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The Living Dead 2 (2010)

by John Joseph Adams(Favorite Author)

3.96 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1597802468 (ISBN13: 9781597802468)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Night Shade Books

series

The Living Dead

review 1: It took me a while to finish reading this because there always seemed to be better books lying around to read. I didn't want to skim over this book like so many people have done before, but I'm afraid it's that sort of book. Not every story is a winner but there are some knew angles to the zombie genre, although nothing that's going to utterly surprise you. Personally, I have quite a short attention span and there are enough short tales to hold my attention, but there are a few that could have easily developed into a fully fledged novel, given a few extra paragraphsThe front cover of my edition has a quote from Simon Pegg of Shaun of the Dead "A must for any self-respecting zombie completist."I'll take this to mean, unless you're hardcore, don't bo... morether.
review 2: Overall, i enjoyed this book very much. It had grossery (is that a word?) horror, humor, sadness, and some downright terrible stories that i couldn't make it through. I'm an avid fan of a good zombie story and i couldn't help picking this book up at the library. So here is an individual analysis of each story:5 Stars*****Obviously, my favoritesThe Anteroom by Adam-Troy CastroThis was some good 2nd person prose. It was different, and i liked the twist on the afterlife and the possibility that zombies have an afterlife. The "you" was a man. castro shouldn't have declared this. He should've left it open.When the Zombies Win by Karina Sumner-SmithGood work. Very accurate and eery.Category 5 by Marc PaolettiThis was, well, a triller. The mixture of a hurricane and the dead rising from the waves was creative and gave it a hopeless edge. The old man was determined to get his sick wife out of there rickety house; that was sad. 23 Snapshots of San Francisco by Seth LindbergI LOVED this. The story of how the zombie apocalypse affected a group of friends unfolds through pictures. I got attached to the characters just by reading about the snapshots of them. It was sad, funny, awkward, all of it. Good People by David WellingtonVery, very, sad. But very, very realistic. Pirates vs. Zombies by Amelia BeamerJustin Chase. What a funny guy. These teens steal a boat and call themselves pirates. One ends up turning and they throw him overboard, but later use him as a slave (with the whip) My favorite part was when the protagonist sang "In Da Club" by 50 Cent at the top of his lungs.The Rapeworm by Charles Coleman FinlaySo aliens caused the virus. I enjoyed this. A father tries to keep his kids safe in the forest and runs into another father and his daughter. Their kids get into trouble and two of them get infected. So much for keeping his kids safe.We Now Pause for Station Identification by gary A. BraunbeckThis was different but good. The protagonist was/is a radio talk show host and the whole story his him broadcasting to no one. Nonstop commentary by a guy whos stuck in the broadcasting booth. He talks about everything. I made me feel lonely. Arlene Schabowski of the Undead by Mark McLaughlin and Kyra M. SchonSo this lady played a zombie kid in a movie and ended up having the character stuck in her mind. She got used to it. Then she visits an attic and her world starts turning into Arlene's (the dead girl), all black and white and farmtown-ish, while Arlene's world turns to color and modernicity. They eventually meet in the attic. Fun read.Rural Dead by Bret HammondI can't imagine the Amish actually using the dead like that but you never know. The Wrong Grave by Kelly LinkSo Miles wrote some poetry for his girlfriend and buried it with her when she died. Less than a year later, he dug her up to get the poetry back. Except it was the wrong grave: there's this creepy tall girl in there instead. He tried to escape her but she kept coming back. Then she let him go. Turns out, she really was his girlfriend and she just changed her looks to play a joke on him. Serves him right. Therapeutic Intervention by Rory HarperIt was funny and a relief from the few stories before it. A therapist talks to a zombie who's trying to go vegetarian by eating cow brain instead of a humans.He said, Laughing by Simon R. GreenI'm not usually a big fan of stories that mix history with zombies but this one was written well, had a solid, tortured protagonist and a plotline that was well thought out (vietnam war era) and paced.Last Stand by Kelley Armstrong10 years after a flu epidemic, there's two species: others (the living) and the infected. Monica leads an army of the infected against the others. This w really enjoyed, and there's a twist that suprised and confused me.The Thought War by Paul McAuleyI enjoyed this.Dating in a Dead World by Joe McKinneyOkay. I thought this was going to be really stupid but oh how i was wrong. Andrew Hudson is a badass that's been on his own since he was six in the poorest part of a "sanctuary". He takes a girl, the daughter of the most powerful guy in the place, on a date, which turns into an action packed battle for their lives when a rival powerful man attacks the place. Did i mention Andrew has two glocks and a machete and does most of his badassery on a motorcycle?Flotsam and Jetsam by Carrie RyanTakes place around the time of the Return. I loved Ryan's Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy and this is a great prequel/companion story. 