Nights of the Living Dead: An Anthology

by Jonathan Maberry (Editor), George A. Romero (Editor)

In 1968, the world experienced a brand-new kind of terror with the debut of George A. Romero’s landmark movie Night of the Living Dead. The newly dead rose to attack the living. Not as vampires or werewolves. This was something new . . . and terrifying. Since then, zombies have invaded every aspect of popular culture.

But it all started on that dreadful night in a remote farmhouse. . . .

Nights of the Living Dead returns to that night, to the outbreak, to where it all began. New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry teams with the godfather of the living dead himself, George A. Romero, to present a collection of all-new tales set during the forty-eight hours of that legendary outbreak.

Nights of the Living Dead includes stories by some of today’s most important writers: Brian Keene, Carrie Ryan, Chuck Wendig, Craig E. Engler, David J. Schow, David Wellington, Isaac Marion, Jay Bonansinga, Joe R. Lansdale, John A. Russo, John Skipp, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Max Brallier, Mike Carey, Mira Grant, Neal and Brenda Shusterman, and Ryan Brown. Plus original stories by Romero and Maberry!
For anyone who loves scary stories, take a bite out of this!

Genres: Horror, Zombies, Short Stories, Audiobook, Anthologies, Fiction, Science Fiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published July 11, 2017

About the author

JONATHAN MABERRY is a NYTimes bestselling author, #1 Audible bestseller, 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, 4-time Scribe Award winner, Inkpot Award winner, comic book writer, and producer. He is the author of more than 50 novels, 190 short stories, 16 short story collections, 30 graphic novels, 14 nonfiction books, and has edited 26 anthologies. His vampire apocalypse book series, V-WARS, was a Netflix original series starring Ian Somerhalder. His 2009-10 run as writer on the Black Panther comic formed a large chunk of the recent blockbuster film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. His bestselling YA zombie series, Rot & Ruin is in development for film at Alcon Entertainment; and John Wick director, Chad Stahelski, is developing Jonathan’s Joe Ledger Thrillers for TV. Jonathan writes in multiple genres including suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, epic fantasy, and action; and he writes for adults, teens and middle grade. His works include The Pine Deep Trilogy, The Kagen the Damned Trilogy, NecroTek, Ink, Glimpse, the Rot & Ruin series, the Dead of Night series, The Wolfman, X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate, The Sleepers War (with Weston Ochse), Mars One, and many others. He is the editor of high-profile anthologies including Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird, The X-Files, Aliens: Bug Hunt, Out of Tune, Don’t Turn out the Lights: A Tribute to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Baker Street Irregulars, Nights of the Living Dead, Shadows & Verse, and others. His comics include Marvel Zombies Return, The Punisher: Naked Kills, Wolverine: Ghosts, Godzilla vs Cthulhu: Death May Die, Bad Blood and many others. Jonathan has written in many popular licensed worlds, including Hellboy, True Blood, The Wolfman, John Carter of Mars, Sherlock Holmes, C.H.U.D., Diablo IV, Deadlands, World of Warcraft, Planet of the Apes, Aliens, Predator, Karl Kolchak, and many others. He the president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, and the editor of Weird Tales Magazine. He lives in San Diego, California. Find him online at www.jonathanmaberry.com

Reviews

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Man's Curve by Joe R. Lansdale ☆☆☆☆

A Dead Girl Named Sue by Craig E. Engler ☆☆☆☆☆

Fast Entry by Jay Bonansinga ☆☆☆☆

In That Quiet Earth by Mike Carey ☆☆☆

Jimmy Jay Baxter's Last, Best Day on Earth by John Skipp ☆☆☆☆

John Doe by George A. Romero ☆☆☆☆☆

Mercy Kill by Ryan Brown ☆☆☆☆

Orbital Decay by David Wellington ☆☆☆☆☆

Snaggletooth by Max Brallier ☆☆☆

The Burning Days by Carrie Ryan ☆☆☆

The Day After by John A. Russo ☆☆☆☆☆

The Girl on the Table by Isaac Marion ☆☆☆☆

Williamson's Folly by David J. Schow ☆☆☆☆

You Can Stay All Day by Mira Grant ☆☆☆☆

Pages from a Note-book Found Inside a House in the Woods by Brian Keene ☆☆☆☆

Dead Run by Chuck Wendig ☆☆☆

Lone Gunman by Jonathan Maberry ☆☆☆

Live and On the Scene by Keith R. A. DeCandido ☆☆☆☆☆

Deadliner by Neal and Brendan Shusterman ☆☆☆☆



An excellent anthology set In George Romero and John A. Russo's Night of the Living Dead(1968) landmark movie that made ghouls, as named by Romero in the preface, invade cinema, litterature, and every aspect of pop culture.



Liked and loved every tale collected in this volume by author Jonathan Maberry, an ideal sequel to both milestone John Skipp' and Craig Spector's The Book of the Dead who gave birth to zombie, not usual mixed bag ofb an anthology but a real state of art one with short tales swinging from good to masterpieces, set during the 48 hours of that legendary outbreak when the dead rose to attack and eat the living for the first time... with a few familiar characters popping up in John A. Russo's The Day After and Isaac Marion's The Girl on the Table.



And the writers of these stories are mostly not just a names list but a real dream team.


Cherry on cake George Romero's foreword to the book, a funny and very interesting insight about how he become The Godfather of the genre and how much he hated his beloved ghouls being called zombies.



A must eat read if you are into cannibal walking deads books and movies.

[Tracy P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It doesn't get better than the Nights of the Living Dead when it comes to a riveting collection of zombie anthologies. I have to say the story about the astronauts' in outer space (with the sound effects, making this one downright terrifying) has to be one the best anthologies I have heard in this genre to date.

