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Selections from The Living Dead 2
Some years ago, readers eagerly devoured The Living Dead. Publishers Weekly named it one of the Best Books of the Year, and Barnes & Noble.com called it "The best collection of zombie fiction ever." Now acclaimed editor John Joseph Adams is back for another bite at the apple -- the Adam's apple, that is -- with 44 more of the best, most chilling, most thrilling zombie stories anywhere, including virtuoso performances by zombie fiction legends Max Brooks (World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide), Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), and David Wellington (Monster Island).
From Left 4 Dead to Zombieland to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, ghoulishness has never been more exciting and relevant. Within these pages samurai warriors face off against the legions of hell, necrotic dinosaurs haunt a mysterious lost world, and eerily clever zombies organize their mindless brethren into a terrifying army. You'll even witness nightmare scenarios in which humanity is utterly wiped away beneath a relentless tide of fetid flesh.
The Living Dead 2 has more of what zombie fans hunger for -- more scares, more action, more... brains. Experience the indispensable series that defines the very best in zombie literature.
Table of Contents
Introduction by John Joseph Adams
Mouja by Matt London
The Skull-Faced City by David Barr Kirtley
Obedience by Brenna Yovanoff
Rural Dead by Bret Hammond
Who We Used To Be by David Moody
Flotsam & Jetsam by Carrie Ryan
The Days of Flaming Motorcycles by Catherynne M. Valente
And the Next, and the Next by Genevieve Valentine
Acknowledgments
From Left 4 Dead to Zombieland to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, ghoulishness has never been more exciting and relevant. Within these pages samurai warriors face off against the legions of hell, necrotic dinosaurs haunt a mysterious lost world, and eerily clever zombies organize their mindless brethren into a terrifying army. You'll even witness nightmare scenarios in which humanity is utterly wiped away beneath a relentless tide of fetid flesh.
The Living Dead 2 has more of what zombie fans hunger for -- more scares, more action, more... brains. Experience the indispensable series that defines the very best in zombie literature.
Table of Contents
Introduction by John Joseph Adams
Mouja by Matt London
The Skull-Faced City by David Barr Kirtley
Obedience by Brenna Yovanoff
Rural Dead by Bret Hammond
Who We Used To Be by David Moody
Flotsam & Jetsam by Carrie Ryan
The Days of Flaming Motorcycles by Catherynne M. Valente
And the Next, and the Next by Genevieve Valentine
Acknowledgments
106 pages, ebook
Published January 1, 2010
17 people want to read
About the author
John Joseph Adams
367 books982 followersJohn Joseph Adams is the series editor of BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY. He is also the bestselling editor of many other anthologies, such as ROBOT UPRISINGS, DEAD MAN'S HAND, BRAVE NEW WORLDS,WASTELANDS, and THE LIVING DEAD. Recent and forthcoming books include WHAT THE #@&% IS THAT?, OPERATION ARCANA, PRESS START TO PLAY, LOOSED UPON THE WORLD, and THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH (consisting of THE END IS NIGH, THE END IS NOW, and THE END HAS COME). Called “the reigning king of the anthology world” by Barnes & Noble, John is a two-time winner of the Hugo Award (for which he has been nominated nine times), is a seven-time World Fantasy Award finalist, and served as a judge for the 2015 National Book Award. John is also the editor and publisher of the digital magazines LIGHTSPEED and NIGHTMARE, and is a producer for Wired's THE GEEK'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY podcast. You can find him online at www.johnjosephadams.com and on Twitter @JohnJosephAdams.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 10, 2021
"Selections from The Living Dead 2" offers eight free stories out of the forty-four making up the complete collection:
Mouja, by Matt London
The Skull-Faced City, by David Barr Kirtley
Obedience, by Brenna Yovanoff
Rural Dead, by Bret Hammond
Who We Used To Be, by David Moody
Flotsam & Jetsam by Carrie Ryan,
The Days of Flaming Motorcycles by Catherynne M. Valente,
And the Next, and the Next, by Genevieve Valentine
Quality varies, but overall the writing itself is good.
Problem is most of the stories included do not feel like short stories at all, but rather like snippets taken out of longer works, or short vignettes that would make more sense if this was a shared world anthology.
What's been interesting about this collection to this reader is how some of the writers treat the idea of a pandemic in the light of an actual, ongoing pandemic. Although the stories are written a good decade prior to Covid some of it feels very topical. Like the vaccine scare plotline underlying "Obedience" or the media calling it 'African Rabies' in the story "Rural Dead", hard to miss these days the obvious racsim that would underly the naming of the plague in such a way.
"Rural Dead" is also one of the few entries that does feel like a rounded out short story, same goes for the highly atmospheric, and depressing, "And the Next, and the Next".
"Obedience" is a noteworthy entry, IMO, in that it shows a highly interesting world building with a sort of scientific explanation how zombies would be able to home in on the living. It's unfortunate that this falls among the entires which only read like a snippet taken out of a longer work, one I would be interested in reading at that.
Despite a loose and unresolved plot it stands as a solid entry into the subgenres subgere of military fiction.
Mouja, by Matt London
The Skull-Faced City, by David Barr Kirtley
Obedience, by Brenna Yovanoff
Rural Dead, by Bret Hammond
Who We Used To Be, by David Moody
Flotsam & Jetsam by Carrie Ryan,
The Days of Flaming Motorcycles by Catherynne M. Valente,
And the Next, and the Next, by Genevieve Valentine
Quality varies, but overall the writing itself is good.
Problem is most of the stories included do not feel like short stories at all, but rather like snippets taken out of longer works, or short vignettes that would make more sense if this was a shared world anthology.
What's been interesting about this collection to this reader is how some of the writers treat the idea of a pandemic in the light of an actual, ongoing pandemic. Although the stories are written a good decade prior to Covid some of it feels very topical. Like the vaccine scare plotline underlying "Obedience" or the media calling it 'African Rabies' in the story "Rural Dead", hard to miss these days the obvious racsim that would underly the naming of the plague in such a way.
"Rural Dead" is also one of the few entries that does feel like a rounded out short story, same goes for the highly atmospheric, and depressing, "And the Next, and the Next".
"Obedience" is a noteworthy entry, IMO, in that it shows a highly interesting world building with a sort of scientific explanation how zombies would be able to home in on the living. It's unfortunate that this falls among the entires which only read like a snippet taken out of a longer work, one I would be interested in reading at that.
Despite a loose and unresolved plot it stands as a solid entry into the subgenres subgere of military fiction.
Displaying 1 of 1 review