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    Zombies of the World: A Field Guide to the Undead
    Zombies of the World: A Field Guide to the Undead
    Zombies of the World: A Field Guide to the Undead
    Ebook196 pages1 hour

    Zombies of the World: A Field Guide to the Undead

    By Ross Payton

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    About this ebook

    Zombies have plagued humanity's nightmares for centuries, but fortunately, the scientific community has created this detailed and completely serious guide to the undead. Only Zombies of the World tackles this issue and many more, so you might want to read up before a zombie tackles you!

    Zombies menace humanity, yet we barely understand them. There are books that show you how to kill the undead, but this is the first field guide to explain the importance of zombies to us. Zombies of the World reveals the undead to be a valuable part of our ecosystem and the key to new discoveries in medicine and technology.


    Zombies of the World uses captivating illustrations to document how evolution has led to a wide variety of species. Few outside the scientific community even realize that creatures like the Egyptian Mummy (Mortifera mumia aegyptus) are actually zombies. Some species are even harmless to humans. The Dancing Zombie (Mortifera immortalis choreographicus) only seeks to thrill humans with elaborate dance routines. Discover how our history has been affected by the undead and what we can learn from “scientific” research. The answer might surprise you!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAndrews McMeel Publishing
    Release dateJun 9, 2020
    ISBN9781524864620
    Zombies of the World: A Field Guide to the Undead

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    • 4/5
      Payton’s Zombies of the World is a cheekily amusing look at zombie species of the world. This book explores the history of zombie studies, how they may evolve, and the current state of zombie research, including the possibilities of using zombies in medical research, or as a renewable energy source by harnessing their tireless stamina. Payton delves into zombie/ living interactions, and how one may prepare and survive a zombie attack. Detailed within are 20 unique species of zombie, from Thriller style Dancing Zombies, to Grey Shamblers and Ghuls and all manner in between. Each species is described, along with history, danger level to humans, intelligence, and conservation status. A perfect gift for the zombie enthusiast in your life!***Many thanks to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
    • 4/5
      Sometimes, you need a little junk food for your brain. This book was a lot of fun — if you’re a zombie junkie, you’re going to love it. Ross Payton is someone who has spent waaaaay too much time thinking about the undead among us. In Zombies of the World: A Field Guide to the Undead he has created a whole new zombie ‘verse: there are different zombie species, a history, even ads for clinics doing zombie research. It’s a fun romp through Zombieland.The book starts with a section on the origins of zombies and current research into their condition. Zombies as a source of cheap, clean energy? Why not!“Zombies expend tremendous amounts of energy moving their corpse bodies, as their decaying systems operate more inefficiently than a living human…Yet, they walk endlessly until slain. Once the secret of the Omega Anima is cracked, the possibilities are endless: immortality, endless clean energy and more.”I can’t imagine why no one ever thought of designing cars that run on zombie power!The best part of the book is the illustrated section on zombie species. There are full-color drawings of all the major zombie varieties, from the Common Gray Shambler and the Chinese Hopping Corpse to the English Foaming Zombie and the North American Cabin Lurker. There is information on their habitats, their habits, their reproduction and their Conservation Status. (The Common Gray Shambler is ranked as Least Concern, since they have a viable, stable population, while the Preta, found only in Asia, is Critically Endangered. The English Foaming Zombie is labeled Must Exterminate – a species which is inimical to human life.)There are also helpful tips on surviving zombie encounters. Obviously, knowing what species you’re dealing with is a great help, since you would know that to escape the Western Mall Zombie, you just need to distract them with a display of consumer electronics.“Aim for the legs: Killing a zombie is harder than you might think but disabling one is much easier. If you can knock out a zombie’s knees, you will be able to flee or dispatch it safely. Not applicable to specimens that lack legs.”Finally, there is The Social History of the Undead, covering ancient zombie myths, Renaissance zombies and the Zombie Rights Movement.Obviously, this is not going to appeal to the spoilsports who think we are already too zombie-obsessed. But zombies are a classic! I love zombie movies, old and new, and they are certainly more entertaining than sparkly vampires. I was really impressed with the amount of imagination that went into these species descriptions (I’m pretty sure that in most cases, you’ll be able to name the zombie movie from the zombie species profile) and the social history. There are even ads for the North American Necrological Research Institute. This is a great beach read for those of us who don’t want a romance novel and want to use our sunbathing time to get prepared for the zombie apocalypse.

    Book preview

    Zombies of the World - Ross Payton

    Preface

    This book comes from two loves of mine: zombies and nonfiction books on fictional topics. Zombies fascinate us, but far too many people see them only as props for their own survivalist daydreams and fantasies. They relish devising plans to survive a zombie apocalypse and playing video games in which they splatter countless undead miscreants with excessive firepower. However, the most fascinating aspect of the zombie is its inability to starve. It is the perpetual motion machine of the horror genre. A rotting, brain-eating perpetual motion machine, to be sure, but a perpetual motion machine nonetheless. What scientist wouldn’t spend a career reverse engineering this secret for the betterment of all mankind? They would study the undead and write books about them. Not just dense tomes of scientific argot but introductory primers on zombies to educate the public. I grew up reading similar books. Bulfinch’s Mythology and the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manuals explained in minute detail the genealogy, behavior, and social organization of impossible creatures. Of course, in those books, these creatures existed mostly to be killed by heroes, which is quite taboo in today’s society. Rare and endangered creatures need to be protected, even if they are lethal. Zombies shouldn’t be treated any differently than Siberian tigers. With these thoughts in mind, I wrote this book.

