Zombies and Star Trek: Night of the Living Trekkies

Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I remember seeing this book when it came out and then it slipped my mind. Stephen's review put it squarely back in the middle of my radar. To be fair, Stephen's reviews are always good reading, but this one was so darned enthusiastic that I paid extra attention.

If you hate both Star Trek and Zombies...

I don’t know what to tell you. You obviously have made some wrong decisions in your life that have led you to this unfortunate circumstance. Maybe you should go and take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror and figure out where things began to fall apart. It’s not too late...the first step is admitting you have a problem.

A quick litmus test is if you smile upon reading Jim Pike's name. Which I suspect anyone picking up this book did. You don't have to get every reference, but the more you understand the more enjoyable the book will be. It spans the gamut of Star Trek movies and series (and as a Deep Space Nine fan, I appreciate that).

Super-quick summary: Jim Pike felt he failed as a leader of men in Afghanistan. Retreating to a hotel security position at home, he finds himself facing first a Star Trek convention and then a zombie apocalypse. As a Trek fan, he's able to tread water. As a horror fan, he's on less solid ground when it turns out that zombies actually do exist. As someone eschewing any responsibility, he's in full retreat when people keep turning to him for leadership in combat situations.

Best of all, however, is that this is a true horror novel. Salted with Trek references and turning on several necessary Trek points, nonetheless you don't need to be a Trekkie (or Trekker) to enjoy the book. I admit it definitely will help, but the authors make it worthwhile with their fresh take on the zombie genre while maintaining solid ties to both Trek and Star Wars worlds. It's a survival story, it's an apocalypse story, it's an "us against the world" story, it's a geek story, and there's even a bit of a mystery thrown in.

A deeper litmus test is this which should make you laugh aloud and then want to read it aloud to someone.

"Have you been able to reach the outside world?"

"I've tried, but so far, no dice. Nothing but snow on the TV. Phones are toast. And no Internet, which is really strange. It was originally designed to serve as a fail-safe communications mode during a nuclear war, so it's very, very resilient. To lock it down this tight, you'd have to have someone very smart and powerful actively denying service."

"Or maybe it's gone," Jim said.

For a moment the line was silent.

"What?" Gary finally said. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe it doesn't exist anymore. Maybe it suffered some sort of catastrophic, worldwide failure."

"Oh, no," Gary said with disturbingly brittle finality. "That's not possible. Somebody's keeping us from getting to the Internet, but the Internet is still there. It will always be there."

Jim decided to back off. ...

Night of the Living Trekkies is a light, summer read and one that I will be saving on my "stress rereading" shelf for an enjoyable adventure in a world where no man has gone before.

Now In Our "Avoid Like the Plague" Category: Zone One by Colson Whitehead

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Well, well. Proof positive that a zombie novel can be made yawningly boring.

Colson Whitehead has all the requisite apocalyptic-survivor-zombie elements but chooses to mash together flashbacks and current action with so much thinking and reflection that he manages to turn it all into bland, grey mush. Or wait ... was that my brain after I got done reading this? Even the end, which was supposed to be striking and should have been, was greeted with a shrug by this reader. Stick to World War Z or The Reapers Are the Angels.

Enter Zone One at your own risk ... and don't say I didn't warn ya!

What I've Been Reading: Feed by Mira Grant

Feed by Mira Grant

I'm a bit tired of the zombie genre. However, this was of interest because of the large part that blogging plays in the story. In fact, blogging is the reason for the story, as it turns out. And that is the reason my friend pressed the book upon me, as he knew my long time blogging and podcasting habits.

Set in 2040, the world has seen the zombie apocalypse thanks to well-intended medicinal cures going awry (isn't that always the way? Thank you, I Am Legend movie). The major media downplayed the idea of "zombies" rising from the dead and cost thousands of lives. But the plucky blogging community of citizen reporters gave everyone the truth and helped save civilization. Variations of George and Shaun are the most popular children's names now thanks to society's debt to such movie makers as George Romero and movies like Shaun of the Dead for giving tips to how to avoid and kill zombies. So, yes, the book is heavily invested in pop culture, as one would expect

At the time of the story, bloggers are the new celebrities and our heroine, Georgia, and her brother, Shaun, are among the most popular. They are picked to cover an up and coming presidential candidate as he campaigns before the Republican National Convention. It soon becomes apparent that someone is out to stop the campaign and our intrepid reporters are out to uncover the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

The only drawback to the story is that the solution to the mystery is so extremely simple that I'd considered it early on and rejected it as too obvious. Yes, both where the adversary was getting information (and why) and who the villain was (and why).

I really enjoyed the environment of the Newsies, Irwins, and Fictionals and how they worked together within their news organization to create full news coverage. I also appreciated the thorough thought the author gave to the virus and the implications to the living population. That actually gave the story a complexity that was lacking in the mystery details. As well, I liked the basic story and characters, although I could have done with much less of Georgia's ever present headaches due to the virus' effect on her eyes. Got it and don't mind a few reminders, but they could have cut it in half and it would have been enough.

Overall, though, high marks for a thrilling, fun to read story that kept me interested so that I kept picking up the book every time I had a chance, reading it in two days. Ironically, my overall comment would match the one that we kept reading throughout the book when others would comment on our heroes' "blogging as journalism" ... not perfect, a bit rough and could use improvemnt -- but it has great heart. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel and crossing my fingers for a more complex plot.

The ONLY Catholic Blog Bringing You the Latest Zombie News

I am not sure exactly how I became the one that people think of when passing on news about zombies (ok, I know ... between World War Z and The Reapers Are The Angels, it is easy to figure out).

However, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth ... I'll just pass on the news as I get it, folks!

Zombies in the news, and that ain't the Hollywood news, but the real news ...

CDC Warns Public to Prepare for Zombie Apocalypse
I like that they know how to have fun while figuring out how to get people to read their hurricane preparedness press releases

Best Car to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse
Fox News is taking the CDC's idea and running with it. Or driving it into the ground. Something like that.

Thanks to Deacon Lawrence Klimecki for sending me these breaking stories. For some very cool modern Catholic art, swing by his place. There might even be something about an apocalypse there. Just not one with zombies.

UPDATE
More late-breaking zombie news ... though this is really more of a preparedness plan in several parts. Thanks to Mockingbird for taking this task upon themselves. There are now five parts, but I'll start you at the beginning ... here.

Do you have a zombie plan? This is a hot question right now, right up with “What do you do for a living?” Of course, my answer is always an emphatic “Yes!” How could you not? In the event of a zomb-pocalypse, my family and I will lock all doors, retreat to the attic (via the pull-down attic entrance), cut the cord that enables someone (or someTHING) to pull down the steps, and eat and drink stored provisions. Then, during a lull in zombie activity, we will make a break for the truck, drive out to rural parts and become southern Ted Kaczynski-s. Of course. Wouldn’t you? Like Y2K.

Thanks to Tante Leonie for turning me on to Mockingbird, where you may also read excerpts of their book, The Gospel of Pixar.

Faith and zombies. Faith and animation. What's not to love?

The First Zombie-Proof House

Thanks to Frank at Why I Am Catholic for noticing that there has been a real dearth of zombie news around here lately. I was just thinking about that myself when his email came through with the latest in residential design in case of a zombie apocalypse.

I definitely approve of the concrete and drawbridge (click through to see different angles and the drawbridge at work). However, what about those sunny days when you roll up the metal covering to let the sunshine in?

Who's to say that all the glass isn't going to be a problem? Unless it is super-zombie-proofed glass. They didn't give those details which leaves me feeling rather insecure. I can't argue that you wouldn't be living elegantly, however. It is the latest word in architectural style on the inside as far as I can tell.

Oh, I See ... Why I Am Catholic Ain't Good Enuff for Zombies, Eh?

Webster Bull bowed out of writing for Why I Am Catholic and I, for one, have missed him there. Not that the rest of the gang ain't writin' great pieces which I read all the time. But I still miss him.

Now it turns out that Webster's out there writing on the sly at a place I can't even spell, much less pronounce. He's turned his thoughts to zombies (did he think no one would tell me this? c'mon, we're talkin' zombies!), our lives, our souls, and why Catholics might care.

Second, we propose a different view of death in life and life in death than that proposed by zombie flicks. There may be a ring of hell reserved for zombies, creatures who can’t talk and don't think, whose only motive is the consumption of flesh. But no, actually I don't think zombies even exist in the Catholic view of the cosmos.

As is the case with vampires, Frankenstein's monster, et al. Despite that little bit of serious consideration of the monsters themselves, Webster's article is focused on higher things and makes good points about how we live lives of faith.

I, myself, am not so interested in the zombies themselves, per se, but in the nature of the apocalypse and what people do with it. Which is what gives us such gems as Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, The Reapers Are the Angels, and World War Z. (As I mentioned yesterday, I don't really tend to agree with that article.)

(Many thanks to my spy, whose name begins with "F" and ends with "rank.")

Star Trek? Zombies? There's a Book for That.

Night of the Living Trekkies

Book? I want that movie! (Rightly rated QB for Quasi-Silly But Awesome.)

Via SFFaudio, where so many good things turn up first.

Zombie Survival Guide. Starting Your Car.

And anyone who has seen Zombieland knows how important that can be!

Thanks to Tom for the heads up on this; he knows more about running from zombies than most ...