History Is Dead: A Zombie Anthology [Paperback]

A remarkable study of the zombie-condition traced back to its original vector, an infected mammoth, that unwittingly shambled across the primeval hunting grounds of our ancient ancestors and into infamy, History is Dead tracks mankind's most gruesome affliction as it spreads, raising our dead across the continents, bridging cultures, and shedding light on ancient mysteries, like the Celtic peat bog-mummies in "The Gingerbread Man", and crossing paths with iconic greatness, in "The Loaned Ranger" and "The Summer of 1816". The zombie proves itself to be an effective weapon of war, in "The Barrow Maid", as well as a lover worth dying for, in Carole Lanham's wonderfully necrotic zombie-romance, "The Moribund Room".

A brilliant theme and an outstanding collection, History is Dead may arguably be one of the most noteworthy horror anthologies of 2007, and surely a contender for this year's Stoker Award nominations.

I typically avoid trying to review Anthologies, simply because I feel that each story deserves to be taken on its own merits. I have read most of the zombie anthologies out there and have enjoyed all of them...some have some stories that really knock my socks off while others are just interesting and creative.
With the theme of history here, what we are served up is a dark menu of treats tied in with some of the major events in history. The Black Plague, the real genius behind the creation of Frankenstein, the great Chicago fire, etc. All of these events, along with several more personalized stories unrelated to figures of major historical prominence give us a tome of Alternative Histories that is quite intriguing.
It is challenging, to say the least, to be knowledgeable enough of a time period and the details of how people lived to be able to embellish upon the known history effectively with the injection of the living dead. That each of these authors boldly ventured forth to do so here certainly shows both an appreciation for history and a willingness to stand it on its head for the purposes of macabre entertainment.
From the start I have to say I really enjoyed the creative flare I saw with these stories-David Dunwoody's flashback to prehistory, Raoul Wainscoting's creative use of Shakespeare, Johnathan Maberry's creative take on a little fire in Chicago and most of the others had me grinning at the enthusiasm everyone had to come up with some really fun ideas.
I think that a book like this could easily be expanded with future editions, if these authors and others are up to the task of coming up with even more tales from other areas of history. The source material is endless.

-History is Dead- is a mixed bag, in a number of ways, but overall it comes out on top.

The walking dead are not all the mindless flesh-eaters George Romero made so popular. There are people "cursed" with undeath, some who've been brought back to carry out certain tasks, and some who've dragged themselves back for one reason or another.

Like any anthology, some stories are stronger than others. "The Reluctant Prometheus" gets points for sheer creativity. "A Touch of the Divine" is a stylish comeuppance story. "Society and Sickness" beat another undead/ Jane Austen parody to the shelf by several months. But my hands-down favorite had to be "Pegleg and Paddy Save the World" for its mix of humor and creepiness.

So it's not perfect, but it has many high spots and there's definitely something for everyone, no matter what kind of undead you like, no matter what context you like them in.