 All right, I'm doing another compilation of some old books that I've read before and just don't have that much to say just yeah This is the introduction song. It's not very good, but it's not too long So I'm sticking with a theme this time and to start off the theme. I'm gonna talk about the probably the weirdest zombie series that I've ever come across in any form of media and that is Zombie by Darren Shan and that's ZOM hyphen B if you're unaware and this is the only half the series right here I have the first three books in a collection here, and then the last three books here It's it's really not that long though because even though it's 12 books long Each individual book is pretty short and it also has illustrations and blank pages and stuff. So I think this would have worked better had they compressed it into like three or four books, but anyways This is by Darren Shan who also wrote the Cirque de Freak books Which are pretty great, and I know I'll have a lot of fans But he also wrote the Demonado, which is my favorite book series of all time So when I saw these were coming out, I was obviously pretty excited and I read them pretty much as they were coming out which is Difficult when you consider how short they are like there's a long gap between anyways it's it's I'm only gonna talk about it for a minute without spoilers because this is the most unique take on zombies I've ever seen and Getting into more detail requires massive spoilers for the first book So just the first book is much more of a character study about this main character named B B Smith and They are just a Well hooligan, basically they you know steal stuff from stores. They start fights at school. They're kind of racist but that's because their dad is racist and they they have a lot of struggles between What they actually believe in trying to be a decent person and what their family is Forcing them into and that actually continues for a pretty big chunk of the series and I actually Just really like that and I like the way it ends up because B and their dad It's a difficult thing to Well, even if your dad is an asshole, it's difficult to Hate them, you know, that's that's what it comes down to but anyways I went on a little longer than I intended but you know, there's crazy stuff goes on and then Zombies attack and B is at school when it happens and they just try to escape while this is all going on And that's the majority of the book up until the ending and at the ending That's when it changes away from a traditional zombie story And if you don't want to be spoiled then just skip to this time and I'll get to the next review if you don't mind or if you've already read it then Okay, so first off B as a girl, which is It was a little awkward trying to say they for that last bit, but you know B is a girl. She just They never specify throughout the first book and it's from first person and you see a couple of illustrations which show her from behind where she has like short hair and Just with her getting into fights and being a hooligan and having mostly male friends You just kind of assume that she's a boy. So when it comes out that she's a girl. It's like, oh, that's Huh and it kind of makes you question your own biases and stuff, which is it's a small thing But I actually really like that but More importantly is that at the end of the first book B gets turned into a zombie. She gets killed She gets her friggin heart torn out by zombies And then she becomes one of the undead going around eating brains And then the beginning of the next book in the series is her sort of waking up Like she's been a zombie for around six months and then she just wakes up and she's still a zombie But her mind is working again and her old personality is back in everything and she's like what the fuck is going on It turns out there are other kids who also are not immune to the to the zombie virus, but they They they I'm not sure how I put this because later on they call them angels and they do give an explanation for how they were why they're immune and stuff, but the just because of that it is the most unique take on any sort of zombie story I've ever seen and Obviously because it's Darren Shan shit gets even weirder from there because there's like an evil clown who wants to destroy the world and there's a baby which can telepathically send B nightmares and God, I can't even really take time to explain that there are mutants as well And I can't even really take time to explain all this because it's just weird Man, but it's really really great. Okay. It's a great great series. It's Originality is its biggest Well, I'd say that's a big it's strong point. Yeah, it's originality and It's main character is also really strong I would say she's the strongest protagonist in any Darren Shan book like she's a stronger protagonist than Darren Shan from the Cirque de Friques. She's a stronger protagonist than Grubic from the demonata Like I I legitimately believe that and I don't know how popular that opinion is gonna be but I just think that she is much more interesting she has more nuance to her and She is for the most part a really good person, but she does still have flaws and all that and Other than that the plot and everything is still pretty good You know, there's a lot of really good cliffhangers in here Which you guys won't have to wait years to get resolved There's a lot of good mystery in here about like what's really going on and how this all started and The ending is not as strong as most Darren Shan endings at least I don't think so But it's still pretty great. So overall the zombie Chronicles If you're at all a fan of Darren Shan check these out if you're looking for something that's zombie related But a little different check it out if you're looking for something. That's just really weird and out there, but still Grounded in a plot that makes sense and with characters that make sense. Check it out. It's great Okay, so this next one might sound like comedy to those of you who are unfamiliar with it it is the zombie survival guide by Max Brooks and Well, the thing about this one is that Well, that's exactly what it says on the tin You know, it's full of just tips and tricks for not only how to defend yourself against zombies But how to fight zombies and how best to prepare for them coming and what zombies are like etc etc, and so in this it's pretty Standard stuff by now. It's zombies are slow and they're stupid and you have to get them in the head to kill them and It's caused by a virus and if they bite you or something you're a zombie. So Excuse me. So it's not really doing anything new there Like it might have been somewhat more new back when this came out because when did this come out? This is 2003 yeah, so okay, so 17 years ago. I think that was a little more original But the point is it's still neat to read about today because Max Brooks really commits to detail in such a way which makes it creepily plausible and He goes into detail about like, you know, what sort of weapons to use and that sort of thing Which for the most part are also very well researched and very plausible and they make sense so the only thing that I can think of off the top of my head that is