Monster Island

“Monster Island” is a fresh take on the zombie mythos. Not only is it a novel (an unusual media choice for zombie-related tales), but it was originally published online as a series of blog posts.

Of course, one of the main appeals to fans of the zombie genre (myself included) is the all-important “twist”. You can’t have just a classic ‘dead-walking-the-earth” scenario anymore, as that slot has been filled a hundred times over since the late 60’s. In recent years, zombies have evolved past voodoo, instead having been created through viruses, failed military experiments, technology, etc. We’ve even seen them develop enough to have primitive use of tools, run faster than the average human, even jump over fences and buildings. So what does “Monster Island” bring to the ever-growing collection of undead lore?

Organized zombies. A hierarchy of zombies. Zombies left with a basic sense of self (even if it is compromised by their increased survival instincts). A whole new aspect of zombies is explored in this book, and there are so many interesting ideas which can branch from it. Would every dead person come back, even bog mummies and pharaohs? Would human survivors become inferior to what is essentially a devolved reflection of themselves? When does instinct take over and humanity fall by the wayside?

Gary, the character in the novel who finds a way to preserve his brain through the “zombification”, undergoes more than just the obvious transformation. In the beginning of the book, he is terrified of his new state, even his own kind. He is timid and frightened by other zombies, even with the knowledge they will not eat/attack their own kind. When he finds humans, he latches onto their group in order to identify himself as still having a grasp on what he was before. However, when Gary lets his new instincts take over and he is forcibly expelled from the group, his second transformation begins.

Now an outcast, Gary knows he can no longer consider himself human. To make up for this­ social ostracism, Gary chooses to embrace his new being. He throws himself into the new world, indulging his cravings and accepting his role as a leader of the new world order.

“Monster Island” is interesting because of the exploration of the pros and cons of civilization. The rules it imposes, the way it would break down, and how we would respond to its absence.