Nights of the Living Dead

by Jonathan Maberry, George A. Romero, Brian Keene (Contribution by), Carrie Ryan (Contribution by), David J. Schow (Contribution by)

Overview

In 1968, the world experienced a brand-new kind of terror with the debut of George A. Romero’s landmark movie Night of the Living Dead. The newly dead rose to attack the living. Not as vampires or werewolves. This was something new . . . and terrifying. Since then, zombies have invaded every aspect of popular culture.

But it all started on that dreadful night in a remote farmhouse. . . .

Nights of the Living Dead returns to that night, to the outbreak, to where it all began. New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry teams with the godfather of the living dead himself, George A. Romero, to present a collection of all-new tales set during the forty-eight hours of that legendary outbreak.

Nights of the Living Dead includes stories by some of today’s most important writers: Brian Keene, Carrie Ryan, Chuck Wendig, Craig E. Engler, David J. Schow, David Wellington, Isaac Marion, Jay Bonansinga, Joe R. Lansdale, John A. Russo, John Skipp, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Max Brallier, Mike Carey, Mira Grant, Neal and Brenda Shusterman, and Ryan Brown. Plus original stories by Romero and Maberry!
For anyone who loves scary stories, take a bite out of this!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250112248
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/11/2017
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	435,740
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.60(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times bestselling author, five-time Bram Stoker Award winner, anthology editor, and comic book writer. He writes for adults and teens. He also writes comics for Marvel, IDW, and Dark Horse. He lives in Del Mar, California, with his wife, Sara Jo, and their dog, Rosie.

GEORGE A. ROMERO (1940-2017) is an iconic filmmaker and editor. His most famous accomplishment is the creation of what we now know as “zombies” via his films Night of the Living Dead and Day of the Dead.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xiii

Nights of the Living Dead: An Introduction George A. Romero xv

Reflections of a Weird Little Kid in a Condemned Movie House: An Introduction Jonathan Maberry xix

"Dead Man's Curve" Joe R. Lansdale 1

"A Dead Girl Named Sue" Craig E. Engler 25

"Fast Entry" Jay Bonansinga 43

"In That Quiet Earth" Mike Carey 65

"Jimmy Jay Baxter's Last, Best Day on Earth" John Skipp 79

"John Doe" George A. Romero 97

"Mercy Kill" Ryan Brown 115

"Orbital Decay" David Wellington 135

"Snaggletooth" Max Brallier 157

"The Burning Days" Carrie Ryan 181

"The Day After" John A. Russo 197

"The Girl on the Table" Isaac Marion 217

"Williamson's Folly" David J. Schow 229

"You Can Stay All Day" Mira Grant 257

"Pages from a Notebook Found Inside a House in the Woods" Brian Keene 281

"Dead Run" Chuck Wendig 295

"Lone Gunman" Jonathan Maberry 311

"Live and On the Scene" Keith R. A. DeCandido 335

"Deadliner" Neal Brendan Shusterman 355

Editorial Reviews

05/22/2017
In this somewhat overwhelming collection of zombie fiction, 20 authors return to the world first seen in Romero’s 1968 film, Night of the Living Dead, to explore the original zombie apocalypse in all its gory glory. Romero himself and the film’s cocreator, John A. Russo, both contribute, as do authors directly inspired by them and those who have further solidified and expanded the genre, such as Jonathan Maberry, Mira Grant, Chuck Wendig, Carrie Ryan, and Neal and Brenda Shusterman. The stories show zombies invading myriad settings—even outer space—and decades, from the 1960s to the present. With so many tales revolving around a specific theme, there’s a great deal of repetition in terms of mood and outcome, and the underlying theme of terror and despair can feel suffocating. As in the film, horrible things happen to good people and bad alike, and there’s plenty of visceral carnage (including a truly horrifying scene with a zombie baby in David J. Schow’s contribution). The anthology is the perfect homage to the zombie movie that started it all, but it lacks a fulfilling degree of variety. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties. (July)

Publishers Weekly

George Romero is one of my all time heroes–of the films I saw as a young man, the two that had a huge impact on my creative life are Night of the Living Dead and Planet of the Apes. Zombies and Mutations in general lead me down a path directly to where I am today–the Night, Dawn, and Day films I still watch regularly to this day–with the same thrill as the first time I saw them. He has influenced countless 'Creators' in an amazing cross section of genres–he’s on my bucket list to meet, shake his hand, and thank him personally for all he’s done for me, and my career.” –Kevin Eastman, ­artist and co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

“Some projects made on a shoestring budget become classics, and Night of the Living Dead is one of those.” –Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels which became HBO’s hit True Blood.

