3 out of 4 stars
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I have to admit that I had misgivings when I volunteered to review The Ultimate Guide To Zombies by Dave Robertson. Being a sci-fi convention goer myself, I know to my cost that being cornered by a hardcore fan on his or her hobbyhorse can seriously eat into one’s drinking time. However, I need not have worried, Robertson’s book is an easy and interesting read with a chatty, informal and accessible style.
The book begins with the history of zombies, starting with their voodoo roots in Haiti, their subsequent arrival on the big screen and their evolution thereafter. Robertson certainly knows and loves his subject, but he is still discriminating. His ‘Zombie Media’ sections are invaluable for informing the reader which book, film, TV series or video game they are likely to enjoy, and which are for hardcore fans only.
It’s a testament to his enthusiasm that after completing chapter two, I could then be found eating popcorn and watching the 1932 film, White Zombie, on YouTube. I’m now also hankering for the days when I used to play Resident Evil.
There is a brilliant section on zombie anatomy which I particularly enjoyed, especially the descriptions of how the brain works and which areas would have to be damaged to create the different types of zombie. I wasn’t so enamoured of his ‘fighting the undead’ chapter (though this isn’t the fault of the author). I found the array of devastatingly lethal weapons that people can own, just for the fun of it, rather disturbing.
The content then lightens up again and covers one man’s ten year search for the lost recipe of the Zombie cocktail. It then moves on to zombie walks, zombie runs (which sound like an absolute hoot), and zombie weddings.
The book is full of interesting snippets of information, such as how Michael Jackson’s Thriller video was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for its ‘cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance’. I was also astonished to find that one of my favourite films, The Night Of The Living Dead, was first screened as a kids’ matinee. It’s a groundbreaking and heartbreaking film and I generally watch it from behind the sofa.
I also appreciated the book starting with the voodoo history. I think it’s a shame that the origins of zombies are pretty much unknown by current generations who have been brought up on the ‘rage’ variety. I’ve always felt that the possibility of this process actually being inflicted on real, living people is far more interesting than the fictional offshoots.
While I enjoyed the informal style of writing, sometimes it got a bit too informal and more standardisation was needed with numbers and quotes. Sometimes he wrote years as numbers and at other times as words. The rule for quotes is that in the US, basic punctuation goes inside the quote. In the UK, it goes outside. So both are acceptable depending on your origins and your audience, but you have to pick one or the other. Robertson’s quotes had a somewhat international flavour at times. There were also problems with apostrophes and italics, and he muddled Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter with Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies and came up with Abe Lincoln, Zombie Hunter.
In summary, it’s an enjoyable book and I know quite a few people who would be delighted to find it in their stocking on Christmas morning. However, because of the grammar problems, I can only give it 3 out of 4 stars.
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The Ultimate Guide to Zombies
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