Brains: A Zombie Memoir [Paperback]

Robin Becker (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 25, 2010

“A witty and unexpected take on the zombie genre; I had a great time.”
—Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels

 

Subtitled “A Zombie Memoir,” Brains looks at America’s favorite walking-dead flesh-eaters from an audaciously original and deliciously gruesome new perspective. Debut author Robin Becker blazes new ground with this story of former college professor-cum-sentient zombie Jack Barnes, who recounts the tale of the resistance he organized in the wake of the recent zombie apocalypse. World War Z; Shaun of the Dead; Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies… Becker tops them all with Brains—a witty, tasty treat for anyone who every spent a midnight glued to a classic George A. Romero zombie epic!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Becker's slender debut novella is an unusual take on the zombie genre: part Grapes of Wrath, part postmodern memoir. A virus outbreak turns millions of people into mindless zombies, and the remaining humans declare war on the undead. Zombified English professor Jack Barnes discovers that he has retained his memories and his consciousness. Joined by several other sentient zombies, Barnes sets off to find the virus's creator in hopes of presenting a treatise on zombie civil rights. Barnes's dogged entitlement and self-centeredness make him both uninteresting and unbearable, and while Becker's writing is crisp, the plot meanders like its characters, consisting of little more than cannibalistic feasts and tin-eared literary and pop culture references (Hell is other zombies; Perhaps life as a zombie is better than no life at all). (June)
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From Booklist

Since being cornered and bitten in his home by a swarm of zombies, former college professor Jack Barnes has found a new love: brains. Not just any brains, but “bubbly, bewitching, bedazzling brains.” While he may be a zombie (he ate his wife shortly after being turned), a classic, arms-outstretched, shambling zombie he is not. He has something special that the rest of the infected don't: self-awareness. That and his ability to write convince him to go to Chicago to find the scientist who created the virus responsible for zombification and, he hopes, end the war between the living and the dead. En route he meets a few “like-minded” undead compatriots, all with varying degrees of sentience, to help him on his quest: Joan, once a nurse, who is particularly skilled at patching up body parts; Guts, a young man who can still run with the best of them; pregnant Eve, whom Jack falls for after biting off her finger; and Ros, a spokesman of sorts, since he's still able to talk. Becker's humorous first-person narrative will have readers rooting for the zombie crew, and she keeps the action moving at breakneck pace. Smart, funny, weirdly uplifting, Brains is a most welcome addition to zombie lit. --Carlos Orellana

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Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Eos; First Edition edition (May 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061974056
• ISBN-13: 978-0061974052
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,101,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robin Becker is waiting for the Zombie Apocalypse in Toad Suck, Arkansas. In the meantime, she fishes for giant monsters, plays sloppy guitar, and teaches writing at the University of Central Arkansas. Robin's short fiction has appeared in the Exquisite Corpse Annual, Cottonwood, Blue Mesa Review, Griffin and others. She is the recipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship in short fiction from the Arkansas Arts Council. She has watched hundreds of zombie movies and her dream is to be an extra zombie in a Romero film. Brains is her debut novel. Visit www.robinzbecker.com for more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Reading with Tequila May 29, 2010

By Jennifer Sicurella VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Brains: A Zombie Memoir is told unique as it is told through a zombie's perspective. The book's hilarious, starting off with Geraldo Rivera interviewing a zombie and riddled with pop culture references. The humor continues throughout the novel, but lessens towards the middle of the book once the zombies have to start actively focusing on survival.

A few of the zombies, the ones primary to the story, are self-aware. One is fast, one can speak, one can perform first aid, one can shoot and the main character can write. There is also a pregnant zombie that ultimately has to give birth.

Robin Becker's book is based on a strange premise, making it rather different from other books in the genre. The reader is put into a zombie's head, thinking a zombie's thoughts. I'm a huge zombie fan, but never once did I ever consider the world through their eyes. Jack, zombie who had a Ph.D. in life, leads the self-aware zombies. He learns along the way that once people became zombies, the playing field was level. There were no class or race distinction. It was quite interesting to see the subtle message among the gore.

Brains: A Zombie Memoir is a light, quick read that allows you to shamble a mile in a zombie's shoes.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Give Me a Z! July 1, 2010

By Stephen Parrish

Format:Paperback

A band of zombies who, surprising even to them, can think, plan, and communicate, embarks on a journey to negotiate with their maker, the Chicago scientist who invented the virus infecting them. Along the way they must evade capture by armed citizens and militias; the virus is transmitted through biting, and the country is being overrun. They must also feed an insatiable appetite for living flesh and an epicurean taste for brains.

BRAINS is every bit as funny as its premise demands. The humor is bold, sassy, and never tires as the story proceeds. Author Robin Becker, a teacher of writing, is in complete command of the language. Numerous references to pop culture create an air of irreverence and sarcasm that lend themselves naturally to the outrageous scenario. Told from the perspective of the zombies, in particular the former college professor who leads them after first devouring his wife, BRAINS is a ground breaking contribution to the genre. I was rooting for the walking dead and couldn't wait to learn whether their mission would succeed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars brains: A Zombie Memoir August 10, 2012

By columbo

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I first got this book at the library. From the first page I started laughing and laughed untill the end of the book. There is however a few very dry chapters, but carry on, the book is worth the dry spell. I couldn't stop talking about this book, my daughter, who is a nonzombiest, decided she had to read this book to see if it was as good as I was saying. She also loved it. Her bf, who like myself is a zombiest, is recieving this book as a Birthday presant from me. I know he will also enjoy this book as much as myself and my daughter. Get in your comfy chair, open up this book and get ready to enjoy a story told from a zombies' point of view.