Customer Reviews

The Living Dead 2

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So far I am half way through this book and it's already 100% better than the first. The first was ok but alot of the stories were repeats from another anthology style book. This one has more zombie ZOMBIE related stories and not so much the stupid voodoo style zombies. just a much better read, just wanted to put this on here for those of you like me that were put off by the first living dead, had some good stories in it just not enough this one has a lot more and by some better authors..kinda wish j.l. bourne had done one too but i'll take brooks, maberry,kirkman, keene,and moody.

The popularity of zombies is undeniable given the raft of books, films and now an AMC television series. And my own enjoyment of the zombie genre is a bit of a mystery (more so to my wife though). That is why I like the introduction by John Joseph Adams who states these reasons for the popularity, zombies are:

- an enemy that used to be us, that we can become at any time;

- a canvas writers can use to comment on almost anything;

- a morality-free way to fulfill a world-destruction fantasy; and

- a monster that remains scary and cannot be easily romanticized.

I would add that much of my own fascination is based on how I think I would do in a zombie-infested world. Would I survive?, would I survive with honor?, would I be a leader?, and what would I gain or lost of my own humanity? Deep huh? In actuality, I just love these books as thrilling escapes. And I applaud this collection which is stronger than Volume One.

Standouts for me included: Kirkman's Alone Together which has a forlorn twist, Barnes & Due's Danger Word that explores loyalty, Wellington's Good People that provides fun formula, Keene's Lost Canyon of the Dead that could have been co-written with Douglas Preston, Brooks' Steve and Fred which explores heroism versus survival, Fingerman's The Summer Place features a lead character one can empathize with, Edelman explores an anti-terrorism angle in The Human Race, and McAuley's The Thought War will get you thinking.

The editor provides interesting information on each contributor along with a thoughtful introduction to each story. I found this helpful as it provides other titles from these authors to seek out. Definitely great entertainment overall and practically speaking a solid value for the dollar as there over forty stories. I am looking forward to Volume Three.

If you were to read the reviews I gave for John Joseph Adams other anthologies ("The Living Dead" and "Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse") you would understand my reluctance on purchasing yet another collection edited by him. However after other positive reviews and my growing library of zombie fiction, I caved and bought his newest: "The Living Dead 2".

And fortunately it is an entirely different monster (pun intended).

Of the 44 short stories collected in this anthology, 22 were some of the best stories of zombie horror I have read.It should come as no surprise that the well known authors in here prevailed: Brian Keene's ("Lost Canyon of the Dead"), David Welington's ("Good People"), Max Brooks's ("Steve and Fred") and Robert Kirkman's ("Alone Together") works were outstanding but to me it was some of the lesser known, obscure and new authors on the block whose stories captivated me the most. Having already read both of Joe McKinney's novels ("Dead City" and "Apocalypse of the Dead"), the fact that his short story "Dating in Dead Town" was incredibly rich and entertaining was of little surprise to me. "Who We Used to Be" by David Moody and the disgusting, yet highly enjoyable "Zombie Gigolo" by S.G. Brown (a story that won 3rd place in the annual Gross out Contest in the 2008 World Horror Convention) take the reader into the mind of the undead, answering the questions of what the undead feel, think, and do.

With so many good stories, its hard to find the best works but I believe the best piece(s) ,for me anyways, comes to a 2 way tie between Gary A. Braunbeck's "We Now Pause for a Station Identification" and the fantasticly written and original "The Rapeworm" by Charles Coleman Finlay. The former, a radio broadcast by who is perhaps the last man on the planet, the later, a take on a zombie plague brought on by something from outer space.

The problem with "The Walking Dead 2" though comes in those other 22 stories and even those arent that bad when compared to some of the works from the first anthology. Where "Dead 2" really starts to loose it's readers comes at the end. Of the final 3 stories (All of which are probably the weakest of the bunch) the killer is the John Skipp and Cody Goodfellow piece, which is a real shame when considering Skipp is the grandmaster of all things zombie fiction. Unfortunately that story is so bizzare, so convoluted and completely horrible that it becomes the "Neuromancer" of zombie fiction (read my review of Neuromancer to understand where I am coming from). Couple that with the ridiculously boring "Category 5" , the completely strange (and Brian Keene-esque ripoff) "The Skull faced Boy" and the much too long "He Said, Laughing" and "The Living Dead 2" looses a very possible and much earned 5 star rating.

So is "The Living Dead 2" worth your time and money? Absolutely. Where else are you going to get 44 different takes on the zombie genre for only a measly 16 bucks. Sure a few of the stories in here are flops, but who knows, maybe you will like them. For any zombie enthusiast, I say this: "Buy it". If nothing else, it'll look good on your bookshelf.

