About the Book:
Using film, literature, and interviews with experts,
Robinson examines how zombies portray real-world fears such as epidemics, mind
control, what may or may not exist in space, the repercussions of playing God,
and the science behind the fears. Robinson's goal is to explore how zombies
become a metaphor for our fears of science and what could happen if science
gets out of hand.
Table of contents
Chapter 1: The Obsession Begins
Chapter 2: Defining Zombies
Chapter 3: A Question of Tranmission
Chapter 4: Treating Water
Chapter 5: Pandemic Zombies
Chapter 6: Zoonosis
Chapter 7: Biological Warfare Zombies
Chapter 8: The People with Power
Chapter 9: Improving Nature
Chapter 10: Playing God
Chapter 11: Haitian Zombies
Chapter 12: Zombie Recovery
Chapter 13: Zombie from Space
Chapter 14: Surviving the Zompocalypse: Don’t Trust the Military
Chapter 15: Surviving the Zompocalypse: Learn to Work
Together
Talking with the Author:
What inspired the
book?
I’ve always wanted to write about zombies, but I didn’t know
what I wanted to write about. After
watching World War Z, it inspired me
to look at the scientific side of zombies.
After all, most zombie films have a scientist or science in them in some
form—and that form isn’t usually very flattering.
What was the most
surprising thing you learned?
The most surprising thing I learned while writing this book
was how helpful and willing people were to be interviewed. They may not have wanted their name to be
used in the book (or they may not have been zombie fans), but they were more
than happy to answer my questions. I
couldn’t have done it without them, and I am so grateful for their help.
What do you hope
others take away from the book?
I learned so much while I was
researching, and I really enjoyed doing it, so I hope that others discover
something new and look at zombies and science in a slightly different light.
Excerpt from Undead Obsessed: Finding Meaning in Zombies:
CHAPTER 1:
THE OBSESSION BEGINS
Zombie films serve as a great lens to examine concerns
society has about modern science. Let’s face it, when it comes to horror
movies, science has a bad reputation. Blind ambition, experimental serums, and
genetic experiments are often blamed for the giant monster terrorizing the city
or the reason aliens are taking human prisoners or the
cause of the dead rising from the grave to consume living flesh.
Using film, literature, and interviews with experts, this
book examines how zombies portray real-world fears such as epidemics, mind
control, what may or may not exist in space, the repercussions of playing God,
and the science behind the fears.
Science has made it possible for us to live the way we do;
it has given us numerous advances in all fields of life from medicine to
agriculture to entertainment. Yet, with all of these advantages, there are a
multitude of disadvantages that could prove to be detrimental to humans and
society. Weapon technology used in wars is one of these major disadvantages,
but anything that is beneficial to humanity, including medicine, has the
potential to harm us. My goal is to explore how zombies become a metaphor for
our fears of science and what could happen if science gets out of hand.
Throughout this book, I examine the fictional world of
zombies and the real world of science. Often, I refer to “truths” about
zombies, but since they don’t really exist, these are “truths” that exist
within the context of zombie films and books.
I was in junior high the first time I ever saw Night of the
Living Dead (1968). It was one of several movies my dad had on VHS, and it sat
on the shelf in a closet with row upon row of other VHS tapes. I remember being
scared, but not cover-my-eyes-I’m-going-to-scream-my-lungs-out scared. I didn’t
jump, but there was this uneasiness that settled over me. I was afraid to look
out my bedroom window at night for fear that the same lifeless eyes the
creatures in the film had would be looking right back at me. I glanced over my
shoulder while walking down the street to make sure a slow-moving corpse wasn’t
following me. For a while, I avoided cemeteries.
The next night, I had a friend come over to stay the night
and I exposed her to the film. Again, it didn’t scare us in the
make-you-jump-out-of-your-skin way, but as she sat on the floor tightly hugging
a pillow, I knew she had experienced the same creepiness I had the night
before. It was a feeling neither of us could put into words. Despite the unease,
I enjoyed the feeling and wanted to explore it further.
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