Customer Reviews

History Is Dead: A Zombie Anthology

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A remarkable study of the zombie-condition traced back to its original vector, an infected mammoth, that unwittingly shambled across the primeval hunting grounds of our ancient ancestors and into infamy, History is Dead tracks mankind's most gruesome affliction as it spreads, raising our dead across the continents, bridging cultures, and shedding light on ancient mysteries, like the Celtic peat bog-mummies in "The Gingerbread Man", and crossing paths with iconic greatness, in "The Loaned Ranger" and "The Summer of 1816". The zombie proves itself to be an effective weapon of war, in "The Barrow Maid", as well as a lover worth dying for, in Carole Lanham's wonderfully necrotic zombie-romance, "The Moribund Room".

A brilliant theme and an outstanding collection, History is Dead may arguably be one of the most noteworthy horror anthologies of 2007, and surely a contender for this year's Stoker Award nominations.

I typically avoid trying to review Anthologies, simply because I feel that each story deserves to be taken on its own merits. I have read most of the zombie anthologies out there and have enjoyed all of them...some have some stories that really knock my socks off while others are just interesting and creative.
With the theme of history here, what we are served up is a dark menu of treats tied in with some of the major events in history. The Black Plague, the real genius behind the creation of Frankenstein, the great Chicago fire, etc. All of these events, along with several more personalized stories unrelated to figures of major historical prominence give us a tome of Alternative Histories that is quite intriguing.
It is challenging, to say the least, to be knowledgeable enough of a time period and the details of how people lived to be able to embellish upon the known history effectively with the injection of the living dead. That each of these authors boldly ventured forth to do so here certainly shows both an appreciation for history and a willingness to stand it on its head for the purposes of macabre entertainment.
From the start I have to say I really enjoyed the creative flare I saw with these stories-David Dunwoody's flashback to prehistory, Raoul Wainscoting's creative use of Shakespeare, Johnathan Maberry's creative take on a little fire in Chicago and most of the others had me grinning at the enthusiasm everyone had to come up with some really fun ideas.
I think that a book like this could easily be expanded with future editions, if these authors and others are up to the task of coming up with even more tales from other areas of history. The source material is endless.

When I was asked to read History is Dead for a possible blurb, I was hesitant. I have to admit that there's been a lot of Zombie novels and stories published recently and I was concerned that this would be another rehash of mindless flesh eating zombie shooting. I'm pleased to say that I was wrong. This is a tremendous anthology. Although each story deserves individual credit, I especially liked the contributions from David Dunwoody and James Roy Daley.

"Dr. Paffenroth is a shining literary light who has stitched together an anthology of the undead that will live far beyond anything that has come before. Each entry is a marvel to behold." -Weston Ochse, author of Scarecrow Gods and VAMPIRE OUTLAW OF THE MILKY WAY

I am usually not too keen on short stories; they tend to leave me feeling unsatisfied. But, after reading "Dying to Live" by Kim Paffenroth, I had to get my hands on "history is Dead"! The first story starts out with prehistoric man and the zombie influence. The stories just travel through time from there. From Vikings, Jack the Ripper, the great Plague, the Chicago fire, and so many more creative twists and turns, you just don't have a chance to get bored by this book! I love apocalyptic/end of the world stories, and naturally zombies would fall into that category. If you like zombie stories, you can't go wrong with this book. It is so well put together, with a funny little "About the Authors" at the end. The cover is so creepy, I had to put it face down on my bookshelf at night!

-History is Dead- is a mixed bag, in a number of ways, but overall it comes out on top.

The walking dead are not all the mindless flesh-eaters George Romero made so popular. There are people "cursed" with undeath, some who've been brought back to carry out certain tasks, and some who've dragged themselves back for one reason or another.

Like any anthology, some stories are stronger than others. "The Reluctant Prometheus" gets points for sheer creativity. "A Touch of the Divine" is a stylish comeuppance story. "Society and Sickness" beat another undead/ Jane Austen parody to the shelf by several months. But my hands-down favorite had to be "Pegleg and Paddy Save the World" for its mix of humor and creepiness.

