The best zombie books with characters other than expert marksmen and ex-CIA agents

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up watching the best horror movies of the 80s. My parents put me to bed watching Nightmare on Elm Street and this harbored my passion for a truly scary bedtime story. Zombies became my focus when I was trying to decide what road to take with my own writing. There’s something familiar about them, since they were once humans, but also terrifying. They don’t need to eat or sleep, they never stop, and they’ll just keep coming no matter how much you fight them off. I spent my twenties devouring every zombie book and movie I could and now I'm privileged to be a part of this classic horror genre.


I wrote...

Dead Soil

By Alex Apostol,

Book cover of Dead Soil

What is my book about?

Follow two groups of survivors as they are thrust into the zombie apocalypse overnight. Some try to fortify their homes for safety while others take to the open woods for the freedom to run. Which would you choose?

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Zombie Fairy Tales

Alex Apostol Why did I love this book?

I absolutely loved this book because I am one of those not-so-rare adult Disney movie lovers and this book had all the classic fairy tales I’ve come to know and love through Disney, but with the unique twist of being reimagined as zombie tales! It was the best of both worlds for me. I also loved that as you read through the different fairy tales they all start to connect to one another. It was very cleverly written and not overly disgusting that even non-horror lovers could read and enjoy it.

By Kevin Richey,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Death and Pixie Dust!

Once upon a time, a mysterious plague beset a quiet village in the woods—a plague of the walking dead. Suddenly, beloved fairy tale characters are thrown into a world of stark violence and horror: Cinderella is worked to death before the ball, Pinocchio is made from children's corpses, and Little Red Riding Hood finds more than wolves in the forest.

Surreal and full of black humor, Zombie Fairy Tales is a genre-bending narrative of a world on the brink of apocalypse, a world with no happily ever afters.

Collected here are all 12 original Zombie Fairy…


Book cover of Turbulent

Alex Apostol Why did I love this book?

I love thrilling action books, especially zombie ones, that feature a strong female heroine. The more believable they are as an everyday woman and not some CIA agent superhero the better! Turbulent delivered on this and more. I loved the main character and her survival in this post-apocalyptic world was extremely believable. I also loved the twist that technology helped to bring us down because that’s something I have a real fear of, so it made it all the scarier for me. The topping on the rotting cake that tipped this book into my favorites pile was that the story was set in Chicago, near where I live and where most of my books take place as well. It really brought the story home for me (pardon the pun).

By T.L. Payne,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In an instant, everything stops. No lights. No phones. No transportation.

When coordinated EMP and Cyber attacks wipe out the nation’s power grid and communications, ultra marathon runner, Maddie Langston, is forced to run for her life.

Stranded in a Chicago airport when the lights go out, Maddie is in a race against time. According to her father, she doesn’t have long before the city descends into chaos. She must leave the airport before it is too late.

Although she knows she must flee the Windy City, Maddie’s first battle is to overcome her fear of the violence she knows…


Book cover of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Alex Apostol Why did I love this book?

This book appeals to the thrill seeker in me who loves zombies and thrilling stories, to the female in me who loves strong female heroines, and to the author in me who loves the classics. It is such a unique retelling of a familiar story that had me turning pages later into the night than I should have. This is one I can read and reread countless times! 

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 Rise of the Governor

Alex Apostol Why did I love this book?

The governor series satisfied my Walking Dead craving without being redundant. It gave me a deeper look into the bad guy we all just love to hate so much. There were twists and turns in this story and once I hit the end my jaw was literally dropped from the shock of all that was revealed about this character’s back story. 

By Robert Kirkman, Jay Bonansinga,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Rise of the Governor as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Based on the award-winning graphic novels created by Robert Kirkman, if you liked The Walking Dead TV series, you'll love this.

The world has gone to hell - and that story starts here.

Philip Blake's life has been turned upside down. In less than seventy-two hours, an inexplicable event has resulted in people everywhere . . . turning. Now the walking dead roam the streets, massacring the living, and it seems that nowhere is safe. Escaping his small town, Philip has just one focus in life - to protect his young daughter Penny. And he'll do whatever it takes to…


Book cover of World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

Alex Apostol Why did I love this book?

This book is a zombie classic now and for good reason. I wasn’t crazy about the movie but luckily the book is nothing like it. Set in a fake world where the apocalypse has already happened, the story follows a reporter as he interviews key people in the zombie war that has already happened. Journalism was the first subject in school I fell in love with and studied in college, so it was a perspective that spoke to me.

By Max Brooks,

Why should I read it?

20 authors picked World War Z as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It began with rumours from China about another pandemic. Then the cases started to multiply and what had looked like the stirrings of a criminal underclass, even the beginning of a revolution, soon revealed itself to be much, much worse.

Faced with a future of mindless man-eating horror, humanity was forced to accept the logic of world government and face events that tested our sanity and our sense of reality. Based on extensive interviews with survivors and key players in the ten-year fight against the horde, World War Z brings the finest traditions of journalism to bear on what is…


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Conditions are Different After Dark

By Owen W. Knight,

Book cover of Conditions are Different After Dark

Owen W. Knight Author Of The Visitors

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Visionary Compassionate Imaginative Conspiracist Apophenia (or apophenic)

Owen's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

In 1662, a man is wrongly executed for signing the death warrant of Charles I. Awaiting execution, he asks to speak with a priest, to whom he declares a curse on the village that betrayed him. The priest responds with a counter-curse, leaving just one option to nullify it.

Over four centuries later, Faith and James move to the country to start a new life and a family. They discover their village lives under the curse uttered by the hanged man. Could their arrival be connected? They fear their choice of new home is no coincidence. Unexplained events hint at threats or warnings to leave. They become convinced the village remains cursed despite their friends’ denials. Who can they trust, and who are potential enemies?

Conditions are Different After Dark

By Owen W. Knight,

What is this book about?

In 1660, a man is wrongly executed for signing the death warrant of Charles I. While awaiting execution, he asks to speak with a priest, to whom he declares a curse on the village that betrayed him. The priest responds with a counter-curse, leaving just one option to nullify it.
Over four centuries later, Faith and James move to the country to start a new life and a family. They learn that their village lives under the curse uttered by the hanged man. Could their arrival be connected?
Faith and James fear that their choice of a new home is…


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