Hilarious. Uniquely twisted and funny. (Also I enjoyed the fact that this was not a love story.)

Inoculata - Scott Westerfeld - 2 stars
★★✩✩✩
Weird?!

Princess Prettypants by Meg Cabot
★✩✩✩✩
I hate the lore of these unicorns, not my fan.

Cold hands by Cassandra Clare
★★★✩✩✩
Mafia in Zombietown. Enjoyable.

The third virgin by Kathleen Duey
★★★✩✩
I wasn't a fan exactly of the beginning but I quite liked the turn it took and the exploration of eternal life.

Prom night by Libba Bray
✩✩✩✩✩
dnf. Again, I didn't care.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the title, there is no grand zombie versus unicorn smack down. This would have been cool. There is one group of stories about unicorns, another about zombies, and the editors argue over which is better.

It is also really a young adult collection. And, therefore, I am outside of the intended audience. I am also more of a team unicorn than team zombie person.

I found three of the stories to be very good, one to be interesting and haunting, and the rest to be forgettable. A quick word about the introduction – the give and play between the two editors I found to be annoying and largely unnecessary. Perhaps if I was younger I would’ve enjoyed it more. Outside of two introductions that actually tell you something about zombie and unicorns, and then just simply are variations of “zombies are better” and “unicorns are misunderstood”.

The collection starts with “Highest Justice” by Garth Fix. It lacks the freshness, perhaps, of his more famous trilogy, but there is a charm to it. “The Purity Test” by Naomi Novak is about a unicorn that needs a heroine with brain as opposed to a cherry. It is a funny story and a good thrust to the theme of purity. It reminded of the dragon sacrifice story that appears in one of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword and Sorceress novels. “Children of the Revolution” by Maureen Johnson is a zombie story and pokes fun at famous people, in particular stars with a bunch of adopted children and lack of tie to reality. It’s always fun to read such things.

While the above three are the stand out stories stand out, there is also “The Care and Feeding of Baby Unicorns” by Diana Peterfrund. In terms of style, I found the story to be a little longer than it needed to be. Yet, in the plot of a killer unicorn being raised by a girl who lost family to a unicorn, there is a thoughtful look at religion and faith. Despite its length, the subject matter is handed very well, and there is no heavy handed preaching that makes its way into other stories dealing with the same ideas. It does haunt you.