I love zombies. Like many of us do. I love the idea of the dead rising to dominate the world and how the living have to work together, or alone to survive on the rotting earth. Zombies have made it to the four big entertainment sectors: films, TV shows, books and videogames so one might think that there's nothing left to explore in the zombified genre. Despite their age, zombies are still popular but, I do wish they'd get a bit more interesting.
I wrote a zombie book once. I'd have to rewrite it if I wanted to do something with it but, the idea I had was that the zombies were blind and they had hyper-sensitive hearing which I liked to think gave a tactical edge to the survivors. Wandering, lumbering and dim-witted zoms have been done before and are still popular (look at 'The Walking Dead') but, I like zombies to have some character to them. '28 Days Later' had it right I thought. In those films, they were known as the 'Infected' and all it took was one smidgen of DNA (saliva or blood) to touch the skin of a healthy guy and they'd contract the 'Rage Virus'. Also, what I liked most of all, the 'Infected' sprint which is bloody terrifying when we're used to slow walking undead. The intro to '28 Months Later' is the scariest example of that, not to mention the bit when you see a character turn.
I just finished the book, 'The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury' and I'll be honest, the beginning didn't grab me. It was traditional zombie fare with an attack on a survivor camp and typical survivor characters. In fact, I gave up on the show halfway through series 4 since it does nothing interesting with the genre and the characters have become stale and uninteresting. Even Daryl and Rick have lost their touch. The books are good though, sure, they don't add anything new either, apart from a few scenes involving carnival zombies full of midgets, giants and clowns which makes for an exciting chapter. I've not read the comics but, I've heard great things. I do wonder though why the show is so dreary in comparison. Maybe a change of scenery could help. I can't all stay in Georgia, right?
I'm tempted to write a zombie story but, if I did then I'd have to do something different. I wouldn't want to write the typical story of survivors and to be honest, I'd rather write something else in post-apocalyptic fiction instead of zombies. Maybe I could write another zombie novel but, the post-apocalypse is so rich with ideas and potential, all you've got to do is add your own fingerprint to it. There are plenty of videogames that make the post-apocalyptic world their own such as: 'Fallout', 'Metro' and 'The Last of Us' so we know it can be done. Obviously, there are loads of books too that have amazing post-apocalyptic worlds such as: 'The Stand' and 'I Am Legend'.
People love zombies and zombies love people. 'The Walking Dead' is incredibly popular, both games, books, TV and comics and I love to read about zombies. I'm yet to read 'World War Z' and I've been advised to avoid the movie. I've always wondered what I'd do when the INEVITABLE zombie outbreak starts and there's more than enough source material out there to train the mind.
So, grab a baseball bat, smack some nails into the tip and attach an electrical unit to it- 'Dead Island' style and cut through zombies with a grin. And, remember that although gunshots attract the horde, tank cannons don't. 'Walking Dead' logic. And, don't camp out in farms. And call the undead by its name: Zombie. Not Walker. Or Biter. Or Lamebrain.
Songs of the Week:
I wrote a zombie book once. I'd have to rewrite it if I wanted to do something with it but, the idea I had was that the zombies were blind and they had hyper-sensitive hearing which I liked to think gave a tactical edge to the survivors. Wandering, lumbering and dim-witted zoms have been done before and are still popular (look at 'The Walking Dead') but, I like zombies to have some character to them. '28 Days Later' had it right I thought. In those films, they were known as the 'Infected' and all it took was one smidgen of DNA (saliva or blood) to touch the skin of a healthy guy and they'd contract the 'Rage Virus'. Also, what I liked most of all, the 'Infected' sprint which is bloody terrifying when we're used to slow walking undead. The intro to '28 Months Later' is the scariest example of that, not to mention the bit when you see a character turn.
I just finished the book, 'The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury' and I'll be honest, the beginning didn't grab me. It was traditional zombie fare with an attack on a survivor camp and typical survivor characters. In fact, I gave up on the show halfway through series 4 since it does nothing interesting with the genre and the characters have become stale and uninteresting. Even Daryl and Rick have lost their touch. The books are good though, sure, they don't add anything new either, apart from a few scenes involving carnival zombies full of midgets, giants and clowns which makes for an exciting chapter. I've not read the comics but, I've heard great things. I do wonder though why the show is so dreary in comparison. Maybe a change of scenery could help. I can't all stay in Georgia, right?
I'm tempted to write a zombie story but, if I did then I'd have to do something different. I wouldn't want to write the typical story of survivors and to be honest, I'd rather write something else in post-apocalyptic fiction instead of zombies. Maybe I could write another zombie novel but, the post-apocalypse is so rich with ideas and potential, all you've got to do is add your own fingerprint to it. There are plenty of videogames that make the post-apocalyptic world their own such as: 'Fallout', 'Metro' and 'The Last of Us' so we know it can be done. Obviously, there are loads of books too that have amazing post-apocalyptic worlds such as: 'The Stand' and 'I Am Legend'.
People love zombies and zombies love people. 'The Walking Dead' is incredibly popular, both games, books, TV and comics and I love to read about zombies. I'm yet to read 'World War Z' and I've been advised to avoid the movie. I've always wondered what I'd do when the INEVITABLE zombie outbreak starts and there's more than enough source material out there to train the mind.
So, grab a baseball bat, smack some nails into the tip and attach an electrical unit to it- 'Dead Island' style and cut through zombies with a grin. And, remember that although gunshots attract the horde, tank cannons don't. 'Walking Dead' logic. And, don't camp out in farms. And call the undead by its name: Zombie. Not Walker. Or Biter. Or Lamebrain.
Songs of the Week:
- 'Blackwater Park' by Opeth
- 'Deliverance' by Opeth
- 'Master's Apprentice' by Opeth
- 'Crossfire' by Brandon Flowers
- 'A Dustland Fairytale' by The Killers