- Burn by James Patrick Kelly

- The Living Dead – an anthology featuring Joe Hill, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin and more

- Zombie Haiku: Good Poetry For Your…Brains by Ryan Mecum

- Locke and Key #3 by Joe Hill also – Joe Hill’s novel Horns, which is not out yet, but I guess no one’s perfect.

- The Rookie by Scott Sigler and his novel EarthCore and his other novel Ancestor, which isn’t out yet . Apparently no one coordinated their book releases with my birthday.

- Personal Effects: Dark Art by J.C. Hutchins

- Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

- Odd and the Frost Giants, The Facts In The Case Of The Departure Of Miss Finch and The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll’s House by Neil Gaiman

Keep in mind, I haven’t read these books so I’m not reviewing them. I’m just letting you know what I would get me if I were… me.

Anyway, I’m in Portland right now.  So, I’m logging off to have some serious birthday fun.  Thanks for checking out my blog!  You readers o’ mine are the best present I can imagine getting this and every year!  But, if you feel a need to help me out – buy stuff from Amazon by clicking a link from my site. That way I get paid if you buy something! W00t!

So, in honor of the undead becoming so interesting to this crazy world of ours – I want to dedicate a post to interesting and fun books/music/movies/podcasts/etc that have to do with zombies.

First of all, zombies truely terrify me. So much so that I actually couldn’t read the book World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, even though I’ve read little bits and pieces and found it riveting. It gave me nightmares for days, so I had to stop. But, a friend of mine who is very picky about books, loved it, so I’m recommending the book here. It’s a post-apocalyptic look at what the world would look like after zombies re-animated. It is a reflection on the past by war heroes and survivalists alike who experienced first-hand a full-out zombie war. Creepy, creepy stuff.

There is a fan site dedicated to the zombie apocolypse world as inspired by world war z called Tales of World War Z. There are some brilliant and terrifying stories in there. Check them out.

Next we have a less serious look at the walking dead issue – The Takeover, a podiobook/podcast presented by Mur Lafferty. This is a hilarious look at what it would be like to have your company taken over by Zombinc – a company run by zombies which provides low wage zombie labor to other companies. The only way to be promoted in the ranks of Zombinc is to, well, become a zombie.

When I listened to The Takeover, I was entranced by the amazing zombie theme songs Mur put on there – specifically a song called Re: Your Brains by Jonathan Coulton. Check it out, pretty darn hilarious.

Last but not least, zombie movies. These really doll out the nightmares for me – yes, even the funny ones like Shaun of the Dead. The only one that didn’t give me nightmares was Zombieland . I’m not sure why. Maybe (and this IS a spoiler folks, so skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want to be spoiled) it’s because of the zombie clown. I’ve always wanted to see one. A friend of mine and I had a joke that a zombie clown would be the ultimate worst nightmare scenario. Also, the number (or lack thereof) of zombies made the movie slightly more comforting.

The two movies above are funny, but the following are not funny, but extremely scary movies. I’m going to categorize them by speed of zombie:

- Dawn of the Dead – Super fast zombies with no explanation of how they came to be. The dead started rising one day. Freaky.

- Resident Evil- all three movies feature fast zombies, but the last two feature fast, mutant and possibly intelligent zombies. There is, however, a reason for the undead-ness. The t-virus which has spread to so many people continuously re-animates the dead body.

- 28 Days Later- fast and ferocious zombies. The movie is about a particularly horrible strain of rabies, called “Rage” getting loose in England. It’s extremely scary.  I couldn’t watch the whole movie in the middle of a bright, SoCal afternoon.

One more movie which is funny because it’s so cheesy is The Return of the Living Dead. Extremely campy and awesome. Also, it was released the year I was born, so it’s gotta be good, right?

Finally, I will give you some authors with non-infectious zombies – zombies which may turn against you, but they mostly just fight or stand there and moulder:

- Terry Pratchett’s Making Money , along with several other of his Discworld Novels.  His zombies have personality and character.

- Piers Anthony’s Xanth Series.  These are fighting zombies, reanimated corpses and such.

- Laurell K. Hamilton in Strange Candy. This is the traditional zombie, raised by a spell and not really so friendly.

I’m sure there are others, but those are the main ones I can come up with. Do you have any recommendations for zombie books/movies/podiobooks/podcasts?

