This was written last year but with the release of World War Z this weekend I thought it would be timely to repost this.
When I started to write my Kindle Book The Dead War Series: Book 1 one thing I knew for sure was that I would have the good old fashioned slow moving kind of the walking dead. You know the kind that you actually might have a chance to get away from?Now of course there are those that argue that it really doesn't matter if they are fast or slow because if a zombie apocalypse does occur it won't make much difference because at the end of the day we are all fuc*** anyways.
While I understand that line of thinking I would like to chime in with why I think slow moving zombies are better especially in walking dead stories. I honestly believe that slow moving zombies at least let the reader / viewer know that there is hope that the protagonist might just survive ( as long as they avoid malls ).
Think about it. If dozens or hundreds of fast moving zombies are coming after you how do you fight back? You are not going to outrun them because the dead don't get tired. ( Let's be honest most Americans are not running that far anyway. ) You can't possibly shoot them all because a fast moving target is harder to shoot and unless every zombie had the head the size of Jay Leno's you would be shooting at a small moving target.
To be honest I hate fast moving zombies.
I think fast moving zombies represent no hope and who wants to tell a story with not even a little bit of hope for mankind? I mean the heroes of the story will most have likely lost most of their loved ones, are constantly looking over their shoulders, have trouble finding food and water, are doing whatever they have to do to survive and still have no idea how the dead began to walk again.
It's kind of fuc*** up to throw fast moving zombies on top of all that, don't you think?
At least with the slow moving kind putting up a fight is possible as long as they are not many in numbers. The heroes have a chance ( Well until a character inevitably does something stupid that allows the dead to attack them in the house or building they have holed up in). I believe there should always be some hope that a character can escape or live through a zombie attack. Hope is what keeps humanity going in tough times and I'm pretty sure that a zombie apocalypse qualifies as a tough time.
So what do you think? Do you prefer fast or slow moving zombies? Does it even make a difference to you which kind will eventually be feeding on your entrails?
George Cook author of The Dead War Series
