Book Review: The Art of Zombie Warfare
I rarely (in fact, never) conduct book reviews on this blog. Not because I don’t find many worth reviewing. In fact, exactly the opposite, I would hate to turn down an author of a book I enjoy simply because I don’t have the time to write an adequate review. For Scott Kenemore’s newest work, The Art of Zombie Warfare, I’m happily making an exception.
This is the third in Kenemore’s “Undead Philosophy” series, preceded by The Zen of Zombie and Z.E.O, and my favorite of the three. Not to say that his style has changed for this work, but the natural association of the zombie as antagonist lends itself efficiently to a discussion of combat, so much so that I must admit, when I heard about this book, I was more than a little concerned that he and I would be covering similar ground. My fears were unnecessary, however, as The Art of Zombie Warfare focuses much more on associating the living dead with broader combat philosophies while clearly keeping its tongue firmly set in undead cheek.
Kenemore smartly breaks the discussion into two primary sections. The first section, How to Fight Like a Zombie, acts as a grunt’s how-to manual, humorously associating the valuable traits every soldier knows to keep himself living (patience, toughness, fortitude) with an appropriate trait of the living dead. I found it tremendously entertaining that, even by removing zombies from the association, most of the recommendations still made sense.
The second section, How to Lead Like a Zombie, is where the relationship to Sun Tzu’s classical text on warfare is more obvious, and the section I enjoyed most. For fun, I pulled out my dog-eared copy of The Art of War just to compare the strategies with Kenemore’s undead version, and most of what is covered in the Chinese text is adapted in TAZW, with Kenemore creating a much more complete and entertaining picture. One of the most enjoyable portions of TAZW were the discussions of actual military commanders, their famous battles, and how they were, in fact, influenced by the walking dead.
As far as criticisms go, I have a nitpicky few. One relates to what I just mentioned as the sections I found most entertaining. While Kenemore discusses a couple of commanders and battles, I found myself wanting much more. Thermopylae, Wounded Knee, The Hundred Years War – all of these could have used Kenemore’s zombie treatment. My other comment is not about the writing, but the accompanying illustrations. While I found most of them both funny and ghoulish, some of the creatures look less like walking dead and more like demons or vampires, and I like my zombies, well, zombified.
Overall, I highly enjoyed The Art of Zombie Warfare as a work of humor that, if you take the time to scrape away the undead surface, can also provide some very fundamental combat theory and history.
Upcoming Convention Appearances
The sun is setting early, the leaves are dying, and the night air is brisk. It’s that time of year - Halloween season.
As it’s a good time for zombies, I’ll be keeping busy with some appearances throughout the month:
New York Comic-Con, October 8th - 10th
October 8th, 7pm, Room 1A14 - I’ll be on a panel with other Penguin authors Anton Strout, Mira Grant, Tom Sniegoski, Cris Ramsay, Mari Mancusi and Andrea Cremer to discuss the three M’s: Monsters, Myths and Mayhem.
October 9th, 1pm - Penguin Booth - I’ll be signing books along with the great Mira Grant, author of Feed.
ZomBcon, October 29th - 31st
I’ll be around during the entire Halloween weekend at this great event, but I’m scheduled for two specific appearances:
October 29th, Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse - I’ll be presenting, along with the inimitable Max Brooks, on methods to survive an attack of the living dead.
October 30th, I’ll be demonstrating various combat techniques The Zombie Combat Manual.
The Zombie Combat Manual In Action
The awesome guys at Thinkgeek created their own zombie combat video briefing using techniques described in the manual, check out their fantastic work:
I love that they incorporated multiple techniques from the book, including the Range Calculator, the OSS takedown, and the Skullcapper. Awesome work, guys!
If you develop your own video briefings based on techniques from The Zombie Combat Manual, send them along and I’ll post them on the blog.
Signing at Boulevard Books & Cafe, July 17th
Growing up in Brooklyn in the era prior to the Internet and book juggernaut retailers, I know how important having a local, neighborhood bookstore to browse around was to my formative years. Nowadays these establishments are called “Independent” or “indie.” I simply call them awesome.
I’ll be signing books, giving away swag, and doing a Zombie Combat demonstration at a new, awesome bookstore called Boulevard Books & Cafe in Brooklyn on Saturday, July 17th at 7pm. After the signing, the bookstore will be screening Romero’s original Dawn of the Dead, my favorite of George’s filmography. Because this bookstore is also a cafe, that means wine is available, which makes it even more awesome.
Come join if you’re around.
7518 13th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11228
Zombie Combat Lecture Series
I’ve been invited to conduct a series of zombie combat lectures at The Museum of Arts and Design in NYC for their Zombo Italiano film series, which starts on July 8th.
Below are the dates and topics I’ll be addressing at each lecture, and the films that will be screened afterwards.
Bring your copy of The Zombie Combat Manual and I’ll sign it for you after the screening, and give you something extra from the Club. There will also be copies available there if you don’t yet have one.
Zombo Italiano
The Italian Zombie Film Movement, 1972 – 1985
$10 a screening, $7 for students with valid ID or with zombie make-up
July 8th - How Not to Die: A Zombie Combat Club Defensive Primer
Join Roger Ma and the Zombie Combat Club for a pre-film demonstration of essential combat skills for life among the living dead. Topics covered will include: anatomy, weapons, techniques, and common misconceptions of confronting a ravenous walking corpse.
Film - Dawn of the Dead (1978, Romero)
July 9th - Zombie VS. Shark VS. You: A Zombie Combat Club Demonstration
Roger Ma and the Zombie Combat Club return for another in-person demonstration before the film. This time the ZCC will present vital underwater combat skills for aquatic encounters with the living dead and great white sharks. Must have knowledge for summer beach outings!
