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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Zombie Jim
Free at last! Free at last! This ain't your grandfather's Huckleberry Finn. It's nineteenth century America and a mutant strain of tuberculosis is bringing its victims back from the dead. Sometimes they come back docile, and other times vicious. The vicious ones are sent back to Hell, but the docile ones are put to work as servants and laborers. With so many zombies on the market, the slave trade is nonexistant. The black man is at liberty, and human bondage is no more. Young Huckleberry Finn has grown up in a world that shuns the N-word, with its scornful eye set on a new class of shambling, putrid sub-humans: The Baggers. When his abusive father comes back into his life, Huck flees down the river with Bagger Jim, seeking a life of perfect freedom. When the pox mutates once again, causing even the tamest of baggers to become bloodthirsty monsters, the boy Finn is forced to question his relationship with his dearest, deadest friend. In this revised take on history and classic literature, the modern age is ending before it ever begins. Huckleberry Finn will inherit a world of horror and death, and he knows the mighty Mississippi might be the only way out...
181 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 6, 2019
I really enjoyed this retelling of the classic Huckleberry Finn story. There was just enough homage to the original story, with the inclusion of making Jim a zombie. I loved their adventure on the Mississippi River.
April 15, 2011
I am familiar with the story of Huckleberry Finn but I was not familiar with the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Zombie Jim. This is why I chose to read this book and the fact that I have been recently all into everything zombies. While I did appreciate Mr. Czolgosz attempting to re-write a classic, I was expecting more. Or course, I am not saying that this book could ever become a classic like the original but I was hoping for more flesh-eating zombie action and light-heartlessness.
Instead, I got a nice story with the same characters, I grew up with expect for Jim, who is a zombie. This book stayed pretty close to the original. Because I already knew this story, I kept wishing for it to move faster. So I skimmed over the last half of the book. Overall, I got more of a nibble than the whole feast.
Instead, I got a nice story with the same characters, I grew up with expect for Jim, who is a zombie. This book stayed pretty close to the original. Because I already knew this story, I kept wishing for it to move faster. So I skimmed over the last half of the book. Overall, I got more of a nibble than the whole feast.
July 27, 2011
After teaching "Huck Finn" for over 10 years, it scares me that my students could read this version and pass most of my quizzes! Of course, that also shows that Czolgosz doesn't do much to change Twain's words or plot. His additions effectively blend with Twain's words, but some of Huck's heart is lost with frequent pick-pocking (and he's not the zombie). Where this book improves on the original is in the way it deals with the more tedious parts of the original (the King and the Duke's many adventures and the return of Tom Sawyer). If only Twain had zombies to get him out of the mess of the second half of his novel, my students may have stuck with the book longer!
January 13, 2019
On this date back in 1989, I finished reading "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" for class. (I was a Junior in High School, and like the Tom Sawyer book, I loved reading it so much, I said screw the assigned reading, I am going to read it all. #Reading_Rebel).
At the time, I had NO idea that 30 years later, I would read almost the same book.
Also- less slavery and n-words and more zombies and half zombies!!!
That;s right, the Huck Finn story has been given the Undead twist that was all the rage a decade back. It joins "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire hunter", "Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies" and "Night of the Living POTUS" in a new way of enjoying the classics.
(And let's face it - if my 11th grade teacher had given me THIS book, I doubt I would have been the ONLY one two read ahead of schedule).
And for the record, this is the first time, in my reading history, that I have read the almost the same book on the same date, just decades apart.
At the time, I had NO idea that 30 years later, I would read almost the same book.
Also- less slavery and n-words and more zombies and half zombies!!!
That;s right, the Huck Finn story has been given the Undead twist that was all the rage a decade back. It joins "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire hunter", "Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies" and "Night of the Living POTUS" in a new way of enjoying the classics.
(And let's face it - if my 11th grade teacher had given me THIS book, I doubt I would have been the ONLY one two read ahead of schedule).
And for the record, this is the first time, in my reading history, that I have read the almost the same book on the same date, just decades apart.
December 12, 2019
Ok, I will admit I'd gotten OVER the whole zombie craze, because face it, the genre has literally been "done to death". However, I laughed when I saw this book, & had to grab it. I was pleasantly surprised! This romp through Huck's world stays close to the original, but in a world where the zombie apocalypse is on them too. This author actually gives his undead personalities! He deals with the problem in a completely FRESH way. They can either come back as the typical shambling, brain eating things we all know, OR, they can come back as a version of their former selves, & the higher functioning ones can do everything their living selves did. Jim is one of those in the middle realm, where he slurs his speech a bit, but other than that, he's the same good guy we all knew & loved. It's well done, endearing, & made me smile.
