The zombie--popular culture's undead darling--shows no signs of stopping. But as it develops to suit changing audience tastes, its characteristics transform. This collection of new essays examines the latest incarnation, the romantic zombie, a re-humanized monster we want to help, heal and connect with rather than destroy. The authors discuss our increasingly sympathetic view of the reanimated dead as more than physical bodies devoid of life and personality. Their essays cover a range of topics, including audience obsession with Apocalyptic love; the problem of a kinder, gentler undead; the millennial reinvention of the "sexy zombie"; and "uncanny valley romance."

Hear What the Critics are Saying "This book was very provocative and Deliciously Entertaining!" -Mary Jones -Valley Daily News “A must read; Zombie Stripper is a very Interesting and Sexy Book.” -Judy B. Cohen –Elite Media Group “Wow, what an Amazing Book; I enjoyed it very much. If you love zombies, then you’ll love this book!” -Dave Baker -Book Bloggers of America “Zombie Stripper was a very fun and entertaining book to read. I give it Ten Thumbs Up!” -Debra Eisner -Literary Times Inc. “My favorite Book this year; so far I have read more than eight. Highly Recommend.” -Emma Righter -Writers United Group “Very interesting story and a definite must read; I highly recommend this book. Five Stars All The Way.” -Carl Mosner –Readers Cove Unlimited “This book reminded me why I fell in love with reading in the first place; thank you Mr. Harding for making such an amazing and Sexy Zombie Book. Keep up with the great storytelling.” -Lee Ratner –Daily Media Trends, Inc. Editorial Review Zombie Stripper in itself is a journey. By the end of the book, you will feel like you have gone on an emotional and sexy rollercoaster. This was great horror erotica book told from the zombie’s point of view. Zombie Stripper will leave you begging for more. It’s deliciously entertaining and sexy all rolled up into one book. Awesome Zombie Book! Jim S. Stein About the Book Welcome to the year 2565. This is a world without life, a world devoid of almost everything . . . except zombies. Meet Mackenzie Grace; she’s a stripper with a heart of gold and a killer body to match. Oh yeah, she’s also a zombie. In this erotic tale, we get to see life through the eyes of this undead Cinderella. Will she have to slaughter the innocent to save her way of life? Will she find love in this post apocalyptic new world? Jump into the unknown and you will find out . . . (zombie romance, zombie romance free, zombie romance novels, zombie romance books, free zombie romance, zombie romance fiction) [zombie romance]

Themes of faith and religion have been threaded through popular representations of the zombie so often that they now seem inextricably linked. Whether as mindless servants to a Vodou Bokor or as evidence of the impending apocalypse, the ravenous undead have long captured something of society's relationships with spirituality, religion and belief. By the start of the 21st century, religious beliefs are as varied as the many manifestations of the zombie itself, and both themes intersect with various ideological, environmental and even post-human concerns.This book surveys the various modern religious associations in zombie media. Some characters believe that the undead are part of God's plan, others theorize that the environment might be saving itself or that zombies might be predicting life and hybridity beyond human existence. Timely and important, this work is a meditation on how faith might not just be a forerunner to the apocalypse, but the catalyst to new kinds of life beyond it.

Challenging the human understanding of life and death, the zombie figure represents a fragmentation of personhood. From its earliest appearances in literature, the zombie characterized a human being that was no longer an indivisible whole, embodying the ontological debate over which elements of personhood are most uniquely human. Through its literary evolution, the zombie's missing element gradually approached a finer definition, as narratives moved beyond highlighting metaphysically opaque concepts like "soul" or "will." Studying over a century of American literary history, this book explores how zombies translate cultural concepts and definitions of personhood. Chapters detail how literary zombies have long presented narratives of American cultural self-examination.

Parenting is difficult under the best of circumstances--but extremely daunting when humanity faces cataclysmic annihilation. When the dead rise, hardship, violence and the ever-present threat of flesh-eating zombies will adversely affect parents and children alike. Depending on their age, children will have little chance of surviving a single encounter with the undead, let alone the unending peril of the Zombie Apocalypse. The key to their survival--and thus the survival of the species--will be the caregiving they receive. Drawing on psychological theory and real-world research on developmental status, grief, trauma, mental illness, and child-rearing in stressful environments, this book critically examines factors influencing parenting, and the likely outcomes of different caregiving techniques in the hypothetical landscape of the living dead.

In its evolution from graphic novels to a sprawling multimedia universe, the impact of The Walking Dead cannot be understated. Beyond its narrative roots, a passionate community of viewers use social media to delve deeper into the anxieties and social issues portrayed within the narrative universe. This book uses fan discussions on social media platforms to analyze the series' appeal and its ability to provoke discussions about survival, societal norms, and gender roles, leading to a significant online presence and discussions about the characters' actions and societal issues portrayed. Viewers perceive and champion unconventional actions, especially as the leading female characters defy traditional gender roles. With the introduction of more diversity, the progression of characters within The Walking Dead and its spinoffs continues to disrupt stereotypes. Focusing on analyzing audience engagement with AMC's The Walking Dead and its spinoffs through social media, this book highlights how fan-based interactions in creating a participatory culture around the series highlight societal issues presented, offering interpretations, theories and personal connections. By integrating fan commentary into the analysis, fans act as active collaborators in understanding the impact of The Walking Dead universe as a meaningful popular culture artifact.

In 1968, George Romero's film Night of the Living Dead premiered, launching a growing preoccupation with zombies within mass and literary fiction, film, television, and video games. Romero's creativity and enduring influence make him a worthy object of inquiry in his own right, and his long career helps us take stock of the shifting interest in zombies since the 1960s. Examining his work promotes a better understanding of the current state of the zombie and where it is going amidst the political and social turmoil of the twenty-first century. These new essays document, interpret, and explain the meaning of the still-budding Romero legacy, drawing cross-disciplinary perspectives from such fields as literature, political science, philosophy, and comparative film studies. Essays consider some of the sources of Romero's inspiration (including comics, science fiction, and Westerns), chart his influence as a storyteller and a social critic, and consider the legacy he leaves for viewers, artists, and those studying the living dead.

The Nordic countries have long been subject to certain idealised, even utopian imaginaries, particularly with regard to images of pristine nature and the societal ideals of democracy, equality and education. On the other hand, such projections inevitably invite dissent, irony and intimations of the utopia’s dark underside. Things may yet take, or may have already taken, a dystopic course. The present volume offers twelve contributions on utopias and dystopias in Nordic literature and culture. Geographically, the articles cover the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, as well as the autonomous area of Greenland. Through the articles’ varied subjects — ranging from avant-garde literature and long poems to noir TV-series, young adult fiction, popular historiography, and political discourse in literature outside of Norden — the volume brings forth a historically rich, multi-layered picture of social, cultural and environmental imagination in the Nordic countries. Nordic Utopias and Dystopias is thus of interest not only to specialists in dystopian and utopian research but more broadly to scholars of literature and culture, and the political and social sciences, especially but not exclusively in the Nordic context.

Jenna, a single mother trying to hold her life together in "A Promise of Love in the Time of Zombies," meets Lucy, a blind waitress, at a convention. A zombie apocalypse breaks out before they get a chance to explore their desire, leaving them in a frantic battle for survival while sparks fly. Jenna and Lucy start to view each other in a new way as they hunt for food and shelter and battle the dead. As they jointly confront the harsh realities of their new environment, they become close. Jenna tells Lucy about her traumatic background, including her scheme to get vengeance on her violent ex-husband. She has the courage to confront her issues thanks to Lucy's encouragement. But when Jenna's ex-husband appears, bringing violence and danger with him, their joy is short-lived. The furious attacker and a group of zombies have trapped Jenna and Lucy, and they must battle for their life. In spite of the odds being against them, Jenna and Lucy succeed. They understand that their emotions for one another go beyond a fleeting desire. As they embark on the journey to reestablish their lives in the post-apocalyptic world, they make a commitment to stick together and support one another. The compelling love tale "A Promise of Love in the Time of Zombies" is set against the background of the zombie apocalypse. It examines topics like emotional closeness, survival, and the everlasting power of the human spirit. For lovers of romance, horror, and post-apocalyptic literature alike, this book is a must-read since it has LGBTQ representation and a varied group of characters.

It’s official: the zombie apocalypse is here. The living dead have been lurking in popular culture since the 1930s, but they have never been as ubiquitous or as widely-embraced as they are today. Zombie Cinema is a lively and accessible introduction to this massively popular genre. Presenting a historical overview of zombie appearances in cinema and on television, Ian Olney also considers why, more than any other horror movie monster, zombies have captured the imagination of twenty-first-century audiences. Surveying the landmarks of zombie film and TV, from White Zombie to The Walking Dead, the book also offers unique insight into why zombies have gone global, spreading well beyond the borders of American and European cinema to turn up in films from countries as far-flung as Cuba, India, Japan, New Zealand, and Nigeria. Both fun and thought-provoking, Zombie Cinema will give readers a new perspective on our ravenous hunger for the living dead.