Any Zombie novels with a 'twist'?

GlenBarrington · 05-13-2018, 08:36 AM

I'm looking for something that doesn't replicate "The Walking Dead" Universe, but just changes the names of the characters and the location. I'm a bit tired of running, kill a zombie, run some more, kill a zombie, hide, meet some bad humans, turn them into zombies, run . . .

I kind of liked Bobby Adair's Slow Burn series. But the fun there was it was set in Austin TX, a town I know somewhat (and a town, "Fear the Walking Dead shoots from, or at least did. That's their Baseball stadium). But Slow Burn started to skirt close to TWD, and got a bit repetitive as well.

Is something different even possible? I'm open to almost anything, otherwise. maybe a less open ended series?

haertig · 05-13-2018, 11:27 AM

You might try "Warm Bodies". I have the eBook but haven't read it yet. But I saw the movie, and it was quite good IMHO. So I can stay the story is very entertaining, but what I can't say is how well the book is written. The movie was done well. Definitely fits your desire for a different kind of zombie story.

Adoby · 05-13-2018, 11:30 AM

John Ringo, The Black Tide Rising series.

A family gets an early warning and bugs out by sea by maxing out all credit to rent and provision a nice boat.

A lot of grueling clearing of ships from zombies with a teenage girl finding out she is VERY good at it. "The Walking Dead" crossed with "The Last Ship" crossed with "Buffy". Sort of...

haertig · 05-13-2018, 11:33 AM

You could also try "The Zombie Survival Guide" by Max Brooks. I really enjoyed that book. It's not a novel, but rather a survival manual on how to plan and make it through a zombie invasion. Of course it is tongue in cheek, but it is written as dead serious. Which is what makes it so fun. You'll find yourself reading along, nodding your head in agreement, adding the latest bit of wisdom that you just read to your mental plan, then start snickering to yourself as you realize, "Hey wait, we're talking about zombies here". It's a fun read.

elaysee · 05-13-2018, 11:48 AM

Zombie Inc. by Christine Dougherty:

Quote:

Twenty-five years after the deadly plague, the United Five State Republic's most successful company, Zombie, Inc., is in trouble. Will a simple case of dwindling supply and lessening demand be the end of them or will Zombie, Inc. find a way, however unpalatable, to survive?

A KU title. Not a complete success for me, but definitely an interesting variant on how the apocalypse could play out.

Abtacha · 05-13-2018, 01:49 PM

I liked Feed by Mira Grant, book 1 of her Newsflesh trilogy (haven't gotten around to reading the rest, but plan to).
The Zombie "Apocalypse" happened 20 years ago, so it is not about a group struggling to survive. The zombies came, we didn't magically forget everything zombie books and movies taught us :P , so life continues somewhat normally at least in the protected cities and towns.
The story is a political thriller about a group of news bloggers (freelance bloggers pretty much replaced traditional journalists after the Rise of the Zs) following a presidential candidate during the electoral campaign.

GlenBarrington · 05-13-2018, 02:49 PM

These are some seriously good suggestions! If anyone has any more suggestions, I'm open!

hildea · 05-14-2018, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abtacha

I liked Feed by Mira Grant, book 1 of her Newsflesh trilogy (haven't gotten around to reading the rest, but plan to).

I agree, it's really good. So is the rest of the triology.

Another really good one: Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland.
At the battle of Gettysburg, the dead started walking. North and South quickly found an uncomfortable peace, and turned to fight the new enemy. And when people are needed for a dangerous, unpleasant job, those who are seen as most expendable tend to be sent to the front line.
Jane McKeene attends Miss Preston’s School of Combat for Negro Girls. Fighting shamblers is no joke, especially when you're not allowed to have guns, but the shamblers are slow and stupid, and your scythes are sharp. The really scary danger is the white men watching from the barricades, who might decide to shoot you if they think that a shambler has bit you, or the scientist who needs a "volunteer" to test a cure, or the white ladies who might hire you to protect them, only to have you sent to the front if they decide you act too uppity.

Fidney · 05-14-2018, 10:09 AM

For a different take try "The Girl With All The Gifts" by M.R. Carey.

GlenBarrington · 05-14-2018, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hildea

I agree, it's really good. So is the rest of the triology.