October 20, 2017
The addition of zombies to the American classic added was a fun twist and really reaches out to a wider audience. This version keeps the tone and language but definitely has a lot more to it with the undead moaning and groaning about.
Read full review here:
https://beentherereadthat.blog/2017/1...
Read full review here:
https://beentherereadthat.blog/2017/1...
November 26, 2019
This book was simply not for me. I wouldn't care, read it far too quickly and simply wanted it to end!
I found I was not learning anything from it and could not connect with neither the characters nor the events or the big story.
I found I was not learning anything from it and could not connect with neither the characters nor the events or the big story.
January 8, 2013
In the wake of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (hereafter PPZ), the market has been flooded with lots of classic literature either rewritten or "enhanced" by adding horror tropes like vampires, werewolves, or zombies. W. Bill Czolgosz (previous works: Anna Karnivora) has taken on Mark Twain's classic tale of adventure and friendship, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and added in a zombie apocalypse.
The book follows the PPZ format of inserting new text into the classic, though some passages are cut out since the story diverges several times. The added text appears mostly seamless, matching the highly accented style of Huckleberry's narrative. Clearly, the zombie references are added but don't seem anachronistic (except when Huckleberry uses "pan'emic" to describe the outbreak).
In this zombie outbreak, some zombies are "high-functioning," able to talk and do many of the tasks they used to do when alive. Others are vicious carnivores. The dead are put in a bag awaiting their return as a zombie. If they struggle violently to get out, they're assumed to be the later type and are killed (again) on the spot. The others are sold into slavery. Some people come back before they can be "bagged" so there are roaming zombies of both types. Another result of the zombie outbreak is the African American slaves are set free. Docile zombies become the slaves for this society. Czolgosz switchs all the "n-word" references to "bagger," since the docile zombies are called "half-baggers" and the vicious killers are "baggers." It's a nice solution for sensitive modern readers, though it does come at the cost of some zombie gore, which may be unpleasant for sensitive modern readers.
On the other hand, the zombie mythology doesn't add a lot to the story. The interesting thing about PPZ is the whole new layer of action that provides vivid contrast to the interior (both inside people's heads and inside their parlors) conflicts. In this book, slaves switch from Africans to zombies but it doesn't matter since Jim, the main slave is both African-descent and a zombie. The twists don't have enough spin; the humor doesn't have another or a different level. The work winds up as an interesting exercise rather than exciting reading. It's better to read the original, warts and all.
Sample Quote (the book needed more stuff like this to make it more interesting):
I don' know how things was when it was negros people were trading. That woulda been diff'rent, I think. You can look at a negro and know he's a man, so why shouldn't he go free? But a bagger just ain't a man no more. He is property. An' if he's not property he's soon gonna be. It's the natural order of things, seemed to me. [p. 139, not in the original Twain text]
The book follows the PPZ format of inserting new text into the classic, though some passages are cut out since the story diverges several times. The added text appears mostly seamless, matching the highly accented style of Huckleberry's narrative. Clearly, the zombie references are added but don't seem anachronistic (except when Huckleberry uses "pan'emic" to describe the outbreak).
In this zombie outbreak, some zombies are "high-functioning," able to talk and do many of the tasks they used to do when alive. Others are vicious carnivores. The dead are put in a bag awaiting their return as a zombie. If they struggle violently to get out, they're assumed to be the later type and are killed (again) on the spot. The others are sold into slavery. Some people come back before they can be "bagged" so there are roaming zombies of both types. Another result of the zombie outbreak is the African American slaves are set free. Docile zombies become the slaves for this society. Czolgosz switchs all the "n-word" references to "bagger," since the docile zombies are called "half-baggers" and the vicious killers are "baggers." It's a nice solution for sensitive modern readers, though it does come at the cost of some zombie gore, which may be unpleasant for sensitive modern readers.
On the other hand, the zombie mythology doesn't add a lot to the story. The interesting thing about PPZ is the whole new layer of action that provides vivid contrast to the interior (both inside people's heads and inside their parlors) conflicts. In this book, slaves switch from Africans to zombies but it doesn't matter since Jim, the main slave is both African-descent and a zombie. The twists don't have enough spin; the humor doesn't have another or a different level. The work winds up as an interesting exercise rather than exciting reading. It's better to read the original, warts and all.
Sample Quote (the book needed more stuff like this to make it more interesting):
I don' know how things was when it was negros people were trading. That woulda been diff'rent, I think. You can look at a negro and know he's a man, so why shouldn't he go free? But a bagger just ain't a man no more. He is property. An' if he's not property he's soon gonna be. It's the natural order of things, seemed to me. [p. 139, not in the original Twain text]
May 15, 2010
I was turned off immediately by the first paragraph of this book. It was just the completely wrong start on all accounts. Huck is telling us how he isn't going to use "that word." Well, if he means the infamous n-word that is so often debated about with Huck Finn, then that seems a cop out. Is Czolgosz trying to tell readers, "Its okay. I won't offend you racially with this book." That isn't staying true to the heart of Huck Finn, which a good redo, no matter how trashy the zombie part is, should do. Or, is Czolgosz trying to be clever? Is he trying to compare zombie status with slaves and plans to make a statement? If so, his execution is all wrong. And, besides, it is totally out of character for the Widow to beat Huck for any reason.
But, I was excited about a meshing of Huck and zombies, so I read on.
I enjoyed most of the zombie details that were added. Particular favorites where the eating of the Duke and King, and the hordes that come during some of the most violent scenes in the original text. I found the idea of tame zombies a little hard to get used to at first, but the way that they all were pretty much turning violent in the end made up for it. In fact, I liked the ending. It was similar to many zombie movies where you are left with a couple characters stranded somewhere trying to survive. I thought the setting of the raft was perfect, especially for the time period.
But, I didn't like some of the editing choices. For example, so many small, boring details were left in. Such as the long discription of the Grangerfords home and the town with the "chaw." But, the whole segment with the Wilkes and almost everything in the end with Tom was cut. I'd much perfer some of those slower moments to be gone.
Lastly, I at first found the revision of Twain's dialects annoying. I didn't think that it should have been one to increase readability. But, as I read on, I found that in many places the new material or slight changes blended well.
So, my overall review is that the big zombie parts were fun, but sometimes you had to wade threw long parts with little zombie action to get to them.
But, I was excited about a meshing of Huck and zombies, so I read on.
I enjoyed most of the zombie details that were added. Particular favorites where the eating of the Duke and King, and the hordes that come during some of the most violent scenes in the original text. I found the idea of tame zombies a little hard to get used to at first, but the way that they all were pretty much turning violent in the end made up for it. In fact, I liked the ending. It was similar to many zombie movies where you are left with a couple characters stranded somewhere trying to survive. I thought the setting of the raft was perfect, especially for the time period.
But, I didn't like some of the editing choices. For example, so many small, boring details were left in. Such as the long discription of the Grangerfords home and the town with the "chaw." But, the whole segment with the Wilkes and almost everything in the end with Tom was cut. I'd much perfer some of those slower moments to be gone.
Lastly, I at first found the revision of Twain's dialects annoying. I didn't think that it should have been one to increase readability. But, as I read on, I found that in many places the new material or slight changes blended well.
So, my overall review is that the big zombie parts were fun, but sometimes you had to wade threw long parts with little zombie action to get to them.
Read
January 17, 2010As someone who has taught Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn more than a dozen times, I am intrigued by this new entry into the skein of reenvisionings (not sure what else to call them) that started with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Intrigued, not appreciative.
As an experiment, it was certainly interesting. Czolgosz introduces phthisis as a disease that makes people into zombies, and led to slaves (the "n-word" is not used in this book, after 250-plus controversy-engendering appearances in Twain's original) being freed and replaced as workers by "baggers," the enslaved undead. Hmm. And some baggers are viciously and unredeemably bad and some, "half-baggers", can understand things. Jim is a half-bagger, naturally, but the idea of "freedom" loses its force as the analogy (enslaved zombies : enslaved African-Americans?) stumbles and crumbles after having been suggested in the book's premise.
The substitution of the undead case for historical slavery (and, moreso, the question of how whites should think of African-Americans and the racial situation in the nation) is problematic, to say the least. The second half of the novel devolves wildly, and the end is completely unhinged. It's odd to see how thoroughly and quickly the novel is impoverished of its satirical weight -- and literary value -- by the substitution.
As a novel, pretty bad. But what the heck -- it was a fun thought experiment, for a while!
