Review: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Zombies by Matt Mogk

Source: Purchased from Amazon
Publisher: Gallery
Series: –
Edition: Paperback, 288 pages
Genre: Nonfiction Handbook
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository*
*I receive a small monetary kickback from Amazon purchases
Rating: 5/5

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE ZOMBIE HANDBOOK EVER PUBLISHED

In one indispensable volume, Matt Mogk, founder and head of the Zombie Research Society, busts popular myths and answers all your raging questions about the living dead.*

Q. How can I increase my chances of survival?

A. One simple step is to keep away from other people. Without people there can be no zombies.

Q. What is the connection between the Voodoo zombie and the flesh-eating zombie of popular culture?

A. Other than a shared name, absolutely nothing.

Q. Will zombies actually eat me, or will they just bite and chew?

A. Research suggests the neuromuscular activity required for swallowing may be too complex for a zombie.

Q. Will we see any warning signs before the dead rise?

A. Unfortunately, entire populations could be infected with the zombie sickness before anyone even knows there’s a problem.

Q. How come Zombie Awareness Month is in May and not October?

A. Unlike witches and vampires, zombies are not otherworldly creatures. They are made of flesh and blood. Don’t forget to wear your gray ribbon.

* Many more questions about zombies—including why not all of them are undead—are answered inside the book

Dear Zombie Apocalypse…you scare the crap out of me so I’m cramming before you occur.

Yep, zombies make me extremely paranoid. I like them in concept, it’s a neat idea…it’s also extremely creepy and the possibility of a human zombie disease popping up is large enough that I take zombie survival seriously. I’m just glad I’m not alone, otherwise I’d be weird…right? Right.

Anyway!! To the review. When this book says everything it means pretty much everything. It has tips for survival, facts about actual zombie like occurrences in nature (not in humans), the origin of the modern zombie, and pretty much all the zombie entertainment facts you’ve ever been curious about. For a book that’s only 288 pages it’s pretty much packed. I personally enjoyed the “know your zombies” part where it has a drawing of famous movie zombies and a little info on them, and also the humor that’s put in to lighten the otherwise creepy mood. The bits on survival are actually things people don’t think about and should, like the number one thing you’ll need if it all goes south…or which cities have the lowest population densities. It even debunks some of the most common opinions on surviving. It has facts from actual researchers and legitimate studies done around the world on various topics that can relate to an undead uprising. Some of the stuff is down right jaw dropping because you’re shocked to see  how close humans are to causing something terrible to happen or participating in something monstrous.  Mogk makes sure to cover all basis when it comes to situations, he references movies (some really obscure) and even takes the time to explain things. You even learn what is and isn’t a zombie movie. But beware! If you haven’t seen the movies or shows it does have spoilers, so it could very well ruin something for you. If you are like me and forget things like that, then you’ll be fine. Two of my favorite quotes from this book, though there are a lot of great ones but to give you a taste, are “That’s not Uncle Bob anymore; that’s just some freeloader wearing his skin and bones.” and “Fairy tales get you killed.” The first one had me laughing for a bit and I’ve even used it in conversation since I read the book.

The author is a guy who takes this seriously as well as he’s one of the top zombie researchers out there, to put it simply…he knows his crap. So if you were curious as to what zombie book out there has the most actual facts, it’d probably be this one. He’s also awesome enough to give you info on other books out there so that if you are craving for more zombie reading you’ll know others that have great info. Overall to anyone who “enjoys” zombies then this is certainly one to check out, the fans of straight forward fiction might not enjoy it as much but it’s still a great book.

If you visit the Zombie Research Society website you can find more awesome things from Matt Mogk and colleagues. There is also a shop where you can find his and other’s books, shirts, and even a membership to the society itself. May is Zombie Awareness Month, so why not treat yourself to something?