THE DEAD TIMES

RATING:

ZOMBIE RATING:

DESCRIPTION:

Throughout history, from the Stone Age right up to the Information Age, the Zombie menace has plagued our lands. This book recounts those bygone tales when the restless dead walked, journeying everywhere the hungry monstrosities were found; on the African savannas, against the legions of ancient Rome, on the high seas with Francis Drake and many more besides. Each noble story pulsates with eye-popping artwork, conveying the grotesque nature of the undead in morbid detail. By immersing ourselves in the past, using the knowledge of those who encountered these beasts before, humanity may yet prevail against the future onslaughts to come - and come, they shall.

MY VERDICT:

The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks is a playful yet pointless book which is over too quickly. The book is basically just a very miniature comic book version of the recorded Zombie attacks in Max Brooks' far superior The Zombie Survival Guide - it adds pictures to words, nothing else. Perhaps because of this, each 'attack' is agonisingly short; most comprising of maybe six less-than-regular-comic-book-size pages of pictures and about ten brief lines of narration - there is very minimal dialogue in each story, no actual build up to events or characterisation, which is a great shame and a massive missed opportunity. The stories themselves are definitely worth a read, don't get me wrong, but, being so miniscule and simply narrated tales, I would really want something more from a standalone book. The only real highlight is that the illustrations are excellent, depicting humans, environments and Zombies - often large hordes of the decaying brutes - in breath-taking detail. Still, pretty pictures are not enough to carry this book through the gates of greatness so, if you are interested in some cleverly written tales of Zombie attacks recorded throughout history, read The Zombie Survival Guide; you'll learn how to survive an onslaught of undead horrors and get all the historical information you could want - it's a no brainer!