I especially enjoyed Mr. Romero's foreword and hearing how he came to write Zombie books, produce movies, etcetera.. a bit about his childhood, and the path which ultimately led him to be called (much to his chagrin:) "The Godfather" of the zombie revolution. This glimpse into his life was most informative and appreciated. Also enjoyed his sense of humor.

Much thanks to Mr. Maberry for writing, editing and narrating as well. Too many (super talented) others to mention. . . Sooo, sending many high accolades to the whole cast, who narrated and contributed the anthologies, which were written by some of the most established and recognized authors writing in this genre.

[Karl]

What sold me on this anthology were the new Joe R. Lansdale and Brian Keene stories.

Contents:

xiii - Acknowledgments
xv - Nights Of the Living Dead: An Introduction by George A. Romaro
xix - Reflections of a Weird Little Kid in a Condemned Movie House: An Introduction by Jonathan Maberry
001 - "Dead Mans Curve" by Joe R Lansdale
025 - "A Dead Girl Named Sue by Craig E Engler"
043 - "Fast Entry by Jay Bonansinga"
065 - "In That Quiet Earth" by Mike Carey
079 - "Jimmy Jay Baxter's Last Best Day on Earth" John Skipp
097 - "John Doe" by George A Romero
115 - "Mercy Kill" by Ryan Brown
135 - "Orbital Decay" by David Wellington
157 - "Snaggletooth" by Max Brallier
181 - "The Burning Days" by Carrie Ryan
197 - "The Day After by John A Russo
217 - "The Girl on the Table" by Isaac Marion
229 - "Williamson's Folly" by David J Schow
257 - "You Can Stay All Day" by Mira Grant
281 - "Pages from a Notebook Found Inside A House In The Woods" by Brian Keene
295 - "Dead Run" by Chuck Wendig
311 - "Lone Gunman" by Jonathan Maberry
335 - "Live and On the Scene" by Keith R.A. DeCandido
355 - "Deadliner" by Neal and Brendan Shusterman

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short stories set in the world of the most iconic zombie (or ghouls as George A Romero called them, at least initially) film ever made? Written by some of the best talent the horror genre has to offer?

Yes!

This collection is great. Even if you're not big into the zombie scene there's enough here to satisfy all your dark and bloody horror cravings. The zombies are more a conduit of horror, rather than the center piece - this is largely due to the surprising depth and variety of the stories collected in this volume but also, due to the writers ability to instill a bevy of scares outside the flesh eating 'rotters'.

For instance, Brian Keene heightens the horror in his story PAGES FROM A NOTEBOOK INSIDE A HOUSE IN THE WOODS by throwing ghosts and a haunted house into mix, while David Wellington takes the walking dead to the stars in ORBITAL DECAY.

Romance is rife among the dead in THE BURNING DAYS by Carrie Ryan and one of my favorite stories from this collection IN THAT QUIET EARTH by Mike Carey; a story about a scientist who manufactures a way to become a zombie (yet still retain some semblance of humanity) so he can lay in the grave with his long dead wife for eternity.

There's so much goodness in this bloodbath that it's hard to pin down a handful of standouts. That said JIMMY JAY BAXTER'S LAST DAY ON EARTH by John Skipp is a hell of a read which features an action hero and female protagonist ripped straight from the pages of a men's adventure magazine; crazy fun. YOU CAN STAY ALL DAY by Mira Grant of Feed fame brings horror for profit in a showcase of splatter that isn't for those easily offended by gore, death, and A-grade horror; I lapped it up like a starving zombie to a masticated corpse.

Some other notables from this collection of 19 short stories include; DEAD RUN by Chuck Wendig (this could be a scene from the Walking Dead! It's full of action, suspense, great characters, and damn good writing), JOHN DOE by George A Romero (could easily be a scene from Night of the Living Dead in which a pathologist finds out the hard way that the dead, on this night, don't die), and A DEAD GIRL NAMED SUE by Craig E Engler (I won't spoil this (too much) but will say that revenge is a dish best served...live, and to a pack of hungry zombies...). Honestly, I could go on but I don't want to spoil the fun.

This book is easily a 5 star read. If you're into horror, read this.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice collection of zombie stories set in Romero's iconic film universe. My favorite was the first one by Joe R. Lansdale, though I also especially enjoyed Mira Grant's trip to the zoo (You Can Stay All Day), and David Wellington's Orbital Decay. And Brian Keene's trip to a comics convention. And Keith R.A. DeCandido's Live and On the Scene. I was a little disappointed in editor Maberry's Lone Gunmen, which seemed to be an attempt to tie his various works in with the original film from 1968 for no particular reason. I mean, that part was fine but there wasn't really a story there. I enjoyed the pieces by Romero and John Russo expanding on their original original, too. I wouldn't rank this volume up with Skipp and Spector's Dead anthologies from so many years ago, but it was still fun. I'll bet when he first filmed Johnny saying, "They're coming to get you Barbara!" he never dreamed that his ghouls would still be going with such popularity more than a half-century later!

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Welcome to the apocalypse, its about to get weird in here!"


What a glorious, gory, profanity laden, ghoulish masterpiece this is! If you, like me have been in love with Night of the Living Dead ever since they first came after poor Barbara, this anthology is for you!

[Marvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filmmaker George A. Romero passed away on July 16th, 2017. To many people he was just another horror movie director but his influence in pop culture is much more than that. He transformed how we saw a specific concept and embedded it permanently into our collective consciousness. To compare, Romero was to zombies what Bram Stoker was to vampires and we will never go back to our old perceptions again. Before Romero, a zombie was depicted as a person who was controlled by another person, usually a sorcerer or shaman. In many cases, the person wasn’t even dead but one who lost all control of his mind and body to another. It wasn’t the zombie we were scared of but the idea of the person who could make us into a zombie. Romero’s seminal film Night of the Living Dead changed all that. The writer and director hated the term “Zombie” for his creation. He called them ghouls, the dead rising to eat human flesh. But the term stuck and we never saw zombies in any other way after 1968. An entirely new spectrum enters our reality. It takes a genius to manage that and in this small part of pop culture, Romero was a genius. It is hard to overestimate the influence that Night of the Living Dead made on film and literature especially those who soaked in anything remotely related to horror.

The director’s new take on the zombie mythology wasn’t just in film. John Skipp and Craig Spector edited a seminal anthology called Book of the Dead which speculated through the minds of numerous authors what happened after that apocalyptic night .Through the decades and more recently, writers such as Brian Keene, Joe McKinney, and Robert Kirkman of Walking Dead fame added variations but still stayed in the path of Romero’s ghoulish flesh eaters. Even literary figures with a big “L” like Joyce Carol Oates and Colin Whitehead offered their contributions. There was no going back

The anthology Nights of the Living Dead was one of George Romero’s last projects and was edited in collaboration with Joe Maberry, himself no slouch when it comes to zombies and the post-apocalypse. It is a fitting note to Romero’s career as it returns full circle to that one night in Pennsylvania when the dead started walking the earth and devouring flesh. It is comprised of 19 original short stories taking place on that same night and, for some stories, the next few days. The editor kept the authors in that framework with only a little poetic license mainly related to possible explanation of the events and some bending of the exact era (1968 or more recent?) The writers range from the stalwarts in the sub-genre like Brian Keene and Joe R. Lansdale to lesser known but still immensely talented newcomers like Mira Grant and David Wellington. It even has two stories by George Romero and his co-writer for Night of the Living Dead, John Russo. There is the usual unevenness in an anthology like this but all the tales are quite good and none really miss the mark. Ironically it is the two stories by Romero and Russo that seem slightly out of place and a bit old fashioned. But the rest of the crew seem happy to stick to the formula yet give it a kick in the rear.

Of the more established names, Joe R. Lansdale comes through in the first tale which starts with a car race on the street and develops into a race for their lives. John Skipp’s “Jimmy Ray Baxter’s Last Best Day on Earth” is about a sociopathic man who sees the apocalypse as a slice of his type of heaven. Chuck Wendig’s “Dead Run” turns the night into an examination of two brothers’ dysfunctional bond. Jonathan Maberry ‘s “Lone Gunman” is a harrowing story of survival. Of the newer writers, at least newer to me, there were quite a few impressive gems. In “A Dead Girl Named Sue” by Craig E. Engler, a local sheriff finds meaning in the disaster through an act of retribution. Mike Carey’s “In That Quiet Earth” find a theme in the plot that is as moving and unique as you can expect from the one who wrote The Girl with All the Gifts. Finally, “Mercy Kill” by Ryan Brown has a distinct Crime Noir feel to its telling.

I’m not going to capsulize all 19 stories except to say each one of them gives their own individualistic lean to the basic premise that terrified so many viewers of Night of the Living Dead. The anthology works as a theme collection but may also be the best multiple author collections of this year. For that and as a tribute to George A. Romero, it deserving of every single star of a five star rating and plenty more.

[Stephanie (Books in the Freezer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
I REALLY enjoyed this anthology. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. The zombie craze had just ended, and I thought I was done with them. I was wrong. These stories all take place in the world and setting of the Night of the Living Dead movie. I actually live near Evans City where the movie takes place, so it was so FUN to hear the names of nearby towns in the stories. I had a difficult time choosing favorites, but here they are:
A Dead Girl Named Sue by Craig E. Engler
Orbital Decay by David Wellington
Pages From a Notebook Found Inside the House by Brian Keene
Dead Run by Chuck Wendig
and Live and On Scene by Keith RA DeCandido

[Nina The Wandering Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars round up to 5 stars for Goodreads.

“Those people were murderers, and they were killing…well, they had killed, Duane. His body steamed in the cool air where he had been ripped open. One of those things was pounding Duane’s head with its fists, cracking it apart like a giant walnut. Brains oozed and hands tore at the break in his skull. Brain matter was snatched and eaten.”

This anthology was a thrilling, suspenseful, and downright scary good time. As someone who is genuinely terrified of zombies, I was anxious for the entirety of this book! Experiencing these stories via audiobook also put this book on another level for me personally. Loved it!

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid collection with enough variety in content.

I'd struggle to pick a weaker story but I did think The Lone Gunman was one of the best. Outstanding.

I'd love to see more volumes as Nights Of The Living Dead proved there's no lack of material when the dead walk again.

Full review to follow.

[Theo Logos · Rating 3 out of 5]

These 19 tales of the living dead all transpire in the universe of George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Some reference scenes, locations and characters from the original film. Others are set as far afield as the space station. But all spring from Romero’s original vision.

George Romero introduces the collection, and also contributes a story. Joe R. Lansdale’s Dead Man’s Curve, David Wellington’s Orbital Decay, and John Maberry’s Lone Gunman are the picks of this pack.

Dead Man’s Curve
by Joe R. Lansdale
Any collection with Lansdale becomes a must read. A pair of Texan siblings — brother who builds fast cars and sister who races them — are interrupted, mid race, on a dangerous, backcountry road by the living dead. The tough heroine needs to think as fast as she drives to survive.
4 stars

A Dead Girl Named Sue
by Craig E. Engle
A clever, tough minded sheriff. A bad-seed prodigal scion. His victims. Justice delayed. All these meet the zombi apocalypse. Is it revenge or justice? Does it matter?
4 stars

Fast Entry
by Jay Bonasinga
What happens when a legit psychic reader scans a zombi? A dark tale where the walking wounded confronts the walking dead
3 stars

In The Quiet Earth
by Mike Carey
Still waters run deep in a bereaved scientist who takes a clinical approach to the zombi apocalypse to attempt a reunion with his deceased beloved.
3 stars

Jimmy Jay Baxter’s Last, Best Day on Earth
by John Skipp
Dim, white supremacist good old boy meets the zombi apocalypse and has a blast. IMO he didn’t die hard enough.
2 stars

John Doe
by George A. Romero
Science meets Chaos, as a medical examiner out to prove a point conducts an autopsy on one of the first victims of this terrifying new plague. Wanna dance?
3 stars

Mercy Kill
by Ryan Brown
Ingenious survival techniques, asshole local lawmen, and ghoulish capitalizing the undead as kill sport all come together, as a trailer park love triangle and unexpected twists power this tale.
4 stars

Orbital Decay
by David Wellington
The Floating Dead. Ghouls in zero gravity. Zombinauts on the space station. Maybe in space no one can hear you scream, but they sure can when you send radio transmissions to Control.
5 stars

Snaggletooth
by Max Brallier
Kind of a rip off of Poe’s Tell Tale Heart. Unsympathetic narrator, illicit affair turned murderous, hunting trophies, and ghouls.
2 stars

The Burning Days
by Carrie Ryan
Four people in a cabin, keeping a wall of fire going to keep the dead at bay. Yet another doomed love triangle. No chills, no thrills in this one. Yawn.
2 stars

The Day After
by John A. Russo
That would be the day after the events of the original movie, Night of the Living Dead. The Miller farmhouse, Barbara and Johnny are all name checked. It’s an abridgment of a screenplay, but I didn’t think it worked well as a short story.
2 stars

The Girl on the Table
by Isaac Marion
Inside the mind of a young girl transitioning into a ghoul. From the descriptions of the basement, her parents, etc. it could be the girl on the Miller farmhouse basement.
3 stars

Williamson’s Folly
by David J. Schow
Satellite crashes on a small town, and the dead begin to rise. Correlation is not causation, but any story is better than no story.
4 stars

You Can Stay All Day
by Mira Grant
Lions and Tigers and…Zombies? Zombies at the Zoo.
3 stars

Pages from a Notebook Found Inside a House in the Woods
by Brian Keene
What’s worse than being trapped in a cabin surrounded by ravenous ghouls? How about sharing that cabin with a vengeful ghost?
3 stars

Dead Run
by Chuck Wendig
A resourceful trucker plans to save others from the ghoulish apocalypse, but blood is thicker than water, and he must be his brother’s keeper.
4 stars

Lone Gunman
by Jonathan Maberry
One highly trained soldier, injured and separated from his team, struggles to survive. Top notch tale.
5 stars

Live and On the Scene
by Keith R. A. DeCandido
A Pittsburgh TV reporter covers the biggest story of his career, as he struggles against family drama and the living dead.
4 stars

Deadliner
by Neal and Brendan Shusterman
Circus Apocalypse — zombies under the big top
3 stars

[Scott Rhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd have to say that while some of the stories in the "Nights of the Living Dead" anthology, edited by Jonathon Maberry and George Romero, are excellent (Mike Carey's "In That Quiet Earth", John Skipp's "Jimmy Jay Baxter's Last, Best Day on Earth", George Romero's "John Doe", and David J. Schow's "Williamson's Folly"), a majority of them are mediocre at best. One or two, at most, are total stinkers, but if you love the zombie genre, don't let that stop you from reading this fun anthology.

Each story is written as an homage, a companion piece, or a direct sequel to Romero's classic 1968 film "Night of the Living Dead". Filmed on a shoe-string budget in an abandoned farmhouse in Pittsburgh, PA, Romero's film inspired an entire genre of movies, a genre that is as popular today (thanks in no small way to TV shows like "The Walking Dead" and a resurgence of international zombie films such as the South Korean "Train to Busan") as it was nearly 50 years ago.

It's worth reading if only for Maberry's introduction, a perceptive and brilliant explanation for why zombie films are so damn popular. To understand why, one must place the fascination in the context of a young horror fan seeing "Night of the Living Dead" for the first time in a small theater in 1968.

Unlike previous movie monsters such as vampires, werewolves, and mummies, Zombies (or the term Romero himself preferred, "ghouls") had no real pre-history. No movie audience had ever really seen the likes of the living dead: "The monsters were mysterious. They were enigmatic (a word I didn't know back then). That was part of what made them so damn scary. No one in the story knew what was going on, and they never found out. I couldn't remember seeing a single other movie where the entire cast of characters was clueless and, as a result, helpless because they had no information with which to form a plan. (p.xxi)"

Today, zombies are a stand-in for our cultural fears of global environmental destruction, a resurgence of old viruses brought about by an anti-science stupidity, and epidemics of new antibiotic-resistant diseases and bacteria. Zombies provide a great context and background for our cultural fascination with guns and violence. They play upon our concerns of a society still plagued with racism, white-supremacy, sexism, homophobia, anti-Semitism.

Perhaps the best reason given for why zombie films resonate so well with today's audiences comes from the mouth of a character in one of Romero's own films, "Dawn of the Dead": "They are us."

[Andrew Sydlik · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a total of 18 stories set within the world of Night of the Living Dead, this anthology offers a great diversity of styles and twists on the zombie apocalypse. Some stories directly reference characters or events from the film, some obliquely reference Night, and others are completely independent stories set during the zombie outbreak that follow the same general zombie rules. Although an anthology like this may seem a bit tedious unless you are a hardcore zombie fanatic, it offers enough variety to entertain most horror enthusiasts, or anyone wanting to pay homage to George Romero’s legacy. I won the book from Fangoria in a Twitter contest, sadly shortly before Romero died on July 16.

The anthology features big names in horror including editor Jonathan Maberry, Joe R. Landsdale, Mike Carey (aka M. R. Carey), John Skipp, and Brian Keene, and a story by George Romero himself and original Night of the Living Dead co-writer John Russo (who also wrote the novel that inspired Dan O’Bannon’s 1985 Return of the Living Dead).

Of course, like with any anthology, the quality is a bit uneven. You can probably tell within a few pages whether the story appeals to you, and most of them are short, so even if you come across one that’s not great, it’s not too difficult to get through it. Unfortunately, it starts and ends with stories that aren’t the most exciting of the collection, but I guess that all depends on what speaks to you. There are action-heavy narratives and character-driven stories. There are unpleasant anti-heroes, despicable villains, and deeply sympathetic protagonists. And of course, the living dead in lots of different situations. For example, you’ve got zombies in space in David Wellington’s “Orbital Decay,” and zombies in the zoo in Mira Grant’s “You Can Stay All Day.” Romero’s story has the same blend of clinical nihilism and psychological intimacy of the film that is the anthology’s namesake. Russo’s is a bit more lacking, though it’s still a fun tale of multiple survivors banding together.

About a third of these stories are very strong, about a third are decent/enjoyable/fun, and about a third are lackluster stories that did not engage me for one reason or another. Still, I found the range of stories and their different inspirations from Night to be admirable and compelling. I’ve got a spoiler-free description of each story with an individual rating for each if that helps you get a better sense of whether you’d find the collection up your alley, but if you have the slightest interest in zombies, I recommend just getting this book and reading through the whole thing without too much foreknowledge, because discovering what is happening in each story is part of the fun.

"Dead Mans Curve" by Joe R. Lansdale – Story about 4 teenagers who are drag racing when they run into a group of zombies in the road as, unbeknownst to them, the dead have begun to rise. Gender politics come into play, as one of the racers – the narrator - is a woman. Both the premise and gender stuff give the story an extra umph, but the characters are a bit thin and the dialogue is somewhat repetitive and annoying. 3/5

"A Dead Girl Named Sue” by Craig E. Engler – The sheriff of a small town arrests a spoiled rich kid for murder. The entire town seems to hate him. Not too much zombie action in this one – mostly focused on the tension between the rich brat and those who feel wronged by him. 3.5/5

"Fast Entry” by Jay Bonansinga – Well-written with interesting premise: A telepathic woman, haunted by her abilities and her past, is employed by the government for secret ops. She is called to Fort Denning to help figure out what has been happening as reports of random mass murder start to pour in. Her psychic ability has some rather horrific effects as she discovers the truth. Really developed lead character, with a chilling end. Strikes the perfect balance between character study and horrific action. 4.5/5

"In That Quiet Earth" by Mike Carey - A scientist grown increasingly detached and depressed since his wife’s death becomes obsessed with understanding the nature of the zombie outbreak. He desires to actually become like the living dead himself, without losing his conscious awareness. The tone is tender and lyrical, a somewhat romantic (in both senses of the word) take on zombies. I didn’t think that would work, but it does. 4/10

"Jimmy Jay Baxter's Last Best Day on Earth" John Skipp – Jimmy Jay Baxter tells how he exploits the zombie apocalypse to take advantage of his God-given right to shoot guns and cleanse the Earth of the scum that have infested it. A tongue-in-cheek satire of the radical-right ultra-macho sexist, racist, homophobic, xenophobic types who have gotten so much voice lately in the "alt-right" movement. We're meant to love-to-hate Jimmy Jay. An amusing romp that relies more on comedy and political commentary than horror. 3.5/5

"John Doe" by George A. Romero – Set in San Diego, California, and in present-day rather than 1968 as other stories seem to be, the story focuses on the attempts of a medical examiner and his assistant to determine the cause of death of a homeless man caught in the crossfire of Mexican immigrant smugglers and police. Much of the story focuses on the politics of bureaucracy and tensions between the M.E. and police. It also explores a recurring nightmare and the fates of others who fall apart as they try to piece together the M.E.’s report. Intriguing character interplay and a rather creepy ending that plays on the assistant’s nightmare, it is a bit uneven in switching between so many people and topics. 4/10

"Mercy Kill" by Ryan Brown – One of the least enjoyable and believable stories. Told in first-person, the narrator is a Vietnam vet who races to save his girlfriend – apparently his return from war unfortunately for him coincides with the zombie apocalypse. Things get complicated as his rival, leading a posse of stereotypical redneck zombie killers, makes things difficult for him. The characters are caricatures, the tone one of juvenile machismo action rather than horror. 2/10

"Orbital Decay" by David Wellington – Told almost completely in dialogue, in the form of radio transmissions between the International Space Station and Mission Control in Houston, reading like a play without stage directions, as both deal with the zombie outbreak. Yes, zombies…in space! Obviously, the premise necessitates this story to be set in present day rather than 1968, much as Romero’s story does. It’s inventive, and some moments are quite creepy – just imagine you’re trying to survive in a crippled space station with low oxygen while zombies are banging on the hatch! The format imposes some limitations, and the dialogue wasn’t always convincing – not what I would expect from scientists and technicians to sound like, even in a crisis. But definitely gets points for originality. 3.5/10

"Snaggletooth" by Max Brallier – One of the more intriguing and thoughtful stories, it’s another first-person tale, this time of a man who makes a deal with his lover to kill her husband and make it look like an accident. Despite his cocksure nature and bravado, he finds himself more haunted by his act than he lets on, especially when the husband doesn’t stay dead. Like the narrators of “Jimmy Jay Baxter’s Last, Best Day on Earth” and “Mercy Kill,” it’s interesting that the authors explore these chauvinistic characters so intimately. The narrator of “Snaggletooth” is not as obnoxious as the others, and is more cold-blooded and selfish than bigoted, and the writing handles him in a surprisingly ambivalent and subtle way. It’s also clearly set in the Pittsburgh area, with references to the Allegheny Valley and Iron City, and even features some Pittsburgh dialect. Very effective. 4.5/5

