I don’t consider myself a fan of zombie fiction, or even horror, yet I’ve built a decent sized reading list on the topic. Here is a list of every zombie novel I’ve read and a brief explanation. Hopefully, for the true zombie
connoisseurs, you will find something new to read. This list is spoiler free and focuses more on genres, themes, and mood/tone of the books.
#1 Husk by Corey Redekop
Genres: Horror, LGBT, Humor, Urban Fantasy, Canadian literature
Mild horror: body horror, repulsion, and a smidge of gore.
Mild terror: existential dread, uneasiness, tension and foreboding
It’s first person and will make you say, “aw!” and “ew!” in a single sitting. I loved it.
#2 The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
Genres: Horror, science fiction, apocalypse, action, British literature
Moderate horror: repulsion, gore, immediate life threatening situations
Moderate terror: dread, tension, presence of monsters, and foreboding
It definitely had a lot of “oh no” moments for me. It has children in it, which is always going to make it more scary for me. The characters were great, and most of them behaved in a rational way which is nice for a group of people in an apocalypse. Melanie is a great protagonist. Frankly, I had a crush on Sergeant Parks which makes me biased, and the movie did not help at all.
#3 Loneagain by Stephen Graham Jones
Genres: horror, western, historical fiction, American literature
Mild horror: gore, immediate life threatening situations
Moderate terror: dread, tension, presence of monsters
My favorite short story from SGJ, the genres speak for themselves.
#4 Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Genres: Horror, quiet horror, supernatural, gothic, Swedish literature
Mild horror: gore
Moderate terror: dread, tension, foreboding, existential dread
I like the quiet horror tone of the book. Obviously, I lean towards quiet horror. Again, it sticks in my head because there are children to consider, which makes it more frightening. It’s a slow but lovely book.
#5 I am Legend, Richard Matheson
Genres: Horror, apocalypse, science fiction, paranormal
Mild horror: immediate life threatening situations
Moderate terror: dread, presence of monsters
Overall, the story stands up to modern standards.
#6 Every Sigh, the End, Jason Hornsby
Genres: horror, apocalypse, Epistolary/found footage, metafiction, splatter punk
Moderate horror: gore, immediate life threatening situations,
Mild terror: mild angst, presence of monsters
The formatting of the book is unique, but the story is standard zombie apocalypse and splatter punk. This wasn’t my thing, but it had specific qualities that I know many like.
Bonus Accidental Zombies:
American Gods, Neil Gaiman
Genres: Urban fantasy, urban mythology, fantasy
Mild horror: gore
Mild terror: tension
This isn’t a zombie or a horror novel but it does contain examples of the undead. Examples of the dead mostly kicking ass and taking names.
Pastoralia, George Saunders - Specifically “Sea Oak”
Genres: Humor, short stories, fiction
Mild Horror: gore
Moderate terror: existential dread, presence of monsters
Very unexpected source of horror, although Saunders isn’t unfamiliar with dread and unease.
What zombie novels have you read? Have you ever read a book with an accidental zombie?