Customer Reviews

Still Dead

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

 

 

This is a great book in the spirit of the zombie short story collections from Skipp and Spector. The stories contained in this volume give a wide variety of related experiences in a world overrun by the living dead: the lucky and the unlucky, even some from the point of view of the shamblers themselves. One of the main things you get tired of is the repeated explanations that the media, in some form or another, had talked about the dead rising, but the protagonist doesn't believe it until they see the phenomenon for themselves. A few slow ones but overall a book that deserves to be up on the shelf with Skipp and Spector's Book of the Dead and the Mammoth Book of Zombies.

i had just received this book and so far so good, but i wanted to let you know something about it. It seems that within a month of this printing, their was another one called 'still dead: book of the dead 2". That is the copy i had received and it's a smaller paperback. Now i just looked at the contents of the one listed above with the contents listed in mine and they are exactly the same. Perhaps one was a larger paperback size, i do not know, but what i can tell you is that i scored it for the low price of 2.99 off www.abebooks.com which is a huge used book finder site. I'm mentioning this because i noticed the used prices here are outrageous, and to buy one new, firstly cost $20, and even then it will take one to two MONTHS to arrive.
If i am missing something that is in one and not the other i would love to know. At anyrate, i just started reading it and as stated previously "so far so good", i would recommend it

If you are a fan of the George Romero Night of the Living Dead movies, or even a fan of the zombie and/or undead genre, then I suggest this book. It gives you some great short stories on what is going on around the world aside from what is happening in the movies. There are a few dry stories in this book, but, overall, it is worth the read.

This anthology is not only far superior to other horror anthologies, it far outstrips it's predecessor, Book of the Dead. Inside it's masterfully painted pages are 19 terrifying tales based on the mythos of George R. Romero. They're divided into 3 sections, Where Were You When the Lights Went Out, Coping With the Dead, and End Games.

Some of the more well known authors that contribute original stories are Poppy Z. Brite, Nancy Collins, and Douglas E. Winter. Even the team of Spector and Skipp contribute a very chilling tale of what love means to those who are no longer alive.

All the stories are memorable and all will leave that creepy taste of wormy flesh somewhere in the back of your throat. I highly recommend this book for horror fans looking for something different, but it is an absolute must have for fans of George R. Romero's brilliant trilogy.

I read The Book of the Dead and this, its sequel, many years ago. For some unknown reason, I'd forgotten how truly excellent they are - I don't know why there were never more in the series. Perhaps because Skipp & Spector appear to have dropped off the face of the planet?

Anyway, Book of the Dead 2: Still Dead is a great read. Its loaded with imaginative and unusual takes on the zombie genre, as well as some retreads of classic gems that work because they are simply well-written. The stories range from uber-cool 'The Old Man and the Dead', about Hemingway dealing with zombies during the Spanish civil war, to 'This Year's Class Picture', which was so sad it choked me up, to 'Abed', which is probably the most disgusting, revolting, nauseating, perverted, and just plain sick story I've ever read. I loved it! :)

Still Dead also features an interesting foreward by Tom Savini, who needs no introduction.

The only downside to this book, and the reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars, is the introduction by Skipp & Spector, who I've never really been a big fan of. The intro is way too self-congratulatory, pseudo-intellectual, and smarmy. Oh well. Can't have everything.

I had this book when it first came out & lent it to someone who never gave it back. Never again! This collection of 'living dead' stories is just as good as the first one. I can't go into details about either book, but if you LOVED any zombie/flesh eating ghoul movies,these books are for you!

I originally purchased this book over 15 years ago. I have moved a couple of times since then and the book was misplaced. The stories are outstanding and many are unforgettable! When I saw the book on Amazon, I immediately purchased it again. Highly recommended for the Zombie literature fan!

It considered one of the best horror books of all time . it's good. I like splatter punk. i would definitely recommend it.

If you are expecting all-out gore and horror along the lines of the Romero movies, then this collection of short stories will disappoint. Yes, all of the stories are set in the Dead universe, but there's very little flesh-eating.

Instead, the authors concentrate on the psychological aspect of living in a world of the dead. Consider such off-the-wall scenarios such as:

* a psychotic circus owner who invites the dead to participate in his act (not as good as it sounds though.)
* a zombie (called Quint!) who is invited by his mother to get a woman pregnant;
* gore-hounds who decide to make their own "snuff" movie because all horror movies are banned... actually, This story is useful in a way, because it mentions the name of just about every REAL banned horror movie that exists!!!
* How to be completely anonymous in a city filled with the walking dead (not as good as it sounds either.)
* Towers of flesh that meld with each other! Yes, you read that right.
* A world war 2 veteran who recalls the dead rising to a disbelieving psychiatrist.

Personally, I wouldn't buy the book second time round. Too boring, not enough action and too much arty, inane dialogue.

The original, "The Book of the Dead", to which this is a sequel, is much better simply because at least 2 stories somewhat approach what most of us want in survival horror. I won't repeat what I wrote there (feel free to check out my review), but this book isn't worth the time or money. The stories are far too cutesy, as though, in trying to present new perspectives, every writer drew from the same cliched examples.

Nothing here as cool as the terrific ending to Resident Evil (the movie), the tunnel scenes in The Stand, or the Manhattan scenes in Swan Song--and the last 2 aren't even zombie stories! A better book--though much harder to find--might be Bryan Keene's The Rising.

Certainly a much scarier book is Noel Hynd's Ghosts.

Avoid these 2 books--The Book of the Dead and Still Dead. Not only are they not scary--they're dull!