As usual, please remember that I don’t get paid unless you click on an Amazon link in my site, then buy something. The recommendations to other sites I give you because I love them – not because they pay me. So, if you want to get something at Amazon, click on my links and buy from there. I get a small commission, you get a good deal on cool stuff. Win Win, yeah?

Fantasy
For those friends and family members who would be more at home digging around in a dragon’s cave, these are my recommended reads:

- Hogfather or any other books by Terry Pratchett
I reviewed the Hogfather in a previous post.  This is a perfect book for Christmas, since it sort of pokes fun at Santa Claus and hints at the possibility that the jolly old elf may be have come from rather sinister beginnings.   Also, it has the character Death from the Discworld series in it, who is always a good read.  Honestly, I’m fond of anything by Terry Pratchett, so getting any book that strikes your fancy for your friends or family (or even yourself – it’s okay to get a gift for yourself) by Sir Terry is an excellent idea.

- Hood (The King Raven Trilogy, Book 1) by Stephen Lawhead
I only recently finished this book. If you have a fantasy fan who enjoys historical fiction or the Robin Hood tales, Hood is a great book for them. It’s a pretty slow moving, but enjoyable book about the beginnings of Robin Hood.

- Stardust or Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. His books (in my humble opinion) are a MUST in any fantasy fan’s bookshelf. He has published many books and been involved in a few films, so he really has an abundance of material for your fantasy fan library. The reason I picked Fragile Things and Stardust is:  Fragile Things is a book of short stories with an introduction for each story, which is kind of fun.  Stardust is one of the few books I’ve encountered that everyone I know who has read it, liked it.

- The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King
Stephen Kingis not only the master of horror, but the master of fantasy as well. Seriously. Check out the Darktower series or The Eyes of the Dragon.

- Dead Until Dark (The Sookie Stackhouse Series) by Charlaine Harris
These are the books behind HBO’s True Blood Series. If you have a friend who like vampire love stories, but is not into glittery vampires, and likes the real, burn in the sunlight kind, this series is for them. I’ve reviewed Dead Until Dark – the first in the Sookie Stackhouse series.

- Playing For Keeps by Mur Lafferty
I reviewed Playing for Keeps in a previous post. It’s an over-all fun, action packed, superhero story that really gets you rooting for the underdog.

- Watership Down by Richard Adams
Amazing classic story. Most people may not believe that a story about talking rabbits can be serious and intense, but Watership Down is just that. If you or your friend/family member hasn’t read it, definitely do so.

- Podcastle CDs
Pod Castle is a fantastic fantasy podcast that your friend/family member should be subscribed to (it’s free). But, if they are not subscribed, buy the CDs from Poddisc.com and get them hooked. (I am not sponsored by anyone in the Pod Castle/Pseudopod/Escape Pod network, I just happen to really like them.)

I hope these books/book-like items cover all bases on your friends and family who are fantasy fans!

If you have any suggestions of books I should read or recommend, let me know!

Also, remember that if you shop at Amazonfrom the links I provide, I get a little commission if you buy something, so help a sister out!

I, for one, think the creator of Discworld deserves it. I just hope Sir Pratchett has many more happy, memorable years ahead of him to enjoy his knighthood. Congratulations!

Book: Making Money

Genre: Fantasy

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: Making Money is the next installment of Moist Von Lipwig’s adventures into government. You may recall Moist from my very recent post about the book Going Postal by Terry Pratchett.  In Making Money, Moist has been Postmaster General for a year and is frankly, bored.  The Patrician of Ankh Morpork – Lord Vetinari – discovers this and decides to keep Moist’s life interesting.  He offers Moist a new job in which he will make loads of money, revolutionize an industry and very possibly get shot at.  

After many a strange circumstance, Moist comes to accept the position of Master of the Mint and Master of the Chairman of the Royal Bank of Ankh Morpork – the Chairman of said bank being a little dog named Mr. Fusspot.  Moist does indeed get shot at, learns about Golems the hard way (again) and discovers many reasons to tell the truth. 

Making Money is recommended reading for anyone who likes Terry Pratchett, or likes funny fantasy.

