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The Living Dead 2
(The Living Dead #2)
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The Living Dead 2 has more of what zombie fans hunger for: more scares, more action, more... brains! Experience the indispensable series that defines the very best in zombie literature with a shambling, ravenous herd of original stories. The Living Dead 2 also features a slavering horde of reprint zombie stories. All this adds up to a landmark volume that helps define what
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Start your review of The Living Dead 2 (The Living Dead, #2)
While reading this one I was forced to acknowledge a sad truth about anthologies today: They just don't make em like they used to.
While there were some really great stories in this antho (largely by proven authors like Gary A Braunbeck, David J Schow, Brian Keene, Sarah Langan and Jonathan Maberry) most of them just weren't all that stellar and came off more as tales you could easily forget shortly after finishing the book. Maybe I'm a bit spoiled having gotten hooked on horror in the 90s when ...more
While there were some really great stories in this antho (largely by proven authors like Gary A Braunbeck, David J Schow, Brian Keene, Sarah Langan and Jonathan Maberry) most of them just weren't all that stellar and came off more as tales you could easily forget shortly after finishing the book. Maybe I'm a bit spoiled having gotten hooked on horror in the 90s when ...more
Speaking from the perspective of a long-time zombie fan who has been carrying the torch for George Romero since the early 70s (when i got a glimpse of Night of The Living Dead at far too young an age for it), I am starting to run toward zombie overload. I love this stuff, but the way it has been coming out recently? We are getting almost as bad as Stephanie Meyer fans and her teenage lust-struck vampires. Thank goodness zombie apocalypse tales tend to be a bit more literate and a bit more varied
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The reviews of the stories that could not fit into this review are in the comment section starting at comment #10. Sorry but GR only allows reviews of less than 20,000 characters. :(
Alone, Together by Robert Kirkman (3 stars) - I would read a full length book if this story was/is expanded on. It's not the best one I've read so far, IMO, but it's definitely good. I'm not so into the whole 'love story in the middle of zombie territory' but some people can pull it off.
Danger Word by Steven Barnes & ...more
Alone, Together by Robert Kirkman (3 stars) - I would read a full length book if this story was/is expanded on. It's not the best one I've read so far, IMO, but it's definitely good. I'm not so into the whole 'love story in the middle of zombie territory' but some people can pull it off.
Danger Word by Steven Barnes & ...more
"Selections from The Living Dead 2" offers eight free stories out of the forty-four making up the complete collection:
Mouja, by Matt London
The Skull-Faced City, by David Barr Kirtley
Obedience, by Brenna Yovanoff
Rural Dead, by Bret Hammond
Who We Used To Be, by David Moody
Flotsam & Jetsam by Carrie Ryan,
The Days of Flaming Motorcycles by Catherynne M. Valente,
And the Next, and the Next, by Genevieve Valentine
Quality varies, but overall the writing itself is good.
Problem is most of the stori ...more
Mouja, by Matt London
The Skull-Faced City, by David Barr Kirtley
Obedience, by Brenna Yovanoff
Rural Dead, by Bret Hammond
Who We Used To Be, by David Moody
Flotsam & Jetsam by Carrie Ryan,
The Days of Flaming Motorcycles by Catherynne M. Valente,
And the Next, and the Next, by Genevieve Valentine
Quality varies, but overall the writing itself is good.
Problem is most of the stori ...more
An outstanding anthology. The stories range from heart-breaking to nerve-wracking, and feature every type of zombie you could imagine and then some. The writing is top-notch. Recommended not just for horror fans, but for lovers of beautifully crafted stories.
May 01, 2021
Jessica
added it
Anthologies are always uneven, but this one was more consistently mediocre than I would prefer. I probably should have skipped to the writers I know I like, like I said I was going to in the beginning, but then I would have missed a few real gems.
Bullet reviews of individual stories:
"Alone, Together" by Robert Kirkman: I could probably detail what's wrong with The Walking Dead: Compendium 1 using examples from this story: all of Kirkman's bad habits and tics are on display. Unlikable incel type ...more
Bullet reviews of individual stories:
"Alone, Together" by Robert Kirkman: I could probably detail what's wrong with The Walking Dead: Compendium 1 using examples from this story: all of Kirkman's bad habits and tics are on display. Unlikable incel type ...more
I was going to do a story-by-story analysis of the book, but I ended up skipping or skimming so many stories it would be pointless. They all sucked, and the ones that didn't suck sucked harder. There was definitely one about a zombie gigolo that almost made me throw up after a couple paragraphs. Mostly the stories were unremarkable. Especially the one by Robert Kirkman. Is anyone but me willing to acknowledge that while Walking Dead is awesome, Kirkman's writing style is cringe-worthy? I guess m
...more
I confess that I started reading GR reviews for this anthology only a few stories in. Most of the reviews were describing the stories as terrible, which surprised me. Terrible? Not really. They were mediocre, but not the bottom-of-the-bargain-bin-at-the-second-hand-book-fair terrible like some of the books I've sampled. These people, I mused, were clearly soft.
