After reading my buddy’s blog down there about the Left 4 Dead cover and zombie fiction, I simply had to add my 2 cents. Color me inspired. (Thanks, David!)

I’m a fan of pretty much zombie anything. If it ends with “… of the (Living) Dead” I’ve seen it. Be it Shaun, Dawn, Night, Day, Afternoon, Morning, Brunch, whatever. Zombie games? Yep, I love those too. Resident Evil(s)? Check. Left 4 Dead? Check. Stubbs the Zombie? Double check! (If you have a few Xbox Live Credits lying around I highly suggest downloading it. It’s a gem.) Dead Space? Not quite zombies in the traditional sense, but Check anyway. Anyhow, I think you get the point.

So when I saw David’s suggestions for zombie fiction, I thought I’d stop by to add a Zombie fiction “lite” recommendation to his magnificent list. You know, all the zombie with half the calories. Enter The Walking Dead graphic novels. Though I was a bit skeptical at first, I thought I’d give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s not heavy reading by any means and there are only zombies every fifth page or so, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s not about zombies, per se, but rather about what happens to us after a zombie outbreak. In fact, the author, Robert Kirkman, begins his Introduction by stating that he’s not trying to scare anyone. Odd for a zombie story, no? He’s more interested in exploring how people press on and persevere in such extreme situations. And really, how much more extreme can you get than a full blown zombie outbreak?

So if you’re a zombie freak, appreciate graphic novels (or just aren’t into books that don’t have pretty pictures), give the Walking Dead a shot.  You might be surprised. I was.

Now if you’ll excuse me I have to get back to Ghostbusting.

PS. David was right about Dying to Live. It is an AWESOME read.

Writing the Left 4 Dead guide and playing it since it’s release has fueled a craving for zombie fiction. Yeah, it’s actually a growing genre, especially since Max Brooks’ two bestsellers were released. Granted, most of the stuff out there is pretty awful but I found one author I really like. His name is Kim Paffenroth. He’s a professor of religious studies, giving him a rather unique perspective on the whole genre. Anyway, I was reading his first novel, Dying to Live, and noticed there were two interesting correlations to Left 4 Dead. In the novel, one of the key locations is Mercy Hospital and one of the main characters is named Zoey. Coincidence? The novel was published in 2007 so I doubt the author was inspired by the game. Maybe he has some fans at Valve? Anyway, if zombie fiction is your thing, it’s a good read. There’s a second book in the series I’m reading now. Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies looks like it’ll be a fun read too.