13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 1/15

About

D&D Encounters

Eberron

Skill Challenges

Character Library

Character Library – D&D Next

Archive 2013

Archive 2009

Archive 2010Archive 2011

Archive 2012

Dungeon's Master

5 Must-Read Zombie Books

by Ameron (Derek Myers) on February 5, 2010

Vampires, vampires, vampires. I’m getting sick of vampires. There are plenty of other cool undead out there.

We don’t need to spend all of our time focusing on vampires. Take zombies, for example. This week the

movie Zombieland was released on DVD. It’s a great movie that was lost in the shadow of all the vampirehype. Don’t get me wrong, I like vampires, but for monsters that shun bright lights they’re sure spending a lot

of time hogging the spotlight. So move over vampires, and let the zombies have some attention for a while.

My first exposure to zombies in pop culture was through movies. It wasn’t until recently that I started reading

zombie fiction. I was looking for something a little bit more engaging than just people being chased by the

mindless undead. I’d had plenty of that on the big screen. I wanted my zombie story to have some kind of

twist, something that sets it apart from the classic Dawn of the Dead, we’re coming to eat your flesh,zombies. I found exactly what I was looking for in the zombies stories below. Each combines a unique spin

on the zombie genre with an excellent story.

1. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

If you’ve read it you’ll agree that this is the best zombie novel written to date. If you haven’t read it, do

yourself a favour and pick it up immediately. Whether you’re a fan of zombie stories or not, this is a

must read.

13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 2/15

The novel is a collection of “real life” accounts from a diverse cross-section of people on how theysurvived the zombie war. A UN worker interviews as many people as possible to get the most

accurate account of what happened. The interview subjects are from various social and economic

backgrounds, range in age from the very young to the very old, and live in areas spanning the entire

globe.

This is the most realistic zombie story I know of. The people in this book seem real. They act and

behave as you’d expect. There are no heroes, just regular people doing whatever it takes to survive.

Score: 10 on a d10

2. The Rising by Brian Keene

At its heart, The Rising is about a father trying to find his son as the world is overrun by zombies. Inthis reality zombies are not mindless. As people die, their corpses are possessed by entities fromanother dimension. They come to our reality to destroy every living creature, not just mankind. They

are organized and they have a purpose. Their bodies may be dead, but their minds are active. Thesequel is called City of the Dead. It picks up seconds after the events in The Rising. Both are really

good.

Score: 9 on a d10

3. Monster Island: A Zombie Novel by David Wellington

The book begins after the majority of the world’s population is already infected and are zombies. AUN arms inspector and his family were in Africa when the dead began walking. They were lucky

enough to be protected by a ruthless warlord. However, the warlord is sick and the father agrees to

13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 3/15

lead an expedition to the UN building in Manhattan to get AIDS medicine in exchange for his

daughter’s safety.

In New York a terrified medical student knows his chances of survival are slim. He speculates that the

reason zombies are mindless is because their minds and bodies are starved of oxygen between deathand reanimation. He hooks himself up to a ventilator and causes his own death. When he reanimates

he’s amazed and horrified to find out he was right. Although revolted by what he’s become, he getsover it when he realizes that he can exert his will over the mindless drones walking the streets of

Manhattan.

There are two sequels, Monster Nation and Monster Planet. I haven’t read either, but got them bothfor Christmas. If they’re half as good as the first book I’ll be happy.

Score: 9 on a d10

4. The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living

Dead by Max Brooks

Were you a member of the Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts when you were younger? Do you rememberthe Cub Book or the Scout Book. The Zombie survival guide is written in exactly that style. It’s full of

easy to follow, step-by-step instructions on how to complete tasks, and it’s got simple illustrations ofobjects and people performing those tasks.

As I read this I thought that it was a very tongue-and-cheek take on the zombie phenomena. But as I

read more I realized that Brooks is taking his material very, very seriously. He’s not mocking orcondescending. He genuinely believes that when the zombies come, these instructions will save your

life. And you know what, I believe him. I used the tactics and instructions described in The Zombie

Survival Guide to create the Zombie Survival Flowchart.