2 guys get stuck in a life raft for days after the virus breaks out on their cruise ship- and one of them is bitten.And the Next, and the Next by Genivieve ValentineAnother 2nd person story, its a little eery as the protagonist (you) hides among the zombies and makes their way across miles and miles of land to find someone. You do, but she comes to an unhappy end. So do you.4 Stars****Good stories that i likedAlone, Together by Robert KirkmanI can't say it's my favorite, but it's a keeper. The protagonist is a douche though.Danger Word by Steven Barnes and Tananarive DueThis story was actually kind of sad. I felt really bad for the kid, Kendrick. Most zombie stories don't pay attention to how it all affects children- especially one that lost both his parents at a very young age, and in front of his very own eyes too. So does Grandpa Joe get Kendrick?The Other Side by Jamie LackeyI liked this. it's set in this fenced off village years after the apocalypse. The protagonist was best friends with this nerdy girl but he wanted to be popular. His popular dfriends threw the girl over the fence to see if the zombies would get her. She was there for 3 days. The people wouldn't let her back in. I'll let you imagine what happend.Lost Canyon of the Dead by Brian KeeneCowboys, dinosaurs, zombies. This was a fun, funky read. Written well. Random mix of survivors make their way across a desert with a horde of dead animals and people hot on their heels. Then dead birds (zombie birds! that is some scary stuff!) come and they flee- only to end up in an unmapped forests where dinosairs thrive.The Skull-Faced City by David Barr KirtleyStrong plot, strong protagonist. The whole skull-faced and superiority over humans is creepy. Reminded me of a demon. The human army is called the "Sons of Perdition" and they're at war with the intelligent zombies. Park lets himself be chnaged and lies his way to become lieutenant with the zombies just to save his sister from their captivity. Everglades by Mira GrantThis was pretty good. Small groups of survivors hold up in different departments of a college campus. The world outside has been overtaken by nature and the protagonist lets herself get taken by it after realizing she doesn't want to fake her presence on earth any longer, or whatever.Reluctance by Cherie PriestI kept waiting for something to happen, but it didn't come. The escape on the airship was pretty cool though. Poor pilot. Coming to a town expecting shelter and food and finding a horde of the dead.The Summer Place by Bob FingermanA guy takes refuge on a deserted island and loses his mind. He lusts for his dead wife and goes all googly-eyed over a dead girl, fucks her, then gets bitten by a zombie deer. Poor, lonely guy.Who We Used to Be by David MoodyDull and gross. Everyone just dies one day and then comes back and slowly decays. The protagonist Simons talks about the decline of his life. His wife tries to keep up normalcy even long after her body ripens and falls apart. The son doesn't care. He just wants to play. Then the whole of the dead neighbors surround the house. What's with that? Peer pressure to join the undead. This story tortures the reader as much as the family. The Days of Flaming Motorcycles by Catherynne M. ValenteThis was bizarre. I liked it but it's far from my favorite list. It was written well and the plot was interesting and folded out nice.3 Stars***eh, borderline likenessLiving with the Dead by Molly BrownThis was hilarious. I almost died laughing, and came back to laugh some more at these "zombies" who just sat in a park and stared off into space. People would comb their hair and give them food like they were some new kind of pet. I mean, seriously?Steve and Fred by Max BrooksSteve and Fred have two different stories. Steve is an arrogant guy who thinks of himself as a badass marine and his story ended with no real end. It felt like a snippet from a novel: no beginning, no end. Then Fred is a coward janitor who locked himself in the toilet room of a hotel. Not the whole bathroom, just the toilet room. That had no end either. The Human Race by Scott EdelmanThis was quite boring. All of it was this whiny girl planning her suicide around the time of the apocalypse. She spends half the story in the morgue beside the corpse of her father, whining that he won't come back the the rest of the dead population. Thin Them Out by Kim Paffenroth, R.J. Sevin. and Julia SevinThe only part i particularly liked was the prose written in the zombies POV. The rest was uninteresting and unrealistic to me.Zombie Season by Catherine McleodToo short. I didn't get the point. Grave-digger turned zombie killer. Okay?Zero Tolerance by Jonathan MaberryI skimmed over this story because I couldn't get into it. It started out okay but it got too dull. Are You Trying to Tell me This is Heaven? by sarah LanganInteresting plot and characters but when it got to the part of the girl sucking the blood, t was turned away. Obedience by Brenna YovanoffI didn't get the point. I mean, there's this group of military people who are on their way to a researcg lab to find a cure. All of them get turned except for 2. And BUGSPRAY repelling zombies? Really?2 Stars**Good enough for 2 stars but forget anything higherZombieville by Paula R. StilesAt first, i was interested cause it takes place in a different country, but it fell flat. the unamed protagonist was uninteresting. Unpronouncable words popping up every line, and zombie animals? Really? I find that forced and cheesy. The only "big" and "exciting" thing that happend was when Cyndi stormed out of the closet with a spear.Mouja by Matt LondonAnother one set in another country. Some may like it but it wasn't my cup of tea.Where the Heart Was by...So this story was basically about sex and zombies. and sex. Two people are "messing around" when her dead ex barges in. It's written poorly and it's repetitive. heres a line that displays repetitive: "The bulb end of the bat smashed Victor's dead left ear deep into the dead left hemisphere of his dead brain." We get it! He's dead! The protagonist, Renny, is a dick. Plus, what's with the words? I like big words but damn! What does "mesomorphic? mean? or "glib"? Also they held a funeral for the dead guy (after Renny killed him) and Renny and the girl did it afterwards. I did like this line though: "If the thing making the noise was a mouse, it was dragging off a dog for a bit of fun."Tamshigiri by Steven GouldUh, What? *mouth hangs open* That is all.1 Star*These just didn't make the cut.The Mexican Bus by Walter Greatshell.Why are only women zombies? And why the hell are they blue? That is all.The Crocodiles by Steven PopkesI read the first page. It was enough. That counts, right?Zombie Gigolo by S.G. BrowneThis was disgusting. I'm ashamed to say i even read it. I can't even believe i read it. It gets 1 star because it was written for a worlds gorssest story contest. The Price of a Slice by John Skipp and Cody GoodfellowI didn't read it after the boring first page. These guys can write better.So there's my thoughts on each and every story and i think its a book every avid zombie fan needs to read. less

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