But they're not. There are some stories in here that are truly terrible. They need to be removed from reality. Potentially even the auth ...more
But they're not. There are some stories in here that are truly terrible. They need to be removed from reality. Potentially even the auth ...more
Amazing collection of short stories about Zombies! A few of my faves were"The Other Side","When the Zombies Win", "Category 5", "Skull faced City", "He said, laughing, "Zombie Gigolo" and "the Rapeworm". "The Rapeworm" was so disturbing it will stay with me in the wee smalls for the rest of my life!
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!
Amazing, 5 stars, a keeper. ...more
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!
Amazing, 5 stars, a keeper. ...more
Overall, i enjoyed this book very much. It had grossery (is that a word?) horror, humor, sadness, and some downright terrible stories that i couldn't make it through. I'm an avid fan of a good zombie story and i couldn't help picking this book up at the library. So here is an individual analysis of each story:
5 Stars*****
Obviously, my favorites
The Anteroom by Adam-Troy Castro
This was some good 2nd person prose. It was different, and i liked the twist on the afterlife and the possibility that zom ...more
5 Stars*****
Obviously, my favorites
The Anteroom by Adam-Troy Castro
This was some good 2nd person prose. It was different, and i liked the twist on the afterlife and the possibility that zom ...more
Average: 3.7
Tossing out <= 2: 3.9
Alone, Together By Robert Kirkman - 5 stars
Danger Word By Steven Barnes & Tananarive Due - 5 stars
Zombieville By Paula R. Stiles - 4 stars
The Anteroom By Adam-Troy Castro - 3 stars
When the Zombies Win By Karina Sumner-Smith - 2.5 stars
Mouja By Matt London - 3 stars
Category Five By Marc Paoletti - 3.5 stars
Living With The Dead By Molly Brown - 4 stars
Twenty-Three Snapshots of San Francisco By Seth Lindberg - 4 stars
The Mexican Bus By Walter Greatshell - 3 stars
Th ...more
Tossing out <= 2: 3.9
Alone, Together By Robert Kirkman - 5 stars
Danger Word By Steven Barnes & Tananarive Due - 5 stars
Zombieville By Paula R. Stiles - 4 stars
The Anteroom By Adam-Troy Castro - 3 stars
When the Zombies Win By Karina Sumner-Smith - 2.5 stars
Mouja By Matt London - 3 stars
Category Five By Marc Paoletti - 3.5 stars
Living With The Dead By Molly Brown - 4 stars
Twenty-Three Snapshots of San Francisco By Seth Lindberg - 4 stars
The Mexican Bus By Walter Greatshell - 3 stars
Th ...more
The zombie theme has never been more actual as it is these days, with literature and both screens – the big and the small one – often employing it for stories, although it’s difficult to find tales that try to look beyond the far-too-easy shock of blood and gore, focusing rather on the psychology of characters and their reaction to the apocalypse they are desperately trying to survive.
Recently I discovered a sampler of this book through the Baen Free Library showcasing some of the stories conta ...more
Recently I discovered a sampler of this book through the Baen Free Library showcasing some of the stories conta ...more
As I've previously written writing a review for an anthology is always a struggle. What I will say is that the anthology does a great job in putting new perspectives and ideas into the classic zombie format. Many different kinds of zombie fiction are represented.
From my recollection there was little in this book that I found disturbing or made me feel uneasy. I don't like gross-out horror, which is not in evidence here. I don't need vivid descriptions of teeth biting into rotten flesh, thanks. ...more
From my recollection there was little in this book that I found disturbing or made me feel uneasy. I don't like gross-out horror, which is not in evidence here. I don't need vivid descriptions of teeth biting into rotten flesh, thanks. ...more
"Is it necrophilia if you're both dead?"
Reading this now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, makes me think how it could be worse! 😀 Reading some of these on the day that celebrates Jesus rising from the dead makes me think that it could be better too! The undead on these pages are not so forgiving!
