Longtime Romero fan since Night of The Livind Dead in the 60s. This book does that longtime fandom service. Adored it. Highly, highly recommend. Who doesnt like a zombie book?

Most movie buffs – especially those that love zombie movies (and books) will happily talk about Night of the Living Dead. It started off the zombie craze, and left a permanent mark on our imagination.
After that, George A. Romero sat down to write a zombie novel. Sadly, he never had a chance to finish that novel, which certainly would have been as groundbreaking as his movies. Now, Daniel Kraus has picked up the task of finishing that very novel.

The Living Dead both is and is not a classic zombie story. The zombie apocalypse started small, but quickly grew to the devastating levels befitting our imaginations. Throughout this novel, the journey of several survivors is revealed. A teenager desperate to survive, a statistician who kept on going with her job, a medical examiner and his diener, they are just a few of the characters pulled into this tale that is larger than life.

“You have always been the living dead. You will always be. It was the coming of death that allowed you to live.”

Wow. If you asked me to leave a one word review for The Living Dead, it would simply be: Wow. This book, as massive as it is (656 pages), is a thrilling read, one that demands you read on right until the end.

Zombie books have always been a bit of a soft spot for me, and I know I'm not the only one there (just look at the demand, and that much is clear!). So in many ways, this book was always going to be a treasure for me. And yet, it still managed to surprise and impress me.

I sincerely cannot tell where George A. Ramero's writing ends, and where Daniel Kraus' writing begins. I think that is a brilliant sign, as it can be quite heartbreaking to see a novel picked up and finished in a way that did not do it justice (we've all seen it happen). I don't believe that was the case here.

The Living Dead was a powerful and moving novel. It wasn't just about the gore, or the violence (though there's plenty of that). It's also a study on human nature. The good, and the bad. The racism that is barely hidden in normal society bursts to life when faced with the unthinkable. A government that isn't prepared to tell it's citizens the truth. A plague on the earth.

The people rallying to provide each other information, shelter. The woman who continued her job for years, even when there appeared to be no reason to do so. The medics, the heroes. The pacifists. They all have a story in this novel, and it is shockingly beautiful.

That's what really blew me away in The Living Dead. Not the zombies, but the people. It was not at all what I expected, but that made it so much better.

All of that being said, the zombie-centric parts of this story are every bit as thrilling, chilling, and gory as fans could have ever hoped for. If you ask me, this book delivered on all of the promises it made, and then some. Consider this my favorite zombie book of the year.

Clocking in at nearly 700 pages (and over 1,000 on my ecopy), this is definitely meant for zombie horror fans and also for those who want some...excuse me, a lot!...of backstories mixed in with the bloody chaos. I knew there would be lots of gore, but what surprised me was how much I started to care for some of the hapless and doomed humans. I even shed a tear or two for some, but I won't say who as not to give away any spoilers. I did have a couple of problems, one being repetition. By the half-way mark I was starting to question where everything was going, or if it was even going anywhere, and by that time I was also getting a bit annoyed with the violence (if I say I was actually bored does that make me a bad person??!). There's only so many ways to skin a cat as the saying goes, that also goes for describing human mutilations and zombie decay. I also didn't care for the Trumpesque character...we already live that nightmare in real life, I don't want to read about it in my zombie fiction!
But overall, I found this to be a great addition to the genre and I think Daniel Kraus did very well with George Romero's vision (be sure to read the author's note at the end!!). Fair warnings: this is not a rehash of the original movie, and if you're squeamish, well, I've given you fair warning.

This incredible book started by the grandfather of the zombie genre, and finished by an accomplished author and devoted fan in his own right, is going to become THE defining tome in the field. Told through the perspective of many different characters, The Living Dead, chronicles the rise of the zombie apocalypse in a way only George Romero could have imagined it. The terror track is slow and can, in some narratives, get lost and consumed in the details, but regardless delivers immense thrills and a shocking ending. I cannot recommend this highly enough if you enjoy horror and zombie fiction. But reader, beware, this book is a massive undertaking. My advice, keep a list of characters next to you when you read.

I like horror novels. I like zombies. This book was right up my alley. While a little lengthly in parts, this is one of the best zombie books I've read in years.

