While it may have sounded like a good idea at the time, THE ZOMBIE COOKBOOK didn’t agree with me. From Damnation Books, the super-slim anthology contains a dozen pieces all having to do with the undead and food. Brains: It’s what’s for dinner.
On the menu is Lisa Haselton’s “Secret Ingredient,” in which a zombie named Clete who has the uncanny talent for making spaghetti sauce gets a job at the L-Double-J Ranch. Haselton follows her story with a quick poem about the character. “The Right Recipe” by Lin Neiswender concerns threats e-mailed against a zombie cookbook editor.
In “A Zombie’s APB,” Cinsearae Santiago details things you never wanted to know about the living dead — namely, their digestive system. For example, projectile diarrhea. You’ve been warned. And with Karina Fabian’s “Wokking Dead,” I’m afraid its titular pun is the best thing about the story.
A handful even work in recipes, but that’s a gag — in more ways than one — that should’ve been limited to a single entry. I’m all for supporting indie horror, but this collection struck me as the literary equivalent to food poisoning. Although it’s well-intentioned and presented with passion, it’s woefully bland to the palate. —Rod Lott
Related posts:
- The Undead: Zombie Anthology
- Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide
- World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
- Essential Tales of the Zombie: Vol. 1
- The Mammoth Book of Zombie Comics
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Rod, sorry the book didn’t agree with you. I guess it’s an acquired taste.
Still, I appreciate your taking time to review it.
Karina Fabian
http://www.zombiecookbook.net