4 out of 4 stars
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I absolutely love zombies. While I'm not a fan of horror, there's just something about the way people band together (or don't!) in a post-apocalyptic setting that makes zombie stories amazing. When I saw The Ultimate Guide to Zombies by Dave Robertson I knew I had to read it!
The Ultimate Guide to Zombies definitely lives up to its name. The book begins with a history of zombies, not only in media but in real life as well. Above all else, the history section makes it incredibly clear the author knows his stuff and loves zombies! I learned a lot about actual history (The original zombies were actually from Haiti, Dave writes, and weren't diseased or irradiated but controlled by a bokor - essentially a voodoo master) and far more about great zombie movies, books, television and music than I could've imagined. In addition to media and history, Dave also goes into some great detail about zombie events (walks, runs, even marriages!) and zombie preparedness.
The history and preparedness were my favorite sections, and they were also the most detailed. Even as a big zombie fan I now have a huge list of movies to watch and several books to read, and Dave goes through them in chronological order by era, detailing how different entries changed zombies and horror movies forever. These are incredibly detailed and I was amazed at how interesting, concise and knowledgeable it was. Of course I was happy to see some of my favorites - The Walking Dead (TV show, comic and video game series), Shaun of the Dead (movie) and Dead Rising (video game and movie series) - but I was also amazed by how many things I hadn't heard of! As for the preparedness section, which Dave refers to as Fighting the Undead, if one had enough of a budget and followed his suggestions they would easily be a zombie-slaying armored knight in the apocalypse. Not only are these suggestions great for both weapons and gear, it also raises some great points (such as exactly where and how to strike zombies and that zombies would spew FAR more blood than movies and TV show). Dave also focuses on things that actually exist (like gear made specifically to resist bites that's actually made for prison guards, doctors and nurses) and makes solid points about budgetary requirements (and buying things that one can easily explain to a significant other as something that's not just for a potential apocalypse).
In addition to all of these solid sections, Dave also has a chapter focused on what zombies are called in various media and in different languages, a really wild chapter about the history of the Zombie (the alcoholic drink) and a rather scientific section on zombie anatomy. Dave also discusses themes that run through a great deal of zombie media (slavery, consumerism, governmental issues, etc.), different ways zombies could essentially become a reality, memorable zombies from movies and more.
While the book is definitely all-inclusive about zombies, it isn't so weighty that you could crush zombie skulls with it. The Ultimate Guide to Zombies is just over 100 pages and is very easy to read, even for those who aren't zombie addicts. In fact, while the book is great for zombie fans, it's also a great starting point for those who are interested in zombies but don't know where to begin. Especially as a fan of zombies I can wholeheartedly recommend The Ultimate Guide to Zombies, it absolutely lived up to all the hype I had for it. The book is definitely worthy of 4 out of 4 stars. I'd recommend it to anyone with any level of interest in zombies, and think it would make a rather amazing gift for zombieholics.
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The Ultimate Guide to Zombies
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