The best funny (drop dead hilarious) zombie books

Why am I passionate about this?

Having completed military survival courses as well as stints in an improv comedy troupe, James Schannep knows the best zombie stories are those presented with a wry grin while staring down the end of the world. The product of an overactive imagination, the genre-hopping Click Your Poison series puts you in the driver’s seat against zombies, pirates, international spies, a detective whodunit, superheroes (and villains), exploration through a haunted house, and more! 


I wrote...

Infected (Click Your Poison)

By James Schannep,

Book cover of Infected (Click Your Poison)

What is my book about?

3 Unique Storylines. Over 50 Possible Endings. Just one question... Will you survive the zombie apocalypse? Here's how it works: You, Dear Reader, are the main character of this story. Live, die, and rise again based solely on the merit of your own choices.

"Infected. Is. So. Good." -- A girl just like you. "Holy $#*% this is awesome!" -- A guy more or less like you.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Zombie Haiku: Good Poetry For Your ... Brains

James Schannep Why did I love this book?

You’d probably be forgiven if when you think of poetry you think of love, natural beauty, or at worst, melancholic sadness. But with just 17 syllables, the author manages to bring all the grit, gore, and mayhem of the zombie apocalypse into pleasant verse. Haiku is a popular, easily approachable form of poetry (i.e. not pretentious), which makes this book a fun, light read despite its blood-spattered pages.

By Ryan Mecum,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Zombie Haiku as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?


                                                   Blood is really warm,
                                                like drinking hot chocolate
                                                 but with more screaming.

Poetry is dead. "Zombie Haiku" is the touching story of a zombie's gradual decay told through the intimate poetry of haiku. From infection to demise, readers will accompany the narrator through deserted streets and barracaded doors for every eye-popping, gut-wrenching, flesh-eating moment. The book is illustrated with over 50 photos from the zombie's point of view and designed with extra blood, pus, gore, and guts!

                                                      Biting into heads
                                              is much harder than it looks.
                                                     The skull is feisty.


Book cover of The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead

James Schannep Why did I love this book?

Part of what makes this survival guide so delightful is that it’s presented as practical knowledge, and not as any sort of hypothetical. This book is given the same way that a Boy Scout troop might read up on how to tie certain knots or start a fire with flint. And, if you end up in a survival situation (or reading a different book where you’re making choices in a zombie apocalypse survival situation!) this highly researched book could provide real helpful hints.

By Max Brooks,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Zombie Survival Guide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Don't be reckless with you most precious asset - life. This book is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now without your even knowing it.

It covers everything you need to know, from how to understand zombie behaviour to survival in any territory or terrain.

The Zombie Survival Guide offers complete protection through proven tips for safeguarding yourself and your loved ones against the living dead.

It might just save your life.

'A bloody-minded, strait-laced manual for evading the grasp of the undead.' Time Out

'So meticulous and well researched that…


Book cover of Zombocalypse Now

James Schannep Why did I love this book?

This is another interactive, choose-your-path zombie book that I discovered after I’d published Infected. It’s off-the-wall zany. You play as a stuffed bunny who wields a chainsaw in the apocalypse. If most zombie stories are caused by viral pandemics these days, then Zombocalypse Now must be the resultant lucid fever dream. If you like nonsequiturs, this is the zombie book for you. 

By Matt Youngmark,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Zombocalypse Now as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

You're a stuffed bunny and it's the end of the world.Between you and safety are forty or fifty zombies gorging themselves on the flesh of the living. If you disguise yourself as one of them and try to sneak past the feeding frenzy, turn to page 183. If you grab a tire iron, flip out and get medieval on their undead asses, turn to page 11.Zombocalypse Now is a comedy/horror reimagining of the choose-your-own-ending books you grew up with. You'll be confronted with undead hordes, internet dating, improper police procedure, and the very real danger that you'll lose your grip…


Book cover of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

James Schannep Why did I love this book?

Few books can make you laugh just from the title alone, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was just one such book. Before the book blew up, became a movie, and spawned its own subgenre of fantastical reimaginings of classical literature, I remember seeing it on display at a Barnes and Nobles and laughing just at the title alone. The good news is that, much like a zombie who just ate a clown, the book continues to be funny on the inside.

By Jane Austen, Seth Grahame-Smith,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Pride and Prejudice and Zombies as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" features the original text of Jane Austen's beloved novel with all-new scenes of bone crunching zombie action.


Book cover of Ex-Heroes

James Schannep Why did I love this book?

Zombies plus superheroes. ‘Nuff said, right? It’s like figuring out that peanut butter and chocolate are really, really good together. The humor comes from the author’s snark and wit, and the whole book series is just a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it looks like the continued adventures are on an indefinite hold, but I’m still keeping hope alive that this will one day be a big-budget TV show.

By Peter Clines,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Ex-Heroes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Book One in the EX Series

The Mighty Dragon. Stealth. Gorgon. Regenerator. Cerberus. Zzzap.

They were superheroes fighting to make Los Angeles a better place.

Then the plague of living death spread. Billions died, civilization fell, and the City of Angels was left a desolate zombie wasteland.

But the ex-humans aren't the only threats the heroes face. Another group is amassing power . . . led by an enemy with the most terrifying ability of all.


You might also like...

Ferry to Cooperation Island

By Carol Newman Cronin,

Book cover of Ferry to Cooperation Island

Carol Newman Cronin Author Of Ferry to Cooperation Island

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Sailor Olympian Editor New Englander Rum drinker

Carol's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

James Malloy is a ferry captain--or used to be, until he was unceremoniously fired and replaced by a "girl" named Courtney Farris. Now, instead of piloting Brenton Island’s daily lifeline to the glitzy docks of Newport, Rhode Island, James spends his days beached, bitter, and bored.

When he discovers a plan for a private golf course on wilderness sacred to his dying best friend, James is determined to stop such "improvements." But despite Brenton's nickname as "Cooperation Island," he's used to working solo. To keep historic trees and ocean shoreline open to all, he'll have to learn to cooperate with other islanders--including Captain Courtney, who might just morph from irritant to irresistible once James learns a secret that's been kept from him for years.

Ferry to Cooperation Island

By Carol Newman Cronin,

What is this book about?

Loner James Malloy is a ferry captain-or used to be, until he was unceremoniously fired and replaced by a girl named Courtney Farris. Now, instead of piloting Brenton Island's daily lifeline to the glitzy docks of Newport, Rhode Island, James spends his days beached, bitter, and bored.

When he discovers a private golf course staked out across wilderness sacred to his dying best friend, a Narragansett Indian, James is determined to stop such "improvements." But despite Brenton's nickname as "Cooperation Island," he's used to working solo. To keep rocky bluffs, historic trees, and ocean shoreline open to all, he'll have…


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