The Living Dead 2

You don't have to be a zombie-lover to enjoy this outstanding follow-up to 2008's The Living Dead. Anthologist extraordinaire Adams has assembled 43 stories that showcase strong writing and imagination. Unexpected settings include a lost world with surviving dinosaurs (Brian Keene's "Lost Canyon of the Dead") and a pirate ship (Amelia Beamer's "Pirates vs. Zombies"). Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due's "Danger Word" and David Wellington's "Good People" contain powerful depictions of humans facing extinction at the hands of the undead. Cherie Priest revisits the steampunk America of her Clockwork Century books in "Reluctance" and Mira Grant adds to her Newsflesh trilogy with "Everglades." For the most part, the authors convey horror through suggestion rather than graphic gore. Readers will hope for many further additions to the series even after the zombie craze passes. (Sept.)