Monday, July 12, 2010

Review: How to be a Zombie

Serena Valentino, Scribo Australia, 2010

So, you've just been zombified, huh? Finding yourself slowing down? Beginning to smell ripe? Craving brains?

Here, then, is the book for you: How to be a Zombie seeks to inform and educate the newly undead on the peculiarities of their condition (in much the same way as David P. Murphy's excellent Zombies for Zombies). There are entries on the many different types of zombie (as depicted in numerous movies), zombie anatomy and behaviour, and causes of zombification, as well as handy tips on 'alternative' foods, makeup (for both zombies wanting to pass as human, and humans wanting to pass as zombies), social etiquette, holidays, music, must-read books, and the pros and cons of zombifying your pets.

Despite mostly taking a tongue-in-cheek approach, How to be a Zombie is nonetheless a genuinely valuable resource for any biotically-challenged individual trying to make their way in the world (or even for living folk with zombie obsessions). Fun, highly detailed, and lavishly (and gorily) illustrated throughout, How to be a Zombie is a book that dead people and zombie survivalists alike should read, if not own.