Anthology Review - Z: Zombie Stories edited by Kelly Link (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Horror
Size: 416 pages
Publisher: Night Shade Books
Release Date: September 27, 2011
ISBN: 978-1597803120
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from netGalley.com
Rating: 4/5 stars


I got an advanced reading copy of this book through Netgalley(dot)com. This was an excellent collection of zombie stories. It started out really strong with some excellent stoires; most of the stories were well done and all-in-all it was an above average anthology of zombie stories. Most of these stories have appeared in other collections: the only story original to this collection is Deep Water Miracle by Thomas S. Roche.

The first four stories in the anthology were some of the strongest. Family Business by Jonathan Mayberry was so touching and creative that I want to go out and read his zombie series Rot & Ruin right now! The Wrong Grave by Kelly Link was a fun story and full of irony. The Days of Flaming Motorcycles by Catherynne M. Valente was beautiful and darkly sweet. The Barrow Maid by Christine Morgan was an interesting fantasy story with a very creative take on zombies; also exceedingly well written. My other favorite was The Human Race by Scott Edelman; this story was so beautiful and haunting just absolutely wonderful.

These stories encompass a wide breadth of new and known zombie mythology (to put it loosely). I think those who enjoy zombie stories and creative takes on them will enjoy these stories. The beginning of the anthology consisted of incredibly well done stories, I was very impressed. I like the collection of zombie stories in here much more than I liked the collection in Zombies vs. Unicorns.

Some of the stories are gory and most of them are a bit depressing (you know end of the world and all that) but they are aimed at a young adult level.

Overall this is a very solid collection of stories. Some of the stories in the beginning are especially remarkable. Fans of zombies should definitely check this out. See below for a full list and mini-reviews of the stories included.

- Family Business by Jonathan Mayberry (5/5)
A brother learns the family business of zombie killing from his older brother. A very touching story, very creative, and I absolutely loved it. This definitely convinced me to go and pick up the Rot and Ruin series by Mayberry. It's a great story.

- The Wrong Grave by Kelly Link (5/5)
A boy digs up his girlfriend's grave to get his book of poetry back and gets more than he bargained for. This was a super fun story and had some nice surprises in it. I enjoyed it a lot.

- The Days of Flaming Motorcycles by Catherynne M. Valente (5/5)
A beautiful and excellent story about a girl who learns that zombies can be sad. I loved how this story was written and loved the imagery in it. An absolutely terrific story.

- The Barrow Maid by Christine Morgan (5/5)
A Norse tale where an unkillable warrior is killed and then rises again to seek vengence on his enemies. A sweet tale, with some wonderful action and fighting, beautiful description too.

- You'll Never Walk Alone by Scott Nicholson (4/5)
About a country boy and his dad who run away and hide in a church during the zombie outbreak. The story is told from the son's point of view and is well done. It is a sad and distubring story and a bit ambiguous, but all in all I liked it.

- The Dead Kid by Darrell Schweitzer (3/5)
About a kid growing up who is trying to get in with a bad crowd. He ends up being saved by a dead kid.

- Seven Brains, Ten Minutes by Marie Atkins (3/5)
About a boy posing as a zombie who gets stuck in a brain eating contest and gets a bit carried away.

- The Third Dead Body by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (4/5)
About a young hooker who raises from the dead to find revenge on the man who killed her. Well done and creepy.

- The Skull Faced Boy by Daivd Barr Kirtley (3/5)
Two boys get into a car accident and turn into intelligent zombies. Okay story, but nothing super creative.

- The Human Race by Scott Edelman (5/5)
A girl whose family has just been killed by a terrorist attack wanders London only to find herself in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. Beautifully written, I loved this story. Edelman captured the depression and emptiness of the girl wonderfully. I love how through the mass death in London she finds the will to live her own life.

- Deep Water Miracle by Thomas S. Roche (4/5)
A couple of brothers outrun pirates and laughing zombies on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico. It was a good story. Well written and engaging.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 100+ Reading Challenge
- E-book Reading Challenge
- Zombies! Reading Challenge