Title: The Living Dead 2

Edited by: John Joseph Adams

Publisher: Night Shade Books 2010

Genre: Zombies

Pages: 496

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; May Read and Review; Zombies

Another day, another anthology. But this one features my favorite: ZOMBIES! According to the editor, John Joseph Adams, this anthology gives the newest of the new running the full spectrum of stories. It definitely delivered. I loved so many of these stories. I like almost all of the stories. I only disliked a couple. Out of 43, I would say 40 were enjoyable. That is quite a score for an anthology.

Here were my absolute favorites:

Seth Lindberg "Twenty-Three Snapshots of San Francisco" -- Interesting way to show live before and after the zombie apocalypse. I connected with the characters without them ever speaking. Great concept! Really hit home. Loved it.
Karina Sumner-Smith "When the Zombies Win" -- What would the world be like after the zombies win (and they will, don't kid yourself, they won't stop)? According to Sumner-Smith, it's a pretty depressing place. A philosophical look at the world. I like it.
David Wellington "Good People" -- Classic survivor tale set in the desert in a motel. A group goes out to check out the surrounding area. This is going to well, right? Watch out for the twist at the end. A character finally realizes the definition of "good people." Instant classic!
Brian Keene "Lost Canyon of the Dead" -- Zombies, cowboys, and dinosaurs.... need I saw more?
Cherie Priest "Reluctance" -- Set in the same world as Boneshaker (which I own, but haven't read yet. steampunk fun!) during the American Civil War. Classic story with a steampunk twist.
Bret Hammond "Rural Dead" -- How would the Amish deal with the zombie apocalypse? Hammond tries to answer with a great short story.

Loving me some zombies this week. But this book definitely took me longer to read than I anticipated. I need to be more focused in my reading. I am going to commit myself to reading at least 1 hour day. Hopefully that will get me back on track. Next up: I'm thinking a romance. As much as I love zombies, I think I need a bit of a break after 43 zombie stories.