So it's not perfect, but it has many high spots and there's definitely something for everyone, no matter what kind of undead you like, no matter what context you like them in.

Normally I shy away from collected works by many authors because the editors normally get sloppy. You normally end up with 30-40% goodness in a collection and, sadly, you pay for the other 60%. Still, Kim Paffenroth is someone I trust when it comes to the undead, and the trust placed here was well-founded. Paffenroth is a great writer anyhow, having done some great work on his own, and a good writer can normally spot good reading. This was the case in History is Dead, with Paffenroth rewarding the reader with almost all good stuff - maybe one or two stories could have been better, but how often can you say something like that?

As the title implies, this is a book that adds the dead into historical themes. It does not utilize all the same set-ups, however, and rewards the reader who rewards themselves by checking out each story with patience. While all of the stories play off of some historical angle each has something different to offer, and that difference is what makes this collection a "boom" instead of the aforementioned busts that all-too-often creep into our reading. The Wild West and the undead - good stuff. The Great Wars and the undead - good stuff. The past and the undead - good stuff. Instead of having distinct advantages against the undead, some stories dead with people like cavemen and infected prey that causes them to become the first recorded zombies, thus giving the reader an angle that really is sexy.
And I liked that, too, because zombies need a bit of difference added to their flesh-mawing ways. Too often they are utilized in the same fashion, and that does a disservice to the ranks of the undead (not that having zombies do the normal zombie stuff is bad, mind you, but creativity should be applauded). The past is also ignored, a no-no when it comes to something interesting like zombies and timeframes that exist all over the proverbial map.

So, should you read this? Well, if you enjoy zombies, need something different, and want to have fun, then yes. Paffenroth has assembled a sexy little army of zombies and that it good stuff that is well worth picking up.
Recommended.

There are a few zombie fiction anthologies out on the market right now...but I'd have to say this one beats them all hands down.
The premise, the variety of authors and writing styles, the trip through time....very, very original.
And many of these stories are just absolutely fantastic and haunting. This is not simply a bunch of gross-out authors trying to one-up each other with predictable gore and head shots. Many of the stories in this collection truly stretch the definition of "zombie". There are also some wildly creative spins on historical incidents that the authors give a "zombie twist" to.
Quite possibly Permuted Press's best offering to date.

I liked a dozen out of the 20 tales here but the writing from all contributors is top notch. If you like the idea of history being retold to include zombies, this should be in your collection. Very gory at times but also profound.
This is one of the better horror anthologies I have come across.

History is Dead is a very fun read. While zombie fiction may not be exactly cutting edge, keep in mind Skipp and Spector's tremendous Book of the Dead was released in the late `80's. History is Dead treads in those gore-filled footprints and does so with originality.
My favorites were as follows:
"The Reluctant Prometheus" - zombie wooly mammoth
"The Barrow Maid" - undead Vikings
"The Moribund Room" - love demands sacrifice
"Summer of 1816" - the origin for Shelley's Frankenstein revealed
"Junebug" - sins of the father come back to haunt
"Pegleg and Paddy Save the World" - A cows, a comet, a pair of drunks, and the Chicago fire
"Awake in the Abyss" - the Ripper's victim have their revenge
"The Travellin' Show" - the carnival comes to a town already visited by tragedy
"Edison's Dead Men" - the unimagined truth about Thomas Alva
This collection is well worth picking up.

I've wanted to read this since it first came out. It is a collection of zombie tales set during various historical periods. The zombies between these covers are no mere mindless flesh-eaters; they grieve for their still-living lovers, crave earthly revenge and inspire art, novels and plays. As you might expect, some stories interested me more than others. Just about all of my favorite stories were contained in the first half of the book, but even the stories I considered to be `alright' could probably be another reader's standouts.

Christine Morgan's The Barrow Maid (a Viking piece) and Carole Lanham's The Moribund Room (Tudor England, I believe) are two of the best in the book; also, Theatre is Dead by Raoul Wainscotting gets special mention because I laughed repeatedly at the audience's ignorance. John Maberry's Pegleg and Paddy Save the World, which tells the "true story" of the Chicago fire, could have been written especially for me, with my love of whiskey and my Celtic heritage. All in all an easy 4.5/5.