George A. Romero invented the modern zombie in his seminal film, Night of the Living Dead. Without Romero, there would be no World War Z, no The Walking Dead. When Romero died in 2017, his greatest work was incomplete: the zombie novel to end all zombie novels. Now finished by New York Times bestselling author Daniel Kraus (The Shape of Water), The Living Dead is the complete story of the zombie plague, from the first rising to the fall of humankind – and beyond.
It begins with one body.
In California, medical examiners Luis and Charlene discover a dead man who won’t stay dead.
It spreads quickly.
In a Midwestern trailer park, Greer, a Black teenager, and Fadi, a Muslim immigrant, battle newly-risen friends and family. On a US aircraft carrier, living sailors hide from dead ones while a fanatic preaches the gospel of a new religion of death.
At a cable news station, a surviving anchor keeps broadcasting, not knowing if anyone is watching, while his undead colleagues try to devour him. In DC, Etta, an autistic federal employee, charts the outbreak, preserving data for a future that may never come.
We think we know how this story ends.
We. Are. Wrong.
“Panoramic and sweeping, a smorgasbord of the undead, a book that will give even the most ardent zombie lovers their fix.”
The New York Times
“The definitive account of the zombie apocalypse. It expands, clarifies, and concludes a tale more than 50 years in the telling, and does so with wit, style, and a deep sense of commitment.”
The Washington Post
“A zombie tale for the ages. This is a rare gem of a story, one that pays homage to its varied source material, while also standing on its own merits. A true gift to horror fans.” A TOP 10 HORROR NOVEL OF 2020.
Library Journal (starred)
“A horror landmark, a work of gory genius marked by all of Romero’s trademark wit, humanity, and merciless social observations. How lucky are we to have this final act of grand guignol from the man who made the dead walk?”
Joe Hill, NYTimes Bestselling Author of The Fireman
“Like a lost Romero classic, which will play out on the inside your skull long after you’ve finished it.”
Clive Barker
“Rejoice Romero fans! The Living Dead is a sprawling, timely, scary epic that honors the zombie tradition but also takes risks that pay off.”
Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and Survivor Song
“If Night of the Living Dead was the first word in the dead rising field, The Living Dead is the last word. A monumental achievement.”
Adam Nevill, author of The Ritual
“Every zombie movie lives in the shadow of Romero, but he never got the budget to work at the scale he deserved. Fortunately, Daniel Kraus delivers the epic book of the dead that Romero began. That shadow just got a whole lot bigger.”
Grady Hendrix, author of Paperbacks from Hell and The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires