This book is very thin but very well written and illustrated. The book examines 12 noteworthy incidents in zombie history and brings them to you in gory black and white. One of my favorites is the explanation for the mummification method in ancient Egypt as a means to prevent the undead from rising.
The real strength of the book lies in its believability. Every story in the book is believable. For example, Brooks examines the plight of an African slave ship. He explains that the slaves trapped in the hold were taken, one by one, by the zombie virus as one chained person leaned over and bit the other person. Knowing about the conditions on the ships at that time from history class, I can easily imagine that a zombie virus would spread in a similar manner. The drawings in the book are really well done, and actually cause the heart to quicken when anticipating a zombie attack.
This book is an excellent companion to Brooks’ other zombie works and I highly recommend it. As an aside, when trying to persuade a zombie-phobe to actually give the monsters a try, it’s worthwhile using this book. It’s a quick and engaging read.