Peppered with amazing, creative, and at times absolutely ridiculous gore (which is supremely detailed in a way that only something like a zombie book can really pull off), this book was such a fantastic nod to the classic gag-horror genre. When you spend 20 pages with a zombie with no internal organs crawling around on the floor of the morgue while the medical examiner views said zombie as his metaphorical second-chance baby after his wife's miscarriage, you know you're in for a wild ride.

That being said, the story is told in a series of disconnected vignettes that keep the whole from having any sense of forward momentum. After the fourth new set of characters, I found myself unable to focus, losing the drive to continue reading towards whatever conclusion I couldn't even guess at. At 25% into the book, I didn't have a grasp on which character we might follow till the end, what the purpose of the story is (beyond a very fun zombie romp), or why I should care.

While George A. Romero may be gone, his work definitely lives on with the help of Daniel Kraus. Building off Romero's unfinished novel, Kraus helps deliver a gory, thought provoking reimagining to Romero's zombie works.

Split into three sections, as any good zombie trilogy should do, we witness the rise of the zombies through various characters eyes, including a young teen and some medical examiners who may have encountered the first zombie. We're taken to a Navy ship, and into a staticians office as she attempts to record every notice of a new infection.

From there we move into the brief collection of zombie history by the statician, before getting swept off into a world attempting to rebuild while struggling with the remaining zombies and the madness that humans can create.

The first half rains blood and gore down on the reader, while the second half moves into a more psychological terror, mirroring our current world situation in a much too familiar way. This feels like the story Romero would have loved to have told, but would have been unable to fully bring to the screen

The one criticism is that this is quite long, and it does feel like chunks could be removed without actually hurting the overall story. It's all fascinating, but the second half starts to feel like reading about the same event over and over, but just from a different person's view. It didn't feel necessary to break these moments down into separate chapters.

It's a small complaint in what is a fantastically horrifying book though. This really is the zombie story we've all dreamed about getting.

It’s no secret that George A. Romero was pretty much the progenitor when it comes to the zombie genre. First in the films and then even in comic books and novels. If you’re a fan of George A. Romero, then you’re well aware that the iconic director’s zombie movies aren’t merely a gore fest. Instead, Romero uses the zombie genre to explore the human condition or reveal the incompetence of government or lack of empathy in humans. Ultimately, the real monsters in Romero’s movies are rarely the zombies, but rather the humans. We’re deadlier than the undead because we’ll turn on our own when the going gets tough. Unfortunately, Romero passed away in 2017 and never was able to complete the novel himself, so his widow asked Daniel Kraus to complete the novel using Romero’s notes. The end result isn’t disjointed nor can the reader tell where Romero begins and Kraus takes over. The writing style is seamless throughout the whole novel and doesn’t change.

Now, I don’t know how much Romero had completed before his death, but this novel is a horror saga (it’s over 600 pages!) but it doesn’t mean that there’s ever a moment of dullness, because there isn’t. There are so many diverse characters in this novel, much like how Max Brooks’ novel World War Z was fashioned. Third person omniscient works superbly as there’s so much ground to cover that we need to know what’s happening to everyone at any given time. Sure, there are some characters that I favoured over others, but the fact that Romero always managed to create characters that we cared about means that even when we know that most of them will face dire endings, in our heart of hearts we can’t help but hope that there’s another way out. But this novel isn’t about comfort, this novel is brutal. I don’t read many zombie books but since I am a huge fan of Romero’s zombies, I knew that I had to read this novel and I’m not disappointed. If you’re going into this book thinking it’s going to be full of zombies, you are correct. But you’re also going to walk away with a feeling that ultimately the book wasn’t about zombies, but it’s about us, and how much humans CAN be both resilient and full of heart.

For a book about the undead, you’ll depart the novel with all the feels. You’ve been warned.

Make sure you have time to sit and read it all. You will want to soak in every detail, ever nuance. This has the makings of a hell of a movie/show. During this current real life virus, it makes you feel as if this COULD really happen. The backstory, character development, and world encompasses you.
That said, be aware of how long this book is. Don't let that stop you from devouring it! It's worth every page!

'You have always been the living dead. You will always be. It was the coming of death that allowed you to live.'

Okay, for some reason it felt curiously comforting to read a horror novel during lockdown where the bulk of the human population is mysteriously transformed into the living (un)dead. (There is a beautiful pun contained in the title that only comes into its own at the end.)

We think we have problems with Covid-19 … wait until you have to deal with a horde of slavering zombies. Co-writer Daniel Kraus includes a lengthy and fascinating essay at the end entitled ‘Stay Scared: a Coauthor’s Note’ wherein he explains his fascination with and appreciation of George Romero.

The genesis of the novel itself was a long-nurtured dream of Romero in which he thought his imagination could be truly unfettered: ‘No one had to give him a green light. No one could force rewrites via a slashed budget. No one could make him to cut his best effects to protect the sensibilities of a delicate populace.’

Kraus managed to stumble across 100 pages of a much earlier draft called ‘The Death of Death’, some of which he tut-tuts had no place in a series zombie novel of the kind that Romero ultimately envisaged.

This included: 'a bonkers sequence in which a woman is rescued from ritual genital mutilation only for her rescuer to crash their getaway jeep and be thrown into a river, whereupon he turns zombie and starts after her, only to be suddenly ripped apart by hippopotamuses.' Yes, it does sound like a Dwayne Johnson movie, doesn’t it?

Then Romero discovered that writing a book was actually bloody hard work, which meant the project languished until his unfortunate death from cancer. Kraus did meet Romero and his agent Chris Roe to discuss a potential collaboration, but nothing came of this until well after Romero had passed away.

Kraus explains he was collaborating with Guillermo del Toro on ‘The Shape of Water’ when Roe phoned him up to propose what can only be described as a dream assignment: “… completing the epic zombie novel George had left unfinished.”

I can only imagine the combination of terror and awe that Kraus must have felt at this precise moment. The fact that he knows everything there is to know about Romero and his zombie legacy – and I do mean everything – is one thing.

But how to translate all of this effectively into a novel, of all things, that still felt, er, fresh and alive after so many, many different adaptations in a range of media (was there ever a Broadway musical, I wonder?)

The fact that The Living Dead is such an instant classic is that not only does Kraus adhere closely to the zombie lore introduced in the original Night of the Living Dead movie, he also takes a leaf out of such classic apocalypse novels like The Stand (and more recently Wanderers by Chuck Wendig): Adhere closely to a key group of characters across disparate storylines, and slowly intertwine these until they tangle together … often in the most unexpected ways.

This was an exhausting read not only due to its considerable length (and yet there is not a wasted scene), but because it was such an unexpectedly emotional read. The end section especially, which depicts the ‘evolution’ of the zombies as it were while the planet resets itself after the apocalypse, was a pleasant revelation.

Usually disaster movies and novels like these opt for a Big Finale; Kraus goes against the grain by focusing on introspection and revelation, which makes his unusual choice for the ending all the more transcendent.

Make no mistake though, this is still a hugely enjoyable read: Grimly funny throughout, there are huge setpieces and little bits-and-bobs of outright horror that will make even the most hardened zombie fan blanch.

First off, it should be noted how great Daniel Kraus is. Both ROTTERS and BLOOD SUGAR are absolute must reads.

Romero had apparently finished 60% of this book before his untimely death, and luckily (for us readers) Kraus was selected to complete the story. Here is where I should admit that I was underwhelmed at the first 2/3rds of the story and I wonder if that is a coincidence. Now, don't get me wrong, there is plenty of action and zombie mayhem at the beginning of the book. The pace of the story was ok; I think I had a slight problem with the tone of the narrative. Some of the descriptions of the action seemed...clinical? It's tough for me to put my finger on exactly what didn't work for me.

However, the story really shines in the final act, which actually brought me to tears multiple times. This is no run-of-the mill zombie book to be dismissed. Overall, the book is redeemed by this final act, which is 5 star caliber stuff. Unfortunately, the first two acts were average (3 star) material, so I will split the difference with a 4-star rating.

'Night of the Living Dead', a 1968 film written and directed by George Romero, is the progenitor of the ubiquitous zombie movies, TV shows, and literature so popular in modern culture.

After making a series of zombie flicks Romero embarked on a zombie novel, but died before it was completed. The mantle was picked up by best-selling author Daniel Kraus, a zealous, long-time Romero fan.....and the result is this novel.

This 650+ page book is far from a quickie blood and guts horror tome that could be adapted into a two-hour movie. Rather the story, a sobering depiction of 15 years of a zombie apocalypse, would require a mini-series to do it justice.

