A recent zombie novel from Permuted Press. Photo provided by Amazon.com.
It seems that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was merely the beginning. Perhaps thanks to the unexpected success of Seth Grahame-Smith’s bestselling zombie mash-up of the beloved classic, more publishers are getting into the zombie craze that is currently sweeping through the world of books.
Pocket Books has announced that it has purchased the publishing rights to Paul Is Undead: The British Zombie Invasion by Alan Goldsher. The book, which portrays all the Beatles as zombies and Yoko Ono as an eighth level Ninja Lord, will be published here in the United States in June 2010.
That isn’t the only zombie novel that’s in the works, however. This fall, I Am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas will be making its way to the shelves of bookstores. (Could this secretly be why Ebenezer was always so grouchy? Limbs falling off one’s body can put a damper on one’s day, after all.)
As popular as these zombie mash-ups are at the moment, it’s uncertain whether or not the craze will have much staying power. Jason Ashlock, Alan Goldsher’s literary agent, has been quoted as saying “this monster mash-up craze can only last so long.” The idea of the Beatles/zombie mash-up came about because Goldsher and Ashlock wanted something that would outlast this current literary trend. The idea is to assumedly appeal to current and future generations of Beatles fans.
Pocket Books seems to disagree with this position, however. Last month, deputy publisher Anthony Ziccardi announced that the company will be publishing seven zombie books in conjunction with the small horror publisher Permuted Press. Ziccardi was quoted as saying that Pocket believes the horror genre, especially zombie themed horror, “will be a growing category at retail.”
What say you, faithful readers? What do you think of the zombie craze that’s currently sweeping through the world of publishing? Are any of you Beatles fans? If so, what do you think of the forthcoming Beatles/zombie mash-up? Are you excited about it, or do you find it to be disrespectful? Feel free to discuss.
If any of you can’t wait for the upcoming books to be published and want to read some zombie novels that are available for purchase now, browse the local chain stores here in Virginia Beach or check out the website listed below.
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