Guest Ghoul: Carrie Ryan, author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth
So here I was typing merrily along on my zombie novel when I was suddenly faced with a very important decision. There’s a dog in my book and he jumps into a horde of zombies… do the zombies go for him?
I think this is an issue many zombie writers face: to infect or not to infect the animals of the world. I honestly had no problem infecting my lovely little dog (even though there is the age old adage that no dogs shall be killed in books else face the wrath of fans forevermore I wondered if it counted if said dog can come back from the dead… though I guess I Am Legend kind of answered that question).
But then I started to think about it some more. If dogs could become infected, what about all the other animals? And while zombie cows would be totally awesome, I think zombie mosquitoes would totally suck (query: since roaches are impossible to kill anyways, aren’t they basically already zombies?).
Naturally, because I’ll take any excuse not to write, this got me thinking. What would be the worst zombie animal? So I posed this question to friends and I have to give them props for some really creative and yet gruesome zombie animal ideas. First came the obvious: zombie cats but mostly cause they’re so ubiquitous. As has been pointed out before, zombie cats who can see in the dark could be danger.
But as dangerous as zombie chipmunks?
Crafty, small, high pitched and capable of squeezing into small spaces. Thankfully, a slow moving chipmunk would be easy to mow down by anything with wheels.
Then there was the suggestion of zombie tapeworms (though it was pointed out that they already eat human flesh so really, what’s the advantage here?) Zombie hampsters...
elephants...
squid...
and platypus (what I wouldn’t give for a good zombie platypus picture)!
Me? I think the worst would be zombie narwhals. Sure you’d be safe so long as you stayed on land. But seriously, what could be cooler than zombie narwhals?
For real… they’re zombies and unicorns all in one. Nuff said.
So this leads me to the discussion point of the day, what is your most feared zombie animal? And how would you kill it if cornered by it in a dark alley? Extra points for pointing to a cool picture of said zombie animal!
I think this is an issue many zombie writers face: to infect or not to infect the animals of the world. I honestly had no problem infecting my lovely little dog (even though there is the age old adage that no dogs shall be killed in books else face the wrath of fans forevermore I wondered if it counted if said dog can come back from the dead… though I guess I Am Legend kind of answered that question).
But then I started to think about it some more. If dogs could become infected, what about all the other animals? And while zombie cows would be totally awesome, I think zombie mosquitoes would totally suck (query: since roaches are impossible to kill anyways, aren’t they basically already zombies?).
Naturally, because I’ll take any excuse not to write, this got me thinking. What would be the worst zombie animal? So I posed this question to friends and I have to give them props for some really creative and yet gruesome zombie animal ideas. First came the obvious: zombie cats but mostly cause they’re so ubiquitous. As has been pointed out before, zombie cats who can see in the dark could be danger.
But as dangerous as zombie chipmunks?Crafty, small, high pitched and capable of squeezing into small spaces. Thankfully, a slow moving chipmunk would be easy to mow down by anything with wheels.
Then there was the suggestion of zombie tapeworms (though it was pointed out that they already eat human flesh so really, what’s the advantage here?) Zombie hampsters...
elephants...
squid...
and platypus (what I wouldn’t give for a good zombie platypus picture)!
Me? I think the worst would be zombie narwhals. Sure you’d be safe so long as you stayed on land. But seriously, what could be cooler than zombie narwhals? For real… they’re zombies and unicorns all in one. Nuff said.
So this leads me to the discussion point of the day, what is your most feared zombie animal? And how would you kill it if cornered by it in a dark alley? Extra points for pointing to a cool picture of said zombie animal!
Comments
Kill it?? Kill a ZOMBIE BUNNY? Impossible. I've seen the Holy Grail. I know when to not push my luck.
Good times.
Zombie cows are made of win.
...and decaying bovine flesh of course
http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/gear/8148/
As to the worst animal zombie, probably anything that would get you flat on your back laughing your backside off. Lets face it, they wouldn't have to chase you as you'd be incapacitated due to laughter.
But since these creatures are extinct, I would have to choose zombie ants. And I quote, "Ants are the only species besides humans that carry out wars and enslave their own. And by enslave we mean pulling out the ant whips and putting the other guy to work against his will." Imagine some of these critters enveloping you entire body (in places you thought no man/woman has went before) and then start munching down.
How would I kill it? Run into the nearest pool/basin of water/river you can find and pray the little buggers can't hold their breath as long as you. There are soap and pipe tobacco methods. But, who wants to mix soap water when they're writhing in pain?
ZOMBIE GOOSE!
The hissing! The beak stabbing! The poop!
For me, I think a zombie hippo would be the ultimate in scary. Since they've already proven that many believed crocodile attacks are actually hippo attacks (yes, they eat meat!), and the damn things can live on land & sneak up on you under water, I shudder to think of the effectiveness of them.