Just finished reading Ransom Riggs’ Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, a fantasy/science fiction novel that follows a young teenager’s journey as he traces the mysterious origins of his grandfather’s past. Taking him to an isolated island off the coast of Wales, our protagonist, Jacob, discovers a time “loop” that takes him to the same day in 1941 when the Nazis bombarded the island during World War II. Occupying this time loop is a group of children, each with their own special ability (some might say “superpower”), and who are protected by the hard-nosed Miss Peregrine. Jacob recognizes the children from the many pictures his grandfather used to show him as a child, pictures that defied explanation. As Jacob grew older, he began to doubt the veracity of the pictures and his grandfather’s accompanying stories, but he soon learns the truth about his grandfather’s peculiar ability, an ability to see the “monsters” that hunt these peculiar children. Using vintage photographs that truly do defy explanation scattered throughout the story, the book is a thrilling adventure by a first-time author.
The current book I’m reading was published in 2003, but it is such a fun read, I have to comment on it. It is Max Brooks’ The Zombie Survival Guide, subtitled “Complete Protection from the Living Dead.” It is literally written in a manual format, with explanations detailing the different types (or “classes”) of zombie outbreaks, the best weapons to use to defend your family and home, the virus that infects the undead (“Solanum”), living in a world where zombies have overrun the living, and recorded attacks or outbreaks of zombies throughout history, going back as far as 60,000 B.C.
I have always loved the “zombie” genre in movies (The Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, 28 Days, The Crazies, I Am Legend, Resident Evil), but this is the first time I have read a book dealing with the subject. The book is classified in the “Humor” genre, and maybe it is written tongue-in-cheek, but Mr. Brooks’ tone is so deadpan that I would not doubt that he believes he is truly providing us a survival guide in the event the dead start rising from the grave. Will you be ready?