Halloween Reads

With Halloween just over the next tombstone, there are a few newly published books that are worthy of attention:

The Book of the Living Dead -- edited by John Richard Stephens.
This fascinating collection of horror stories contains works by such masters as Poe, Lovecraft, Goethe, and Mary Shelley. But the real worth of this collection are the unexpected stories by writers such as Mark Twain, Jack London, Sir Walter Scott, and Alexander Pushkin. There is even a news piece by the Evening Telegram entitled "the Corpse that Ran Away". This book is great fun and full of creepy classics and shocking surprises.

Handling the Undead -- John Ajvide Lindqvist
After the success of his vampire novel, Let the Right One In, Swedish author Lindqvist applies the same psychological scrutiny to zombies. Following a string of unusual events in the city of Stockholm, the newly dead have begun to rise. But these are not faceless hordes but loved ones taken and now horribly returned. A beautiful, haunting book, Handling the Undead is not so much about the zombies as those who mourned them.

Dead City -- Joe McKinney
Of course, maybe you prefer your zombies with less depth and more gore. In which case you should check out Dead City. Reeling from an incredible five hurricanes in three weeks the Texas Gulf Coast suddenly finds itself awash not just in dead bodies but undead bodies! Yes, along with sewage and FEMA trailers these storms bring a mysterious zombie plague and it's up to one San Antonio cop to save the day. Packed with suspense, violence, and bloody mayhem, Dead City is a solid entry into the ever-growing horde of zombie novels.