What is it about zombies that make them such a perennial favorite, as far as monstrous undead beings go? Why have they captured our collective imagination so completely for decades, lurching their way through our fiction and movies, eventually infecting every aspect of pop culture from video games to music to the darkest recesses of the internet?
Maybe it’s because zombies force us to reflect on our own mortality, or maybe it’s the way they lend themselves so well to political and social allegory... perhaps there’s just something perversely admirable in their single-minded pursuit of human brains—say what you want about zombies, but you have to admit that they’re persistent: zombies, much like Goonies, never say die. (Then again, they don’t usually say much of anything. Unless moaning counts).
Whatever the explanation, zombies are more popular than ever right now, and Tor.com is thrilled to announce that for the next seven days, we’ll be barring the doors, barricading the windows and giving ourselves over to a full-scale invasion of the undead. Join us throughout Zombie Week for a relentless onslaught of articles, stories, original comics and more (along with our regularly scheduled programming, of course).
[Load up the shotgun and come see what we have in store...]
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Here’s just a sampling of what’s coming up during Zombie Week:
- Come by and chime in on our Zombie Question of the Day—we’ve put together a survey covering everything from favorite zombie movies to zombie-killing weapons of choice and survival tactics and unleashed it on an array of zombie aficionados including authors Steven Gould, Carrie Ryan, Seanan McGuire, Amelia Beamer, David Moody, Christopher Golden, and many more…
- Check out our Zombie Caption Contest, headed up zombie expert John Joseph Adams, featuring a fabulous prize pack comprised of over $500 worth of assorted books, movies, and zombie-themed swag.
- Throughout the week, we’ll be showcasing original zombie fiction, reprints from Neil Gaiman and David Wellington, original comics from Sean Bieri and Teetering Bulb, and excerpts from The Loving Dead (Amelia Beamer, Night Shade Books), Dust (Joan Frances Turner, Penguin), The Zombies of Lake Woebegotten (Harrison Geillor, Night Shade Books), and The Proper Care and Feeding of Zombies (Mac Montandon, Wiley)
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A unholy horde of grisly guest bloggers, including:
- Roger Ma on how to take down the undead in hand-to-hand combat
- Paula R. Stiles on zombies in ancient and medieval history
- Lake Woebegotten’s own Harrison Geillor on small town zombie uprisings
- Artist Dave Palumbo’s overview of zombie art featuring commentary from some of the best in the business
- An epic zombie playlist courtesy of “Frequency Rotation” blogger Jason Heller
- Tips on zombie etiquette from Tor.com advice columnist Ellen B. Wright
- Plus zombie films, zombie video games, zombie poetry, and zombie preparedness tips from your wily and resourceful Tor.com staff!
Zombie Week fiction:
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09/13: “Bitter Grounds” by Neil Gaiman |
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09/13: “Zombies vs. Scenesters” by Sean Bieri |
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09/14: “Good People” by David Wellington |
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09/14: “Zombies vs. Scenesters #2” by Sean Bieri |
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09/15: “Dear Melissa” by Kurt Huggins and Zelda Devon |
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09/15: “Zombies vs. Scenesters #3” by Sean Bieri |
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09/16: “Preparations” by Mark Mills |
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09/16: “Zombies vs. Scenesters #4” by Sean Bieri |
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09/17: “Zombies vs. Scenesters #5” by Sean Bieri |
Here's what's been posted so far:
Tor.com has a bit of history with the undead. The ongoing struggle:
- The Zombies of Lake Woebegotten by Mark Graham
- Chicken Soup for the Soulless: The Living Dead 2 Hits the Shelves Next Week by Matt London
- Get ready for The Walking Dead: Official trailer and release date by Stubby the Rocket
- Fab Fighters: The Beatles vs. zombies by Chris Greenland
- Reading at the Speed of Sound Podcast, Episode 4: Audiobook Review of Alan Goldsher’s Paul Is Undead: The British Zombie Invasion by Susan Dunman
- Smexy Zombies and Runaway Zeppelins: The Loving Dead by Alex Brown
- Brains: a zombie memoir by Robin Becker by Mark Graham
- Interview: Carrie Ryan on Zombie Fiction by John Ottinger III
- Dead Snow by John Klima
- Survival Unlikely In Matt Youngmark’s Zombocalypse Now by Eve Conte
- The Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy #001: Zombies! Video Games! The End of the World! (Guest: Chet Faliszek) by John Joseph Adams and David Barr Kirtley
- Prescription: Zombies by Cherie Priest
- Interview with Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer by Mike Sargent
- Post-Apocalyptic Games: Left 4 Dead by Rajan Khanna
- Deadgirl: the horror of the modern male by Dayle McClintock
- Valley of the Dead...in 60 Seconds by John Joseph Adams
- Patient Zero...in 60 Seconds by John Joseph Adams
- Field Study (An Author In Search of Zombies) by Brian James
- Basic Geek Survival - Zombie 101 by Zachary Ricks
- Resident Evil 5 Review: Visually-stunning and explosive by David Pucik
- Breathers...in 60 Seconds by John Joseph Adams
- Post-Apocalyptic Comics: The Walking Dead by Rajan Khanna
- You are so Undead to Me...in 60 Seconds by John Joseph Adams
- Jason Chan, leaving no zombie child behind by Irene Gallo
- The Zombified Zombies of Zombie Fest by John Joseph Adams
- I Am Epic: A story of the World of Warcraft zombie invasion by Torie Atkinson
- I Love Sarah Jane (and so does Tim Burton): A Zombie Love Story by Dot Lin
- Choose Your Own Infection: The Outbreak by Pablo Defendini
- John Joseph Adams Wants Your Brains by John Klima
- My Dream Zombie Game by William Smith
- The 12 Days of Zombie Christmas by Sean Bieri
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Better Zombies Through Physics by Jim Ottaviana and Sean Bieri
Zombie Week illustration by Adam Carlson.
