Zombies of the World: A Field Guide to the Undead

by Ross Payton

Overview

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!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781524858834
Publisher:	Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication date:	06/09/2020
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Ross Payton is a writer and podcaster. His first two books – Curriculum of Conspiracy and Road Trip – are tabletop RPG campaigns that satirize fantasy and horror clichés. He has directed a horror comedy movie, Motor Home From Hell, about an RV driven by a demon. His podcast, Role Playing Public Radio , discusses tabletop gaming and pop culture issues and attracts listeners from around the world. Ross lives in Springfield, Missouri, a relatively zombie-free area.

Read an Excerpt

Mystery of the Zombie: The greatest mystery of the zombie is how it remains active without digesting food. Even when one eats the flesh of the living, the meat rots in its belly. Furthermore, many species, like the Egyptian mummy, never eat at all. Scientists have this dubbed this unknown source of energy powering the undead as the Omega Anima. Scientists have tried to understand this mystery but have so far only identified the basic traits of all zombie species and its basic evolutionary and migratory history.

Zombie Species: 20 prominent species of zombie are described and illustrated. Their habits, method of reproduction and range are listed. The species range from the common gray shambler to exotic species such as the revenant and draugr.

Surviving Zombie Attacks: The most dangerous threat you face in a zombie-related crisis is not from the undead but from other humans. By learning how to identify untrustworthy humans, you can maximize your chances of survival.

A Social History of the Zombie: Humanity has had several views of the zombie over the ages. In ancient times, the zombie was viewed as a supernatural being, an agent of divine vengeance. In the Enlightenment, they were a public health hazard to be exterminated. Only in the last century have scientists realized that the zombie is a natural part of the ecosystem that must be protected and studied.

The Science of Zombies: Researchers work to uncover the secrets of zombies. Linguists teach Egyptian mummies sign language to learn what they believe. Engineers develop ways to harness the Omega Anima in order to generate clean energy from zombies. Doctors think they can also use the Omega Anima to discover a way to make humans immortal.

Editorial Reviews

Payton has taken considerable time and effort to intermix historical record with his book. This is what makes the Field Guide so much fun to read...The descriptions of some of the undead are really ingenious and comical...Ross Payton has done a wonderful job cataloging and identifying the numerous and various species of zombies that are or were roaming the earth.

Buyzombie.com

What makes this book so different from all the other Zombie Survival/Educational Manuals out there? To put it simply: Everything! The book reads as if the author threw a Zombie Text book, A Zombie Rights Guide, A Zombie Pop-culture reference tome and a Zombie Identification guide into a massive literary blender and hit the frappe button to amalgamate them into a smooth cocktail of terror like none other!

Zombie Zone News

Unlike many other guides that are tedious and dry attempts to cash in on the undead, Zombies of the World is sharply written, wonderfully illustrated and designed, mercifully concise, and deeply influenced by zombie culture. And most important of all: it's really fun to read.

The Zed Word