Dawn of the Living-Impaired and Other Messed Up Zombie Stories

by Christine Morgan, Justin T. Coons (Illustrator)

With her signature style of fusing horror and humor, Christine Morgan brings you the zombie collection you've been waiting for. From a televised debate-destined for disaster-between a zombie killing general and an advocate for the "Living-Impaired (which seems all too plausible)”, to an unlikely schoolyard romance that finds common cause experimenting on the dead, and all manner of ghoulish delights in between. Christine delivers all the blood and brains you could ask for in these nine tales risen from the grave!

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Zombies, Fiction, Apocalyptic

149 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 2, 2019

Reviews

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

**This is the second Death's Head Press Review that I am writing *after* I was hired as their social media manager/publicist. So you can take this review with a grain of salt, but just know that nothing influences my reading experience and I am always totally transparent about my feelings. Death's Head Press knows this. The authors who publish books through them know this. I have a job description but 'paid reviews' is not one of them**

A collection of zombie tales ranging in tone, style, and substance by Christine Morgan. The most unique aspect of this collection is the diversity! Each story is totally different in a variety of ways from the next one-the only common element is Morgan's knack for cinematic, vivid storytelling with detailed descriptions that bring the scene to life in the reader's mind. I love how she will spend time on a character's clothing, posture, and physical features in order to put flesh and blood (or a lack thereof) on them so the audience can *see* them. Here's my breakdown of each story:

DAWN OF THE LIVING-IMPAIRED/ I loved this story. I could see it developed into a graphic novel. The social commentary is relevant to today's conversation and I was surprised by how it spoke into our current pandemic situation even though this collection was published prior to any knowledge of COVID-19. This speaks to how Christine Morgan's mind works things out and can apply it to past, present and future situations. Smart/clever.

SEVEN BRAINS, TEN MINUTES/ Maybe my favorite story and one that I could see developed into a full length novella or novel. I loved how much world-building was involved and communicated in such a short amount of time. The way the zombies behaved differently or looked a specific way depending on where they 'turned'. Loved it.

THE BARROW-MAID/This story made me smile the whole time I was reading it. I love Viking/Nordic folklore/storytelling. All the visuals, traditions, and presence come through the narrative in technicolor detail. Great story.

CURED MEAT- Another story with amazing world-building and told through a zombie's POV. I liked the way the zombies have their own slang/language for describing their environment/context. Very realistic; very tribal.

BE BRAVE- I loved the emotional and serious tone of this tale. Two girls find themselves on a train together amidst the horrors of Nazi-Germany. Human monsters killed and turned into dead monsters. The two girls must fight to stay alive. "Ready to be brave"

FAMILY LIFE- I loved this story. Another one that could easily be a graphic novel. A little zombie family.

A TOWER TO THE SKY- This one taking place in Babylonia; a rich, exotic setting. I had no idea how Morgan was going to bring zombies into this one."Evil spirits, most agreed. A curse, a spell, angry gods." I enjoyed this "origin story" of maybe the first time "zombies" as we know them ran through the marketplace on their quest for human flesh.

GOOD BOY- This story!! A loyal pet during hard times, indeed. Aww, Baxter! Such a hero!

THOUGHT HE WAS A GONER- Great close to this collection. I'll just hint that the child in this story is named HERBERT. *wink*

Thank you to all the readers on #bookstagram that joined me in a group chat for a lively discussion of these stories as we finished. We will do a round-up of reviews on the Night Worms blog, soon!

[Mindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably one of the best collections of zombie stories I've ever read. All of the stories are unique. Each one takes all of the typical zombie tropes and throws them out the window. I love that. I love how new and different each of these stories felt.

My favorites are The Barrow-Maid and Cured Meat. I sincerely had no idea that I needed a viking zombie story this much. In less capable hands it probably would not have been such a great story, but Morgan infuses it with so much wit and satire. Truthfully, quite a few of these stories are humorous, but some of them take a more serious tone. One such story is Cured Meat. I don't think I have ever read a story from the POV of a zombie, but this one is exceptional. The ending is quite a shock too.