    Acknowledgments

    This book would not be possible without the help of my parents, Leland and Crystal. My brother, Strader, supported me more than he wants anyone to know. I love you, Maddy, with all my heart. Special thanks to John Margolies, whose work proves books are still valid. I cannot thank the artists enough: Tom Rhodes, Ean Moody, Violet Kirk, Bryant Koshu, and Myriam Bloom. Thanks to James Knevitt for editing this book. I also want to thank all of my friends who put up with my endless discussions of zombie minutiae, especially Tom Church, Patrick and Karee Williams, Chris Farmer, Diana Botsford, Cody and Samantha Walker, Jason Ariciu, and Nathan Shelton. Thanks to all the listeners of my podcast Role Playing Public Radio as well.

    Zombies of the World: A Field Guide to the Undead copyright © 2020 by Ross Payton. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

    Andrews McMeel Publishing

    a division of Andrews McMeel Universal

    1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

    www.andrewsmcmeel.com

    ISBN: 978-1-5248-5883-4

    Library of Congress Control Number: 2019950507

    Editor: Katie Gould

    Designer: Sierra S. Stanton

    Production Editor: Elizabeth A. Garcia

    Production Manager: Cliff Koehler

    Ebook Developer: Kristen Minter

    Illustrators: Tom Rhodes (cover and pages 3, 12, 17-18, The Zombies, 87-88, 93, and 108), Violet Kirk (pages 2, 19-21, and Surviving Zombie Encounters), Ean Moody (pages 15, 94, 97, and 101), Myriam Bloom (page 81), and Bryant Koshu (pages 104-105, 107, and 110)

    ATTENTION: SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES

    Andrews McMeel books are available at quantity discounts with bulk purchase for educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail the Andrews McMeel Publishing Special Sales Department: specialsales@amuniversal.com.

    Contents

    Introduction

    Mysteries of the Zombie

    Project RESURRECTIONIST: modernizing research

    Omega Anima: The great mystery of the zombie

    Origin of the Species

    Symbiotic relationship with humanity

    Migration

    Adaptation

    Zombie Species

    How to read this section

    The Zombies

    Surviving Zombie Encounters

    Lesson 1: Humans Are the Greatest Danger!

    Lesson 2: What to Do if Confronted by a Zombie

    Lesson 3: Flee, Don’t Fight!

    Lesson 4: Know the Law

    Lesson 5: Prepare Now!

    Lesson 6: Know the Undead

    A Social History of the Undead

    Ancient: The Zombie as Demon (7000 BCE – 500 CE)

    Middle Ages & Renaissance (500 – 1700 CE)

    Early Modern: The Zombie as Public Health Hazard (1700 – 1900)

    Modern: The Zombie as Endangered Species (1892 – 1980)

    Today

    The Science of Zombies

    Renewable Energy

    Medical Research

    Zombie Intelligence & Domestication Studies

    Longevity & Immortality Through Partial Zombification

    Bibliography

    Introduction

    The zombie was ancient even when the ziggurats of Mesopotamia were but the idle dreams of priests and masons. They predate even the earliest records of their attacks, cave drawings of Neolithic hunters. Recently unearthed evidence suggests that our ancestors Homo habilis were preyed upon by proto-ghouls, although we do not know if they are related to the modern Mortifera species. The history of humanity is incomplete without taking the undead into account.

    They have tirelessly trudged in our footsteps, forever at our backs, arms outstretched. They are a reminder of our mortality and, in the eyes of many, proof of the supernatural. But this is not so. The gaze of science and reason has uncovered many secrets of the zombie, proof that they are as natural as you or I. But the greatest questions have yet to be answered: where did they come from? How does their internal biology work? What can we learn from them? So far we have only teased a few tidbits out from the cold, hard grip of the zombies, but even these few samples have staggering implications. Cures for diseases, an end to all zombie attacks, and even a new source of clean and renewable energy are all possibilities.

    Researchers around the world work on these mysteries every day, having a global conversation about the zombie. Biologists study how zombies reproduce and migrate. Physicists try to figure out how the undead remain animate without any apparent food source. The field of zombie studies is diverse, covering not only the hard sciences but the social sciences and humanities as well. Sociologists record the effects of zombies on human society. Linguists have made great strides in learning how to communicate with the undead. Historians piece together the story of the zombie.

    Every new mind, new perspective adds to this conversation and this is where this humble book and you come into the picture. Zombies of the World will only show you where the conversation has been going, not where it will lead. The path to enlightenment is a long and meandering road. But every journey begins with a single shuffling step. Let this book be that first step.

    Project RESURRECTIONIST: modernizing research

    As with many parasitic and symbiotic species, the reproductive cycle of the zombie involves other species, primarily humans. Many zombie species reproduce by infecting humans through physical contact, typically a bite. So, at what point does an infected human become a zombie and why do we classify them as a separate species? Before 1968 these questions were not asked. The state of zombie research was poor, as only a scattered hodgepodge of knowledge had been recorded in disparate fields of study. No one used a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to zombie research.

    Until 1968, zombies were not recognized as a species but rather as a cluster of poorly understood diseases with such names as African rabies, Wesker’s disease, or Rage Flu. They were poorly understood because cases were rare, isolated, and poorly documented. Most literature consisted of sensationalist accounts that lacked proper academic rigor. But in 1968, the North American Zombie Awakening swept across the country. The US government initially believed that the USSR was behind it. Mobilizing the entire strength of the US military-industrial complex to learn the truth of the matter, hundreds of biologists, doctors, chemists,

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