Lots of short stories in here! Some hits, some misses, but all zombies! You have stories from "The Walking Dead"'s Robert Kirkman and "World War Z"'s Max Brooks, among many others. My favorite in this coll ...more
Reading this now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, makes me think how it could be worse! 😀 Reading some of these on the day that celebrates Jesus rising from the dead makes me think that it could be better too! The undead on these pages are not so forgiving!
Lots of short stories in here! Some hits, some misses, but all zombies! You have stories from "The Walking Dead"'s Robert Kirkman and "World War Z"'s Max Brooks, among many others. My favorite in this coll ...more
The things I love about anthologies, is that it is filled with unique insights into a theme, rather then just following the same hero till the end, you get to see different hero’s, some you will love like the Amish story for me, some you will hate, some will totally gross you out like one story did, some will really make you laugh, especially if your like me and some heroes die by doing something silly that you know you just should not do in a zombie outbreak, ha ha, some make you cheer for the
...more
Anthologies can be a really hit or miss affair but The Living Dead 2 was a fantastic collection. Each story had a different take on the zombie apocalypse. They ranged from the personal ("Are You Trying To Tell Me This Is Heaven", "The Anteroom") to the action packed ("Zero Tolerance", "Lost Canyon of the Dead") to the simply gross ("Zombie Gigolo") There is literally something for every one in this collection. I look forward to reading more of John Joseph Adam's collections.
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If you like short stories and zombies you'll like this book
I enjoyed all the stories except the last two. Really great read before bed. Not all the stories are your typical zombie stories so I enjoyed that. ...more
I enjoyed all the stories except the last two. Really great read before bed. Not all the stories are your typical zombie stories so I enjoyed that. ...more
I enjoyed this anthology for its diverse and engaging stories from various authors (including the creator of The Walking Dead) and each story covers a different region, culture and time period. Each story ends with very shocking endings. This is a must read for Zombie fanatics.
Another book filled with zombies. Count me in. An amazing collection of zombie books.
Awesome
Anthologies are always a mixed bag, this one unfortuately wasnt stellar.
THE GOOD
I bought this Anthology for one reason only: Robert Kirkman. I'm a huge fan of his comic The Walking Dead so I was excited to see his very first published prose story:
Alone,Together
This story is about a couple trying to stay alive after a zombie apocalypse. The narraton focuses on the reminiscence of Timothy about his former love and his current relationship. I really enjoyed this story,what it lacks in zombie viole ...more
THE GOOD
I bought this Anthology for one reason only: Robert Kirkman. I'm a huge fan of his comic The Walking Dead so I was excited to see his very first published prose story:
Alone,Together
This story is about a couple trying to stay alive after a zombie apocalypse. The narraton focuses on the reminiscence of Timothy about his former love and his current relationship. I really enjoyed this story,what it lacks in zombie viole ...more
Following a blogpost by Chuck Wending suggesting that people mix-and-match various classics, I've been thinking about zombies, both as monster and as symbol/trope; and since I happened to have a Selection of stories from this anthology and no other zombie fiction, this is what I read. (Also, is it true that there's no zombie fiction that occurs with the people stuck in a bank?) Here are the stories I read:
Matt London, "Mouja": Zombies invade The Seven Samurai. Doesn't quite get beyond the premis ...more
Matt London, "Mouja": Zombies invade The Seven Samurai. Doesn't quite get beyond the premis ...more
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. You don't have to be a zombie-lover to enjoy this outstanding follow-up to 2008's The Living Dead. Anthologist extraordinaire Adams has assembled 43 stories that showcase strong writing and imagination. Unexpected settings include a lost world with surviving dinosaurs (Brian Keene's "Lost Canyon of the Dead") and a pirate ship (Amelia Beamer's "Pirates vs. Zombies"). Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due's "Danger Word" and David Wellington's "Good People" cont
...more
After the runaway success of The Living Dead, editor John Joseph Adams is back with a follow up collection featuring a whole host of new authors writing about the walking dead. So grab a big cup of coffee, a warm blanket, and sequester yourself in a dark, quiet room, with one window looking out onto you don’t know what, and take a trip into a series of meetings with beings who want nothing more than to eat you alive, while you scream.