"The Burning Days" by Carrie Ryan – A small group guards themselves against the encroaching zombie threat by surrounding their cabin with a wall of fire. They scramble to figure out what to do once the fuel starts to dwindle away. The story is told from first-person point-of-view by one of the female survivors who thinks more about her desires for one of the men in the group—who has just broken up with one of the other women—than about survival. I like the conceit of protecting a perimeter with fire. The romance part seemed unnecessary, though not too obtrusive. 3.5/5

"The Day After” by John A. Russo – True to its title, Russo’s story follows three parallel groups the day after the events of Night of the Living Dead: Jed and Danielle, two survivors equipped with a vehicle and guns, trying to make their way to Willard (the emergency shelter the group in Night are trying to get to); Sheriff McClelland and his group (also from Night), also making their way toward Willard; and some adults and children at a Catholic school, trying to wait out for a rescue team to get them. While not necessarily well-written, its allusions to Night are enjoyable, and it was nice to see a fairly straightforward survival tale alongside the more experimental and psychological works here. 3.5/5

"The Girl on the Table" by Isaac Marion – Interesting retelling of Night of the Living Dead through the eyes of the Coopers’ daughter, Karen. Most of the story takes place before the events of the film, describing the outbreak and the attack in which she gets bitten, and ends more or less with the ending of the film. Although told in third person, the narration describes Karen’s thoughts as they devolve into the primal cannibalistic impulses of the living dead. It’s more psychological than plot-driven, and its imagery is even poetic in at times. 4.5/5

"Williamson's Folly" by David J. Schow – Tells the story of Williamson, a small town where the satellite is supposed to have crashed that was speculated to be the cause for the zombie outbreak in Night. It explores how the military presence and outbreak affects the town. One of the longer stories, and a bit too fragmented for my liking. It covers too many characters and events to give the reader a solid anchor. I guess that’s a natural result of a story like this that covers an entire town, but this aspect made it less interesting to me. The descriptions of the zombies and killings are effective though, and there is an especially creepy moment involving a stillborn baby coming back to life. 3/5

"You Can Stay All Day" by Mira Grant – This story is set in a zoo and follows a zookeeper as she deals with the zombie outbreak gradually overtaking the zoo. I appreciated the unusual setting and the unusual personality of the protagonist, who sympathizes more with animals than she does humans. Zombie tales rarely ever address what happens to animals or zoos during the zombie apocalypse, so I liked that this one filled in that gap. 4/5

"Pages from a Notebook Found Inside a House in the Woods" by Brian Keene – A group of bank robbers seek refuge from zombies inside a house that turns out to be haunted by a malevolent ghost. A great twist—trapped by the dead outside, threatened by the dead inside—but the execution was not as compelling as it could have been, perhaps because of the somewhat dull characters. This is disappointing since Keene is one of the most famous horror writers in here. Not a bad story, just didn’t make as much out of its premise as I thought it could have. 3.5/5

"Dead Run" by Chuck Wendig – Two brothers have completely different takes on how to deal with the zombie outbreak: one wants to find other people and band together, the other thinks that holding up in their own house is the best chance for survival. A decent character-driven story. 3/5

"Lone Gunman" by Jonathan Maberry – Another character-driven story about a soldier who is trapped under a pile of zombie bodies, most of them permanently dead, some of them still moving. The premise sounds limiting, but it’s also a creepy situation, and Maberry does a good job of giving enough interesting psychological and physical details about what the soldier is going through to make it enjoyable. 3.5/5

"Live and On the Scene" by Keith R. A. DeCandido – A narcissistic reporter tries to maintain his broadcast respectability while covering the zombie outbreak and dealing with his parents. This story tries to do that common horror move of making a protagonist who is unlikable yet sympathetic. In this case, the reporter tries to hide his Jewish background, fearing that anti-Semitic prejudice will ruin his popularity. It doesn’t work too well in this story, mostly because the characters are too thinly developed, but it adds an interesting layer. 3/5

“Deadliner” by Neal and Brendan Shusterman – In the final tale, society has regained a semblance of order over the zombie threat, though there is a sense that things aren’t quite back to normal. A circus owner sees the zombies as an opportunity to bring larger crowds than ever. Although fairly well-written, with an original take on the zombie phenomenon (although it also made me think of Bub in Day of the Dead), the end is rather predictable. Not a bad way to end the anthology, although it would have made more sense to end with something that closed with more of an emotional punch. 3.5/5

[Michelle {Book Hangovers} · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow wow wow!!!!!
I’ve never read zombie books before. And that’s pretty bizarre for someone that LOVES horror!
I saw this compilation of zombie short stories and figured “this is the perfect way to introduce myself to the zombie genre”. So glad I made that decision.

These stories blew me away! I was captivated by each one! They were absolutely BRUTAL!!!
They were fast paced and gory AF! I was sitting on the edge of my chair the entire time, gnawing my fingernails off.

Now I’m zombie obsessed and want to read all the Z books out there!!!!

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid and throughly enjoyable anthology of short stories set in the Living Dead universe. There isn't a bad story here, some aren't as good as others but overall this is fantastic and a must read for fans of the genre.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

19 short stories told from the setting of George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead. Some awesome hidden gems in this book. Orbital Decay, The Day After, John Doe, Jimmy Jay Baxter's Last, Best Day on Earth and The Girl on the Table, to name a few.

[Mac]

I listened to the audiobook and, gosh, the cast was great.

[Greg at 2 Book Lovers Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

​​Zombies are so much fun! We have George A. Romero to thank for the zombie as we now know it. Nights of the Living Dead is an anthology by some of the current top authors in the zombie and horror genres that pay homage to Romero and his ghouls.

