Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Zombies
Ratings3
Average rating3.3
15
Ratings3
Average rating3.3
The most comprehensive zombie handbook ever published—with a foreword by Max Brooks! In one indispensable volume, Matt Mogk busts popular myths and answers all your raging questions about the living dead.* Q. How can I increase my chances of survival? A. One simple step is to keep away from other people. Without people there can be no zombies. Q. What is the connection between the Voodoo zombie and the flesh-eating zombie of popular culture? A. Other than a shared name, absolutely nothing. Q. Will zombies actually eat me, or will they just bite and chew? A. Research suggests the neuromuscular activity required for swallowing may be too complex for a zombie. Q. Will we see any warning signs before the dead rise? A. Unfortunately, entire populations could be infected with the zombie sickness before anyone even knows there’s a problem. Q. How come Zombie Awareness Month is in May and not October? A. Unlike witches and vampires, zombies are not otherworldly creatures. They are made of flesh and blood. Don’t forget to wear your gray ribbon. * Many more questions about zombies—including why not all of them are undead—are answered inside the book.
Reviews with the most likes.
This book was surprisingly delightful. There are tons of Max Brooks wannabes out in the world shelling out theories and rehashing old jokes, but this book is different. Also Max Brooks wrote the forward, and if he approves it, it passes any zombie-related test. Did I mention Max Brooks once called me “sweetheart” at a convention and I got a bit of the vapors? Because that happened.
Anyway, this book. Mogk looks at zombies through the lenses of neuroscience, biology, disaster preparedness, and pop culture. You have a little fun with zombie hypotheticals while learning interesting facts about neuroscience, biology, disaster preparedness, and pop culture. That's the real reason this book is enjoyable instead of 300 pages of parody. It is well researched, using zombies as a focus for a wide range of discussions.
The only part that was eye-rolling was when he discussed “suspected zombie outbreaks” of the past and mentioned Roanoke (a mystery for which circumstantial evidence is pretty high that it is not mystery) and the Anasazi cliff dwellers. It's all fun and games until you start putting actual historical events in the context of zombies.
Otherwise though, this book is a fun way to absorb facts and theorize about my personal favorite monster, although it does make me reevaluate my chances of actually surviving the apocalypse.
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