What do you think?
Rate this book
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead
Mark Twain once said "The rumors of my death were greatly exaggerat--BRAINS!!!!!"
Pulled from the grip of Mark Twain's rotting zombie hands, is Tom Sawyer like you've never seen him before, in a swashbuckling, treasure-seeking adventure, spiked with blood, gore, and zombie madness.
In this expanded and illustrated edition of Mark Twain's beloved tale of boyhood adventures, Tom's usual mishaps are filled with the macabre and take place in a world overrun by a zombie virus that turns people into something folks call "Zum." The United States is infected with a plague of rotting, yet spry, Zum, searching for fresh meat.
In this world, there's no need to whitewash Aunt Polly's fence. Instead, Tom cons his friends into sharpening fence posts to lethal points to repel a Zum attack. To escape the boredom of civilized life, Tom and his pal Huckleberry Finn don't have to fake their deaths, just pretend to be Zum. And instead of playing cowboys and Indians, Tom hones his fighting skills in a bloodthirsty game of "Us and Zum." He always wins . . . until he bumps into the real thing.
When vicious, self-aware zombies evolve and threaten the town . . . what will Tom and Huck do to protect their loved ones, and will they live to tell the tale?
With all the comedy, romance, and adventure that readers expect from Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer now becomes a new breed of hero for a whole new world--a grade-A zombie hunter.
Pulled from the grip of Mark Twain's rotting zombie hands, is Tom Sawyer like you've never seen him before, in a swashbuckling, treasure-seeking adventure, spiked with blood, gore, and zombie madness.
In this expanded and illustrated edition of Mark Twain's beloved tale of boyhood adventures, Tom's usual mishaps are filled with the macabre and take place in a world overrun by a zombie virus that turns people into something folks call "Zum." The United States is infected with a plague of rotting, yet spry, Zum, searching for fresh meat.
In this world, there's no need to whitewash Aunt Polly's fence. Instead, Tom cons his friends into sharpening fence posts to lethal points to repel a Zum attack. To escape the boredom of civilized life, Tom and his pal Huckleberry Finn don't have to fake their deaths, just pretend to be Zum. And instead of playing cowboys and Indians, Tom hones his fighting skills in a bloodthirsty game of "Us and Zum." He always wins . . . until he bumps into the real thing.
When vicious, self-aware zombies evolve and threaten the town . . . what will Tom and Huck do to protect their loved ones, and will they live to tell the tale?
With all the comedy, romance, and adventure that readers expect from Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer now becomes a new breed of hero for a whole new world--a grade-A zombie hunter.
303 pages, Paperback
First published August 3, 2010
13 people are currently reading
1206 people want to read
About the author
Don Borchert
3 books11 followersDon Borchert is an assistant librarian in suburban Los Angeles. He lives in Lomita, California.
Before working in the library, Don was a short-order cook, door-to-door salesman, telemarketer, and Christmas-tree-chopper.
Before working in the library, Don was a short-order cook, door-to-door salesman, telemarketer, and Christmas-tree-chopper.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 29, 2010
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead (Don Borchert)*
This was an adventure book with a bit of a twist. It had the classic feel of the original Tom Sawyer stories with the twist being zombies, or as called in this book the "Zum". It took a bit adjusting as I was reading, I found myself enthralled in an adventure with Tom, Huck and friends then the Zum would enter. I did get used to it, and liked the book.
A fun book to read if you are into zombies, if you are into the classic Tom Sawyer stories you may be disappointed. I did find this interesting and fun. Typical Tom Sawyer stories added with zombies that Tom and Huck had to hunt and kill. Also the thrill of not knowing who was human and who was Zum. A nice ending to a whimsical read.
*I won this on Good Reads Give-A-Ways
This was an adventure book with a bit of a twist. It had the classic feel of the original Tom Sawyer stories with the twist being zombies, or as called in this book the "Zum". It took a bit adjusting as I was reading, I found myself enthralled in an adventure with Tom, Huck and friends then the Zum would enter. I did get used to it, and liked the book.