not accurate is when he's talking about shotguns and how you can Pull a trigger and send three zombies Flying because you hit them in the chest and that's really not that how shotguns work They don't there's not that much spread, but you know other than that. It's pretty great but my personal favorite part is the last like quarter of the book which is a record of zombie attacks throughout history and Honestly at that point. It's like just a bunch of mini horror stories going all the way from prehistoric times to the 2000s and it's It's pretty great And it really does hammer in the idea that max brokers Brooks is trying to get across which is zombies are scary and Zombies are dangerous But if you keep calm if you keep your head if you are prepared then you should be fine So like I was saying it kind of sounds like a comedy at first But honestly if I had to categorize this I would call it horror and it's pretty good horror so even if you're not like super into zombies I Would still check it out. Like I think there's still something in here that might interest you And of course you can't talk about the zombie survival guy without talking about World War Z Which is also by max Brooks and this one you have probably heard of the movie that had Brad Pitt in it and If you're unfamiliar that has nothing to do with the book like Literally nothing like Absolutely nothing none of the characters are the same none of the plot points are the same like the zombies aren't even the same type of Zombies because in the movie they're fast whereas this they're basically the exact same as they were in the zombie survival guy You know dumb slow But still very dangerous if you're unprepared and basically this one is It's kind of like the good war which if you ever read that that's a book about World War 2 and it's this guy interviewing people about their experiences during the war and he interviews people from various places or who did various things and World War Z is just that but with the zombie war, you know, it talks to soldiers It talks to political leaders. It talks to people from all different walks of life all different countries all sorts of crazy things And it just goes over humanity's descent from being at like, you know, 21st century post industrial economies and luxuries and just our society today basically and How it can so quickly collapse and how barbaric people can get sometimes to each other and just how much we rely on various things and It's it's pretty great But the thing is that this is a pretty intense read at times as well Like just like zombie survival guide. I would classify this as horror because it gets intense. It gets intensely violent It gets intense with just looking at the sort of things that people will do to each other to try and affirm their own survival it talks a little bit about like some sorts of sexual violence and the very graphic violent descriptions of Zombies and what they do like it it gets intense at times And I keep meaning to check out the audiobook for this as well because I've heard it's amazing because it has a full cast of People for everyone that the narrator is interviewing which Yeah, that sounds awesome, but anyways the point is it goes through this whole like ten-year-long war from a bunch of different perspectives and Just like the zombie survival guide it commits to detail in a way which makes it weirdly plausible Which makes it creepier at least to me and It does have some societal Commentary social commentary like I'm not gonna get too deep into that here But for the most part it is pretty solid commentary as well like it talks about Things with American society in particular which I think I think you'll get something out of that Even if you think zombies are stupid or whatever But you know it has nothing new with the movie the movies crap World War Z is pretty great Okay, this last one's cheating because it actually doesn't have anything to do with zombies But it's so clearly a ripoff of Max Brooks the zombie survival guide that I I Just have to bring it up and it's the vampire combat manual a guide to fighting the bloodthirsty undead and So just like zombie survival guide it kind of looks like it would be a comedy at first You know, it's like taking in a fictional undead creature and saying oh, okay Let's let's see how you would fight those and you know They don't seem that dangerous at first because like they can't even go out in the sun and garlic will hurt them that sort of thing But as it as you read it it goes into some aspects of like vampire Physiology and their society and all that and it makes you realize. Okay. These guys are actually pretty dangerous and I'll get into that a little bit more in a minute, but What makes it a little bit different from the zombie survival guide is that rather than having a big chunk of like Well, not really records Let's say a big chunk of records of like vampire attacks and vampire covens and or whatever at the end the guy writing the book is there's Little short bits interspersed throughout the book where he's doing research and he's like talking to actual vampires and people that associate with vampires and that sort of thing and there's like this weird building conspiracy about how vampires are taking over the world and it's Like it is creepy I'll give it that like, you know, this is trying to be a serious Bit of horror I get that but it just feels silly at the same time it feels Like it feels really silly. I'm not gonna lie and adding on top of that The way that vampires are described and like their weaknesses and how you can kill them and everything They seem like just too powerful Like, you know, if they actually existed then they kind of would have taken over by now and they wouldn't bother hiding or Something like that. I don't know just the way that is described in this book They feel a little too powerful like whereas in the zombie survival guide It was still creepy because zombies were still very dangerous But as long as you were careful and smart and prepared you would probably be okay. Whereas this you can be careful smart prepared But vampires are still way stronger than you. They're way faster than you They're very difficult to kill and apparently they like own the police and shit. It's it's just It makes the whole thing seem kind of hopeless Whereas the zombie survival guide you can come away from that and think like okay if zombies were real I'd be fine Whereas this you come away thinking if vampires are real. I'm fucked So I don't know maybe that will add to the horror for some people but for me And I can appreciate that it's doing something a little bit different because like I said it is very much a rip-off But for me it just I don't know it feels silly. It feels kind of stupid So that's the end of this compilation. Thanks for watching. Thanks to all my patrons Especially my $10 up patrons oppo Savillain and brother Santotis Christopher Hawkins Christopher Quintan Joseph Pendergraft and Tobacco crow all the other names you're you're cool, too. And if you watch this far Please like and please subscribe if you haven't already if you have then I'll just continue doing what you're doing and Yeah, there's nothing else to say bye