Podcast
Zombie Book Club
Hosted by Zombie Book Club · EN
Welcome to Zombie Book Club! We're a Podcast that's also a book club! We talk about Zombie / Apocalyptic horror novels, TV and movies.
24episodes
Episodes
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"Feed" by Mira Grant - Book Club Discussion | Zombie Book Club Ep 154
2w ago01:03:23Tap to summarizeFeed by Mira Grant promised us zombies and delivered a political thriller, and our book club had FEELINGS about that. Dan and Leah bring a full courtroom vibe to Newsflesh Book 1: praising its ambitious post-apocalyptic world where society survives by way of constant biosecurity surveillance, Romero-rules-as-cultural-canon, and bloggers covering a presidential campaign instead of mainstream journalists. The double meaning of "the feed" opens up rich questions about media trust, who gets to claim objectivity, and what we owe each other when the truth is literally life or death.But the jury is hung. Between 608 pages of procedural detail, repeated exposition, and a zombie threat that feels more bureaucratically managed than terrifying, Feed didn't fully land for everyone at the table. We dig into representation (disability, body diversity, race, queerness), why a beloved and foundational book can still frustrate readers, and what feels urgently resonant right now: the way "safety" becomes a justification for checkpoints, surveillance, and the normalization of controlled movement.Links & Contact InfoMira Grant (pen name of Seanan McGuire)Website: miragrant.com | seananmcguire.comBluesky: @seananmcguire.bsky.socialAlice B. Sullivan (zombie author whose love of Newsflesh helped inspire her own fiction)Website: alicebsullivan.comInstagram: @zombieauthor_alicebsullivanSupport the showZombie Book Club LinksJoin us on on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ZombieBookClubJoin the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CBZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
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The Dead Will Walk: Living Dead Weekend 2026 Recap | Zombie Book Club Ep 153
3w ago01:02:49Tap to summarizeDan and Leah survived an eleven-hour drive, a basement "murder bathroom" straight out of Barbarian, and the humbling reality of vending books at a zombie movie convention. Welcome to Living Dead Weekend 2026 at the legendary Monroeville Mall. They break down what indie authors actually face at genre cons: the economics of competing with $5 DVD stacks, the split-second power of cover design, and why one patron-saint reader buying from every table can change the whole vibe of a weekend.The highlights hit hard though; meeting John A. Russo to talk ghouls vs. zombies, coming face-to-face with the iconic Hare Krishna zombie from Dawn of the Dead, and soaking in a fandom that refuses to die. They confess their biggest regret (missing Tina Romero), share lessons to carry into future cons, and lay out what's coming next.Links & Contact InfoLiving Dead Weekend / Monroeville MallOfficial site: thelivingdeadweekend.com — https://www.thelivingdeadweekend.com/ Living Dead WeekendA note for listeners: this may have been the final Living Dead Weekend at Monroeville Mall, which is reportedly set for demolition after being acquired by Walmart. Here's a write-up: https://www.publicsource.org/monroeville-mall-last-living-dead-weekend/ PublicSourceSupport the showZombie Book Club LinksJoin us on on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ZombieBookClubJoin the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CBZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
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Laurie Calcaterra and The Golden City PotPR Issue 8 | Zombie Book Club Ep 152
4w ago01:19:46Tap to summarizeComic creator Laurie Calcaterra joins us to break down the world of Path of the Pale Rider; her genre-bending indie comic where death isn't a virus or magic, it's just broken. The "living impaired" keep rotting, brains decay at different rates, and even animals rise again, turning every meal and moral choice into a survival equation. We dig into what makes this series unlike anything on the shelf: QR code scavenger hunts, hidden videos, riddles, sign language, and layered clues that reward rereaders — plus a frank conversation about why real innovation keeps living in indie comics while big studios recycle the same tired stories.Then we crack open Issue 8 and step inside the Golden City, where Jude St. Clair finally arrives at the place that's haunted the series since page one. Hot showers. A buffet. Showgirls and tuxedos. It sounds like heaven after five years on the road... and that's exactly the problem. We unpack the auditorium sequence, debate the symbolism of the split angel portrait, theorize about who (or what) broke death, and wrestle with the ugliest question the series keeps asking: