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Monday, August 9, 2010

Monday Discussion: Zombies vs. Mummies

Forget Overdue Fines!

This week is fun and easy. Today we are unveiling John's Zombies vs Mummies display at the BPL. So my question for the Monday Discussion is, which do you prefer? Mummies or Zombies? Why? Discuss.

Please feel free to add your favorite mummy or zombie book to the discussion too.

I refuse to pick sides as it may damage my horror maven status, but you can click here for a horror related surprise from me.

And if you can't make it to the BPL, here is the list:

Zombies vs.  Mummies
Re-animated Reads                               

Browne, S. G.  Breathers
A newly re-animated zombie tries his best to fit into modern society in this zombie comedy. A zombie support group and a host of zombie friends try to help but things get messy when he develops a taste for human flesh.

Grahame-Smith, Seth  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
All of your favorite characters from the Jane Austen classic are back as well as some that are back from the grave. The storyline is roughly based on the original but tends to involve the partially decayed, walking dead.

Keene, Brian  City of the Dead
This book is about an entire city of zombies! The last remaining living people have sealed themselves inside a skyscraper. Will the survivors escape from the creeping dead or will the zombies eat their braaaaaains?!

King, Stephen Pet Sematary
An ancient Native American burial ground is the setting of this horror tale. After being neglected for years, the cemetery is once again used by a local resident who finds that the ground will re-animate whatever is buried in it…even people!

Laymon, Richard  To Wake the Dead
After being entombed for 4000 years, the mummy of an ancient Egyptian princess is discovered by a search team. Museum authorities plan to display her to the public. These plans are thwarted when the mummy comes back to life and goes on a killing spree.

Maberry, Jonathan  Patient Zero
Terrorists use a deadly bioweapon that turns ordinary people into zombies. A Baltimore detective is recruited by the government to head a task force which combats zombie terrorists.

Rice, Anne The Mummy or Ramses the Damned
Egyptologists ignore an ancient warning chiseled on a tomb wall and exhume a mummified pharaoh. Transported to England, the mummy comes back to life and then re-animates an old friend who returns to terrorize the streets of Cairo after dark. A must read.

And click here to follow previous Monday Discussions
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2 comments:

John BPL RA said...

I hate to reveal my bias in terms of my own display, but I really must side with mummies as they are not only more intelligent but seem to have greater control over their arms and limbs after reanimating (at least if most books and films are an accurate indication). Unlike zombies, mummies rejuvenate and gradually become complete people again complete with thought and speech. My biggest reason for liking mummies more than zombies is, of course, the fact that I've been to Egypt. I was there the last year they were allowing people into the pyramids - an experience that is impossible to put into words. I think everyone feels a little like a mummy after climbing out of a pyramid into the Egyptian desert. Here's my real life mummy story:

When I went to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo I was surprised to find that they kept all the mummies, regardless of their age, together in one room. The room was located on the end of the building down a windowless hallway. Unlike the rest of the museum, the room was guarded not by museum staff but by Egyptian military personnel, armed and in full uniform. After being stripped of my camera and ordered not to speak, I stepped into what could honestly be described as the scariest room on Earth. The mummies were arranged in glass boxes and were visible from all sides. They were extremely close together and in fact there were two mummies only inches from the doorway. The only useful lighting was from dramatic spotlights that were aimed right at the partially decayed faces. The walls, like everything in Egypt, were painted brown and seemed to disappear into a faint abyss behind the bodies. It was so horrible that one woman who had come all the way from England refused to enter. A little boy who was dragged inside started to cry. When I got to the mummy of Ramses II the case was set on the floor and the neck of the corpse was twisted slightly in a hideous fashion. I looked into the face. To my horror I saw that the reflection of the spotlight superimposed the face of the viewer over the face of Ramses. A most traumatic view I assure you!

August 9, 2010 at 1:48 PM
Anonymous said...

John, that is such an awesome experience, I only hope that someday I can really get there too to see them.
I have been thinking about your question Becky, and the truth is I can't pick! I love horror and all things scary and this would be like choosing between two children! But I do love the "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," at first I thought a book like tha was sacrilege but it was so funny and creative. And thanks for the tips on your other picks!
How about adding vampires to the mix too? Because in addition to now being able to now go outside during the day and even have children, they have inspired millions of tweens and teens to read, which alone makes them awesome.
~verna

August 10, 2010 at 2:50 PM

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