Ross Payton is a writer and podcaster. His books include Zombies of the World, a humorous field guide to 20 different species of undead and Road Trip, a complete campaign for Monsters and Other Childish Things. He has also written for Posthuman Studios and Goodman Games, among other companies. His Ennie Award winning podcast, Role Playing Public Radio, discusses tabletop gaming and pop culture issues and attracts listeners from around the world. Ross lives in Springfield, Missouri.

Zombies of the World by Ross Payton

Zombies menace humanity, yet we barely understand them. There are books that show you how to kill the undead but this is the first study to explain the importance of zombies to us. Zombies of the World reveals the undead to be a valuable part of our ecosystem and the key to new discoveries in medicine and technology. No other book covers these topics.

Zombies of the World brilliantly documents that evolution has led to a wide variety of species. Few outside the scientific community even realize that creatures like the Egyptian Mummy (Mortifera mumia aegyptus) are actually zombies. Some species are even harmless to humans. The Dancing Zombie (Mortifera immortalis choreographicus) only seeks to thrill humans with elaborate dance routines.

After decades of research, we have no idea why zombies never tire or stop. They possess an endless source of energy to shamble or (in some cases) sprint after us. Unlocking this mystery could benefit all humanity. Only Zombies of the World tackles this issue and many other paradoxes.

 

REVIEWS

  • AWARDS

    Best Humor book: 2012 IBPA Benjamin Franklin awards

    Finalist in the Bill Fisher Best First Book (Fiction) category: 2012 IBPA Benjamin Franklin awards

    Silver medal Graphic Novel/Drawn Book – Humor/Cartoon: 2012 Independent Publishers Book awards

    Bronze medal for Best Humor: Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Awards

  • Any book that carefully differentiates between the Italian Zombie (M. immortalis fulci) and the North American Cabin Lurker (M. necronomicus kandarian) is a book with brains enough to feast upon all night.

    -Kenneth Hite

  • Unlike many other guides that are tedious and dry attempts to cash in on the undead, "Zombies of the World" is sharply written, wonderfully illustrated and designed, mercifully concise, and deeply influenced by zombie culture. And most important of all: it’s really fun to read.

    -The Zed Word

  • What makes this book so different from all the other Zombie Survival/Educational Manuals out there? To put it simply: Everything! The book reads as if the author threw a Zombie Text book, A Zombie Rights Guide, A Zombie Pop-culture reference tome and a Zombie Identification guide into a massive literary blender and hit the frappe button to amalgamate them into a smooth cocktail of terror like none other!

    -Zombie Zone News

  • Payton has taken considerable time and effort to intermix historical record with his book. This is what makes the Field Guide so much fun to read...The descriptions of some of the undead are really ingenious and comical...Ross Payton has done a wonderful job cataloging and identifying the numerous and various species of zombies that are or were roaming the earth.

    -Buyzombie.com
 

BOOK PREVIEW