what are people truly willing to trade for comfort when the world outside is falling apart? Plus, Laurie previews the upcoming trade paperback Kickstarter for Issues 5–8.Guest & Relevant LinksLaurie Calcaterra / Path of the Pale RiderWebsite: pathofthepalerider.comInstagram: @path_of_the_pale_rider Kickstarter CampaignsTrade Paperback Issues 5–8 Kickstarter (from show notes): kickstarter.com — Path of the Pale Rider Trade Paperback 5–8Issues 1–8 Kickstarter: kickstarter.com — Path of the Pale Rider Issues 1–8Support the showZombie Book Club LinksJoin us on on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ZombieBookClubJoin the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CBZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
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George Romero almost directed Resident Evil | Zombie Book Club Ep 151
Jun 701:20:28Tap to summarizeWe finally watch George A. Romero's Resident Evil — the 2025 documentary unpacking one of horror's greatest what-ifs, and trace the whole messy story: Romero hired by Constantin Film in 1998, his meticulous approach to studying the game scene-by-scene, the commercial footage that proves he could have nailed the tone, and the moment "creative differences" quietly buried a zombie legend's game-faithful script. Along the way we get into the Biohazard origins, horror ratings pressure, and why studios keep chasing a PG-13 that imagined box office math demands instead of the movie the genre deserves.Then we turn it into something bigger; the social critique running through Romero's entire Living Dead catalog, why zombies became cinema's sharpest tool for talking about race, consumerism, and survival, and why the horror community keeps attracting the most empathetic people in any room. This episode drops right before we head to Living Dead Weekend 2026 at the Monroeville Mall — the last year before the mall closes — and we're going in loaded with books from zombesties Sylvester Barzey, Rebecca Cuthbertson, Dia Van Gunten, and Laurie Calcaterra, bunking with Alice B. Sullivan, and looking forward to seeing Brandon Starocci of Avalon Comic.LINKS & INFOThe DocumentaryGeorge A. Romero's Resident Evil (2025) — Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fiIdvhCLMIIMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21990960/Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_A._Romero%27s_Resident_EvilLiving Dead Weekend 2026 — June 12–14, Monroeville MallOfficial Site & Schedule: https://www.thelivingdeadweekend.com/Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/living-dead-weekend-june-2026-the-dead-will-walk-the-mall-tickets-1980534479944Living Dead Museum at Monroeville Mall: https://monroevillemall.com/store/living_dead_museumGreenMan — Pittsburgh ArtistInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/grnnann/AuthorsAlice B. Sullivan | Tomorrow Never Came + Elementary Undead | https://alicebsullivan.com/Sylvester Barzey | Intense BIPOC-centered zombie horror | https://sylvesterbarzey.com/Rebecca Cuthbertson | Waves of Undead | https://rcuthbertsonwrites.com/Dia VanGunten | Pink Zombie Rose graphic novel series | https://www.diavangunten.com/Laurie Calcaterra | Path of the Pale Rider comic (issues 1–4 trade paperback) | https://pathofthepalerider.wordpress.com/Brandon Starocci | Avalon zombie comic series | https://avaloncomic.com/Support the showZombie Book Club LinksJoin us on on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ZombieBookClubJoin the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CBZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
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The Kara Mason Series with special guest Jill N. Davies | Zombie Book Club Ep 150
May 3101:17:42Tap to summarizeThis week we settle a burning physics question; can an inflatable pool "self-level" on a hillside, or is it doomed? To answer this very important question, we welcome scientist, science teacher, and zombie sci-fi author Jill N. Davies. Jill writes the kind of body horror that will make you cringe in her Kara Mason Story series, a world rebuilt after the outbreak where the promise of a cure becomes a power structure, fear becomes policy, and the "safe" choice can quietly cost you your humanity.We get into why there's rarely one clean "right" decision, how the fear of being wrong fuels everything from authoritarian control to cringe culture, and why constant surveillance drains the joy out of learning and living. Jill also shares how the devastatingly premature birth of her first child pushed her toward publishing, how writing has carried her through hard times, and why she believes AI threatens markets but never human storytelling.Guest Contact & Social LinksWebsite: https://jillndavies.