On the surface, the zombie seems the polar opposite of the human--they are the living dead; we, in essence, are the dying alive. But the zombie is also "us." Although decaying, it looks like us, dresses like us, and sometimes (if rarely) acts like us. In this volume, essays by scholars from a range of disciplines examine the zombie as a thematic presence in literature, film, video games, legal language, and philosophy, exploring topics including zombies and the environment, litigation, the afterlife, capitalism, and the erotic. Through this wide-ranging examination of the zombie phenomenon, the authors seek to discover what the zombie can teach us about being human. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

In recent years, zombies have become perhaps the most talked about monsters in popular culture worldwide. In these pages, readers will learn the legendary origins of the living dead, including the development of zombie tales in Haitian folklore and how those tales made it back to the United States—where Hollywood quickly took over. From there, the text traces out the various manifestations of zombies in film, including such classics as White Zombie, Night of the Living Dead, and the contemporary hit TV series The Walking Dead. A filmography supplements the text with a thorough list of the big screen’s zombie offerings!

This edited collection brings together an introduction and 13 original scholarly essays on AMC's The Walking Dead. The essays in the first section address the pervasive bloodletting of the series: What are the consequences of the series' unremitting violence? Essays explore violence committed in self-defense, racist violence, mass lawlessness, the violence of law enforcement, the violence of mourning, and the violence of history. The essays in the second section explore an equally urgent question: What does it mean to be human? Several argue that notions of the human must acknowledge the centrality of the body--the fact that we share a "blind corporeality" with the zombie. Others address how the human is closely aligned with language and time, the disappearance of which are represented by the aphasic, timeless zombie. Underlying each essay are the game-changing words of The Walking Dead's protagonist Rick Grimes to the other survivors: "We're all infected." The violence of the zombie is also our violence; their blind drives are also ours. The human characters of The Walking Dead may try to define themselves against the zombies but in the end their bodies harbor the zombie virus: they are the walking dead. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Hear What the Critics are Saying "Wow, what an amazing and Entertaining Book; great cast of characters, very good story with a lot of eerie twists and turns. Population Zero is by far one of the best zombie books to have come out in a long time." -Mary Jones – Valley Daily News “A must read in the horror genre. Population Zero is a book that will leave you begging for more; Five Stars All The Way.” -Judy B. Cohen – Elite Media Group “Deliciously entertaining and very fun read. I bought it for a friend as a gift and she loved it as well. It’s by far one of the finest zombie apocalypse books to have come out in the last decade. Highly Recommend This Book.” -Dave Baker – Book Bloggers of America “Very interesting story. I highly recommend this book to any zombie lover out there. Can’t Go Wrong.” -Carl Mosner – Readers Cove Unlimited “Population Zero is an extremely well developed post-apocalyptic zombie tale. I really had a lot of fun reading this story. If you’re looking for a phenomenal zombie book, then look no further than this one. Ten Thumbs Up.” -Debra Eisner – Literary Times Inc. “My favorite zombie book this year; so far I have read more than eight. Once I started reading, I simply couldn’t put it down. Great Read.” -Emma Righter – Writers United Group “This story reminded me why I fell in love with reading zombie books in the first place; thank you Mr. Harding for making such an amazing and fun book. Keep up with the great story telling. Awesome Book!” -Lee Ratner – Daily Media Trends, Inc. Editorial Review Population Zero is an amazing book and a really interesting read. By the end of the book, you will feel like you have gone on an emotional rollercoaster which is not only fun, but also frightening. This zombie book is definitely one of a kind in the horror genre. If you are looking for a book that will leave you biting your nails at the edge of your seat, then look no further than Population Zero. This book is chock-full of amazing characters and terrifying zombies. Five Stars! Jim S. Stein About the Book When a scientist unleashes the deadliest virus the world has ever seen, a small group must band together to survive the zombie apocalypse; their tale is one of redemption, joy and tears. Come and join us in the town of Steel Valley. A world filled with chaos, where even the dead don’t know their rightful place. (zombie apocalypse, zombie apocalypse free, zombie apocalypse books for free, zombie apocalypse books, free zombie apocalypse books) [zombie apocalypse]

In Battle Royale: Lethal Warriors, we have a matchup of historic magnitude. We took the deadliest creatures and matched them in a battle of weaponry, strength, and grit. Who will come out victorious, zombies or aliens? You'll have to read to find out. This series utilizes considerate text written at a higher maturity level with a lower reading level to engage struggling readers. Book includes a table of contents, glossary, index, author biography, sidebars, educational matter, and activities.

