World War Z, hands down. I have turned a dozen people into WWZ fans, and the one negative comment I read on here is the first criticism I've ever heard. I think it is brilliant, not just as a zombie book, or even as a horror book - it is also just a great book.


http://amzn.com/0307888681

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGzFaENzhf8&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL132A1A73FC312102

 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/world-war-z/id422436697?mt=11

http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B002V8DH36&qid=1320474117&sr=1-1

 

I absolutely love zombie novels and I fully supoort World War Z as a good first zombie read. However, a few runner ups are: Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne and Plague of the Dead by Z.A. Recht. Both of these books have sequels as well. I enjoyed Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen but that's more of a chick flick zombie novel, if that makes any sense. Hope this helps

Zombie Hunter University est. 1968 "We Educate Survivors" lol

 

I read the first two Day by Day Armageddon books and I wish I could have that wasted time back - worst books I've read in a very long time. The guy writes like a mediocre high school student, and his characters are so undeveloped and transparent I spent the whole time hoping they'd all get killed so I could stop reading. I have no idea why I bothered finishing the first one, let alone beginning the second.

I read the Z.A. Recht/Morningstar Books too. Considerably better that DBDA, and a fun, light read, but still not that great. I thought the half of the story devoted to Anna, the agent and the reporter was a huge drag. Sherman and his men were much more entertaining.

WWZ is the way to go.

 

You could try the Newsflesh series by Mira Grant. Its about society after the zombie attack and how maybe our government would rather keep the threat alive and our population controlled....but there are still lots of zombies and its a fairly decent trilogy with two books currently out.

 

I tried the first one, but it didn't hold my interest for very long. You should start a thread.

 

You know... I read that first one... and I wasn't going to read anymore. But my kid started reading them, and he asked for the second in the series and I bought it for him, had it in my car on lunch hour, and my nook was out of juice so I read the second one out of desperation. It actually got me a lot more into this series than the first one did, and now I am really looking forward to the third one.

 

It's gotta be World War Z of The Zombie Survival Guide

 

Thanx for the heads up, my free time is limited and now it WON'T be wasted on Day by Day. Think I'll pick up WWZ tho'! Sounds interesting! My 2 cents for a good book (even though it's not zombies is Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton). It's non-fiction but written in extraordinary page turner style!!

 

Brett, you might like this book, "Swan Song" by Robert McCammon (it's personally one of my faves!). It's not zombies per se, but it is post-apocalyptic and is a real page turner (all 956 pages)!! It is still a quick read though...I couldn't put it down and friggin' love this book! To this day I think the "Sister Creep" character in the book is one of the best fictional characters ever put down on paper!!

 

I'll check it out. I don't read much fiction, but almost all the fiction I do read is apocalyptic. At the moment, I just finished a biography of Otto Von Bismarck, and I'm reading 2 books - The Better Angels of Our Nature, by Steven Pinker - very interesting, about the drastic dropoff in warfare and violeence over the last few centuries, and The White Plague, by Frank Herbert (about a bioweapon plague thing involving the IRA, disappointing so far).

 

I liked this. Not as good as The Stand by Stephen King, but still very good end of the worlds as we know it. Jeez, Strings it's been a while since I read it. Thanks for bringing it up, I think I'll read it again!

 

I still have my well worn copy of "SWan Song", it's a great read! Here's one for you Felicia, albeit very dark & demonic though..."The Dark" by James Herbert. Violent, gory, and all hope is lost for mankind...pretty much just like a zombie parade!! :Grin:

 

well-written, gripping zombie novel

If you like well-written and crafted novels, I recommend Alden Bell's The Angels Are the Reapers. It's a kind of mashup of Romero, The Road, and Winter's Bone. From Publisher's Weekly: "Born into a crumbling society plagued by zombies, all 15-year-old Temple knows is to kill or be killed. When she is assaulted at a safe house, she murders her human attacker, Abraham Todd, and runs from his vengeful brother, Moses. Temple soon acquires a traveling partner, a slow mute by the name of Maury, and begrudgingly takes responsibility for his care, remembering a young boy she swore to protect but couldn't save. Fleeing Moses, the "meatskins," and her own battered conscience, Temple still finds moments of simple joy in the brutal world. Bell (a pseudonym for Joshua Gaylord, author of Hummingbirds) has created an exquisitely bleak tale and an unforgettable heroine whose eye for beauty and aching need for redemption somehow bring wonder into a world full of violence and decay." Great read!

 

Robert McCammon never fails to deliver. Though SWAN SONG isn't my favorite McCammon (that would be BOY'S LIFE), I highly recommend this book. And, if you like it, you have to read King's THE STAND. They're a great pair of post apocalyptic fiction.

 

Flesh eaters by Joe Mckinney is pretty good. World WarZ has its moment, but fails on lots of points for me. Online Adrains Undead dairy is pretty good, even though the ending was sort of anti climactic. some of the stories in the fan fic section are as good or better than AUD LOL.

 

I tried to get into WORLD WAR Z, but just couldn't. Possibly it was my frame-of-mind at the time. I don't know what it was. Still, it's good to see it receiving such love here. Maybe I'll give it another day in court.

 

Here are a few reads I have liked:

BEST: "The Reapers Are the Angels" as someone has mentioned before. If you like Southern Gothic in the vein of Flannery O'Connor, you'll like this book. (No, it ain't Flannery, but who is?) It's not a long read and it's listed as YA; however, I taught it to a college class and the students all found it to be appropriately complex and interesting. GREAT main character named Temple. For an added touch, pair it with "Dust," another YA book. One has a protagonist who is a teen zombie slayer. The other book's protagonist is a teen zombie. If Hit Girl ever enters the ZA, I hope she meets Temple and/or Jessie and finds her kindred spirit(s).

Also great: "Zone One." Most philosophical zombie novel. One of those "not really about the zombies" kick butt zombie books.

In addition, try the very good: "Breathers: A Zombie's Lament" Another book with a zombie protagonist. Although I like "Warm Bodies" despite my better judgment, I can tell you "Breathers" covers a lot of the same ground in a much more satisfying way. Two embalmed thumbs way up for the zombie lament.

"World War Z" is a darn good read, along with the "Survival Guide." For yucks, check out the 'parody' survival guide (by another author) "So Now You're a Zombie."

Should not forget the TWD novels. I rather like "The Rise of the Governor." Not sure the novel series is panning out as interestingly as the comics series, but the novels are worth the read, if for no other reason, to blow your mind out by the increasingly intertwining comics/series/novels multiverse.