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The Book of the Living Dead

by John Richard Stephens
Berkley: Penguin Group (USA). Oct. 2010. c.416p. ed. by John Richard Stephens. ISBN 9780425237069. pap. $15. HORROR
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Stephens, an editor whose credentials mostly include thematic collections of previously published material for Barnes & Noble (e.g., Mysterious Cat Stories), does the same here. All of the contents are from the past, between 1818 and 1940, with a concentration on the Romantics and the pulps. Poe, Twain, and Goethe rub shoulders with unknowns, hacks, and one newspaper story from 1888. There are some gems, especially Poe's "The Facts of M. Valdemar's Case," H.P. Lovecraft's "Herbert West: Reanimator," and W.W. Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw," but all of these are available elsewhere, and in much better company. BZG Who knew Jack London wrote a zombie story?
Reviewed by Karl Siewart , Oct 15, 2010
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