*****

The story: On the night of October 23, early in the 21st century, recently deceased humans stopped staying dead. Instead they rose up, and craving 'food', became cannibalistic creatures variously called ghouls, biters, white eyes, things, demons, etc. Soon enough, zombies became the favored term for the undead beings.

There are myriad characters in the story, but the narrative's five main protagonists are:

- Etta Hoffmann - a dowdy Washington DC statistician who works for a division of the Census Bureau called the 'American Model of Lineage and Dimensions' (AMLD) - a unit that tracks U.S. births and deaths. Hoffman, who's probably on the autism spectrum, can't bear to be touched and "has always been AMLD's oddball.....full of leaden, blank-stare interactions."

- Charlene (Charlie) Rutkowski - a physician apprentice to San Diego's assistant medical examiner. Charlie, a shapely woman with "big, country-western blond hair and the swagger to go with it....is as out of place in a morgue as a cadaver would be at the Grand Ole Opry." Yet Charlie enjoys her job and is good at it.

- Greer Morgan - an African-American high school student who lives in a shabby trailer park in Bulk, Missouri. Greer often skives off school, and her teachers think of her as "recalcitrant, argumentative, lazy, and sluttish." Greer is clever though, and good with a bow and arrow. She likes "the creaking resistance of the wood. The smarting slap of the string against her armguard."

- Master Chief Boatswain's Mate Karl Nishimura - a gay, married, Japanese-American master helmsman aboard the aircraft carrier USS Olympia. Straitlaced Karl has earned the nickname 'Saint Karl', and his "studied hesitation has been dubbed the Nishimura Delay." Karl gives every question sober consideration, "whether asked about enemy attacks in the Persian Gulf or which brand of toothpaste to buy from the ship store."

- Chuck Corso - a barely capable but handsome news anchor - known as 'the Face' - on Atlanta's WWN all news network. The WWN news director says of the anchorman, "You may not think Chuck Corso is the crispiest chip in the bag. But goddamn it if he's not loyal. Goddamn it if he's not a team player. Which is something the rest of us should value a little more."

*****

In the lengthy first section of the book, we follow these five characters - and some of their co-workers, family members, friends, neighbors, etc. - as the zombie apocalypse begins. Like everyone else in the world, Hoffmann, Rutkowski, Morgan, Nishimura, and Corso are bewildered at first, with no idea of what's happening. It takes a while until the protagonists comprehend that the dead are reviving, with BIG appetites.

Once the main characters understand the enormity of the catastrophe they step up to the plate, using their particular skills to deal with the unfolding calamity.

As might be expected, psychotic and self-serving humans join the zombies in raising hell, and there are bloody fights, swinging axes, racing bullets, flying arrows, vicious bites, sexual assault, adroit maneuvers, and all manner of murder and mayhem. There also some spots of romance, which are touching and tender.

Eventually all the story lines converge, and we learn what happened between the beginning of the zombie apocalypse and a time fifteen years later, when a small colony of humans is assembled in Toronto, Canada. The intervening period had PLENTY of action, which is wisely presented in abbreviated form (or the book would be 3.000 pages long).

The entire book, including the climax, is a cautionary tale about human behavior. People's greed, violence, and indifference to the environment have dire consequences in the story, which is something people in the real world would do well to understand. (In my view, the poor stewardship humans exhibited on planet Earth resulted in the Coronavirus pandemic, and there are probably more catastrophes coming down the pike.)

In a unique aspect of the story, we see passages from the zombie point of view. We come to know the 'thoughts' of several zombies, especially an extremely decomposed zombie called the Chief.

It turns out zombies sometimes exhibit purposeful behavior and they have a hive mentality, something like the Borg in Star Trek (though the Borg are much smarter).

I got his book from Netgalley, and since it's on my Kindle, I didn't realize at first how long it is. I thought I was nearing the end of the story when I realized I was only at the 35% mark. It says something that I kept right on going, until I finished the entire manuscript AND the long postscript by co-author Daniel Kraus, which is a must read in my opinion.

I'd highly recommend the book to fans of zombie literature and films.