A fun book to read if you are into zombies, if you are into the classic Tom Sawyer stories you may be disappointed. I did find this interesting and fun. Typical Tom Sawyer stories added with zombies that Tom and Huck had to hunt and kill. Also the thrill of not knowing who was human and who was Zum. A nice ending to a whimsical read.
*I won this on Good Reads Give-A-Ways
December 14, 2025
Great opening blurb about the book’s history to establish the zombies and overall good start to this change of genre. I loved the details about death and the like but it added nothing profoundly new to the classic text.
I did enjoy it but at times it went up and down to hold my interest. Tom goes from a dirtbag to hero and brings treasure to town.
I did enjoy it but at times it went up and down to hold my interest. Tom goes from a dirtbag to hero and brings treasure to town.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2011
This was an interesting read Tom Sawyer with a bit of a twist,Zombies, only they called them Zum the undead. Tom,s usual mishaps are injected with a taste of macrabre as the world is over run with a zombie virus known in the south as the zum. In this world Tom still manages to con his friends to do his chores for him but instead of whitewashing the fence they have to sharpen the fence posts to points to help against a zum attack.. to escape the constraints of civilized life Tom and his pal Huck pretend to be zum, and instead of playing cowboys and indians they play a game called us and zum and Tom always wins. an interesting read if you like Zombies.
February 25, 2015
A quick read and the author does an ok job aping Mark Twain, but it's not as good as the source material and isn't really that interesting a twist on it either.
September 22, 2025
In the same vein as _Pride and Prejudice and Zombies_ (2009) and _Jane Slayre_ (2010) (which I have also read).
I have not read the original Tom Sawyer since before I was a teenager, so I did not recall all the details of what was Mark Twain, and what was Don Borchert. Obviously the Zum (Zum-bies) were the latter, but it seems to me that the original had more colloquialisms and 19th century vernacular in it. Maybe the text was modernized, in addition to being appended with zombies. (I do not recall the treasure in the original either, but I could be wrong).
While the zombies were cute and all, it really did not add much to the original as far as plot, or humor; it only added gore and a bit of action, or _Shaun of the Dead_ sort of comic relief. In short, the zombies were unnecessary, and added nothing; the best parts were the non-zombie scenes.
Curious question: when they went a-pirating, the steamboat was 'booming' and trying to bring up dead bodies. Huck was mentioned that he knew because that is what they did the last year when Bill Turner died by drowning. Question: Was this how "Bootstrap Bill Turner" got his name in _Pirates of the Caribbean_ movie (he died sinking to "the crushing depths of Davy Jones' locker" - "tying a cannon to Bootstrap's bootstrap") ?
All in all, I prefer the original (for all of them). 2.25/5 stars for added bits.
I have not read the original Tom Sawyer since before I was a teenager, so I did not recall all the details of what was Mark Twain, and what was Don Borchert. Obviously the Zum (Zum-bies) were the latter, but it seems to me that the original had more colloquialisms and 19th century vernacular in it. Maybe the text was modernized, in addition to being appended with zombies. (I do not recall the treasure in the original either, but I could be wrong).
While the zombies were cute and all, it really did not add much to the original as far as plot, or humor; it only added gore and a bit of action, or _Shaun of the Dead_ sort of comic relief. In short, the zombies were unnecessary, and added nothing; the best parts were the non-zombie scenes.
Curious question: when they went a-pirating, the steamboat was 'booming' and trying to bring up dead bodies. Huck was mentioned that he knew because that is what they did the last year when Bill Turner died by drowning. Question: Was this how "Bootstrap Bill Turner" got his name in _Pirates of the Caribbean_ movie (he died sinking to "the crushing depths of Davy Jones' locker" - "tying a cannon to Bootstrap's bootstrap") ?
All in all, I prefer the original (for all of them). 2.25/5 stars for added bits.
August 2, 2025
not great. not even good bad just boring. it really is just the story of Tom Sawyer with zombies thrown in here and there. it kind of changes towards the end but nothing really that exciting. it also feels really uncomfortable the way the author did Tom and Becky. it seems like he's shipping two kids together and this is like fanfiction of them. I really don't recommend it. it doesn't have any of the beautiful poetry that Mark Twain himself is so good with. instead it kind of just takes his original work and bastardizes it. it really feels plagiarizing even though it's in the public domain.