Seven Brain, Ten Minutes is a great gross-out story. It's so tense and frustrating. Be Brave is a Holocaust story that took me totally by surprise. This one is rather serious and grim. I honestly didn't expect it to play out the way it did though. I think it's a unique POV for a zombie story. I assumed Klara was in a much more dire situation than she initially is. The title story and Family Life were both silly but again each one felt like a new contribution to zombie lore. The idea of a teenage zombie trying to act like a human made me laugh out loud.

This is a very solid collection, and one that I absolutely recommend you pick up. Especially if you have found that zombie stories just aren't your thing. I think Christine Morgan just may change your mind.

[Sea Caummisar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read too many zombie books.. I used to, but then all the stories seemed to run together. I felt like I had read every possible zombie storyline.
I was wrong.
There are some fresh takes in this book. A few of the stories really stick out. I skipped two stories after a few pages because I couldn't get into them.
My favorite was a particular tale involving a dog. I'm not usually emotional when I read, but that one made me want to cry..
Over all, this is a good book. Just because I skipped a couple doesn't mean everyone would. I'm picky about what I read, yet still found this to be a satisfying read

[Marcy Reads on IG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each story is better than the last, my favorite one being the title story. Morgan definitely brought some original zombie fun!

[Milana M (acouplereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone who loves zombie movies I never really dove into books about zombies (aside from two I can think of). But I’m SO GLAD I joined @mother.horror and the horror crew on #bookstagram to read this book. This was such a visceral collection of stories. I had a lot of fun reading these and was impressed with the range of the authors writing. There were laugh out loud funny stories such as the title piece and guttural bad ass viking zombies, but most impressive was being able to set a zombie story during WWII. Descriptions were vivid and jarring with an underlying commentary on society. My favourite was The Barrow Maid, the aforementioned viking zombies and I really enjoyed Cured Meat, a story from the point of view of the zombies.

If you’re a fan of zombies in general I highly recommend you pick up this book! I was sucked in right away and the writing is excellent, 4✨! You’ll be impressed with how unique each story is.

[Elizabeth Gonzalez-Collazo IG - Shereadswithcoffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christine Morgan turned me into a zombie fan!!!

Zombbiiieess! (to be read like Braaiinnss) I thought this collection of zombie stories would follow the repetitive tv or movie tropes; tall tales of slow-walking zombies, fast-chasing zombies, brain-eaters, and the brainless but boy, was I mistaken! Horror and humor intertwined made for a great 9 short story read but I was more enthralled in the stories that evoked caring feelings and sadness; those certainly were not feelings I thought I’d have reading this book! Be Brave, which took place in Nazi, Germany during WWII, Family Life told from the point of view of a zombie family, The Barrow-Maid a Viking story, and even Cured-Meat where we read about a zombie’s thought process, angst, and starvation, were all stories that I was not ready for! This was most certainly a creative and fun read, and I am looking forward to more Christine Morgan!

[Paul Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you revive the overdone zombie genre? Let Christine Morgan take charge and she will not only give it life but she will come up with nine unique stories. A splattering of settings, points of view, and time during the apocalypse lead to tales that have interest and feeling. With humor, heartache, gore, and tension Morgan entices you in just a few sentences and you find yourself buried in her world craving more.
Game shows, zombie gladiator games, Vikings, and regular old zombie family life are just a few of the plot settings in these entertaining stories.
“And I’ll tell you one thing...it may be hard to believe, but a burnt zombie stinks worse than a regular one.” 4.5 stars.

[Brett Grossmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clever spins on the zombie cliche but they still were barely alive. Silly stories really. That and the references to pop culture that a horror buff and/or older person would only know were off putting. If your character is 20 years old don’t have them referencing stuff from the 70/80’s

[Justin Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Variety must be the spice of death too. Christine Morgan's wonderful DAWN OF THE LIVING-IMPAIRED AND OTHER MESSED UP ZOMBIE STORIES is the most fun I've had reading a collection since I started reading small press horror and I loved every messed up minute of it! The stories are all so different from each other AND different from any zombie stories I've ever read...including a couple from unusual POV's that'll keep this collection in my brain forever.

