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Steven C. Schlozman
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The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks from the Apocalypse Kindle Edition

by Steven C. Schlozman (Author), Andrea Sparacio (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 184 ratings
As the walking dead rise up throughout the world, a few brave doctors attempt to find a cure by applying forensic techniques to captured zombies.

On a remote island a crack medical team has been sent to explore a radical theory that could uncover a cure for the epidemic. Based on the team's research and the observations of renowned zombie expert Dr. Stanley Blum, The Zombie Autopsies documents for the first time the unique biology of zombie organisms.

Detailed drawings of the internal organs of actual zombies provide an accurate anatomy of these horrifying creatures. Zombie brains, hearts, lungs, skin, and digestive system are shown, while Dr. Blum's notes reveal shocking insights into how they function--even as Blum and his colleagues themselves begin to succumb to the plague.

No one knows the ultimate fate of Dr. Blum or his researchers. But now that his notebook, The Zombie Autopsies, has been made available to the UN, the World Health Organization, and the general public, his scientific discoveries may be the last hope for humans on earth. "Humanity has a new weapon against the living dead and that weapon is Steven Schlozman!" -- New York Times bestselling author Max Brooks

"I've written and made films about zombies for over forty years. In all that time, I've never been able to convince my audience that zombies actually exist. On page one of The Zombie Autopsies, Steven Schlozman takes away any doubt. This fast-moving, entertaining work will have you chuckling...and worrying." -- George A. Romero, director of Night of the Living Dead

"Gruesome and gripping! Steven Schlozman reveals the science behind zombies from the inside out." -- Seth Grahame-Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

"With The Zombie Autopsies, Steven Schlozman redefines 'weird science' for the 21st Century. Brilliant, bizarre and wonderfully disturbing." -- Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Rot & Ruin and Patient Zero

"Dr. Steve's Zombie Autopsy will charm and excite a new generation into loving science."
--Chuck Palahniuk, New York Times bestselling author of Fight Club
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  1. Print length
    205 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grand Central Publishing
  4. Publication date
    October 1, 2010
  5. File size
    6.0 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Presented as the journal kept by a neuroscientist investigating the medical causes of zombiism, Schlozman's clever debut shows that there's still life left in the overworked horror theme of the living dead. Dr. Stanley Blum is already infected (as is two-thirds of humankind) with ataxic neurodegenerative satiety deficiency syndrome (ANSD)—the virus that makes flesh-eating zombies lurch and lunch—when he decamps to Bassas da India, an island overseen by the U.N., to vivisect captive zombies in the hope of isolating the pathogen before he succumbs to it. Schlozman makes the science both accessible and plausible. In lieu of a meaty plot, he provides a grim vision of zombie apocalypse and a surprise explanation for the virus's origin. Printed as a handwritten diary and illustrated in gory glory with clinical drawings by Andrea Sparacio, this book is sure to be scarfed up by ravenous zombiephiles. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

With the recent successes of films like Zombieland and the TV series The Walking Dead, zombies have never been trendier. In this fictional "secret notebook" describing a zombie research project, Harvard-trained physician and avowed horror fan Schlozman capitalizes on the undead craze with an inventively framed apocalyptic tale embellished with black humor. Embedded within the recovered journals of zombie expert Dr. Stanley Blum is the story of a viral research team quarantined on a remote island with specimens from a future worldwide plague dubbed Ataxic Neurodegenerative Satiety Deficiency Disorder, otherwise known as zombiism. Alas, the team inevitably succumbs to the illness themselves but not without, apparently, finding the cure. Hence, the World Health Organization's urgent "release" of the notebooks, complete with illustrations of zombie anatomy and graphic descriptions of toothsome mayhem. While medical professionals may reap a few laughs from Schlozman's meticulous faux scientific research, the target audience is comprised of horror fans and zombie enthusiasts. --Carl Hays

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0047Y0FCS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing (October 1, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6.0 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 205 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 184 ratings

About the author

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Steven C. Schlozman

Steven C. Schlozman

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Steven Schlozman studied English and Biology in Northern California and taught

high school English and science before starting medical school in New England.

After training in psychiatry and child psychiatry, he joined the faculty at

Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School where he is currently an assistant professor of psychiatry. Long a fan of popular culture and especially a fan of horror movies, he has written about movies, books, pop songs and sports in blogs for the Boston Globe, Psychology Today and in academic journals. Most importantly, he has wanted for a very long time to write a novel. This is Schlozman's first novel.

He lives in suburban Boston with his wife and two daughters, a big and ill-defined dog named Corduroy, a very fat cat named Daisy and a skinny black and white cat named Oreo. In retrospect, the inspiration for this novel most likely derives from the unlikely longevity of his daughters' pet crayfish, who, despite a purported life span of less than two years, continues to live happily and for much longer than predicted in his tepid tank, feeding on lettuce and occasional wisps of sliced turkey. He is the first true zombie that Schlozman has encountered and looks only slightly more healthy than the typical walking dead.

More information on The Zombie Autopsies can be found on his website, thezombieautopsies.com.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
184 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book entertaining and well-written, with detailed medical descriptions that satisfy both zombie and scientific interests. They appreciate the illustrations, with one customer highlighting the graphic detailed drawings of zombie anatomy. The storyline receives mixed reactions - while some find it good, others note there's no real story arc.

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30 customers mention "Readability"26 positive4 negative

Customers find the book readable and entertaining, describing it as a quick and fun read, with one customer noting it's an admirable accomplishment for a first book.

"...with Max Brooks "World War Z." Excellent source material, easy to read and understand even if you're not a dedicated fan...." Read more

"...Still, they are worth at least skimming as they include more references that fill out the backstory and flesh out a couple of major characters...." Read more

"well written and humnerous. Addresses many ideas in a way that is easily understood and informative without being dull...." Read more

"This was a lot of fun to read. Much like Brooks' World War Z, this book takes a clinical look at what a Zombie Apocalypse would look like...." Read more

21 customers mention "Entertainment value"16 positive5 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and interesting, with one customer noting it's not overly nerdy.

"...Having said that, I believe that this book is a very worthy addition to the zombie genre and an admirable accomplishment for a first book...." Read more

"well written and humnerous. Addresses many ideas in a way that is easily understood and informative without being dull...." Read more

"...This is super sciency which makes sense since it was written by a real doctor. I like it for that but at times it can be a bit dull...." Read more

"...This could be a really interesting movie adaptation if done right. It was a good read, kind of technical, but plausible and worth the price...." Read more

18 customers mention "Information quality"18 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the detailed medical descriptions in the book, with one customer noting the perfect balance of science and fiction.

"...Along with Max Brooks "World War Z." Excellent source material, easy to read and understand even if you're not a dedicated fan...." Read more

"...Throughout the book, the perceptive reader is able to infer and piece together the backstory from occasional references made in the context of..." Read more

"well written and humnerous. Addresses many ideas in a way that is easily understood and informative without being dull...." Read more

"...This is super sciency which makes sense since it was written by a real doctor. I like it for that but at times it can be a bit dull...." Read more

7 customers mention "Illustrations"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the illustrations in the book, with one customer highlighting the detailed drawings of zombie anatomy.

"...The format is of a lost journal that includes graphic detailed drawings of zombie anatomy...." Read more

"...more about the doctors, more interaction with zombies... I loved having the illustrations...." Read more

"...It includes illustrations (which look great even on the Kindle!), and a lot of background information in the appendices...." Read more

"...It wound up being a pretty decent book. The drawings on the autopsies is very good, the info is good, might be a bit to much for some, but I'd..." Read more

7 customers mention "Writing style"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, with one customer noting it reads in first-person journal style, while another mentions it is written from an objective viewpoint.

"...Because this book is written from such an objective viewpoint, it's not surprising that it doesn't appeal to the same audience as other zombie books..." Read more

"well written and humnerous. Addresses many ideas in a way that is easily understood and informative without being dull...." Read more

"...The book reads in first-person journal style which is fine...." Read more

"...It is a fast read - 2-3 hours tops but is enjoyable. The format is of a lost journal that includes graphic detailed drawings of zombie anatomy...." Read more

16 customers mention "Storyline"10 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the storyline of the book, with some finding it good while others note there is no real story arc.

"...No real shock and gore here, but a great narrative and an attention to details kept me turning the page. Have fun!" Read more

"...They gave more depth to the story and were pretty gruesome (one of my friends had to shut the book, she got too scared)...." Read more

"...The tone of the story is very gritty and frank...." Read more

"If you love zombies, this is a great story...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Randall New
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    If you're a serious zombie fan you MUST have this book. Along with Max Brooks "World War Z." Excellent source material, easy to read and understand even if you're not a dedicated fan. If you want just the entertainment, the fights, running and dodging charging zombie stampedes, this is not your book. This is serious(?) science here people. As serious as a zombie can be.
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  • Andrew Comeau
    4.0 out of 5 stars A well-written and worthy addition to the genre ...
    Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I found this book when browsing at the local store and it caught my interest so I checked out the Kindle edition. I was turned on to zombie fiction by Max Brooks' "World War Z" and I'm always glad to see another semi-serious treatment of the zombie apocalypse.

    The author, Steven Schlozman, takes the idea of "World War Z" in another direction. Where Brooks' work was a collection of first-person accounts from a cross-section of society, "Zombie Autopsies" is presented strictly from a medical and scientific point of view. Both books achieve the suspension of disbelief by presenting a fictional account of present day events in an authentic sounding non-fictional narrative style. In this book, the story is told in the form of a United Nations report centered around the salvaged journal of a doctor sent to a U.N. base in the Indian Ocean to perform autopsies on people infected by a zombie virus and hopefully find a treatment or a cure. Throughout the book, the perceptive reader is able to infer and piece together the backstory from occasional references made in the context of either the U.N. report or the doctor's journal entries. In this way, we gradually and effectively get a picture of just how bad the situation in that world is with two-thirds of the population dead and many population centers incinerated and the environment severely damaged from early efforts to control the plague with nuclear and conventional weapons.

    The tone of the story is very gritty and frank. Trying to picture it on the screen, I kept seeing the harsh lighting and style of something like "28 Days Later" or "Children of Men" or maybe a mockumentary like "District 9". The author does not pull any punches with the graphic accounts of the virus' effects and while it initially felt a little like Zombie C.S.I., by the middle of the journal I felt like I wanted to wash my hands repeatedly and go for a walk in the sun. The graphic descriptions (with detailed drawings) are not for everyone. This is not a criticism, just a fair warning.

    The doctor's journal takes up about half of the book and the rest is a series of appendices to the U.N. report. The author's use of these actually reminded me of the appendices that Frank Herbert used in his first two Dune novels. Other commentators have complained that these are boring and I will admit that a couple of them make for dry reading that might have striven for more authenticity than was strictly necessary. Still, they are worth at least skimming as they include more references that fill out the backstory and flesh out a couple of major characters. There are also some interesting points raised about how easy it remains for us to make convenient decisions that dehumanize groups of people and why we find zombies so intriguing.

    The author's bio states that he is a real-life M.D. and psychiatrist. It's understandable that he writes from the perspective that he knows. Because this book is written from such an objective viewpoint, it's not surprising that it doesn't appeal to the same audience as other zombie books will. The bio also states that the author is a fan of popular culture and that this is his first book which might explain some of the influences I mentioned above. Having said that, I believe that this book is a very worthy addition to the zombie genre and an admirable accomplishment for a first book. The prospective reader just needs to be aware that it will be a more challenging read than other zombie stories.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Elizabeth W
    5.0 out of 5 stars must for all zombie nuts
    Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    well written and humnerous. Addresses many ideas in a way that is easily understood and informative without being dull. highlights real medical ideas on a sci fi subjecxt loved it
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  • zombie_timelord
    3.0 out of 5 stars I didn't like it that much but that might just be me
    Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I didn't like it that much but that might just be me. The book reads in first-person journal style which is fine. However, to make it more authentic, the font used is some sort of hand-writing which was a bit hard for me to read at times. This is super sciency which makes sense since it was written by a real doctor. I like it for that but at times it can be a bit dull. Not a lot of action.
    One person found this helpful
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  • J. Cronin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Zombie Fans Unite!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This was a lot of fun to read. Much like Brooks' World War Z, this book takes a clinical look at what a Zombie Apocalypse would look like. If you are into goofy Zombie stuff, this is probably not for you. No real shock and gore here, but a great narrative and an attention to details kept me turning the page. Have fun!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Kevin
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good read with a novel approach to the zombie apocalypse. Somewhat technical / medical but interesting.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Overall a good read. Covered a side of the zombie apocalypse in a way not previously done, but in my opinion could have been more. There were some illogical plot points that in my opinion detracted from the story. Without engaging in spoilers, "The Crypt" as the lab was called seemed to be somewhat rudimentary and certainly not the kind of portable BioSafety Level 3+ or 4 facility I would expect the UN to field in the wake of such a cataclysm. I mean this is a UN run operation to save humanity, not Milton in Woodbury strapping zombies to the table. I mean with the facilities and procedures they seemed to utilize it is little doubt that trip to The Crypt would be a one way ticket resulting in infection and death of the researchers. That said, the pace moved along well. The appendix seemed to be one of the more interesting parts of the book in that it filled in the piece so to speak. This could be a really interesting movie adaptation if done right. It was a good read, kind of technical, but plausible and worth the price. I would recommend giving it a read if you want to explore some of the anatomy and physiology of the zombie apocalypse ,,, If doctor Jennings had lived longer in TWD, this might have been his notebook.
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  • Robert K.
    5.0 out of 5 stars A riveting story...
    Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    The Zombie Autopsies is a great book to add to any zombie collection. It is a fast read - 2-3 hours tops but is enjoyable. The format is of a lost journal that includes graphic detailed drawings of zombie anatomy. The journal explores the causes of zombi-ism and why/how the body continues to function after reanimation.
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  • Dennis Clay
    5.0 out of 5 stars A look at an old story through scientific eyes
    Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    For some time I have viewed the zombie trope with increasing dissatisfaction. Although zombie fiction can be a metaphor describing various societal trends or perspectives, I have found the biological aspects of the stories to be frustrating. Corpses do not reanimate except in supernatural stories. Yet the zombie is science fiction, drawing heavily on the particulars of disease and epidemiology. So corpses reanimating due to disease seemed disappointing in a science fiction setting. The rage virus of 28 Days notwithstanding, I've been waiting on a scientist to tackle the genre and do it justice. This has finally been done in The Zombie Autopsies. I recommend this book as a good read.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Sarah S
    4.0 out of 5 stars Für Zombiefans zu empfehlen
    Reviewed in Germany on August 2, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Die Story ist gut erzählt und die wissenschaftlichen Erklärungen sind sehr interessant und schaffen schaffen die Illusion, dass man ein echten wissenschafltichen Bericht über wahrhaftig existierende Zombies in den Händen hält.
    Wer jedoch ein Zombiebuch mit viel Action erwartet, ist hier falsch.
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  • Cindy Herrick
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on June 26, 2015
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    good
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  • Maud
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2016
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    I really enjoyed this book. The "scientific" explanation of the disease is really interesting. You actually learn a lot from it! Also good if you like mysteries and gore.
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  • Katell CHABIN
    3.0 out of 5 stars Très bon livre ! (en anglais)
    Reviewed in France on December 17, 2013
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    Une approche très intéressante de l'univers post-apocalyptique / zombie. Le point de vue d'un médecin sous forme d'un journal est bien pensé, et la progression de l'intrigue amenée avec ingéniosité. Le langage est à la portée de chacun, pas de vocabulaire trop complexe et ce choix est entièrement justifié scénaristiquement : un très bon point !
    Je n'ai pas mis 5 car les illustrations sont belles mais sans plus, et que la police utilisée pour les pages manuscrites est difficile à lire lorsqu'on a l'intention de dévorer le livre.
    Mais l'idée est là, on alterne le récit rapporté et les observations extérieures au témoignage du scientifique.
    En bref, très bon livre, qui donne l'impression de mieux comprendre le phénomène, ou du moins d'en avoir une nouvelle approche plus réaliste. Je recommande assurément aux amateurs de zombies !
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  • M. J. L. Williams
    4.0 out of 5 stars Loaded with jargon, mutilation and a wee bit of tension
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    It's a fun, quick read for anyone interested in zombies and really getting down & dirty concerning the science behind the condition. The descriptions of the operations on the infected are outlined in cold, precise detail but there is a strong undercurrent of humanity in the tale too. Read with a kindle so you can get quick access to the definitions for all science terminology. Trust me, there's a lot
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