February 9, 2024
This book was adorable. I do wish they would write one of adventures as adults.
June 16, 2012
Before I say anything about this book, I'll say a few words about classic books, which have been converted to horror versions:
I think it's interesting that old classic books are being converted to horror versions. It's a fascinating phenomenon, because for example Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice has been converted to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and it has sold well (these new versions are surprisingly popular). These horror versions are a bit different from the original books, because they contain horror elements – they're basically the same books, but the contents are slightly different. Some readers love these new versions, but others hate them – I'm neutral when it comes to these horror versions (I don't love them, but I don't hate them either).
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead is an interesting version of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I'm not sure what Mark Twain fans will think of this book, but I liked it. It offered nice horror entertainment for a couple of hours. This book can be read fast, so I think it's approriate to say that it offers harmless entertainment for a warm (or rainy) summer day. If you're looking for easy-to-read horror, this book is a good choice.
It was interesting that Don Borchert had decided to use the word "Zum" instead of "zombie". It was also interesting that this book contained illustrations.
It's been a long time since I read the original, so I didn't remember all the happenings, when I read this version. I only remembered certain things (Tom paints the fence, Tom fights with another boy etc). If I'd read the original book again, this book would've probably been more entertaining, because it uses the original book as the basis for zombie action and it contains all the characters (Tom, Huck, aunt Polly etc) from the original book. Although I didn't remember everything, I liked the story, because Don Borchert had converted the original story to an entertaining zombie format, because Tom Sawyer lived a bit different kind of life in this book.
In my opinion The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead is pure entertainment. It isn't supposed to be taken seriously, because it's almost like a parody of the original book. Whether this book is good or not depends – in my opinion – on the reader. If you're able to live with the fact that a classic book has been converted to a horror book, you'll probably enjoy this book, but if you're a Mark Twain purist, you may not like this book.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead is harmless and enjoyable entertainment for horror fans with a twisted sense of humour. I think that readers who are interested in reading horror versions of old classics will be delighted to read this book, because it contains zombies (Zums). I think that this book will be a bestseller, because all the other new versions have sold well.
I think it's interesting that old classic books are being converted to horror versions. It's a fascinating phenomenon, because for example Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice has been converted to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and it has sold well (these new versions are surprisingly popular). These horror versions are a bit different from the original books, because they contain horror elements – they're basically the same books, but the contents are slightly different. Some readers love these new versions, but others hate them – I'm neutral when it comes to these horror versions (I don't love them, but I don't hate them either).
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead is an interesting version of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I'm not sure what Mark Twain fans will think of this book, but I liked it. It offered nice horror entertainment for a couple of hours. This book can be read fast, so I think it's approriate to say that it offers harmless entertainment for a warm (or rainy) summer day. If you're looking for easy-to-read horror, this book is a good choice.
It was interesting that Don Borchert had decided to use the word "Zum" instead of "zombie". It was also interesting that this book contained illustrations.
It's been a long time since I read the original, so I didn't remember all the happenings, when I read this version. I only remembered certain things (Tom paints the fence, Tom fights with another boy etc). If I'd read the original book again, this book would've probably been more entertaining, because it uses the original book as the basis for zombie action and it contains all the characters (Tom, Huck, aunt Polly etc) from the original book. Although I didn't remember everything, I liked the story, because Don Borchert had converted the original story to an entertaining zombie format, because Tom Sawyer lived a bit different kind of life in this book.
In my opinion The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead is pure entertainment. It isn't supposed to be taken seriously, because it's almost like a parody of the original book. Whether this book is good or not depends – in my opinion – on the reader. If you're able to live with the fact that a classic book has been converted to a horror book, you'll probably enjoy this book, but if you're a Mark Twain purist, you may not like this book.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead is harmless and enjoyable entertainment for horror fans with a twisted sense of humour. I think that readers who are interested in reading horror versions of old classics will be delighted to read this book, because it contains zombies (Zums). I think that this book will be a bestseller, because all the other new versions have sold well.