Because of this book, my wife began researching survival techniques. She’s stocked the basement with

non-perishable food and essential tools. For Christmas last year she got us “go bags” that we could

pick up and run with, just in case. For our anniversary I bought her a crowbar, the most essential and

versatile tool required to survive, according to Brooks. Yes, that’s the kind of power this bookpossesses.

Score: 10 on a d10

13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 4/15

Share this: submit Tweet 1 3LikeStumbleUpon

5. The Walking Dead (Image Comics) by Robert Kirkman and TonyMoore

I’ve only read a few of the early issues of The Walking Dead but it still makes my list. Everyone who

knows me and my love of comics and all things zombie insists that I go back and get caught up on this

series. There are collected trades in hard cover and soft cover available if you’d rather not pick theseup one issue at a time.

The series begins with a small town sheriff who awakens from being in a coma unaware that the

zombie apocalypse has occurred while he was unconscious. He fights to survive while searching for hisfamily. It’s a great story with amazing art.

Score: 9 on a d10

There is plenty of zombie fiction out there. These are just my top 5 recommendations. I’ve heard good things

about Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, but I don’t think it’s something that I can get in to. Keeping in mind that

we’re looking for stories about zombies – not mummies, liches, vampires or any other undead, what zombie

books have you read and enjoyed?

{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Sniderman February 5, 2010 at 10:36 am

Don’t forget The Living Dead – an anthology of zombie tales in Romero’s universe written by big

names like King, Ellison, Barker, Lansdale, etc. Great stuff!http://tinyurl.com/ygszxbv

One note: Two of your books were written by Max Brooks, so another tome may have been

appropriate..-= Sniderman´s last blog ..So Who’s The Newest Member Of The Order Of The D30? =-.

Email

6

13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 5/15

2 Sandman February 5, 2010 at 12:44 pm

The Zombie Survival Guide is also available as an audiobook, I think it’s a good alternative if you have

your MP3 player with you all day like I do. I’ve listened to it and it’s enjoyable too.

Good review by the way.

3 Anythinghorror February 5, 2010 at 2:26 pm

Great list although I go back and forth about just how important World War Z actually is. I did enjoyit, but it’s more of a “human” novel and less a “zombie” novel. Yes its a zombie apocalypse that is the

engine behind the entire novel, but the zombies are very marginalized. There really aren’t many horrific

scenes that will have a horror fan going back and re-reading it over and over again.

I also found the style having a positive and negative effect. The “real life accounts” approach was a

really unique approach. BUT I found that by simply having a guy being interviewed and telling us (the

reader) what happened, it kind of took me out of the story. I was very aware I was reading a bookand never got swept up into the book (unlike another book on your list, The Rising. I was completely

involved and blown away with that one!!!).

World War Z is definitely worth reading and I did enjoy it, but I don’t know if I’d agree that its “thebest zombie novel written to date.” I love your page!! I haven’t played D&D in a long time but would

love to get back into it!!!

.-= Anythinghorror´s last blog ..Blog Update: New Features =-.

4 by_the_sword February 5, 2010 at 3:00 pm

Just wait. Zombies are becoming the new vampires.

5 Mike Greene February 5, 2010 at 4:10 pm

I enjoyed the Max Brooks zombie books, but my favorite zombie fiction novel is The Final Infection

by Charles Clemons. It isn’t cheezy like most I’ve read and even with some blood and gore it wasdone with taste. It’s long, but well worth the read!

6 Spam February 5, 2010 at 4:23 pm

I really enjoyed The Rising…great book, terrible ending….until I found there was a sequel…I’m

looking forward to reading it!

7 Anythinghorror February 5, 2010 at 5:06 pm

13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 6/15

Oh wow Spam …. you must have been PISSED before you found out there was a sequel to it!!! You

read the entire book and get no payoff. I really liked City of the Dead too.

.-= Anythinghorror´s last blog ..Blog Update: New Features =-.

8 inkpenavenger February 5, 2010 at 10:28 pm

Here’s one that’s good for fun:

DEATH TROOPERSIt’s Star Wars zombie novel.

9 Ameron February 8, 2010 at 10:44 pm

@Sniderman

I’ll confess, part of my motivation for writing this article is to get some good recommendations. I’veadded The Living Dead anthology to the wish list. Thank you.

The reason I have two books from Max Brooks on the list is because I haven’t read a lot of other

zombie fiction I’d recommend. Besides, I felt they both earned a place on my short-list.

@Sandman

You’re not the first one to recommend the Zombie Survival Guide (or World War Z) as an audiobook. From what I’ve heard it lets you experience the stories in a whole new way.

@Anythinghorror

It was the human take that appealed to me so much when I read this. Knowing that these were all

stories told after the fact didn’t bother me, but I can see how it could ruin any suspense.

@by_the_sword

I’d be ok with that.

@Mike Greene

Thanks for the recommendation. I’ve added The Final Infection to my wish list.

@Spam

I think Anythinghorror said it better than I ever could.

@inkpenavengerI got Death Troopers for Christmas but I haven’t read it yet. I’m looking forward to it.

10 Torsin February 25, 2010 at 8:26 am

Heya, thought I’d weigh in as Zombies are my passion also!

(Find me anything zombie related, good or bad, and I’ll give it a try!)

Firstly, I definitely agree with WWZ, Zombie Survival Guide (own both) and Monster Nation as

excellent books. I understand the sentiment about WWZ being human focused, but I like that it focuses

13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 7/15

on quite a lot of small stories in the overarching apocalypse, whilst also maintaining the realism feel

Brookes was after.

I have a couple of reading suggestions as well, firstly Day By Day Armageddon. Similar to WWZ, but

a personal account and very well done, keeps you engrossed. I was disappointed with the ending (it

basically just stops) but there is supposedly a sequel. If there is, that’ll probably improve it’s

enjoyability! Still a good book though.

The other I would suggest is getting the Mammoth Book of Zombie Comics.I got given it as a present for my last birthday (Zombie presents = win) and it’s pretty damn good. It’s

got 18 comics, some long, some very short. About half are meh/average, about a third are good, the

rest are very good and one is absolute GOLD! The longest comic in it is by far the most superior,

incredibly beautiful artwork, great characters and development, fully engrossing and just overall very

well put together.

I’d recommend the whole book just for that comic! (That comic is called “Dead Eyes Open” by

Matthew Shepard (story) and Roy Boney Jr (artist))

Well that’s my input, definitely enjoy reading all the articles on here (I’m a lurker!)

11 floppinfish September 5, 2010 at 3:34 am

I have read WWZ, its a great book. But there are other great zombie books too. Like Brains a zombie

memoir. Thats a good book. Also Patient Zero. Thats a awesome book and I cant believe it hardly

gets mentioned. Both day by day armageddon books are great. The rising and city of the dead by

brian keene are on my list of favs. Both plague of the dead books are good reads. Its a shame the

author died. I believe he was 26. rip. I hear they are still going to finish his 3rd book by going from his

notes he left behind.

12 Pithyoneliner January 31, 2011 at 8:35 am

I think overall there are two kinds of Zombie book, ‘the epic’ such as ‘World War Z’ or ‘Zombie

Apocalypse’ which cover the global scale of the pandemic. And the other type which is the ‘lone bandof survivors get picked off one by one’. I’d recommend ‘Day by Day Armageddon’ (by JL Bourne) as

a good example of the latter.

Although with ‘the walking dead’ Zombies finally have a TV show (and excellent it is too) so I can see

where ‘by_the_sword’s coming from, but I don’t agree that Zombies will become the new Vampires,

Zombies are just way cooler:

1) No teenage girl wants a zombie boyfriend (Twilight has a lot to answer for…)

2) Zombies don’t putz around, any zombie scenario involves them wiping out the human race not living

peacefully amongst us drinking synthetic blood. Zombies do not negotiate, compromise or retreat, they

just eat your head.

3) Extreme killability. Think about the average body count of any Zombie movie, and compare to any

vampire movie… Zombies individually are pretty crap and you can easily make the die (I’m talking

about good old fashioned ‘lurchers’ here, not Dawn of the Dead remake ‘sprinters’). So the zombie

genre gets to have fun with killing 100s with a lawnmower (Braindead) before the human race finallysuccumbs…

13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 8/15

I think we will see an increase in zombie books, movies and shows, but I hope there will NEVER be a

Twilight with Zombies

13 Left4Dead March 21, 2011 at 8:51 am

You all forgot:

Day by day by j.l bourne

Beyond exhile by j.l bourne

Rot and ruin by jonathan maberry

14 Baxter July 27, 2011 at 7:11 pm

So, I was looking for a good zombie books I haven’t read yet, and I stumbled on this page, and I’ve

read (and liked) three of the five books on the list that I’ve already read and were good, so I picked

up a copy of The Rising.

I’ve seen the comments and (with all due respect) I don’t understand the appeal. It’s corny and I can’t

tell if it’s supposed to be a comedy or if it’s just really really awful dialogue (it’s like a cross betweenPower Rangers and Hercules The Legendary Journeys).

15 Danielle May 1, 2012 at 2:15 am

Hello All,

I must say I’m a fan of Max Brooks, especially his survival guide. WWZ was innovative and a fun read

but seemed to lack characters for me to care about but I enjoyed the whole atmosphere of it. Clearly a

must have for zombie fans. Can’t wait for the movie!!!

I read an indie zombie book that is a very unusual twist on the zombie genre and was really amazing. It

kept me guessing and I highly recommend it to everyone I talk to that loves zombies so I thought Iwould pass this thought on. Z Strain by Rutger Klamor is a well crafted story that keeps one guessing

and was just amazing fun. I can’t recommend it higher to those willing to try something new. Please,

check it out and I’d love to hear what you think about it.

Yours in zombie mayham spirit!

Danielle

16 Hammerogod August 31, 2012 at 1:53 am

Mark Tufo’s “Zombie Fallout” and Ben Tripp’s “Rise Again” are the best Zombie (Apocalypse)

Fiction available.

Tufo’s 6 Book series (with book 7 due out in a few days) has some of the most devastating horror I

13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 9/15

have ever read and the characters jump off the page.

Horror AND Humor the way nobody else has done it.

People you care about as you read, situations that you can put yourself into.

Tufo has put together a masterpiece of Zombie thrills.

10/10 Zombie fiction.

Tripp’s RA is also about as good as it gets

10/10

Another extremely well written and engrossing series is Z.A. Recht’s 2 part “Plague of the Dead” and

“Thunder and Ashes”.

It will leave you panting.

I cannot say enough good things about these books.

17 Avril McCormack November 4, 2012 at 3:44 am

A great zombie book is the Zombie Fallout series.

Could not put it down.

Read more: http://www.istumbledupon.com/zombie-fallout-6-til-death-do-us-part-volume-6/

18 Can'tWaitToKillTheDead December 19, 2012 at 9:34 pm

I started reading zombie books and pretty much anything related about 5 years ago and I personally

think WWZ was pretty lame. It had it’s moments but for the most part like another reviewer said I was

well aware I was reading. Some books I get so sucked into it I jump when I hear the stairs squeak.My favorite book to date is Day By Day Armageddon I love the way this book is put together. The

second book is okay but still worth reading. The third book is coming out after Christmas so I am

pretty pumped about it.

19 mile137 January 28, 2013 at 1:02 am

I loved this brand new zombie novel on amazon kindle called ” The Nanobot Conspiracy: Fear The

Dead”. Great story lines,subplots,characters and the zombie virus just went super high tech in this gem.

