Zombies: Not My Thing

I've debated back and forth in my mind whether this actually merits a post. I mean, I'm not writing a review, or a spotlight. There isn't much of a link to books, except a very tenuous link to one series of books by Lia Habel. However, I can't get this out of my head so maybe writing it will help me finish Dearly Beloved.

Zombies creep me out.

Well, duh, you say. They have rotten flesh. They're dead bodies. They want to eat your braaaiinns.

Yeah and that's gross. I can't understand any romantic involvement with a zombie without shivering. It feels icky to me.

Now you mention vampires. Aren't they icky too? Like, they SUCK YOUR BLOOD. They have fangs. You like vampires. Actually, you love them. Damon Salvatore anybody?

Mmm. Damon is yummy. This complicates the issue because it makes no sense that in my mind, vampires are okay and zombies aren't. My mind is kind of a weird place, and this doesn't make much logical sense. I can have crushes on book vampires because there's something so alluring about them. When I think of a zombie, it grosses me out.

This tends to be an enormous issue, especially when I'm reading a book like Dearly Beloved where zombies are meant to be loved. I can't do it. Every time Nora is with Bram, it doesn't feel right. If I was in the book, I would totally hide from the zombies.

I feel awful about it. Why can't I just accept zombies? They're dead people too, like vampires whom I seem to have no problem with. To give a little bit of context, in Lia Habel's series, the zombies aren't all evil. They can turn you with a bite and have some sort of animal instinct that doesn't always end up consuming them. There are intelligent zombies out there who love and think and deserve a chance at an existence. I acknowledge that.

I'm having a lot of trouble reading Dearly Beloved because of the zombies and how conflicted I feel about them. Even if they're sentient beings, I don't know if I would want them in society. Habel's world does have vaccines, but let's just say it's not fool proof. The zombies want rights in government. They want to live alongside everyone else in society, and I feel like the right answer is to welcome them with open arms.

That decision doesn't seem true to me though. If there truly were zombies, they'd be capable of eradicating humanity. They'd overrun us. They would constantly desire to eat our flesh. Even if they are smart and good, how do you separate the conniving, evil ones that are only pretending from everyone else? Especially when they have heightened senses and capabilities. You can't. Just one evil zombie can have some disastrous consequences. This is my dilemma. Society isn't safe with zombies. They have a disease and I pity them, but they should have died. Their life puts people at risk

I was imagining myself in the story and I can't see myself ever letting someone I care about like my sister get close to a zombie. I wouldn't want to take the risk and associate with them, which is all sorts of awful. And then you'd say, what if a family member I care about, like my sister, was a zombie. Would I shut the door on her?

I don't know. I don't actually want to imagine this and hopefully it will never happen so I'll never be in a position to see my choice. It's just that zombies are a risk. I can't see myself welcoming them with open arms. It's awful, but it would probably be easier to kill every one of them than integrate them into society.

If they were to be part of society, I'd want them to be regulated. All their names and locations should be known. They should have weekly or monthly testing, psychological and physical, to see if they could hurt people. I would feel bad about it, but I, under no circumstances can accept putting my family or society at risk by welcoming zombies openly.

The bad thing is, the above paragraph is TOTALLY the starter of some creepy dystopia. The government would know a lot more than they should. That's scary, but I don't see any other solution. No one pities sociopaths even if it's said not having empathy could be a mental thing.

That's why I can't accept zombies, at least not right away. I don't see a harmonious future with them. What am I missing, zombie lovers? And have you ever read a book that you couldn't connect with because of the setting or premise?

*Also, I realize I'm taking a fictional premise created for reader's entertainment way too seriously. Whatever, that's just me.

-P.E.