As with any anthology, with so many different voices it is hard to do the book proper justice in a review; some stories and authors resonate better than others. Overall, I enjoyed the stories in Nights of the Living Dead. The concept for the authors was to place their short stories in the ghoul-filled world created by George A. Romero. I think that the authors had a lot of fun with it and the feeling was mutual.

I got to reconnect with some great stories by some old favorite authors like: Joe R Lansdale, David Wellington, Mira Grant, and Jonathan Maberry; while at the same time I got introduced to some new-to-me authors: Ryan Brown, Carrie Ryan, and Max Brallier (whose “Snaggletooth” was exceptional). Some stories I’ve seen before and certain others just didn’t click with me, that happens.

Nights of the Living Dead was a great way to kill some time on my commute (I went with the Audible version of the book).

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

*** 3.6 STARS *** words 100,991

A solid collection of zombie short stories to celebrate George A Romero, the godfather of zombies.


01. A Dead Girl Named Sue - Craig E Engler 4☆
02. Orbital Decay - David Wellington 3.9☆
03. Live And On The Scene - Keith R A DeCandido 3.7☆
04. In That Quiet Earth - Mike Carey 3.6☆
05. Williamson's Folly - David J Schow 3.5☆
06. Fast Entry - Jay Bonansinga 3.4☆
07. Mercy Kill - Ryan Brown 3.3☆
08. John Doe - George A Romero 3.3☆
09. The Day After - John A Russo 3.2☆
10. You Can Stay All Day - Mira Grant 3.1☆
11. Pages From A Notebook Found Inside A House In The Woods - Brian Keene 3☆
12. Dead Run - Chuck Wendig 3☆
13. The Girl On The Table - Isaac Marion 3☆
14. Dead Man's Curve - Joe R Lansdale 3☆
15. Lone Gunman - Jonathan Maberry 2.9☆
16. Deadline- Neal and Brendan Shusterman 2.8☆
17. Snaggletooth - Max Brallier 2.6☆
18. The Burning Days - Carrie Ryan 2.6☆
19. Jimmy Jay Baxter's Last, Best Day On Earth - John Skipp 2.5☆


A Dead Girl Named Sue by Craig E Engler and Orbital Decay by David Wellington, two writers I've never read before, were very good.
I loved the setting of Orbital Decay, it being set on the International Space Station. It mostly consisted of dialogue and it was great.
A Dead Girl Named Sue definitely had the best story. I was riveted at the end.

[Badseedgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

An anthology of Zombie stories written by some of the biggest names in the horror (zombie specifically) field, edited by Jonathan Maberry and the Granddaddy of Ghouls (Zombies)?

Yes please, and where have you been all my life?

Dead Mans Curve" by Joe R Lansdale - Chicks who race are cool!
A Dead Girl Named Sue by Craig E Engler - Revenge is a dish best served on the bite of a zombie!
Fast Entry by Jay Bonansinga He has written several of the Walking Dead "Governor" books
In That Quiet Earth by Mike Carey - A scientist in the zombie apocalypse tries to reunite with his wife deceased for 9 months.
Jimmy Jay Baxter's Last Best Day on Earth John Skipp - Racist, redneck enjoys his time in the zombie uprising... until he doesn't.
John Doe by George A Romero - This became one of the chapters in his amazing novel The Living Dead!
Mercy Kill by Ryan Brown - set in 68, references to Vietnam. A veteran is unable to save his girl, but seeks revenge. This has a surprising twist in the genre and lore.
Orbital Decay by David Wellington. I think you have to be "of a certain age" to really appreciate the horror of being trapped in space. I still have dreams of going to Space Camp some day!"
Snaggletooth by Max Brallier - Do not trust your partner if they are cheaters, especially during the Zombie Apocalypse.
The Burning Days by Carrie Ryan - The Author of "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" gives us a love triangle, and a fire that must never go out.
The Day After by John A Russo - Set in the hours after the original Night of the Living Dead, we learn what happened to Barbara and Johnny. Plus a whole new group of almost survivors.
The Girl on the Table by Isaac Marion - This is the story of Karen Cooper and how she got bitten. Karen was the name of the little girl from Night of the Living Dead.
Williamson's Folly by David J Schow - In the original movie, there was discussion of a probe from Venus being the possible cause. This story blows that theory up.
You Can Stay All Day by Mira Grant - Mira Grant wrote one of IMO worst zombie series ever written in "Newsflesh." If the books had been more like this I might have enjoyed it more.
Pages from a Notebook Found Inside A House In The Woods by Brian Keene - Philly badmen/gangsters try to survive the zombie apocalypse.
Dead Run by Chuck Wendig - A truck driver takes care of his brother, who in his own way is only trying to take care of him.
Lone Gunman by Jonathan Maberry - "I'm playing Jenga with a bunch of f*cking corpses!" Sam Imura, a well known Joe Ledger character fights his way through a mountain of dead, and winds up at the farm from the original movie.
Live and On the Scene by Keith R.A. DeCandido - A Newsman's view of the zombie apocalypse.
Deadliner" by Neal and Brendan Shusterman - Putting Zombies in a circus act is never going to end well.

This book was going to get all the stars from me, but just to make it official

ALL. THE. STARS

[Paul Ataua · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly mixed bag of well written stories that explore many new angles of the zombie genre. I enjoyed reading this collection but felt the stories were, for the most part, more cerebral than visceral and that meant I was constantly imagining the action like a director realizing a movie rather than a participant living the terror. Curiously interesting, worth reading, but a finger pointing at the ghoul and not the ghoul itself.

[Becky Spratford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review in Booklist and on blog: http://raforall.blogspot.com/2017/06/...

[Bogdan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad Anthology, but, for my tastes, there are very few stories that worth a reading.

From my point of view this is destined to be read by the fans of the genre.

[Joanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this collection would have been stronger if a few stories were left out, both because there were a couple that I didn’t think were very good, and just because 19 stories in a row with the same backdrop began to be a little repetitive. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this collection.

The stories flowed well one to the next. Though the stories are “based on ‘Night of the Living Dead,’” not all seemed perfectly in cannon with the movie, but that was not an issue for me. I would recommend a watch of the movie if you’re not very familiar.

For being such specific parameters in which to write these stories, they are amazingly different, in how they’re told, stories they’re telling, genre cross-over, settings... I think limiting the backdrop opened it up to explore characters, which is pretty much my favorite thing in a good book. There are definitely some gems in this one.

Individual story ratings below:

Dead Man’s Curve by Joe R. Lansdale -3
A Dead Girl Named Sue by Craig E. Engler -4
Fast Entry by Jay Bonansinga -3.5
In That Quiet Earth by Mike Carey -3.5
Jimmy Jay Baxter’s Last Day, Best Day on Earth by John Skipp -4
John Doe by George A. Romero-5
Mercy Kill by Ryan Brown -5
Orbital Decay by David Wellington -5
Snaggletooth by Max Brailler -5
The Burning Days by Carrie Ryan -3.5
The Day After by John A. Russo -2
The Girl on the Table by Isaac Marion-5
Williamson’s Folly by David J Schow -3
You can stay all day by Mira Grant-4.5
Pages from a Notebook in Found Inside a House in the Woods by Brian Keene -3
Dead Run by Chuck Wendig -3
Lone Gunman by Johnathon Maberry-3.5
Live and On the Scene by Keith R. A. DeCandido-2.5
Deadliner by Neal and Brendan Schusterman-4

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I confess that zombies are not among my favorite horror creatures, but this collection of excellent short stories might change your mind if you're on the fence. What I appreciated about the collection is the introduction with material about film-maker Romero and the abundance of zombies in popular culture. Stefan Rudnicki introduces the collection and reads several stories, and his dark, often menacing, voice perfectly sets the tone in the beginning and in each story. Some authors read their own work and are surprisingly good. For zombie fans and those interested in pop culture, this makes a good suggestion.

[Soo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notes:

- Excellent Narration by Cast of Narrators
- Great mix of zombie stories! 3.5 to 4.5 Stars
- It's like listening to a series of Twilight Zone stories that focus on zombies.

Anthology Contents & Narrator/s:

- Nights of the Living Dead: An Introduction by George A. Romero.
Read by Stefan Rudnicki.

- Reflections of a Weird Little Kid in a Condemned Movie House: An Introduction.
Written and read by Jonathan Maberry.

- Dead Man’s Curve by Joe R. Lansdale.
Read by Kasey Lansdale.

- A Dead Girl Named Sue by Craig E. Engler.
Read by Rex Linn.

- Fast Entry by Jay Bonansinga.
Read by Adenrele Ojo.

- In That Quiet Earth by Mike Carey.
Read by Nicholas Guy Smith.

- Jimmy Jay Baxter’s Last Best Day on Earth by John Skipp.
Read by Stefan Rudnicki.

- John Doe by George A. Romero.
Read by Richard Gilliland.

- Mercy Kill by Ryan Brown.
Read by Stefan Rudnicki.

- Orbital Decay by David Wellington.
Read by Richard Gilliland, Stefan Rudnicki, Kristoffer Tabori, and Gabrielle de Cuir.

- Snaggletooth by Max Brallier.
Read by Stefan Rudnicki.

- The Burning Days by Carrie Ryan.
Read by Gabrielle de Cuir.

- The Day After by John A. Russo.
Read by Richard Gilliland.

- The Girl on the Table by Isaac Marion.
Read by Stefan Rudnicki.

- Williamson’s Folly by David J. Schow.
Read by Kristoffer Tabori.

- You Can Stay All Day by Mira Grant.
Read by Gabrielle de Cuir.

- Pages From a Notebook Found Inside a House in the Woods by Brian Keene.
Read by Kristoffer Tabori.

- Dead Run by Chuck Wendig.
Read by Stefan Rudnicki.

- Lone Gunman by Jonathan Maberry.
Read by Ray Porter.

- Live and On the Scene by Keith R. A. DeCandido.
Read by Ray Porter, Gabrielle de Cuir, Kristoffer Tabori, Rex Linn, Adenrele Ojo, and Richard Gilliland.

- Deadliner by Neal and Brendan Shusterman.
Read by Stefan Rudnicki.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. There were some absolute gems in this anthology and some that I couldn't even listen to.

[myreadingescapism · Rating 3 out of 5]

None of these really wowed me, maybe one or two did, but the majority were meh.

[Edward Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic stories and an awesome set of authors. Loved Keith R. A. Candido's tale the best, had all the things I was looking for in a zombie tale. Bravo to all!

[Thomas Flowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will say this, I burned through this book quickly. Lots of great stories to enjoy, I especially like the truck driver one "Dead Run" by Chuck Wendig. "Deadliner" by Shusterman was also entertaining. My favorite from this collection is a tie between "Snaggletooth," by Brallier---which worked like a zombie version of The Tell-Tale-Heart, and "Jimmy Jay Baxter's Last, Best Day on Earth" by John Skipp, even though the ending was very abrupt, it was devilishly fun.

Most of the others were good enough, though surprisingly not fitting into the mold of "Nights of the Living Dead." I had thought these were supposed to be stories based on Night of the Living Dead, that is 1968 in all its wonderful awfulness. However, there were quite a few that stepped outside that timeline, mentioning cell phones and other such things that were obviously not around back then. In fact, only a few took advantage of that kind of plot-line, using the real turmoil in 1968 to juxtaposed against the zombie Apocalypse--highlighting how we as a species are truly are own worst enemy.

Still...they were entertaining enough to warrant a 3.5 stars from this humble reader.