MORE Than Meets The Zombie

Now a days a lot of people love zombies. I remember growing up watching, The Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead (long before the remake), Land of the Dead (definitely not the remake), Day of the Dead, Return of the Living Dead I-III (not of the Romero series, but spoofs), and as I got older I was introduced to a book called, WORLD WAR Z, which is one of my favorites.

After Resident Evil, and now The Walking Dead, zombies are a household hit. And a lot of people (bless their hearts), prefer nothing but a group of survivors killing zombies and slowly being whittled down.

Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy that too, but I also prefer story over gore. In the zombie world, gore and violence should be a product of the good story telling, not just thrown in there because readers or viewers are unable to enjoy a good story.

I have read a lot of complaints over the TV show, The Walking Dead, viewers were and a lot of them still are, in a huff because there is too much story, and not enough zombie action. I use to be like that, when I was kid. I would fast forward through the story telling, and get to the monsters or the action. I was a kid and had no understanding or appreciation of the story itself. But the comments I have read for The Walking Dead come from adults. One would think adults would have a better appreciation for story telling.

So here's where I'm coming from, why can't people enjoy the story for what it is? Isn't there more in zombie fiction than just slow or fast moving (depending on the author) dead person chomping on live people, or getting popped in the head? If I was a card carrying anti-zombie type, I would laugh at the zombie fiction. I would say something like, “Who would want to watch, or read about dead people eating other people and getting killed, again. Just how many times can a person see this before it gets tedious?”

Sure, we love action. And there's nothing wrong with that. So do I. But there is more to the zombie story than just, don't get bit, shoot `em in the head, and the survivors lessening in numbers. That is a very small part of the zombie world.

First off, you have the zombies themselves. How did they become a zombie to begin with? Why is it when they bite you that yo become one of them? Was this a supernatural event? Or viral? If it is viral then who started this and why? How do people with evolving personalities cope with a zombie apocalypse? Which these are questions that make a show (and the books) like The Walking Dead so compelling. Sure, the zombie action is great. It is in the books, and how the show differs is just as awesome in its own way. But what makes it is the people. Who they are.

Just like in a book, we have to have a reason to care. Why should care if Rick gets nommed by a Walker? Or what happened to Shane? Why should root for either side? Why should I care about Daryl? Sure he is a bad-ass who can kill zombies like Chuck Norris, but that isn't enough. Why should I care that his brother Merle coming back? Just because he is really, really cool? Why is he cool? Why does any of these characters matter?

They matter because they are developed to be realistic. In the story, these people are more than just survivors, zombie slayers, or flesh eaters. They have a story, every one of them. And their stories are interesting. When people complain about the lack of zombie action, I feel like saying, “watch something else.” If you can't enjoy a good story, move on. This one is not for you. And no, it shouldn't change to suit you. The writers are doing pretty darn good with what they have to work with. And they want redo an already awesome story into something that is well done for the screen. They are not out to make a two-dimensional story that's only about killing zombies. If that was the case, all you would need to do, is record one of your favorite zombie scenes and watch it over and over. There you go. lol

And, how about the environment? In the real world there are places that people go that are pretty dangerous. Now imagine having a disaster like a zombie outbreak in one of these areas. A mountain. A cruise ship. Each of these places come with their own challenges, and now the problems have just intensified.

If you're still not convinced, then tell me how many zombie books are out there. Then tell me that most of them are not about killing zombies throughout the entire book. WWZ did a great job of telling various stories from the POV of one character through interviews, and his own adventures. There are more and more awesome zombie stories that are focusing on the story over zombies, and they do just fine with the crazy undead apocalypse.

With the exception of video games. Though I do love a game with a great storyline, they can get away with a lacking story so long as the game play is awesome. Which makes sense because the whole reason of playing a game is to be involved. You care about the character you are because you are that character, and it is up to succeed with said character.

Just my thoughts on the subject. I'm wrapping up one zombie novella, and I will be writing on the sequel. I have already started the first act in outline for the second book. And since I don't write about just the action, I come at it from the story perspective, I felt the need to rant.