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillndavies_books/Goodreads (author page): https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20334595.Jill_N_DaviesRelevant Links from the EpisodeThe Kara Mason Story books (all editions): browse from https://jillndavies.com/index.php/books/Due North (Book 1): https://www.amazon.com/Due-North-Kara-Mason-Story/dp/B089267Y5QInto the Deadlands (Book 2): https://www.amazon.com/Into-Deadlands-Book-Mason-Story/dp/B0CH1XVPNWHearts of a Vanishing City (Prequel, 2025): https://www.amazon.com/Hearts-Vanishing-City-Prequel-Mason/dp/B0F4B3WJBHDue North audiobook (narrated by Samantha Norbury): https://www.audible.com/pd/Due-North-Audiobook/B0DD5MQKW7Support the showZombie Book Club LinksJoin us on on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ZombieBookClubJoin the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CBZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
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We're Back from the Dead | Zombie Book Club Ep. 149
May 2401:01:27Tap to summarizeWe crawl back from the zombie plague with a fever-dream catch-up that somehow turns into a sharp conversation about power, autonomy, and who gets to make the rules. We dig into our HOA annual meeting; a real-life "Survivor" moment where alliances formed around one loaded question: do we leave each other alone, or do we pile on rules to control what neighbors do on their own land? From petty bylaw enforcement to short-term rental panic, we trace how community governance becomes a proxy war for fear, control, and NIMBY instincts.Then we pull the thread from our previous Apocalypse Tech episode and go deep on surveillance capitalism, degoogling, and the creeping feeling that the internet has shifted from a decentralized commons into a centralized control mechanism. We cover data brokers, AI as a "truth gatekeeper," always-on vehicle tracking, and why your "free" apps aren't free. We end on a hopeful note: LoRa radios, Meshtastic mesh networks, DIY cyberdecks, and the case for physical media ownership as a practical act of digital self-defense and zombie preparedness.Relevant Links:Meshtastic (off-grid mesh networking): meshtastic.orgPrivacy Guides (degoogling & privacy tool recommendations): privacyguides.orgr/degoogle (community): reddit.com/r/degoogleDuckDuckGo (private search engine): duckduckgo.comCyberdeck Cafe (the hub of the Cyberdeck community, FAQ, build guide, curated parts list): cyberdeck.cafer/cyberDeck (Reddit community — builds, inspiration, troubleshooting): reddit.com/r/cyberDeckSupport the showZombie Book Club LinksJoin us on on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ZombieBookClubJoin the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CBZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
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Apocalypse Tech (Casual Dead) | Zombie Book Club Ep 148
May 1001:16:38Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we dig into the real-world tools for communicating and coordinating without cell towers or cloud services: Meshtastic mesh radios, ham radio via Winlink and JS8Call, GMRS repeater networks, and the more radical vision of Reticulum — a cryptographic network stack built for a post-internet world. We also cover the surprisingly active landscape of community mesh networks already running in cities like New York and Philadelphia, and why building decentralized infrastructure now is mutual aid, not just prepper fantasy.Offline Wikipedia via Kiwix, self-hosted media libraries with Jellyfin, Calibre, and Audiobookshelf, and knowledge preservation archives like Open Source Ecology and Appropedia can turn a Raspberry Pi into a local server that keeps your community informed, entertained, and capable.CommunicationsMeshtastic — https://meshtastic.orgReticulum Network — https://reticulum.networkWinlink (email over radio) — https://www.winlink.orgJS8Call — http://js8call.comLocal networksNYC Mesh — https://www.nycmesh.netPhilly Community Wireless — https://phillycommunitywireless.orgPeople's Open Network (Oakland) — https://peoplesopen.netEntertainment / mediaJellyfin — https://jellyfin.orgKiwix — https://kiwix.orgInternet-in-a-Box — https://internet-in-a-box.orgCalibre — https://calibre-ebook.comNavidrome — https://www.navidrome.orgAudiobookshelf — https://www.audiobookshelf.orgKnowledge preservationSurvivor Library — http://www.survivorlibrary.comAppropedia — https://www.appropedia.orgOpen Source Ecology — https://www.opensourceecology.orgFarm Hack — https://farmhack.orgPrecious Plastic — https://www.preciousplastic.comSupport the showZombie Book Club LinksJoin us on on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ZombieBookClubJoin the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CBZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
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Joseph Pesavento's World of Horror | Zombie Book Club Ep 147