I loved the first anthology, so when this one came out, I pounced on it. It's just as good (mostly) as the first one, has more original stories and fewer reprints, and most of the stories are as thought-provoking as in the first anthology. I won't go into detail about the stories themselves, but I do want to say that, along with the usual gore-horror style of the Romero movies, most of the stories keep that core of making you think about whys. Meaning, the questioning of modern American culture-why are zombies so fun, relevant, and the hottest new horror thing around?

This volume continues the great short storytelling which commenced in the first LIVING DEAD. I hope there is a LIVING DEAD 3!

I've been thinking about zombies for two days straight now, having polished off this second volume. There are some great pieces here. Though nothing came close to the shear horror of Michael Swanick's "The Dead" from volume I, the best story hear, by miles is Jamie Lackey's, 'The Other Side.' Four pages, no fighting or biting, not a single zombie makes an appearance, but it was absolutely gripping. Can't wait for volume III, but I'm off to recheck my door locks.

William Doonan

author of 'Grave Passage' and 'Mediterranean Grave'

I love zombies. Them and Star Wars are my two favorite things on this planet. The stories in this anthology are among the best I've ever read. We're talking stories from the bigs - David Wellington, Max Brooks, Robert Kirkman, Brian Keene and many, many others. This collection makes the first seem like it was published a billion years ago in-so-far as who's put stories in the book. The about-the-author sections are great and have given me several purchasing selections for future reference.

If you love zombies, if you love short story collections, if you love books the size and weight of a phone book - this is your book!

This book corrects the major sin of its predecessor, in that the stories are pretty much all about zombies of one form or another. There is a definite post-apocalyptic tone to the entire anthology, and there are a lot of great stories in there. Overall I enjoyed this anthology a lot and actually read more than three quarters of the stories in it without skipping them, which is more than I can say for its predecessor.

The anthology is not perfect though. There are still a few "weird" stories that were just too weird for me to the point where I skipped them over, but like I said, this time they're in the minority, thank God. There are a few stories as well whose endings left me thinking the protagonist was a complete and utter idiot for giving into the zombies the way they did, but, that's more of a personal taste as I myself can't envision ever giving up, so I can't really relate to such actions, but that's not really a reflection on the quality of the story or the writing.

Overall this was a very good anthology and if you are a fan of the zombie or post-apocalyptic genre then this would be a fine addition to your collection.

I enjoy anthologies as they often give you a glimpse into the ways of writers you may not be familiar with.....and this anthology was a terrific introduction to authors I would like to read more of. The problem with anthologies is that the different stories can be 'hit or miss'- some you'll love, some you'll wish you could get the 20 minutes you spent reading it back. This volume is full of 'hits'- I thoroughly enjoyed most of the stories in here, there's good variations of the traditional zombie outbreak/band of survivor themes, as well as a bunch of stories that break out of this zombie 'norm' without getting too artsy-fartsy on you. Worth the time to read it, has turned me onto new horror authors I had not heard of before. A 'must' for any zombie fan!

After the runaway success of The Living Dead, editor John Joseph Adams is back with a follow up collection featuring a whole host of new authors writing about the walking dead. So grab a big cup of coffee, a warm blanket, and sequester yourself in a dark, quiet room, with one window looking out onto you don't know what, and take a trip into a series of meetings with beings who want nothing more than to eat you alive, while you scream.

The collection begins with a short introduction by Adams going over the success of The Living Dead, and why it is that the world now seems obsessed with these dead things who were once living people . . . as well as bringing up a number of successful projects that have come about in all mediums on the subject of zombies. Then the journey begins, around the world, and into other ones, into the past and the future, even some dinosaur zombies, all featuring those unforgettable walking dead. A number of zombie authors are featured, like Robert Kirkman, Jonathan Maberry, and David Wellington, as well as other authors you might not think of writing about zombies, such as Kelly Link, Steven Barnes, David Moody, Catherynne M. Valente, Sarah Langan, and Simon R. Green. Then there are a number of authors previously interviewed on BookBanter making the cut in The Living Dead 2, including S. G. Browne, Mira Grant, and Cherie Priest.

The beauty of any anthology is you can start that story and just not be that impressed with it; so you skip on to the next one, and find yourself totally blown away but the incredible plot and characters. You discover new writers to love and read, and others to avoid. Regardless of your interests for a specific type of story involving the walking dead, you will find many entertaining and terrifying tales in The Living Dead 2 that will make you keep looking up at that dark window, wondering if you just heard something scratching that could be a branch . . . or perhaps the decaying fingers of a zombie.

Originally written on December 21, 2010 ©Alex C. Telander.

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