Title: Zombies vs. Unicorns: The Anthology
Author: Holly Black, Justine Larbalestier, Garth Nix, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Naomi Novik, Carrie Ryan, Margo Lanagan, Maureen Johnson, Diana Peterfreund, Scott Westerfeld, Meg Cabot, Cassandra Clare, Kathleen Duey and Libba Bray
Publisher: McElderry Books
Publication Date: Sept. 21st, 2010
Pages: 415 (Hardcover)
I'm not usually a fan of short story anthologies and normally wouldn't bother to write a review for one, but Zombies vs. Unicorns was so much fun to read that I couldn't help myself. You'll have to forgive me for not writing a proper summary like I normally do, but really, its pretty straight forward. The title says it all. But for those of you who would like a little more background... Zombies vs. Unicorns started out as an internet argument between Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier over which was better: zombies or unicorns? Black argued in favor of unicorns and Larbalestier argued in favor of zombies. Then some of their author buddies joined the debate, and they decided to write a bunch of short stories to try and prove which of the two creatures was better. Thus, Zombies vs. Unicorns: The Anthology was born. I'm not going to summarize every single short story that shows up in the anthology because if I did, you'd be sitting at your computer all night, and we don't want that. Especially when you could be spending your time reading them.
The quality of writing presented throughout the anthology was top-notch, and it was interesting to see how some of everyone's YA fiction authors tackled the short story format. (Personally, I was really excited to read Scott Westerfeld and Cassandra Clare's stories.) Many chose to put a unique spin on the traditional conception of each creature, creating a smörgåsbord of tales that will delight readers with any kind of taste. Not into brain-sucking zombies? Well, maybe you'll enjoy reading about zombies falling in love. Think pretty, rainbow-farting unicorns are lame? Well, maybe you'd prefer to read about killer human-eating unicorns. Really, as I mentioned before, there's a story in here for everyone. In addition, the narration in between the stories by Black and Larbalestier was hilarious. They pretty much created a new definition for the term, "inside joke." Really, listening to (er, technically, reading) them argue about zombies and unicorns was probably the best part of the book, and, believe it or not, both teams made very convincing arguments to support their case.
Because there were some stories I liked more than others I'm not going to rate this book. But just know that from page 1 to 415, I couldn't stop smiling. I highly recommend Zombies vs. Unicorns to anybody who's seeking a good gut-clenching laugh.
Oh, and as a side note, I'm totally Team Unicorn. Anybody care to challenge me? I'll gladly take you on!