August 29, 2010
It shouldn't surprise any of my regular readers that I've really gotten into this zombie mashup concept going on in books lately. In fact I've decided I should become some sort of expert on the subject, so when I saw this ARC at PLA (yes, I realize that was all the way back in March) I just had to take it home. Unfortunately, I've never read the original Adventures of Tom Sawyer, so I can't compare the two (except for what I learned by watching the movie Tom & Huck, starring then teen heartthrobs Jonathan Taylor Thomas & Brad Renfro). In this version we still have our young rascals Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, but there's also a terrible plague in which dead bodies inevitably turn into mindless zombies, or Zum.
Honestly, I'm glad I didn't read the original Tom Sawyer, because I'm not that into mostly episodic novels anymore. The addition of Zum kept me just interested enough to keep reading until the plot picked up during the last third of the book, after which point I began eagerly devouring the tale, impatiently waiting to see what would happen next. If you've enjoyed the other undead mashups, you could do a lot worse (Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter anyone?).
Honestly, I'm glad I didn't read the original Tom Sawyer, because I'm not that into mostly episodic novels anymore. The addition of Zum kept me just interested enough to keep reading until the plot picked up during the last third of the book, after which point I began eagerly devouring the tale, impatiently waiting to see what would happen next. If you've enjoyed the other undead mashups, you could do a lot worse (Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter anyone?).
February 6, 2017
The main charters are Tom Sawyer,Aunt Polly, and his friend Albert.
The setting was dark,old town, and western side.
Summary: Tom, Aunt Polly, and his friend Albert were just out like normal people playing. But they always saw weird shadows it was creepy. I wonder what that was you will have to red the book to find out. So they moved.
My reading experience was great I loved the book i wasn't boring.
What im taking away from this book is listen to your parents.
The setting was dark,old town, and western side.
Summary: Tom, Aunt Polly, and his friend Albert were just out like normal people playing. But they always saw weird shadows it was creepy. I wonder what that was you will have to red the book to find out. So they moved.
My reading experience was great I loved the book i wasn't boring.
What im taking away from this book is listen to your parents.
July 3, 2010
I tried - I really tried to get into this book. But the idea of the Zum and Tom Sawyer? No. The humor of Twain's classic is just lost with the addition of the Zum, and the added bits do nothing to make the story resonate the way the original does. Most of the set pieces are there (the picket fence, the camping trip, Injun Joe, Becky Thacher, etc.) but when you have maggot-infested dead people popping up, well, something's lost.
Please, stop this trend before it happens again.
ARC provided by publisher.
Please, stop this trend before it happens again.
ARC provided by publisher.
July 31, 2010
The book did a pretty good job of sticking to the original story. But, I am not impressed with the Zum addition. First you don't see one until you are about three for ths of the way through the book, then it is really hard to relate to injun Joe as s Zum.
I think the classic should be left alone and zombie books written for and about zombies.
I received this Advance Reading Copy from Goodreads giveaways.
I think the classic should be left alone and zombie books written for and about zombies.
I received this Advance Reading Copy from Goodreads giveaways.
February 10, 2014
Basically a word for word account of the original classic tale but instead a life where Zums (zombies) roam around and Tom wants to become a Zum hunter and Injun Joe is more than just dead, but undead.
And this took my forever to read only because I got bored with it and the lack of zombies to entice me to read on. Overall I did enjoy reading about the boyhood of Tom, but will refrain from recommending this to anyone else.
And this took my forever to read only because I got bored with it and the lack of zombies to entice me to read on. Overall I did enjoy reading about the boyhood of Tom, but will refrain from recommending this to anyone else.
April 4, 2012
I never read the original Tom Sawyer adventures so im not sure if the story is re told into a different kind of adventure. I like this story because it is filled with adventure,love and true friendship. Tom and Huck go out to find a treasure and discover that they have walked into something totally unexpected. This is a book that always kept me wondering what was gona happen next. A great book that brings back the legend of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn back into our times.
February 19, 2016
2.5 stars. No more but very well could be less.
This book just did nothing for me. I love the lets put a twist on classics. I love the undead aspect of it. None of those things helped this book. I don't know what I was expecting. Zombie hunter Tom and Huck? That would be awesome but no. Might as well read the original than this one.