Hear What the Critics are Saying "Wow, what an amazing and Entertaining Book; great cast of characters, very good story with a lot of eerie twists and turns. Population Zero is by far one of the best zombie books to have come out in a long time." -Mary Jones – Valley Daily News “A must read in the horror genre. Population Zero is a book that will leave you begging for more; Five Stars All The Way.” -Judy B. Cohen – Elite Media Group “Deliciously entertaining and very fun read. I bought it for a friend as a gift and she loved it as well. It’s by far one of the finest zombie apocalypse books to have come out in the last decade. Highly Recommend This Book.” -Dave Baker – Book Bloggers of America “Very interesting story. I highly recommend this book to any zombie lover out there. Can’t Go Wrong.” -Carl Mosner – Readers Cove Unlimited “Population Zero is an extremely well developed post-apocalyptic zombie tale. I really had a lot of fun reading this story. If you’re looking for a phenomenal zombie book, then look no further than this one. Ten Thumbs Up.” -Debra Eisner – Literary Times Inc. “My favorite zombie book this year; so far I have read more than eight. Once I started reading, I simply couldn’t put it down. Great Read.” -Emma Righter – Writers United Group “This story reminded me why I fell in love with reading zombie books in the first place; thank you Mr. Harding for making such an amazing and fun book. Keep up with the great story telling. Awesome Book!” -Lee Ratner – Daily Media Trends, Inc. Editorial Review Population Zero is an amazing book and a really interesting read. By the end of the book, you will feel like you have gone on an emotional rollercoaster which is not only fun, but also frightening. This zombie book is definitely one of a kind in the horror genre. If you are looking for a book that will leave you biting your nails at the edge of your seat, then look no further than Population Zero. This book is chock-full of amazing characters and terrifying zombies. Five Stars! Jim S. Stein About the Book When a scientist unleashes the deadliest virus the world has ever seen, a small group must band together to survive the zombie apocalypse; their tale is one of redemption, joy and tears. Come and join us in the town of Steel Valley. A world filled with chaos, where even the dead don’t know their rightful place. (zombie novels) [zombie novels]

Zombies first shuffled across movie screens in 1932 in the low-budget Hollywood film White Zombie and were reimagined as undead flesh-eaters in George A. Romero’s The Night of the Living Dead almost four decades later. Today, zombies are omnipresent in global popular culture, from video games and top-rated cable shows in the United States to comic books and other visual art forms to low-budget films from Cuba and the Philippines. The zombie’s ability to embody a variety of cultural anxieties—ecological disaster, social and economic collapse, political extremism—has ensured its continued relevance and legibility, and has precipitated an unprecedented deluge of international scholarship. Zombie studies manifested across academic disciplines in the humanities but also beyond, spreading into sociology, economics, computer science, mathematics, and even epidemiology. Zombie Theory collects the best interdisciplinary zombie scholarship from around the world. Essays portray the zombie not as a singular cultural figure or myth but show how the undead represent larger issues: the belief in an afterlife, fears of contagion and technology, the effect of capitalism and commodification, racial exclusion and oppression, dehumanization. As presented here, zombies are not simple metaphors; rather, they emerge as a critical mode for theoretical work. With its diverse disciplinary and methodological approaches, Zombie Theory thinks through what the walking undead reveal about our relationships to the world and to each other. Contributors: Fred Botting, Kingston U; Samuel Byrnand, U of Canberra; Gerry Canavan, Marquette U; Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, George Washington U; Jean Comaroff, Harvard U; John Comaroff, Harvard U; Edward P. Comentale, Indiana U; Anna Mae Duane, U of Connecticut; Karen Embry, Portland Community College; Barry Keith Grant, Brock U; Edward Green, Roosevelt U; Lars Bang Larsen; Travis Linnemann, Eastern Kentucky U; Elizabeth McAlister, Wesleyan U; Shaka McGlotten, Purchase College-SUNY; David McNally, York U; Tayla Nyong’o, Yale U; Simon Orpana, U of Alberta; Steven Shaviro, Wayne State U; Ola Sigurdson, U of Gothenburg; Jon Stratton, U of South Australia; Eugene Thacker, The New School; Sherryl Vint, U of California Riverside; Priscilla Wald, Duke U; Tyler Wall, Eastern Kentucky U; Jen Webb, U of Canberra; Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock, Central Michigan U.

Historically, zombies have been portrayed in films and television series as mindless, shuffling monsters. In recent years, this has changed dramatically. The undead are fast and ferocious in 28 Days Later... (2002) and World War Z (2013). In Warm Bodies (2013) and In the Flesh (2013-2015), they are thoughtful, sensitive and capable of empathy. These sometimes radically different depictions of the undead (and the still living) suggest critical inquiries: What does it mean to be human? What makes a monster? Who survives the zombie apocalypse, and why? Focusing on classic and current movies and TV shows, the author reveals how the once-subversive modern zombie, now more popular than ever, has been co-opted by the mainstream culture industry.

This book explores the concept that, as participation in traditional religion declines, the complex and fantastical worlds of speculative television have become the place where theological questions and issues are negotiated, understood, and formed. From bodies, robots, and souls to purgatories and post-apocalyptic scenarios and new forms of digital scripture, the shows examined – from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Westworld – invite their viewers and fans to engage with and imagine concepts traditionally reserved for religious spaces. Informed by recent trends in both fan studies and religious studies, and with an emphasis on practice as well as belief, the thematically focused narrative posits that it is through the intersections of these shows that we find the reframing and rethinking of religious ideas. This truly interdisciplinary work will resonate with scholars and upper-level students in the areas of religion, television studies, popular culture, fan studies, media studies, and philosophy.

Zombie stories are peculiarly American, as the creature was born in the New World and functions as a reminder of the atrocities of colonialism and slavery. The voodoo-based zombie films of the 1930s and '40s reveal deep-seated racist attitudes and imperialist paranoia, but the contagious, cannibalistic zombie horde invasion narrative established by George A. Romero has even greater singularity. This book provides a cultural and critical analysis of the cinematic zombie tradition, starting with its origins in Haitian folklore and tracking the development of the subgenre into the twenty-first century. Closely examining such influential works as Victor Halperin's White Zombie, Jacques Tourneur's I Walked with a Zombie, Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2, Dan O'Bannon's The Return of the Living Dead, Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, and, of course, Romero's entire "Dead" series, it establishes the place of zombies in the Gothic tradition. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.