Sunday Arts Section (SAS) Book club members who are into our current book choice, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks, can testify just how easy it is to fall for zombie literature. Many sophisticated readers might think that zombie literature is silly, but the authors who write about these creatures are serious authors in their own right.
These authors are dedicated to following the guidelines that define zombie literature. They know that zombies–along with vampires and werewolves–address important conflicts that define all of our lives, namely mortality vs immortality and morality vs immorality.
Zombies are not simply the latest reading craze. They have always been with us. There are references to the "undead" as far back as Gilgamesh, the oldest written story, which dates back to the 18th century BC. Gilgamesh was written in cuneiform on clay tablets discovered in Sumeria.
One of the early, important zombie novels was a 1929 novel set in Haiti entitled The Magic Island by WB Seabrook. An article by Time magazine claimed that it was this book that introduced the word zombie into American language.
Renowned authors such as Edgar Allan Poe and Ambrose Bierce wrote zombie tales. HG Wells wrote a zombie novel, The Shape of Things to Come, which was turned into a zombie film, Things to Come, in 1936. Stephen King has delved into zombie literature as well.
If you're interested in zombies, check out these Web sites:
�2 The Ten Best Books About Zombies is a Web site that provides an annotated bibliography on the best zombie books at gfbrobot.com/2011/11/15/top-ten-books-about-zombies/. Comments by avid readers make this an interactive site chockfull of useful information for choosing your next zombie read.
�2 At tor.com you'll find another annotated bibliography and a useful blog on zombie books. Check it out at tor.com/blogs/2012/11/15-essential-zombie-reads.
�2 Amazon.com features its own list of the 25 top zombie books at amazon.com/Best-Zombie-Books-Ever/lm/RNAQ505TNQMI5.
�2 Barnes and Noble features the 13 best zombie books released in 2011 at bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Explorations-The-BN-SciFi-and/The-Best-Zombie-Fiction-Releases-of-2011/ba-p/1234362.
�2 Max Brooks, author of A Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z, has a Web site featuring information about his books. There is a question and answer section and a place for readers to check for any news about Brooks or his books at maxbrookszombieworld.com/.
�2 The Hollywood Reporter has an official movie trailer for World War Z starring Brad Pitt, which is due to be released this June. There are also pictures and information about the movie at hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/world-war-z-trailer-released-387893.
�2 One of my favourite sites on the topic is a history of zombie literature and zombie movies:
bestzombiebooks.com/a_history_of_zombie_literature.htm. If you get into zombie literature, you'll want to know your history, starting with the definitive zombie book, the father of all zombie books, Frankenstein.
Good writers and avid readers have never been afraid of tackling zombies. Join us on the SAS Book Club page on Facebook to share your literary experiences with zombie literature.
Next week: Why Frankenstein, the first zombie story, is an important milestone in literature.