Author: Terry Pratchett

Genre: Fantasy

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: The first Pratchett book (that I know of) with the character Moist Von Lipwig – confidence trickster extraordinaire.  It begins with the ending of his life as a confidence trickster and forger.  Moist undertook the name of Albert Spangler to dupe people, and he is to be hung by the neck until dead… well almost dead anyway.  When he awakes from the hanging in the Patrician of Ankh Morkpork’s office, Moist discovers he has survived a hanging only to be given something worse – a government job.  Lord Vetinari makes it simple – become Postmaster General, or leave via a pit of spikes.  Moist decides on to take the Postmaster General job.

Moist discovers very quickly that he is expected to seriously take on his position as Postmaster General when he tries to run off on a reasonably fast nag – only to find his Golem probation officer carrying him back to Ankh Morpork.  So, he gets cracking and turns the ancient and very disused post office into a profitable business – encountering only a smattering of death threats, potential mutilations, a press agent who tends to quote you exactly (to your undoing) and a woman who looks very good in a severe dress.

I really love this book and the character.  Terry Pratchett has outdone himself again (also, it’s kind of the prequel to Mr. Pratchett’s newest creation: Making Money which I will be reviewing shortly).

Authors: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Genre: Fantasy

Julia Rating: 10

Comments:  This is the book that got me into Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett – both of whom I am slightly obsessed with now. 

“Well,” you say, “she must have read that book a long time ago, why review it now?”

Because I’ve reread it, that’s why.

Anyway, Good Omens is a hilarious book about the Apocalypse.  That’s right.  It’s really funny – but it’s also about the Apocalypse.  The basic premise is that two otherworldly beings – an angel and a demon – have been working on the same planet since it began.  Because they’ve worked together for so long, they’ve struck up a sort of a friendship and understanding.  The main basis of that understanding is that earth is a funny ol’ world, and much more interesting than Heaven and Hell.  When the anti-christ is given to the demon to deliver, he alerts his angelic friend at once.  They like earth, no fire and brimstone here, and they don’t want it to end. 

Unbeknownst to them, a series of occurences have affected the child’s delivery to the proper parents.  Who would have predicted such a series of calamities besides Agnes Nutter – a witch from hundreds of years ago?  Agnes’ only living descendant has the book that predicts it all – The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter Witch. 

Will an angel and a demon be able to work together and stop the end of the world?  Will Agnes’ descendant learn what to do to prevent the Apocalypse before it’s too late?  Will Dog – the Anti Christ’s satanic hell hound turned mutt get the hang of frightening cats?  Read the book and find out.

Author: Terry Pratchett

Genre: Fantasy

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: Something sinister is afoot in Discworld.  The stockings are hung, the cookies and apples are laid out, children are sleeping, visions of sugarplums are dancing… but where is the Hogfather?  And who is that gaunt man in his place?  Could it be… Death?  Is that why he’s accompanied by a raven, a skeletal rat and Albert?  Susan, Death’s granddaughter decides to get to the bottom of her grandfather’s shenanigans, thus involving herself in the highly dangerous activity of raising the Hogfather from his final resting place. 

I happen to love any Discworld book about Death – he’s such a lively character (yes… groans are in order.. and the pun was intended).  Susan is a wiley and adventurous girl who is trying to stay in THE REAL WORLD as much as possible, mostly so she doesn’t forget to turn door handles.  Together they make a fun and interesting team.  It’s a great read and I think anyone who likes to laugh would like this book.

Apparently, Hogfather has been made into a movie called The Hogfather.  I haven’t seen this, but I almost rented it last night – the book was that good.

Genre: Fantasy

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: This is a great Discword book. Sam Vimes (Commander of the city watch) is one of my favorite Terry Pratchett characters and I think this book is a great one for those who are just starting to read about Discworld, as well as for those who are old hands. (Come one, come all!)
The basic idea is that Sam Vimes accidentally travels back in time with a really horrible criminal. Sam travels back to when he was just beginning in the city watch, before the current regime and during the time when he was first learning how to really be a watchman. Unfortunately for Sam, the wretched criminal he’s brought with him has interfered with a very major part of Sam’s coming into his own. The monks of time step in and talk Sam (the Commander of the City Watch in his time) to teach Sam (a snot nosed kid just joined up with the city watch) all about how to be a good copper.
Terry Pratchett always makes me laugh and usually makes me hope. He has succeeded in doing both of those things in this great book.
Let me know if you have read it or would like to recommend any other Terry Pratchett books to me!