Don’t want to ruin it for the rest in this must read zombie apocalypse. I hope Hollywood makes a

movie out of this one. wow… I left a link for this 1st book in a series. Enjoy

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWZ2V0K

Leave a Comment

Name *

E-mail *

13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 10/15

Website

Submit

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

{ 1 trackback }

7 Tips For Running an All-Zombie Campaign — Dungeon's Master

Previous post: 300th Post: Creating King Leonidas

Next post: LFR Magic Item Treasure Bundle List (Part 2)

Pre-Generated Character Library

Need a level 1 character?

Visit our Pre-Generated Character Library

Need a D&D Next character?

Visit our D&D Next Pre-Generated Character Library

Maps

Need a map? Visit one of our map galleries.

D&D Encounters Map Gallery

Lair Assault Map Gallery

13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 11/15

Categories

Adventure Hooks (36)

Adventures (4)

Book Reviews (40)

Class Discussions (42)

D&D Encounters (209)D&D Next (22)

Dark Sun (25)

DM Resources (390)

Eberron (44)Editorial (307)

Friday Favourites (37)Humour (51)

Month in Review (48)Player Resources (269)

Skill Challenges (95)Technology (12)Top 10 (24)

Archives

February 2014 (4)

January 2014 (9)December 2013 (22)

November 2013 (12)October 2013 (10)September 2013 (9)

August 2013 (14)July 2013 (14)

June 2013 (13)May 2013 (16)

April 2013 (32)March 2013 (11)February 2013 (12)

January 2013 (6)December 2012 (19)

AustralianBookshop Salebooktopia.com.au/Online-B…

Up to 80% off. Warehouse

Sale Now. Save Money On

Bestselling Books.

13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 12/15

November 2012 (10)

October 2012 (13)September 2012 (11)

August 2012 (16)July 2012 (13)

June 2012 (13)May 2012 (15)April 2012 (11)

March 2012 (18)February 2012 (21)

January 2012 (22)December 2011 (28)

November 2011 (22)October 2011 (22)

September 2011 (24)August 2011 (23)July 2011 (22)

June 2011 (24)May 2011 (22)

April 2011 (22)March 2011 (23)

February 2011 (19)January 2011 (25)December 2010 (28)

November 2010 (23)October 2010 (20)

September 2010 (21)August 2010 (24)

July 2010 (22)June 2010 (24)May 2010 (22)

April 2010 (22)March 2010 (25)

February 2010 (20)January 2010 (21)

December 2009 (32)November 2009 (23)October 2009 (23)

September 2009 (21)August 2009 (24)

July 2009 (24)June 2009 (27)

May 2009 (23)April 2009 (22)March 2009 (26)

February 2009 (28)January 2009 (2)

13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 13/15

Polls

Which villain from Murder in Baldur’s Gate ended up becoming the Chosen of Bhaal at yourtable?

Silvershield Ravengard Rilsa Rael

One of the PCs

Vote

View Results

Blogroll

At WillBig Ball of No Fun

13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 14/15

Q-Workshop…

Q Workshop (J…

$34.49

Halls of Unde…

Wizards RPG T…

$20.79

Game of Thr…

Emilia C lark, …

$44.99

Into the Unk…

RPG Team, Lo…

$22.33

Menzoberran…

Brian R. James…

$23.34

The Hobbit: …

Ian McKellen, …

$15.00

Ed Greenwoo…

Wizards RPG T…

$27.74

Player's Opti…

Wizards RPG T…

$22.60

Critical HitsDice Monkey

IcosahedrophiliaIn the Eye of the Beholder

Newbie DMQuesting GMRPG Blog II

Sly FlourishSpirits of Eden

StonewerksThe Fine Art of the TPK

The Middle-Aged DMThe Red Box Blog

Essential Items

13/2/2014 5 Must-Read Zombie Books — Dungeon's Master

http://dungeonsmaster.com/2010/02/5-must-read-zombie-books/ 15/15

Privacy

Polyhedral 7…

C hessex

$6.32

3.75X4" Blac…

Koplow Games…

$5.25

Get smart with the Thesis WordPress Theme from DIYthemes.

WordPress Admin

Podcast powered by podPress v8.8.10.17