May 301:22:08Tap to summarizeHorror and zombie author Joseph Pesavento joins us to dig into what really drives undead fiction; the freedom, the collapse of rules, and the uncomfortable truth that the living are often the bigger threat. We trace his writing journey from a childhood journal inspired by Nickelodeon's Doug through film school screenplays to seven published books, and get into the practical, unfiltered reality of going indie. Joseph also breaks down Death Cleanse, his militarized zombie road-trip novel about the man who caused the outbreak, now trapped in an eerie Montauk bunker steeped in real conspiratorial history with a gore level that doesn't flinch.Guest Links & ContactJoseph PesaventoWebsite: josephpesavento.comInstagram: @josephpesaventowritesDeath Cleanse (signed copy): josephpesavento.com/product-page/death-cleanse-signedSupport the showZombie Book Club LinksJoin us on on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ZombieBookClubJoin the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CBZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
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V for Vendetta Feels Like Current Events (Casual Dead) | Zombie Book Club Ep. 146
Apr 2600:55:21Tap to summarizeA Kimberly-Clark warehouse worker lit a 1.2-million-square-foot facility on fire and filmed himself saying "all you had to do was pay us enough to fucking live." Media coverage mourned the inventory. Dan and Leah come in burned out but reach for a comfort watch (V for Vendetta) and find it hitting like current events. The movie may be twenty years old, but the machinery it describes; propaganda, scapegoating, fear-based unity, and a public conditioned to accept cruelty as normal — is running at full speed right now.From the Kimberly-Clark fire to stock buybacks that consumed 106% of company profits, to union-busting and Amazon workplace horror stories, the episode traces the pressure that builds when a system refuses to reform. Then we talk about V for Vendetta itself: the Guy Fawkes mask, the long game of symbolism, queer liberation themes, and what it looks like when people stop believing the polite path leads anywhere.Elevator PitchNeal Noakes on Instagram: @Neal.Noakes.BooksWe Will Not Survive on Amazon: Pre Order HereTOPICS DISCUSSED:The Kimberly-Clark Fire / Chamel AbdulkarimWikipedia summary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Kimberly-Clark_Distribution_Center_fireDemocracy Now! coverage: https://www.democracynow.org/2026/4/13/headlines/all_you_had_to_do_was_pay_us_enough_to_live_worker_sets_fire_to_california_paper_warehouseJacobin deep dive on Kimberly-Clark financials: https://jacobin.com/2026/04/california-kimberly-clark-warehouse-arsonV for VendettaGraphic novel (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_for_VendettaMovie quotes: https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/392838-v-for-vendettaCritical essay — V for Vendetta and the limits of liberal protest: https://bloodknife.com/v-for-vendetta-and-the-limits-of-liberal-protest/Support the showZombie Book Club LinksJoin us on on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ZombieBookClubJoin the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CBZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
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'The Madcaps' Finale Kickstarter with Special Guest DM Ray | Zombie Book Club Ep 145
Apr 1901:00:26Tap to summarizeRay Jamison — writer, dungeon master, and creator of The Madcaps — returns to close out his medieval fantasy zombie miniseries in style. With his finale Kickstarter live for issues one through three, we dig into what it means to finish a story on purpose: one long night, four friends, and a necromancer standing between Ivywood and sunrise. We talk craft — how a DM mindset shapes pacing and payoff, why intrigue matters as much as action, and what makes these four characters (a brawny intellectual, a devout farmer, a good-hearted charlatan, and a social facilitator) ask the only question that really matters: who am I, and where do I fit?We also get into the nuts and bolts of indie publishing — scripts, art, color, letters, Kickstarter tiers, specialty covers, and why building a complete, jumpable story from issue one is both a creative philosophy and a reader promise. If you've been waiting to get into The Madcaps, this is your window. Go back the Kickstarter now.LINKS & CONTACT:Ray Jamison (DM Ray) on Instagram: @raymondthedmThe Madcaps Issues #1–3 Kickstarter (finale campaign): kickstarter.com/projects/philboentertainment/madcaps-issue-3Support the showZombie Book Club LinksJoin us on on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ZombieBookClubJoin the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CBZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
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