“With Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero created a mythology that is both a lens through which to view the fissures at civilization's core, and a mirror whose reflection offers an unflinching view into man’s very soul. Ignore the skeptics; the 'Zombie Apocalypse' paradigm will never be irrelevant." –Axel Alonso, Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics.

“Night of the Living Dead is to zombies what Gone With the Wind is to romance. George Romero found a way to re-invent terror with this groundbreaking film that birthed an entire genre.” –Doug Jones (star of Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy 1&2, and Hocus Pocus)

“The zombie phenomena originally scratched its way out of the grave in George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead and now Romero is surrounded by his [progeny] Jonathan Maberry and many other talented-but-horrific folk to give the living dead another night in which to scare the bejeezus out of all of us." –Chris Ryall, creative director for IDW Comics, author of Zombies vs Robots

“Zombies? They’re George’s toys and we’re all just playing with them. Some kids play with them right, some don’t. I hope when I’ve played with them it’s the former. Without NOTLD none of us would be enamored of rotting, flesh-eating, zombies. We may bend the rules to suit our needs, but he wrote the rules and we all owe him a barge-load of gratitude.” –Robert Fingerman, cartoonist and author of Recess Pieces, and Pariah

“George Romero is the Father of the Living Dead. There would be no Walking Dead, Resident Evil, World War Z, Zombieland, etc., without the template he created with the landmark Night of the Living Dead in 1968. Romero set the standard that continues to be copied to this day. You can’t discuss the modern zombie without acknowledging George Romero and his immeasurable contributions to the genre." –Tony Timpone, Editor Emeritus, Fangoria

“Night Of The Living Dead didn’t just invent the zombie genre as we know it; it also established that genre’s most significant theme: that we, humanity, are more dangerous than the undead.” –Christos Gage, New York Times bestselling writer of comics (Buffy, Spider-Man), television (Daredevil, Law & Order: SVU), film and video games.

“Romero’s’ imagination took the name zombie from fairly obscure Haitian folklore practice, and supercharged it with a new mythology that ultimately changed not only the horror genre, it changed global pop culture. Decades after Night of the Living Dead was released theatrically, the zombie zeitgeist Romero created has spread like a virus, infecting books, movies, TV, comics, animation, modern art, gaming, and even academic paperwork. The actual worldwide zombie takeover, sparked in 1968, has been unfolding into a very successful, multi-layered, and gruesomely wonderful one.” – Joyce Chin

From the Publisher

06/15/2017
In 1968, director Romero's Night of the Living Dead, which depicted 48 hours of a zombie outbreak, took the movie world by storm. Here, author Maberry (Patient Zero) and Romero bring us back to those two days of the newly risen dead with this anthology of 19 tales. Along with original stories by both men, there are entries such as Joe R. Lansdale's "Dead Man's Curve," in which a brother and sister come face to face with the undead during a drag race, and Mira Grant's "You Can Stay All Day," about a young zookeeper. All of these stories highlight the fear, darkness, hope, and humor facing the living dead can bring. VERDICT Zombie fiction fans can't get enough of their favorite monsters, but this masterly collection of tales from some of today's greatest speculative writers will sate their appetite—for a while.—KC

Library Journal

While horror fans will find plenty to love here, this audiobook is written by and intended for fans of George A. Romero’s seminal 1968 film NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Introductions written and read by Romero and Maberry, respectively, set the scene, providing sensational insight into the film and its wide-reaching impact. Each of the stories explores the mysteries and the gruesome realities of a sudden zombie rising and the lives of those caught in their sights. The full cast of narrators captures the dread and shock listeners might well expect, but they aren’t afraid to explore the humor, heart, and humanity present in each story as well, making for a collection that is both chilling and oddly charming. B.E.K. 2018 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

MAY 2018 - AudioFile