The collection begins with a short introduction by Adams going ...more
The collection begins with a short introduction by Adams going ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Feb 20, 2015
Lexie
marked it as books-owned-to-read
(I read and reviewed only those stories which I am interested in. As such this is an on-going review as I read the stories)
"Everglades" by Mira Grant (part of the Newsflesh universe)
Debbie thinks about the lessons her Grandpa used to tell her about and how some things just aren't worth surviving. This is set just after the breakout of the epidemic (about two or so decades before Feed) and concerns a small group of survivors waiting for rescue on a college campus. I think that the story has a wei ...more
"Everglades" by Mira Grant (part of the Newsflesh universe)
Debbie thinks about the lessons her Grandpa used to tell her about and how some things just aren't worth surviving. This is set just after the breakout of the epidemic (about two or so decades before Feed) and concerns a small group of survivors waiting for rescue on a college campus. I think that the story has a wei ...more
Another collection of zombie tales, from a variety of authors.
I think I liked this one a little more than its immediate predecessor, The Living Dead, but it's a bit tricky to judge... because while I can't think of a standout story from this collection, I also didn't find any that were just a slog and I hated reading, except perhaps the last couple, but to be fair I think that was more about me coming down with a case of STAF (Single Theme Anthology Fatigue) rather than the stories themselves. I ...more
I think I liked this one a little more than its immediate predecessor, The Living Dead, but it's a bit tricky to judge... because while I can't think of a standout story from this collection, I also didn't find any that were just a slog and I hated reading, except perhaps the last couple, but to be fair I think that was more about me coming down with a case of STAF (Single Theme Anthology Fatigue) rather than the stories themselves. I ...more
I will admit to skimming and skipping over a couple of the stories here. Overall I liked a lot of them (I'd originally gotten it just to read Reluctance from Cherie Priest).
The first 2 stories were wholly depressing (and in zombie anthologies, that is usually the case). There were a couple of stories, though, that were lighter. And one I really wished I had skipped (Zombie Gigolo - I know, I'm a tad embarrassed to admit I read it. I'm horrifically grossed out. I can take descriptions of ghoulish ...more
The first 2 stories were wholly depressing (and in zombie anthologies, that is usually the case). There were a couple of stories, though, that were lighter. And one I really wished I had skipped (Zombie Gigolo - I know, I'm a tad embarrassed to admit I read it. I'm horrifically grossed out. I can take descriptions of ghoulish ...more
Book Specs
Title/Author
The Living Dead Anthology 2
Series/Book #
N/A
Length
totally insane (300 pgs or more)
Price
$1.99 (on sale)
Genre
Horror
Review may contain spoilers, read with caution; Read tags for other content
Since there were MANY stories in this anthology I will pick a few to highlight and review then give an overall rating:
*Alone, Together by Robert Kirkland
Reminded me TWD (for obvious reasons) in the sense that it was focused of the affects of surviving a ZA. Would they have reached the ...more
Title/Author
The Living Dead Anthology 2
Series/Book #
N/A
Length
totally insane (300 pgs or more)
Price
$1.99 (on sale)
Genre
Horror
Review may contain spoilers, read with caution; Read tags for other content
Since there were MANY stories in this anthology I will pick a few to highlight and review then give an overall rating:
*Alone, Together by Robert Kirkland
Reminded me TWD (for obvious reasons) in the sense that it was focused of the affects of surviving a ZA. Would they have reached the ...more
I used this anthology in my Zombies in Popular Media class* this semester, to great acclaim. The story collection has 44 original zombie stories from a variety of notable writers. It's pretty great. Like the last collection, there's a mix of different kinds of zombie stories here, from the military action of Joe McKinney to the existential torment of Adam-Troy Castro. A few highlights, for me:
* "Zero Tolerance" by Jonathan Mayberry continues the saga started in Patient Zero, but mixes in the qu ...more
* "Zero Tolerance" by Jonathan Mayberry continues the saga started in Patient Zero, but mixes in the qu ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Zombie short stories [s] | 5 | 17 | Mar 09, 2016 12:06PM | |
| I loved this collection! | 2 | 12 | Dec 01, 2012 06:37AM |
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John Joseph Adams is the series editor of BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY. He is also the bestselling editor of many other anthologies, such as ROBOT UPRISINGS, DEAD MAN'S HAND, BRAVE NEW WORLDS,WASTELANDS, and THE LIVING DEAD. Recent and forthcoming books include WHAT THE #@&% IS THAT?, OPERATION ARCANA, PRESS START TO PLAY, LOOSED UPON THE WORLD, and THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH (consisti
...more
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“I tiptoed down the short flight of creaky wooden steps to the dirt path and stepped onto the sandy asphalt. Sandy Asphalt. Sounds like the name of a third-string stripper of yore. I digress.”
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