As an experiment, it was certainly interesting. Czolgosz introduces phthisis as a disease that makes people into zombies, and led to slaves (the "n-word" is not used in this book, after 250-plus controversy-engendering appearances in Twain's original) being freed and replaced as workers by "baggers," the enslaved undead. Hmm. And some baggers are viciously and unredeemably bad and some, "half-baggers", can understand things. Jim is a half-bagger, naturally, but the idea of "freedom" loses its force as the analogy (enslaved zombies : enslaved African-Americans?) stumbles and crumbles after having been suggested in the book's premise.
The substitution of the undead case for historical slavery (and, moreso, the question of how whites should think of African-Americans and the racial situation in the nation) is problematic, to say the least. The second half of the novel devolves wildly, and the end is completely unhinged. It's odd to see how thoroughly and quickly the novel is impoverished of its satirical weight -- and literary value -- by the substitution.
As a novel, pretty bad. But what the heck -- it was a fun thought experiment, for a while!
April 7, 2011
Mark Twain's classic novel - with a few zombie twists. Huck Finn is off on his rafting adventure, but this time he's accompanied by one of the (un)dead: a runaway bagger, Jim. The enslavement of Africans has passed in favor of those no longer human, zombies (otherwise known as baggers) who have died from the pox and come back to (sort of) life again. Some of these baggers are vicious monsters, but others, like Jim, make ideal slaves. Too bad they still don't like to be sold down South and instead decide to escape with runaway boys in search of adventure on the Mississippi.
Normally I enjoy reading spin-offs of classic literature, and zombie books are no exceptions. This one, however, just didn't do it for me. I felt like I was reading the original Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - yes, Jim's a zombie, but there's little else that makes this interesting as a zombie book. I was expecting a lot of incidents with the living dead, but until the last couple dozen pages, the only incidents were brief and isolated. Because of this, it was confusing for me (having read Twain's novel several years ago instead of recently) to separate the original story, which Czolgosz follows very closely, from events that Czolgosz added. This book was a disappointment for me. Maybe my expectations of zombie parodies are too high, but I expected a bit more originality from the adapter and much more zombie action. The most enjoyment that I got from Huckleberry Finn and Zombie Jim came from being reacquainted with Twain's story, so I would have been better off just reading the original or, to satisfy my taste for the living dead, trying a non-knockoff zombie novel.
Normally I enjoy reading spin-offs of classic literature, and zombie books are no exceptions. This one, however, just didn't do it for me. I felt like I was reading the original Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - yes, Jim's a zombie, but there's little else that makes this interesting as a zombie book. I was expecting a lot of incidents with the living dead, but until the last couple dozen pages, the only incidents were brief and isolated. Because of this, it was confusing for me (having read Twain's novel several years ago instead of recently) to separate the original story, which Czolgosz follows very closely, from events that Czolgosz added. This book was a disappointment for me. Maybe my expectations of zombie parodies are too high, but I expected a bit more originality from the adapter and much more zombie action. The most enjoyment that I got from Huckleberry Finn and Zombie Jim came from being reacquainted with Twain's story, so I would have been better off just reading the original or, to satisfy my taste for the living dead, trying a non-knockoff zombie novel.
April 12, 2011
This story is a satirical take on the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with a zombie twist. I love these retakes, so this one appealed to me quite a bit. The book starts off commenting on the recent updated version where a certain word was replaced with a less sensitive one. Although the word essentially is the same thing, just a different word. A disease is spreading through out the land related to tuberculosis and causes a side effect that causes people to reanimate or return from the dead. It follows the path of the original story except there are run ins with undead hunters, but they are still bounty hunters. I can already tell you that this book will not be for everyone and I am sure that a lot of people will dislike it. If you have a skewed view of life and enjoy the absurd that this book is for you though!
April 14, 2011
I was very excited to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Zombie Jim after just finishing the zombie mash ups of some of my other favorite classics. This one fell a little short for me, then again, Huck Finn wasn't one of my favorite classics. Regardless, I do love the stubborn boy and ridiculous zombies.
This one definitely isn't a home run. It is totally intriguing for me just because I love when history is changed in historical fiction. That part IS entertaining. I think that anyone who enjoys the zombie mash ups should give this one a try. If you love zombies or are just curious about what happens when slavery is replaced by undead laborers- try it out. I don't regret reading it, but I probably won't be reading it a second time.