No, I would not continue on this adventure with Tom, thank you.
This book just did nothing for me. I love the lets put a twist on classics. I love the undead aspect of it. None of those things helped this book. I don't know what I was expecting. Zombie hunter Tom and Huck? That would be awesome but no. Might as well read the original than this one.
No, I would not continue on this adventure with Tom, thank you.
August 11, 2016
This novel felt like an old story with a twist. And this is exactly what I thought it would be.
It was easy to get into this story, and while it had a classic adventure feel, the undead ‘Zum’ twist added a new element that certainly kept me engaged and constantly wondering what would happen next. I did not feel that the ‘Zum’ concept was overused and the novel felt well balanced.
An enjoyable and easy read.
4 Stars
It was easy to get into this story, and while it had a classic adventure feel, the undead ‘Zum’ twist added a new element that certainly kept me engaged and constantly wondering what would happen next. I did not feel that the ‘Zum’ concept was overused and the novel felt well balanced.
An enjoyable and easy read.
4 Stars
November 6, 2010
I won this from First Reads. I liked it better than I thought I would. It's been a long time since I read the original, but this had the "flavor" that I remembered. I actually thought this was more entertaining than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
September 3, 2010
Another fun monster mash-up! If you enjoyed the original and love some zombies thrown in this is the one for you! And it's a fun read for the approaching Halloween holiday.
The beginning was a bit slow and there are some obvious changes from the original. I recommend it for a light fun read.
Thanks to First Reads here on Goodreads for offering me the opportunity to read the book.
The beginning was a bit slow and there are some obvious changes from the original. I recommend it for a light fun read.
Thanks to First Reads here on Goodreads for offering me the opportunity to read the book.
August 12, 2010
Can I just start by saying that Twain fans would die and Twain himself would role over in his grave if he read this book. While the book was imaginative, it lacked what I consider any effort to make a story real. I was highly dissappointed by this book. I couldnt even finish it, which is sad because this is only the third book that I have ever not finished.
Dont waste your time or money!
Dont waste your time or money!
August 26, 2010
This was a humorous retelling of the Tom Sawyer story but this time there are zombies (known as Zum) walking around. A quick read, I did enjoy seeing some of the events that make Tom Sawyer classic with a different perspective. Instead of white washing the fence, Tom convinces his friends to make stakes to keep the Zum out. This was a fun, quick read.
Want to read
July 14, 2010Cannot WAIT to get my hands on a copy of this. Love all of the "reimagined classics" books out there (currently reading Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, with Android Karenina and Little Women & Werewolves up after that), and just flat out love all things zombie.
April 17, 2012
This was my first monster/classic mash-up. It obviously mimicked the original work, but the zombie (Zum) twist made a familiar story fun. I really enjoyed the writing.
I won this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway.
I won this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway.
April 14, 2011
I'm actually surprised at how small a role the zombies played. Reading this felt like revisiting Tom Sawyer with occasional references to the flesh-eating undead. I'm not quite sure what the point was, but it doesn't leave me aghast at the state of literature, either.
April 24, 2011
A great spoof of Tom Sawyer with some unique changes and a little supernatural element to increase excitement, involving a virus that changes so many things. Mark Twain is sooo droll, with a dry sense of humor. Don Borchert added to this with his unique spin toward fantasy.
A good read.
A good read.
March 27, 2012
It was "nothing to write home about." I read Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain in high school and I really enjoyed. I thought it would be the same, if not better with the addition of Zomibes... But sadly I was wrong. It's was "Okay," at it's best.
Read
April 30, 2010This book was an excellent alternate history of Tom Sawyer living in a world where the dreaded Zum walk the earth, but this doesn't stop young Tom, Huck and Joe from having adventures.
September 23, 2010
It was fun if not taken very seriously. I thought it was a fun twist on the original story. I found it an enjoyable and fast read if you want something that is just fun.
will-never-read
August 17, 2012Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
PS, this is a GR giveaway if anyone really wants to check it out. Not me.
PS, this is a GR giveaway if anyone really wants to check it out. Not me.
November 23, 2010
A little too similar to Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews