On My Night Table


PARIAH BY BOB FINGERMAN

Zombies are such a visceral thing that one would think seeing them is the only way to enjoy them. But after Max Brooks’ World War Z (if you haven’t read this, and you enjoy Zombies, run out and get it) it seems like Zombies are something that writers can write about and when it’s good then the reader is lucky.  In the case of Pariah, by Bob Fingerman (who also wrote and drew comics) the reader is very lucky, indeed.

The story opens after the Zombie Outbreak has happened and it centers on a group of Survivors in an apartment building in New York City.  This motley group of characters are interesting and pretty screwed up so they’re great to read about and Fingerman is one of the few horror writers who can really write. By concentrating more on the dynamics of these survivors instead of the undead, he takes the situation and brings humanity, humor, pathos, and capital L literature to the table. There is also a mystery at the centre of the novel and the way it unravels is in keeping with the themes of this New York story.  This is also one of the rare horror novels where the ending works. Often, the Big Bad in horror novels is either stopped by some sort of “love” or “white light” or everyone dies. This one is different. If you like horror and zombies, then give this quick, fun-ish read a try.