Here are a few of my favorites:

SEVEN BRAINS, TEN MINUTES - A zombie tale set in a Mad Max-like future. Don't want to say much more other than I could easily see a novella or a novel set in this version of the world. Please and thank you.

THE BARROW-MAID - A Nordic zombie story. Do I even need to say more than that? Zombie army. There. Go read it. :)

FAMILY LIFE - A very different take on the nuclear family. There's a lot of fun twists on what we would consider to be normal now compared to what would be the new normal after a zombie apocalypse.

I enjoyed all nine stories in this collection; my only complaint being I wish a couple of them were longer. I wanted to know what happened to the characters after our time together. Sequels, full novels, whatever I can get. This is the first time I've read anything by Christine Morgan and this collection makes me want to read everything she has out; that's how much I loved it. If you have even a passing interest in zombie stories, you owe it to yourself to check this out.

5 out of 5 stars

* I read this as part of group read by Sadie Hartmann. Thanks for hosting Sadie!

[Shawn Bertke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ While I liked the majority of the stories I realize, through no fault of the author, that short stories aren’t really for me. I find myself not being able to be completely engaged in material that I know is going to usually end abruptly.

[Crystal Staley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of zombie short stories! A variety of stories, each with a unique take on the zombie story. If you like zombies, you will enjoy this collection. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Brittany (hauntedbycandlelight) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝗟𝗮𝗱𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘇𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗲’𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗵!”

𝗗𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗢𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝗜𝗺𝗽���𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 by Christine Morgan was a super fun read!

I am not a zombie person. I more or less hate them because they are so over done, and the ones that run....scare the hell out of me. So let me just say that Christine Morgan has done an excellent job of converting me into a zombie lover! 🧟‍♀️

This book is 158 pages of pure entertainment, breathing fresh life into the zombie trope.

My favourite stories in this short collection are:
𝗗𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗢𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱
𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘁
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄-𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗱

But honestly, I loved them all. Dawn of the Living-Impaired was so funny. Cured Meat was about the constant starvation and need zombies experience. The Barrow-Maid was a Viking story. And speaking of, why isn’t there more Viking Horror?

If you like zombies or even just short stories, check this one out! You definitely won’t be disappointed.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, gory mess of zombie stories. I loved the uniqueness of all of them and the grossness. I laughed quite a lot while reading this.

[Suz Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

“They know we are hungry. They know we want to kill them and gorge ourselves on their meat that fills but does not quite satisfy. They know we would seek out their vulnerable little ones, eat them helpless, blind and squeaking. This is why they fear us.“-from “Cured Meat”

This collection includes nine zombie tales.

“Dawn off the Living-Impared”
A zombie rehabilitation program’s appeal for funding goes terribly wrong.

“Seven Brains, Ten Minutes”
Humans use other humans and zombies as entertainment.

“The Barrow-Maid”
Reanimations occur to fulfill a Nordic prophesy.

“Cured Meat”
Post-apocalypse from the zombies perspective, when humans are all but extinct, no other food source quite satisfies, and they are oh so hungry.

“Be Brave”
In Nazi Germany, a group of girls have no choice but to be brave in order to survive threats from the living and the undead alike.

“Family Life”
After things settle down, life starts to look a lot like it did prior to the zombie apocalypse, but secrets exist that can tear the family unit apart.

“A Tower to the Sky”
The zombie plague strikes down master and servant alike in ancient Babylonia.

“Good Boy”
A dog tries his best to serve his disabled mistress, who is left behind to fend for herself while others seek refuge from the undead.

“Thought He Was a Gonner”
A love triangle between kids takes an ugly and violent turn.

Morgan goes an excellent job of mixing horror and humor.

My favorites are as follows:

“Family Life” charms with its fun parody of the all American family. I especially liked the portrayal of the kids and the zombified fairy tales. “Seven Brains, Ten Minutes” shows the extent a man is willing to go to win the prize of the woman he desires. Out of the non-modern stories, I liked “The Barrow-Maid” the best with its cursed burial site motif. “Cured Meat” digs deep into the zombie’s perspective as a community of zombies seeks the nirvana of meat from the living. “Good Boy,” told from Baxter the dog’s perspective is gut wrenching in that he tries so hard to be a good dog, but has limited abilities to assist his owner.

This collection does a great job of taking the zombie trope into new territory.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Death’s Head Press for providing a copy of this book for an honest review.

[Bryan Davenport · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hard not to enjoy as each story has been well written and thought out. I’m always content when the story is over. But the surprise is the final story. Herbert West is in it and we learn about him as a child.

Dawn of the living impaired- 5 star - essentially I would see this happening just like this story. Someone says zombies have rights and try to control them. They do a good job but in the end the zombie will need to eat. It’s pretty accurate and then the last few pages turns into as expected and hilarity.

Seven Brains Ten Minutes- 5 Star- fucked up doesn’t fit this. But a competition where someone fakes being a zombie in order to eat even if that means eating the living and acting like a zombie. But hey at least you get food and to stay alive

The Barrow Maid -5 Star- a zombie book that throws in Vikings for a short story.

Be Brave-5 star- little girls and young women defend their homes against the zombies. It’s written to sound similar to WW2 which helps add to the terror. The outbreak seems to have occurred from a gas which infects animals and people. The animals turn into zombies and try to eat one another which is scary

Cured meat- 5 star- zombie point of view. No more humans but zombies are in a battle for territory and start eating one another. Animals are few and so are bugs. It’s graphic, it’s violent, it’s Gory, it’s what would happen if zombies killed all humans. Also, I think they find an alien….

Family Life - 5 stars- another day in the life of a zombie but this has a twist ending. Which I didn’t see coming and when it hit it was a holy shit type of thing. Not to mention the talk about pets in this zombie world.

A Tower To The Sky - 5 stars- zombies in Babylon

Good Boy -5 stars- imagine being a dog in the zombie apocalypse and then being the thing that brings your zombie master food. I would like to believe that he doesn’t do that but instead he finds people and lives with them. I was about to give this a 0 star if that dog died though. So spoilers, the dog is alive.

Thought He was a Goner - 5 stars- The beginning of Herbert West

[Rhiannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of my catch-up on my 2023 book challenge, I'm falling miserably behind schedule!

This collection of Zombie-themed short stories is something that's waaaaaay out of my comfort zone but I really enjoyed the short-story format: a lot of different worlds and themes could be explored that way.

Of the nine stories, my favourites were: The Barrow-Maid, Be Brave, Tower to the Sky, and Good Boy. I did find some of the zombie eating bits a bit squicky for me (one of those hours that makes your stomach heave but you can't stop reading) but there was plenty to distract. The squickiest for me was Seven Brains, Ten Minutes and that was only story number two so I was worried I might tap out, but The Barrow-Maid acted as a nice palette (haha) cleanser and then the rest of the stories weren't as gory in the same manner. I think we all hear 'zombie' and put it in out modern day/ an apocalyptic near future/ a post-apocalyptic hell scape, so to have some stories take place in more ancient times was a nice, refreshing take for me.

To sum up the stories in a semi-vague way:

Dawn of the Living-Impaired: Talkshow about Zombie being given 'addicted and in need of our help' status.
Seven Brains, Ten Minutes: I think this is the 'MadMax-esque' one, to escape you gotta be the zombie you see in the world.
The Barrow-Maid: Have yourself a fun Viking saga. Pretty sweet, actually.
Cured Meat: But what if we were the zombies and made our own society?
Be Brave: It's World War II, but not in the way you think it's going to be
Family Life: Brady bunch meets Stepford Wives, but I've never seen either of the things I'm comparing it to it's just the vibe I get from various memes?
A Tower to the Sky: How many miles to Babylon? three-score and watch for rogue zombies!
Good Boy: He is the gooiest little boy (also the twist got me smiling!)
Thought he was a Goner: Tim Burton would make a film of this if he could, and we'd all still watch it despite it being a bit bland compared to the stories we've just had.

[Spencer Borup · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m admittedly not very well read in extreme horror, or zombie horror for that matter, so when I saw a read-along of Christine Morgan’s short story collection, DAWN OF THE LIVING-IMPAIRED, I just had to sign up.

SO glad I did.