This one definitely isn't a home run. It is totally intriguing for me just because I love when history is changed in historical fiction. That part IS entertaining. I think that anyone who enjoys the zombie mash ups should give this one a try. If you love zombies or are just curious about what happens when slavery is replaced by undead laborers- try it out. I don't regret reading it, but I probably won't be reading it a second time.
September 10, 2011
happened on this one in borders...a closing borders....there's a pic of him smoking a pipe on the raft, his leg in the river....the big river, and zombie jim behind....being a zombie...this on the cover. "blood enriched classics" hmmmmmm
dontcha luv it when you type something up, hit whatever, and goodreads is no longer available.
apparently this site doesn't have that option of saving you shee-ite or something who knows.
i don't feel like typing what i had. talked about twain's original, padgett powell's intro to a printing of that, the....seeming lack of one scene that powell pointed to, highlighting the hypocrisy of the pc-world that seeks to rewrite twain's classic.
ummmm.
dontcha luv it when you type something up, hit whatever, and goodreads is no longer available.
apparently this site doesn't have that option of saving you shee-ite or something who knows.
i don't feel like typing what i had. talked about twain's original, padgett powell's intro to a printing of that, the....seeming lack of one scene that powell pointed to, highlighting the hypocrisy of the pc-world that seeks to rewrite twain's classic.
ummmm.
April 24, 2011
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Zombie Jim by Mark Twain and W. Bill Czolgosz
This book is reminiscent of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn with the addition of zombies.
This book read like Mark Twain. I’m not sure why it was written unless it is an attempt to get the current generation of tweens who are zombie/vampire focused to experience more classic literature.
It was an ok read but having read all of Mark Twain years ago, I didn’t find the addition of zombies all that interesting. I guess the book will appeal to the group I mentioned above.
This book is reminiscent of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn with the addition of zombies.
This book read like Mark Twain. I’m not sure why it was written unless it is an attempt to get the current generation of tweens who are zombie/vampire focused to experience more classic literature.
It was an ok read but having read all of Mark Twain years ago, I didn’t find the addition of zombies all that interesting. I guess the book will appeal to the group I mentioned above.
August 8, 2011
While it amused in parts, it seems to me that if you are going to satirize what is arguably the greatest American novel ever written, you ought to either throw relevancy to the wind and just make it hilarious, or embellish Twain's forbidden moral. Ultimately, it served only to circumvent the N-word censorship problem, although left on instance for what I assume to be homage.
December 23, 2011
An interesting twist on Huckleberry Finn - instead of slaves there's tame and aggressive zombies. I liked it well enough; for the most part it was hardly any different from the original novel, except the ending.
July 25, 2013
This "blood enriched classic" was a fun read. It was true to the original plot, full of the charming dialect and romance of the river rat life. Plus, of course, there were zombies, as promised. Good twist with the loyal and heroic Zombie Jim. The end was rather disappointing, though.
June 17, 2010
boring
Read
May 15, 2011AWFUL. NO STARS.
January 13, 2012
Disappointing. While other books in this genre made the zombie idea blend with the story, such as pride and prejudice, in this version it is just tacked on.
March 21, 2015
Eh, this was not one of the better ones I have read. The original was painful enough to get through because of the way they spoke, and this one wasn't any better.
September 21, 2015
This is a halfway decent zombification of the original story.
Read
October 4, 2018My opinion with the book Huckleberry finn and zombie is all in order with having the zombies all over the book and having jim being all An interesting twist on Huckleberry Finn instead of slaves there's tame and aggressive zombies. I liked it well enough for the most part it was hardly any different from the original novel except the ending. This book read like Mark Twain. I’m not sure why it was written unless it is an attempt to get the current generation of tweens who are zombie/vampire focused to experience more classic literature. This book is reminiscent of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn with the addition of zombies.
This book read like Mark Twain. I’m not sure why it was written unless it is an attempt to get the current generation of tweens who are zombie/vampire focused to experience more classic literature.
It was an ok read but having read all of Mark Twain years ago, I didn’t find the addition of zombies all that interesting. I guess the book will appeal to the group I mentioned above.
This book read like Mark Twain. I’m not sure why it was written unless it is an attempt to get the current generation of tweens who are zombie/vampire focused to experience more classic literature.
It was an ok read but having read all of Mark Twain years ago, I didn’t find the addition of zombies all that interesting. I guess the book will appeal to the group I mentioned above.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews