Friday, December 7, 2012

My Top 3 Goofy Zombie Novels! (Precious Monsters' Zombie Blog Hop)

Welcome, y'all, to my entry for the Zombie Blog Hop, hosted by Jolie du Pre of Precious Monsters! Participants can blog about anything zombie-esque, so I chose to tell youse guys about three zombie novels which make me giggle like a giddy schoolboy*.

*I believe in equal giggling opportunities for both sexes.

Click here to buy it! (The book, not me, obviously).
'K, so: first up is Christopher Moore's The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror, Version 2.0 (with a groovy one-year-later epilogue which is not to be missed). In TSA, Moore revisits the fictional town of Pine Cove, CA, in which tourists flock to the fake-Tudor-Christmasy-cheer while a local kid witnesses the accidental killing of "Santa Claus" (an Evil Developer and all-round douchebag, who totally had it coming). The titular angel, Raziel, grants the boy's Christmas wish that Santa return from the dead, while the Sheriff quits pot so he can afford a special gift for his wife (a schizophrenic ex-scream queen, who's gone off her meds so she can afford to get him something special), all while she's planning the town's annual Lonesome Christmas party, which just happens to take place at the Santa Rosa Chapel, which just happens to be located right next to a cemetery. You can see where this is going, right? I break this bad-boy out every December for another read, 'cause, you know, 'tis the season, and whatnot.

Buy PP&Z here!
Next is the book which sparked a new(ish) genre, the literary mash-up: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. As I noted in my Amazon.com review for this book, what I adore about it is the juxtaposition of well-known and well-turned phrases against the ludicrous. And Dudes, it's HILARIOUSLY funny. READ IT, if for nothing else but the helpful Reader's Discussion Guide (Question #7: Does Mrs. Bennet have a single redeeming quality?). Or for the nifty illustrations sprinkled throughout (with captions such as "Elizabeth lifted her skirt, disregarding modesty, and delivered a swift kick to the creature's head.") OR for sentences like the one Catherine De Bourgh utters near the end of the book, "Well? Have you anything to say before I remit you to Satan?" Too, when zombies (here referred to as the "Unmentionables" or "The Zed Word") crash the ball at which Darcy first disses Lizzy, Mr. Bennet urges his daughters to take them out by forming the "Pentagram of Death." C'mon, like that's not hysterically funny. (It's bloody well funny-as-hell to me, at any rate, and that's all I actually care about anyways, so...)

Click here to buy a good time! (Uh...you know what I mean.)
Finally, we have The Zombies of Lake Woebegotten by Harrison Geillor. Now, I have to admit it's been quite some time since I first read this Prairie Home Companion parody, plus I've got Momnesia, so details are fuzzy for me. However, I do recall that it features a meteor which starts the whole mess, a murderess, dueling clergy, bachelor farmers, a serial killer, a dominatrix, and of course, the "zomboes," as one character calls them. Possibly the funniest thing about this book is how these stalwart Minnesotans manage to take the zombie apocalypse in stride and go about the business of living. *I* should be so hard-to-rattle!

18 comments:

  1. Awesome! I have some new books to be added to my TBR Pile! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those all sound awesome! Zombies make me giggle too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have about 3 or 4 books started that I have yet to finish before I test these out. I really need to read more. Love the pics of you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. My first zombie book was Dark Moon Rising by Jonathan Maberry, and I had nightmares for weeks. Will not do that again. The movies and TV shows are bad enough, but my own imagination worse!

    Like the idea of funny though!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks, all, for popping Around.

    @JoJo - Thanks, Lady!

    @Yolanda - Yep, my own imagination does me in too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a great post! I have read 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' but haven't had a chance to pick either of the other two! They will be on my list now!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yeah, the Pride and Prejudice book I HAVE to read. In fact, I keep forgetting to add that to my "Want to Read" list at Goodreads. Great post! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love Christopher Moore. I believe I have that book of his.

    ReplyDelete
  9. @Julianne - PP&Z's prequel and sequel are fun too. No text from P&P, though (which rather makes sense).

    @Jolie - thanks so much! :-)

    @Medeia - I love him too. I even stalk him when he comes to NY for book signings. (And by "stalk" I mean I go to the signings and occasionally bring him snacks.)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I haven't read these books, but I'll definitely keep them in mind for future reading!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Really cute photos! I haven't read any of these, but they sound good. I actually haven't read hardly any zombie books--but I LOVE The Walking Dead. Best show EVER!!! Well...that and Spartacus (especially when Andy Whitfield was on it)

    My favorite zombie book is one of the only zombie books I've ever read, but I really loved Warm Bodies. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have read about the Pride and Prejudice zombie tome. Sounds marvelously inventive, although much of the zombie fascination passed me by. Although I did recently catch some of Shaun of the Dead while working out at the gym and it looked hilarious. BTW loved your post about gloves and finding a pissed smiley which is really funny as smileys are not always associated with feeling pissed off I am guessing :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. @LG - girl, I dunno how you find time to read anything, what with raising your boys AND all the writing you do! :-)

    @Tamara - Thanks, Doll! And ditto on The Walking Dead (this season's killing me, yo). I'd not heard of Warm Bodies (either the book or the movie) till I read about it on someone's blog. Seen the commercials for the movie and it is SO up my alley! Hope to see the flick first, then read the book.

    @David - Shaun of the Dead (and Hot Fuzz) are at the top of my fave movies list. I strongly encourage you to buy both DVDs. Frankly, I think for you it'd be treasonous not to. Also, thanks for catching the humor of a "pissed off smiley." If others noticed, they haven't said. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love the cover of the last one! Love the scary kid coming at you at the front :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I dig it too, though I imagine I wouldn't so much if it were coming at me for real. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love zombie movies, but haven't read any zombie books so I will be checking these out. Thanks for sharing and sorry I'm so late to this party.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Dude, I've been missing LOADS of online parties, even since I moved at the end of September! Internet was practically non-existent when I moved and only last Friday did I get a new ISP and reliable home access. So no worries, lady - I'm always super happy to see you, when I can! :-)

    ReplyDelete

C'mon, post a comment. All the cool kids do.