If Zombies could talk...

[Maz]

If zombies could talk, would they be fairly normal.

I mean, there are certain tribes who are cannibals who obviously eat people, there are violent thugs who attack people for no reason.

Zombies are a bit of both. They attack people, and then eat them. Only difference is they tend to walk around with no real aim, just making groaning noises.

So I ask, is a zombie just a person with a speech defect and cannibalistic/aggressive trait?

[Michelle]

Some books say that Zombies crave brains to get back what they are lacking in their cerebral function. I just read a short story called "Bob" by Tonia Brown where the zombie has thoughts and was slowly getting his speech back with the more he ate. Perhaps the lack of breathing/oxygen that operates the brain prevents the speech and the fresh oxygenated brain boosts the system.
That could also be true of the aggressiveness, the "hungrier" they are the more aggressive. Look at 'normal' people who are starving, they loose their rational thought and become aggressive when presented with food.

[Maz]

True.
It was only that I watched '28 days later' the other day, and then 'Green Street', and the movement and aggression of both was very similar....

I might have to check out 'Bob' now...

[Michelle]

It is a rather comical story. It's part of the book "Darlings of Decay". We are doing a buddy read on it and talking about the different stories. You are welcome to join. Bob is in the second set we are doing, so you would be behind.

[Tammy K.]

The word "zombies" and "undead" are generic.
Just like "ghost", "shape-shifter", and "vampire" include all kinds of variations in their (fictional) species.

Let's take vampires for an example.
You've likely heard/read of vampires sleeping in the day, inside coffins, surviving on human blood.
The author Anne Rice was the first author that I read, who had a very few vampires walking in daylight.
The author Jim Butcher was the first author that I read who had three "courts" of vampires; the Red court survived consuming life forces of it victims by drinking their blood, The white court survived consuming life forces of it victims through the release of sexual energy (think siren) and the black court survived consuming life forces of it victims by directly drinking their life energy (soul eaters).
There are evil vampires, good vampires and even sparkling teen romantic vampires.
The vampires of today are not the vampires of yesterday and likely not the vampires of tomorrow.

But you asked about zombies, right?!

The same can be said for zombies.
The more exposure you have to this genre, the more you'll come to realize that "Zombies" are diverse.
As I've stated many times before, I first read about Voodoo (Horror) mythology and in the Bible.
I attended church regularly as a youth and recall thinking that the story in Zechariah about the end of days described zombies

Zechariah 14:12 " And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths."

To me zombies have always been vessels controlled by an outside force. But today's authors are giving new abilities and attributes to the modern zombie.

One of the things I most enjoy about this group is when an author talks about where they are taking their zombies.
(Look in the self promotion and advice section of the group).
While I'm always a bit nervous to see where this sub-genre is heading, and yet it is equally exciting.

Generally speaking, I think zombies are best when they are serving as a catalyst. A means for the author to put the characters in intense situations that might not be possible in other genres..for the purpose of moral exploration.

[Netanella]

Being behind Bob is probably better than being in front of Bob, if he's a hungry zombie ;)

[Michelle]

Netanella wrote: "Being behind Bob is probably better than being in front of Bob, if he's a hungry zombie ;)"

Actually Bob, when not hungry seemed quite human? That's what made the story so different. I suggest reading it. I brings about a lot of what Tammy mentioned, how a author wishes to portray a 'Zombie'. That was the whole premise of the story of "Bob", without giving away too many spoilers for anyone who has not read the story.

Tammy is the book "Merrick?" by Anne Rice the one your speaking of? I think the first I read of hers that did that. It had voodoo also I think.

[Tammy K.]

Michelle wrote: "... Tammy is the book "Merrick?" by Anne Rice the one your speaking of? I think the first I read of hers that did that. It had voodoo also I think. ..."

Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat or maybe it was in the Queen of the Dammed which explained that:
(view spoiler)[ Akasha (and Enkil I believe). Were buried by their "children" in the open desert with their heads/necks above ground so that the children could feed upon them.
Later, I believe in Queen of the Dammed, we learn that if the 'blood' is old enough then a vampire can walk in daylight, which Lestat (after drinking from Akasha) is able to do. (hide spoiler)]

[Michelle]

Tammy K. wrote: "Michelle wrote: "... Tammy is the book "Merrick?" by Anne Rice the one your speaking of? I think the first I read of hers that did that. It had voodoo also I think. ..."

Anne Rice's The Vampire Le..."

ok, thanks. I can never remember which order they were written. My brother got me hooked on her when I was little. She is the only horror he will read. I think Lestat was mentioned in the Merrick book also.

[Tammy K.]

Yes, Lestat was written to be Anne Rice's alter ego. He is referenced in many of her 'first generation' vampire series.

I was hooked on Anne Rice in my twenties. I began to lose interest around the second generation vampire series.
I swore her off once she started her religious exploration.
I know she did a complete 180 turn again with her last book the wolf gift (series) back to paranormal with a serious dose of erotica thrown in, but I seriously doubt I'll go back to her.
I'm fickle like that :-)

[Randy]

A good short story with a talking zombie is GUGGA. He's just a lonely wandering zombie that longs for the days when he had friends.

And the recent BOTM read, Jordan's Brains, didn't have zombies that talked, but they did communicate with each other.

[Netanella]

If zombies could talk...what would they say? "I'll trade you that thigh bone for a leg?"

[Randy]

Netanella wrote: "If zombies could talk...what would they say? "I'll trade you that thigh bone for a leg?""

"Let's invite a few friends and go down to the corner pub for a quick bite."

[Jess]

Breathers has talking/thinking zombies, and is pretty funny to boot.

[Kristin (Blood,Sweat and Books)]

I read a book last week called Eat, Slay, Love and the Zombies could pass as human,hold conversations, think,drive etc.. if fed but the hungrier they became the more Zombielike they'd become.

[Steven]

I don't know about the zombies that can talk thing, I think the sounds of groans and pain they make is just so creepy that talking might take away from the fear of them. It would mean communication which could mean the opportunity to negotiate with them. Being unstoppable is what makes zombies scary. Now there used to be an interesting comic out called Dead World where the zombies talked and the were like a zombie/Mad Max biker gang with guns, they talked and seemed pretty cool...but cool not scary.