Another really good one: Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland.
At the battle of Gettysburg, the dead started walking. North and South quickly found an uncomfortable peace, and turned to fight the new enemy. And when people are needed for a dangerous, unpleasant job, those who are seen as most expendable tend to be sent to the front line.
Jane McKeene attends Miss Preston’s School of Combat for Negro Girls. Fighting shamblers is no joke, especially when you're not allowed to have guns, but the shamblers are slow and stupid, and your scythes are sharp. The really scary danger is the white men watching from the barricades, who might decide to shoot you if they think that a shambler has bit you, or the scientist who needs a "volunteer" to test a cure, or the white ladies who might hire you to protect them, only to have you sent to the front if they decide you act too uppity.

Oh Man! That sounds VERY good!

Tarana · 05-14-2018, 10:52 AM

Yes, The Reanimation of Edward Schuett by Derek Goodman. I have it available to loan to one person on Amazon (If you don't want it Glen, then the first person who requests via PM). I also have the audiobook, but I don't know how lending works with Audible.

This guy has been a zombie for 50 years and then, amazingly becomes human again.

ametzler · 05-14-2018, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

I'm looking for something that doesn't replicate "The Walking Dead" Universe, but just changes the names of the characters and the location. I'm a bit tired of running, kill a zombie, run some more, kill a zombie, hide, meet some bad humans, turn them into zombies, run . . .

I kind of liked Bobby Adair's Slow Burn series. But the fun there was it was set in Austin TX, a town I know somewhat (and a town, "Fear the Walking Dead shoots from, or at least did. That's their Baseball stadium). But Slow Burn started to skirt close to TWD, and got a bit repetitive as well.

Is something different even possible? I'm open to almost anything, otherwise. maybe a less open ended series?

Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory. Strongly recommended.

Dazrin · 05-14-2018, 01:06 PM

I enjoyed the Variant Effect series by G. Wells Taylor. It is set several years after a zombie outbreak has been stopped. The first one is free at Amazon.

Quote:

VARION was a popular medication that could cure anything from Anxiety and Depression to Schizophrenia and Zoophagia. Everybody took it back in the day, because there were no side effects... ...AT FIRST. By the time they learned about the Variant Effect it was too late.

The old building in a rundown part of Metro was a perfect place to find a body, but they wouldn't have dragged Joe Borland out of retirement if it still had its skin. It's been 20 years since Borland battled the Variant Effect, and 20 since he let his partner get skinned alive. Now both of them are ordered back into action to meet a terrifying new threat.

Penforhire · 05-15-2018, 04:49 PM

I'll put up Jonathan Maberry's Rot and Ruin series. I think I've read the first three.

ZodWallop · 05-15-2018, 05:50 PM

I tend to prefer my zombie stories without the twist. George Romero got the formula right in my opinion.

Having said that, one very popular zombie book is Brian Keene's The Rising. I abandoned it, but I appear to be in the minority.

A father is hunkered down, trying to survive the zombie apocalypse, as you do. His wife and son are out and he's given them up for dead until he receives a phone call that sends him on the road to find his son.

Another one that is different is David Wellington's Monster Island. It's basically Escape From New York if the prisoners were zombies.

If you don't mind reading comics, you might like iZombie. The series deals with Gwen Dylan, a zombie gravedigger in Eugene, Oregon and her friends Ellie, a 1960s ghost, and Scott, a were-terrier.

Gwen can pass for a regular girl, but she needs to eat a brain once a month to keep from losing her memories and intelligence. When she consumes their brains she "inherits" part of the deceased's thoughts.

iZombie was turned into a TV series, but I never watched it.

05-13-2018, 08:36 AM	#1
GlenBarrington Cheese Whiz Posts: 1,986 Karma: 11677147 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Springfield, Illinois Device: Kindle PW, Samsung Tab A 10.1(2019), Pixel 6a.	Any Zombie novels with a 'twist'? I'm looking for something that doesn't replicate "The Walking Dead" Universe, but just changes the names of the characters and the location. I'm a bit tired of running, kill a zombie, run some more, kill a zombie, hide, meet some bad humans, turn them into zombies, run . . . I kind of liked Bobby Adair's Slow Burn series. But the fun there was it was set in Austin TX, a town I know somewhat (and a town, "Fear the Walking Dead shoots from, or at least did. That's their Baseball stadium). But Slow Burn started to skirt close to TWD, and got a bit repetitive as well. Is something different even possible? I'm open to almost anything, otherwise. maybe a less open ended series?

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05-13-2018, 11:27 AM	#2
haertig Wizard Posts: 1,939 Karma: 34855886 Join Date: Sep 2017 Device: PW3, Galaxy Tab A9+, Moto G7	You might try "Warm Bodies". I have the eBook but haven't read it yet. But I saw the movie, and it was quite good IMHO. So I can stay the story is very entertaining, but what I can't say is how well the book is written. The movie was done well. Definitely fits your desire for a different kind of zombie story.

05-13-2018, 11:30 AM	#3
Adoby Handy Elephant Posts: 1,737 Karma: 26785684 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Southern Sweden, far out in the quiet woods Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra	John Ringo, The Black Tide Rising series. A family gets an early warning and bugs out by sea by maxing out all credit to rent and provision a nice boat. A lot of grueling clearing of ships from zombies with a teenage girl finding out she is VERY good at it. "The Walking Dead" crossed with "The Last Ship" crossed with "Buffy". Sort of...

05-13-2018, 11:33 AM	#4
haertig Wizard Posts: 1,939 Karma: 34855886 Join Date: Sep 2017 Device: PW3, Galaxy Tab A9+, Moto G7	You could also try "The Zombie Survival Guide" by Max Brooks. I really enjoyed that book. It's not a novel, but rather a survival manual on how to plan and make it through a zombie invasion. Of course it is tongue in cheek, but it is written as dead serious. Which is what makes it so fun. You'll find yourself reading along, nodding your head in agreement, adding the latest bit of wisdom that you just read to your mental plan, then start snickering to yourself as you realize, "Hey wait, we're talking about zombies here". It's a fun read.

05-13-2018, 01:49 PM	#6
Abtacha Addict Posts: 333 Karma: 6220000 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Germany Device: Kobo Aura HD	I liked Feed by Mira Grant, book 1 of her Newsflesh trilogy (haven't gotten around to reading the rest, but plan to). The Zombie "Apocalypse" happened 20 years ago, so it is not about a group struggling to survive. The zombies came, we didn't magically forget everything zombie books and movies taught us :P , so life continues somewhat normally at least in the protected cities and towns. The story is a political thriller about a group of news bloggers (freelance bloggers pretty much replaced traditional journalists after the Rise of the Zs) following a presidential candidate during the electoral campaign.

05-13-2018, 02:49 PM	#7
GlenBarrington Cheese Whiz Posts: 1,986 Karma: 11677147 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Springfield, Illinois Device: Kindle PW, Samsung Tab A 10.1(2019), Pixel 6a.	These are some seriously good suggestions! If anyone has any more suggestions, I'm open!

05-14-2018, 10:09 AM	#9
Fidney Enthusiast Posts: 26 Karma: 490330 Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Staffordshire, UK Device: Kindle Paperwhite (10th Gen), Kindle Paperwhite (7th Gen)	For a different take try "The Girl With All The Gifts" by M.R. Carey.

05-14-2018, 10:52 AM	#11
Tarana Wizard Posts: 4,061 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	Yes, The Reanimation of Edward Schuett by Derek Goodman. I have it available to loan to one person on Amazon (If you don't want it Glen, then the first person who requests via PM). I also have the audiobook, but I don't know how lending works with Audible. This guy has been a zombie for 50 years and then, amazingly becomes human again.

05-15-2018, 04:49 PM	#14
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	I'll put up Jonathan Maberry's Rot and Ruin series. I think I've read the first three.

05-15-2018, 05:50 PM	#15
ZodWallop Gentleman and scholar Posts: 11,499 Karma: 111164374 Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Space City, Texas Device: Clara BW; Nook ST w/Glowlight, Paperwhite 3	I tend to prefer my zombie stories without the twist. George Romero got the formula right in my opinion. Having said that, one very popular zombie book is Brian Keene's The Rising. I abandoned it, but I appear to be in the minority. A father is hunkered down, trying to survive the zombie apocalypse, as you do. His wife and son are out and he's given them up for dead until he receives a phone call that sends him on the road to find his son. Another one that is different is David Wellington's Monster Island. It's basically Escape From New York if the prisoners were zombies. If you don't mind reading comics, you might like iZombie. The series deals with Gwen Dylan, a zombie gravedigger in Eugene, Oregon and her friends Ellie, a 1960s ghost, and Scott, a were-terrier. Gwen can pass for a regular girl, but she needs to eat a brain once a month to keep from losing her memories and intelligence. When she consumes their brains she "inherits" part of the deceased's thoughts. iZombie was turned into a TV series, but I never watched it.