Film - Zombie (1979, Fulci)
July 16th - Improvised Weapons: A Zombie Combat Club Primer
What happens during a zombie attack if your trusty samurai sword, battle axe, or medieval mace isn’t available? In this primer on Improvised Weapons, Roger Ma and the Zombie Combat Club show that many found objects, from gardening tools to kitchen utensils to toolbox items, can be used to defend yourself against a walking corpse. Critical knowledge when facing an attack in the home, on the road, or at a cursed hotel containing a door to the underworld.
Film - The Beyond (1981, Fulci)
Museum of Arts and Design
2 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019
Zombie Combat Video Briefings
To help disseminate accurate zombie combative information to the general public, my publisher and I created a set of video briefings that cover various techniques and topics covered in The Zombie Combat Manual: Melee Combat, Close Combat, and Improvised Weapons. Check out the videos here or on the ZCC Youtube Channel, and help spread the word.
Zombie Apocalypse Gear
The 2010 issue of Outside Magazine’s Gear of the Year is available. Although it’s been some time since my last outdoor excursion, I always purchase this issue, if nothing but to covet each of the GOTY category winners.
One thing I’ve always found lacking in these types of gear issues is the item’s functionality during an infestation of flesh-eating corpses. And since my letters the various publications have gone unheeded, I decided to pull together my own brief list a few weeks ago, in coordination with Uncrate:
It was a fun list to pull together, and required the full use of the myriad collection of catalogs I recieve that probably put me on more than one government watch list. Thanks go to the guys at Uncrate for pulling together the collage and agreeing to the joint effort.
Check out the full listing and description of the items here on Uncrate.
Reviews of The Zombie Combat Manual
It’s been exactly a month and a day since the release of The Zombie Combat Manual, and over the course there have been many nice reviews of the book, some of which I thought I would share with you. Some are from other zombie authors, others are from zombie and book review sites. It’s been great to see that the work is enjoyed and appreciated by the fans:
“The Zombie Combat Manual kicks undead ass! Roger Ma saves the day with this smart, funny, and thoroughly practical book on fighting the living dead.” - Jonathan Maberry, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Patient Zero and Zombie CSU, and member of the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame
“As a practitioner of martial arts, and a former US Army Ranger, I cannot stress enough how important empty-hand fighting is…There are many survival books out there on how to deal with the living dead and then there’s this one. Roger Ma’s book should be on the short list of handy manuals to take with you to the zombie apocalypse.” - Don Roff, author of Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection
“Now that I’ve studied The Zombie Combat Manual I’ll always be prepared with whatever is nearby, even if my trusty Zombieville Slugger is out of reach.” - John Joseph Adams, editor of the bestselling anthologies The Living Dead and Wastelands
“If you’re a reader who likes books about zombies that never “blink” and keep up the intensity for the entire read, then The Zombie Combat Manual is the book for you.” - Scott Kenemore, author of The Zen of Zombie and Z.E.O
“The Zombie Combat Manual: A Guide to Fighting the Living Dead just might be the supreme manifest of how to fend off attacking members of the undead. Basically, when it comes to the Zombie Apocalypse, this book may be biblical.” - Allie Townsend, Techland.com
“…The best compliment I could give the book is that several times, I found myself agreeing with some discussion before I caught myself and said, “Wait, this is about freaking zombies.”" - Tony Deconinck, AOL News
“…there are three reasons for you to buy this book. First, you are a die hard zombie fan. Second, you like well written and very dry humor. Third, there’s a horde of zombies banging on your front door right now. If you fall into any of these three criteria then do yourself a favor and get The Zombie Combat Manual today.” - Brian Sammons, Horror World
“With a fresh take on a tired subject and an emphasis on violence and physical preparation, The Zombie Combat Manual deserves a place on your bookshelf. Right between the .357 magnum revolver and the Viking Axe, rated at over 200+ zombie engagements.” - Robert Fure, Film School Rejects
“The Zombie Combat Manual is a wonderfully thorough and readable guide. When (I’m telling you, not if) the zombie outbreak does come, I now feel thoroughly prepared to keep myself safe and to aim for exactly the right fleshy bits of the head.” - Deidre Crimmons, Open Letters Monthly
Bitten By Books Q&A and Giveaway, April 8th
For those of you who want to ask me questions about the book, and have a chance to win a copy, I’ll be participating in an author interview and Q&A tomorrow hosted by Bitten by Books. I’ll be fielding questions throughout the day from anyone who wants to pose a question, zombie-related or not.
You’ll also have the opportunity to win one of five copies of The Zombie Combat Manual. If you RSVP in advance to the session, you’ll get 25 additional entries to win. Nice odds!
It should be a fun event, especially for those who can’t make it to book signings and are just dying to ask me something.
RSVP at this link, and visit Bitten By Books tomorrow to ask me your questions!
Now Available! The Zombie Combat Manual
Today marks the release date of The Zombie Combat Manual!
"The Kabob," one of the techniques from The Zombie Combat Manual
Although I’ve been busy the past several months gearing up for the release, I hope to keep the blog more active now with news, reviews, and future events for the Manual and the Club.
There’s been some nice advance buzz about the book, some of which I thought I’d share with you:
AOL Weird News review: “Are You Prepared to Fight, Of Corpse!”
ZombieCommand review: Zombie Combat Manual Review
HorrorWorld review: The Zombie Combat Manual
Scott Kenemore, author of The Zen of Zombie, review: Book Review: The Zombie Combat Manual
I look forward to hearing what you think of the book. Visit the Zombie Combat Manual Fan Page at www.facebook.com/zombiecombatmanual to share your thoughts with other fans.
Pick up a copy of the book online at the following book merchants: