Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection (2009)
Original Release Date: October 14, 2009
Publisher: Chronicle Books
I have a bone to pick with my local bookstore.
They are a national chain whose name you probably know, but for the sake of anonymity, we’ll keep them nameless for now. Anyhow, my problem is this: they don’t have a Horror section. They have a Sci-Fi section, a Mystery section, a Reference section, a History section, a Politics section, a Teen section, a Romance section, even a section devoted entirely to Maps…but no Horror section.
This means that the zombie books have nowhere to live. Sadly, someone thought that it would be a good idea to put ALL zombie-related books not in the Sci-Fi section, or the General Fiction section, or even the Science section…no, they put all the zombie books in the Humor section! Humor!! I get it that titles like “Zombies for Zombies,” “Zombie CSU,” potentially even books with humorous premises like “The Zombie Survival Guide” and “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” could reside in the Humor section, but all the zombie books, really? Even the “serious” ones are there: David Wellington’s “Monster Planet” trilogy, Z.A. Recht’s “Morningstar Saga,” the uber-intense “World War Z,” anthology books like “The Living Dead” that are full of really gruesome and potentially scary zombie stories…all right there on the shelf, next to Dave Barry books and Calvin & Hobbes collections. Knowing what I do about some of the content in the non-funny books, I would be seriously concerned for any child who happens to pick up the “wrong” book and start reading. Or maybe that’s the Store Manager’s master plan all along, to recruit new, young zombie fans…maybe I’ve been looking at this all wrong…hmm…
The G.O.R.E. Score 
I’ve never heard of Z. Recht, so you’ve intrigued me with that.
Roff and Lane, however, have put out a book that repeats too many of the same old trick IMHO. That being said even the maestro himself, George Romero, is chewing the cud on this horror subgenre.
As for bookshop chains….Kinokuniya is hard to beat.
http://www.somnopolis.net/2010/02/22/zomb-zzzzz/
Hey, thanks for stopping by!
I can appreciate the difference in our opinions, that’s what makes reading different writers reviews entertaining. And you’re absolutely correct, from Romero to the amateur writer, the zombie genre has become so crowded that it’s hard to find truly new and fresh ideas. But when those unique items do come, they are well-received and well-loved!
Definitely check out Recht’s few books when you get the chance. He recently passed away unexpectedly, but his first novel, “The Morningstar Saga,” is a really great zombie novel!
–Tony