Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory
My rating: 4/5 cats
zombie novels are usually about other things, where the zombies/zombie situation is just standing in for whatever larger theme, whatever personal political or social point the author wants to make. zombies are a conveniently adaptable menace: the fluidity of their ontology, the mechanics of their movements and behaviors: fast or slow? sentient or no? brain eating or no? zombies suit the needs of many different authors to many different ends.
this book is no different. it is zombie novel as “what is human?” philosophy, zombie novel as deconstruction of theology. a whole new revision of the mythology with new alliances and new abilities and a deeper meditation on family and loyalty, and a redrawing of the lines where “survival” meets “fittest.”
it has richly-drawn characters both living and formerly-living, and some really memorable sequences. it is a great twist on the genre.
and let me just get it out of the way one second: zombie zombie zombie! i am getting tired of these books telling me that “zombie” is a racist term. i have never been known for any pc sensitivities, and i’m not about to start being all cautious for the sake of mythological creatures…
even really appealing ones like stony mayhall.
a zombie born to an infected mother, who does the unheard-of and grows into a man. a zombie man. zzzzzzombie.
but to the world at large—a cipher. what does it mean for the future of humanity, if this near-indestructible man can exist in our world—without needing to breathe or eat, without being able to bleed, with moderately regenerative capabilities? as a spokesperson for the undead, you can’t get much better. humans—you are inadequately suited for survival in comparison.
i really liked this thinkier addition to the genre, although i still have some questions about a couple of confusing plot points. maybe i was reading too carelessly, switching back and forth between this book and peer-reviewed articles such as readers advisory: a community effort? and rediscovering the history of readers advisory service wheeee so i may have been too scattered, but i do not understand how View Spoiler »
but except for some confusion which was probably my own damn fault, and some times when the story got a little too bogged down in the cerebral for too long without any breaking-up-the-pontificating action sequences, this book was really quite good. not a horror novel, not by any stretch, but definitely a thought-provoking novel. i thought the whole thing was very tastefully and intelligently done, and there were still times when i laughed out loud. so a good mix of responses, all from me.
with zombies
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