This book, in short, blew me away. Morgan’s writing is strong and unique and witty and cutting, and the range of her stories is honestly staggering. From reality TV and activism (“Dawn of the Living-Impaired”) to Vikings (“The Barrow-Maid”) to the Tower of Babel (“A Tower to the Sky”) to zombified suburbia (“Family Life”) to 1940s Hitler Youth (“Be Brave”) to a young Herbert West (“Thought He was a Goner”) alllllll the way to a story in the POV of a service dog (“Good Boy”). It’s all funny and somehow heartbreaking and gory and fresh and beautifully rendered.

It’s honestly hard to pick favorites, because there was not a single “meh” story in the whole thing, but I will say that “Be Brave” *could* have been the stand-out story for me if it hadn’t ended far too soon. It felt as though the author wrote the first few chapters of a novel and then gave up and called it a short story.

Will I be devouring everything Christine Morgan has written now? Absolutely! And I recommend you do the same.

And another thing! I can’t write this review without mentioning the incredible cover art and interior art from Justin T Coons, who has quickly risen to be the best in the biz!

If I were to have a single criticism for this collection, it would be about the editing. That's why I'm not letting it cost a star in my rating—this has nothing to do with the author but everything to do with the publisher. The copyediting of this book, sadly, was simply horrendous. Nonexistent might be a better word for it. This made the reading incredibly distracting, and if Morgan's stories weren't so strong, this would have turned me off from reading the book. I'm glad I stuck with it though!

[C.J. Bow]

One thing is for sure, this collection is all over the place and in the best ways. Morgan spins nine zombie tales and instantaneously transports you to and from these destinations where you're automatically thrust into the thick of each predicament.

The post-apocalyptic zombie world is a dead horse beat to bones. Morgan takes us through time and shows us alternate worlds - sprinkles a bit of historical fiction here and there - creates new truths - makes you see through the lens of new zombies.

While the stories are sharp and quick to bite, I was hung up by the author's obsession with writing fat characters and equating them to bad/gross. Once or twice would have been just a mere coincidence, but the author makes a concerted effort to have someone or something be fat in each story stitched with a negative connotation. Maybe I'm reading too far into it but it was my only hang up with this collection so I felt the need to mention it.

Out of the nine stories, my three favorite were:

3. Be Brave - Nazi occupied Germany, a Nazi girl's camp, and a man who refuses to give up his home without a fight.

2. Good Boy - a woman who struggles with her health is left behind by everyone she knows and the only one who sticks around is the good-est boy. I loved that pupper.

1. The Barrow-Maid - Vikings-era, steeped in Norse Mythology, we get the optics of what a zombie outbreak might look like in these times, and let me tell you, it's dope af.

In all fairness, there wasn't a story I didn't like in this collection. I just loved these ones. Recommended for those who want fresh stories from an over-cooked subgenre.

[Jaime Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review time, my undead minions!!!

Dawn of the Living-Impaired & Other Messed Up Zombie Stories by Christine Morgan
🧟🧟‍♀️🧟‍♂️🧟🧟‍♀️/5

Zombies….ahhhh, those crusty, moldy brain slurping flesh bags. I love me some zombies, man, & not just for spooky season, but all year round. BUT, & this is a big butt, I’ll have you know...zombies can be overdone. Not like they cooked too long but I’m sure they could be, but so freaking overdone & rehashed the whole mythos can get boring & stale...like their deadie breath. Anywho, it’s easy to overdo it. This book, with all it’s short story collection goodness, does NOT overdo or rehash. No leftovers out the microwave here, unless you count the brainloaf in that one story but...yeah, i digress.

Each story is different, each a new take, new characters, new voice...so fresh I had a hard time believing the same author wrote every single story!!! Round of applause for Christine Morgan & her cray cray brain! (Bet it’d taste great in Brainloaf!)

Oh, & for you alternate history fans, how about some zombies in Nazi germany? Or a full on zombie apocalypse that brings down the tower of Babylon? Yep...that & so much more.

Seriously, can’t recommend this book enough. Now to go see if I can find this womans “Spermjackers From Hell” book. That title intrigues me.

[Jamie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 to Dawn of the Living-Impaired by Christine Morgan.

In this collection of short stories Christine Morgan finds diverse and interesting ways of fresh life in the old zombie sub genre. I asked to join a read-along of this book back in February, but unfortunately due to budget reasons I couldn’t, however, the book stayed in mind thanks to that amazing cover art and having become a fan of Christine’s writing from reading White Death, which you should also check out. Also the idea of reading some short zombie fiction interested as the first thing I ever wrote at the age of nine was the same.

The stories here range from the campy to the downright uncomfortable. The collection opens with the former, taking place in a TV studio where a talk show host holds a discussion about the current crisis concerning the rising undead. One of her guests supports destroying them while another acts an advocate for them, stating they can be rehabilitated. It’s a hilarious parody of ‘woke’ culture and capitalism.

Following this is the disgusting Seven Brains, Ten Minutes about an undead eating contest then The Barrow-Maid, a piece of historical Viking fiction. In other words there’s something for everyone in this collection if you’re a zombie fan, or just a horror fan.

[Cass (only the darkest reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my early 20s I consumed a lot of zombie media. So it has been a number of years since I last dipped into reading anything with a zombie storyline.

If I'm being honest, zombie's just feel a little overdone, we've had a decade of them being the ghoulie of choice on television, and it felt like there wasn't much left to explore.

Which was why I was surprised by how deftly Christine Morgan was able to "inject life" into a "dead genre," adding some much needed levity and diversity to a tired corner of horror.

Not every story was a hit for me, and my infamous issue with short stories came up (why so short!) but I was blown away by the range.

Highlights for me were: "The Barrow Maid" (Viking Revenge), "Family Life" (like if Parents was about zombies instead of cannibals), and "Good Boy" (NO YOU'RE CRYING). All bangers.

I'd love to see stories like "Be Brave" or "A Tower to the Sky" adapted into a longer format.

Can someone tell me what movie "Seven Brains, Ten Minutes" reminded me of?

Thanks again to @mother.horror for hosting another sick read-a-long.

[Manda [ Bearpiglovesbooks ] · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝔻𝕒𝕨𝕟 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕀𝕞𝕡𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕖𝕕
By:  Christine Morgan

I don't usually read zombie books but I wanted to give this a shot. I am glad I did. This collection of short stories has a little of everything for everyone. That being said, I did skip a few (hey, can win them all) but the ones I did read stuck with me. My favorite story was about a modern day family but zombie version. A busy mom that is trying to keep her home normal while being a zombie (even down to reading "Zombiella" at night to her kids) and protecting them from the living that think they are disgusting creatures. She has a hectic life with a baby that is always sucking on someone else's thumb and a teenager that wants to be a vegetarian and hates her family for not understanding her. When I say there is a little bit of everything in this book, I mean it. From blood,, gus, and flesh to some hard hitting stories it might even make you shed a few tears. I am definitely going to recommend it to my zombie loving friends.

[Michael Allen Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of zombie fiction these days, because I felt like everything had been done. The same old stories about the same old zombies, taking part in the same old zombie shenanigans. That is, I thought that was true until I read Christine Morgan's Dawn of the Living Impaired. This is without a doubt some of the most creative, innovative and imaginative zombie fiction I've read in years. Christine Morgan takes the tropes we're used to and throws them out the window. In these stories, with a very skilled hand, Morgan provides a powerful WW2 Holocaust story, a hilarious slice of domestic family life, heart wrenching stories of the loyalty of pets, Viking epics, AND MORE. These are far beyond the typical settings and situations one might expect. A truly stunning and really fun collection.

[Bianca Rose (Belladonnabooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit, I’m not the biggest fan of zombie horror but I am open minded so I will step outside of my comfort zone. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this diverse collection of stories. Christine Morgan brings something fresh and unique to the zombie sub-genre and has a compelling storytelling voice.

This collection ranges from zombies trying to assimilate into human society, Viking death rituals and Norse mythology, a Holocaust inspired story with emotional undertones, curses and plenty of gore. My personal favourite was The Barrow-Maid, the Viking inspired story.

This was an incredibly fun introduction and taster into Christine Morgan’s work. I look forward to reading more. Even if you aren’t a big fan of zombie horror I highly recommend you check this collection out!