Thanks to Netgalley, the authors (George Romero and Daniel Kraus), and the publisher (Tor Books) for a copy of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

The Living Dead is exactly what you think is, zombies. Nothing new. Was this a book that needed to be finished? Probably not. While both writing styles (Romero and Kraus) seem to blend well, this book is a mammoth. At almost 700 pages it almost felt like a chore to finish. It wasn't just the length that made it feel that way, it was more so the content. It felt like a whole series of TWD in one book with all the characters and time jumps throughout. Overall it didn't grab me, and I don't feel it was a necessary book.

What a truly terrifying book! I thoroughly enjoyed the in depth descriptions that took zombies to a new level. The point of view in the book was always masterfully used.

Solid zombie story told from the beginning of the zombie outbreak by different groups of people throughout the country. My favorite setting is aboard an aircraft carrier. There is also an outbreak in a broadcasting news room. If you like zombies this is a novel for you - you can really sink your teeth into it.

I love George Romero's work. This book was so good in my opinion. I loved that it held true to George's work and it definitely kept me reading the entire way throughout the day.

Full disclaimer, this review is going to be poorly written and convoluted.

I'm at an absolute loss for words on how to review this. I savored every word, taking my time to read this book (which, let me tell you, was hard because of how excited I was for it and how much I wanted to ditch sleep until I finished it).

I can tell you that outside of a pandemic, this book would be a completely different read. Inside of a pandemic, I found myself mentally blurring the lines between the world of the novel and the world of hiding in my apartment. I found myself hungering for the text in unexpected ways; longing for the feeling of experiencing the characters' realizations about their surroundings; yearning to sit down and crack the spine in my lap and dive back in. I read this book in a very different way than I feel I've read other books, and I can't help but think that's because this book is so different from other books.

I also have no previous experience with George A. Romero. I think, maybe, I saw Day of the Dead once, but I was probably inebriated and not paying attention. Read this book, knowing Daniel Kraus, and reading his afterward, I plan to radically change that, immediately. After I finish re-reading this.

I was so excited to get an ARC for this fabulous book and I was not let down at all. First, I should admit I am a Romero fangirl, so there is that going in. Now let's get to the story.

It's told from multiple perspectives which I think adds such depth to things as there is more than one tale told here. It's totally character driven, yet, still has the requisite zombie gooey goriness I so love. There were some sections that I found particularly spoke to me and if I admit I love, love, loved Father Bill I'm not sure what that says about me, but here goes, I loved those parts best.

Most of the narrative is in third person but there are a few sections in second, which you seldom see and with good reason. Here, however, it's done with chilling effect. Powerful inside the mind of monster moments. The pacing and rhythm of the dancing words moves in ways that create tension, chills, or thoughtfulness, depending on the part and I think the air and fire build and release are worked very well.

That end. I won't give anything away but wow, just wow.

The Living Dead by George Romero and Daniel Kraus was received direct from the publisher and I chose to review it. With the title and one of the authors, a person would think this is another reboot of the famous movie. Rest assured, it is not a reboot/remake/new take on the classic Night of the Living Dead. Now to my thoughts on the huge book. While it has a multitude of characters and character Development, and enough gore, the book never really grabs me. This means reading the book of 700 pages was almost a chore “just get on with it.” If you are a devout Romero fan, or know one needing a gift, this book could be what you are looking for. Further, those who like zombies and want to know the Romero version of how they started, give this book a read.

3 Stars

From the Minds of Romero and Kraus comes a modern take on the zombie genre that Romero started.

What we have here is the Zombie apocalypse, from the start to the finish and beyond. It’s well written, it’s fun, and it is a giant brick of a book. The characterizations are done well. This is a book with heart, but unfortunately, it’s also a book that’s come much to late. If you have even a passing interest in zombies, you’ve seen everything in here, and though that’s not the fault of Kraus or his writing,-of which I think is what most of this book is- it becomes an insurmountable obstacle.

Like I said before, I enjoyed the characters, the book is well written, all aspects of it, but sometimes it seems too drawn out. One example is at the beginning we spend far too long at a news station. It’s not the only example of the beginning chapters overstaying their welcome, just one example. By the time I was finished with the book, I had enjoyed much of it, but it also left me feeling like it was a mostly unnecessary read. I would definitely read more from Kraus, his writing wasn’t the issue here, my problem stems mostly from my feeling that this is just another Zombie book, regardless of the quality of writing.