[Escapereality4now · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who would have known a zombie book could be so much fun. “Dawn Of The Living Impaired” is a collection of nine feel good zombie stories that author Christine Morgan brings a hilarious spin to.

Each story is so different from the other. They run the gamut from televised disaster, World War II, a hilarious household parody and an unbelievable school romance to name a few. The author really brought the stories to life with her vivid descriptions.

My favorites included:
“Seven Brains, Ten Minutes” shows the extent a man is willing to go to win a prize for the woman he deserves.

“Cured Meat” is a zombies perspective as a community of zombies seek meat from the living.

“Family Life” is a fun parody of the American family.

“Dawn of The Living Impaired”, which has the same name as the book, is a televised disaster.

This was such a fun collection of stories with a fresh spin on the zombie trope. Definitely recommend for both infrequent readers and fans of zombies.

[Bee]

DNF for me - I only read the first story and the fat-phobic line killed any chance of me continuing.

“She had the sadly sweet face of so many hopelessly obese women, hinting at the beauty that might have been hers, had her life taken a different turn”

I’m already not particularly fond of zombie stories and that just cemented that this is a hard pass for me.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book full of tongue and cheek zombie tales.

[Clayton Gallaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a collection of the coolest zombie stories I have ever read. A must read for any zombie fan and these stories will leave you thinking long after reading them. Highly recommend.

[Ben Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, Christine Morgan did a fantastic job breathing new life into what I considered to be a mostly dead genre about, well, the mostly dead. I'll be honest, I've mostly stayed away from zombie stories just because I feel like the genre had been overdone (at least for me). I enjoyed Train to Busan, Blood Quantum, One Cut of the Dead, and The Living Dead - and that's about it in the last few years. I think it's partly also because I feel like it's hard to bring anything new to the table. That is, until I read this collection!

The nine stories presented here are fantastically varied in their settings, style, and plots. You've got viking zombies, WWII zombies, stories from the zombie's perspective, and so much more. Short story collections are generally hit or miss for me, but this one was pretty much all bulls eyes. Below I'll give a quick, spoiler-free look at each story.

"Dawn of the Living-Impaired" - six months into the zombie apocalypse and humans are adjusting to new way of life; TV anchor interviews a zombie rights activist and then chaos breaks out on set; a fun premise but completely overshadowed by all the awesome stories that follow it.

"Seven Brains, Ten Minutes" - incredibly disgusting (even for this collection) story about a boy pretending to be a zombie to save a girl.

"The Barrow-Maid" - epic viking revenge story told from the perspective of the wife of a fallen hero; I was completely invested in all of these characters, and Hildirid is the best.

"Cured Meat" - possibly my favorite story; told from the perspective of a zombie as he goes about daily life in his "clain"; fantastic writing style with kennings galore!

"Be Brave" - set during WWII and switches perspective between a young girl named Klara and a embittered rebel named Jakob; great character building, but it felt like it was cut off when the story was just beginning (I need a whole novel about Klara's coming of age in the zombie apocalypse).

"Family Life" - a hilarious story told from the perspective of zombies a la a sitcom/comedy with an unexpected twist at the end.

"A Tower to the Sky" - interesting take on the Babylon story from the Christian Bible.

"Good Boy" - super sad story about a loyal dog (told from his, Baxter's, perspective) trying to protect his disabled owner; why is it always sadder when animals are involved??

"Thought He Was a Goner" - a fun/funny look at what young Herbert West might have been like in school, told from the perspective of a crush.

[Damien Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night of the Living Dead was the first horror film I ever watched. I’ve always kept up with the sub-genre, sometimes it’s good, sometimes it just plain sucks eggs. Zombies… er… the living impaired attract either the most obnoxiously boring of film/book OR the most exciting. This collection from Christine Morgan falls under the most exciting. Every story here is a unique take on the living impaired. There’s Vikings, some ancient biblical stuff, and my personal favorite of the collection; a story told from a dogs point of view much like Wayne Smith’s “Thor.” The opener had me laughing, the closer had me laughing. A great read from start to finish. K thx.