What happens when the zombie apocalypse turns out to be a zombie aberration? Three years have passed since the rising of the undead, and life has more or less returned to normal. Zombie encounters are now few and far between. The undead are more of a nuisance than a menace; they are less likely to sink their teeth into unsuspecting civilians than they are to be attacked by vigilantes and rabid lynch mobs. Laws have been passed for the zombies’ own protection, and they are safely and humanely quarantined from society. Dead Rite, an undead management and control firm, suddenly finds itself on the brink of bankruptcy. The zombie population is dwindling and the bills are piling up. So when a lucrative opportunity unexpectedly presents itself, it seems almost too good to be true. A tale of misfits, weirdos, outcasts, alcoholics, trust fund activists, dead-head hippies, sleazy politicians and psychotic hillbillies; all foot soldiers fighting in the war on horror.

The world remains in a state of flux, but life in a post-zombie society goes on. It’s now three years since Bernard Marlowe’s stunning election victory. Incidents involving the undead have fallen to an all-time low, and great strides have been made in the development of a groundbreaking treatment to reverse the devastating effects of the infection. The new prime minister is still grappling with the realization that running the country isn’t quite the walk in the park he thought it might be. The one-time flavor of the month is now the most unpopular leader in recent memory. His scandal-plagued government has degenerated into a laughing stock and is hurtling head-first toward a humiliating electoral defeat. Regaining the public’s trust, or restoring their deepest fears, may be his only chance of winning – and there is nothing he won’t do to hold on to power.

After an accidental nuclear war, Vivian Gray joins a comically inept goup of fellow twentysomething survivors. She and her new friends embark on a cross-country road trip seeking sanctuary from the menagerie of deadly atomic mutants unleased by the contaminated atmosphere.

From the ruins of the irradiated wastes emerge bloodthirsty scavengers and a dangerous new breed of creature known as the Changed. Some survivors call them zombies, others say that they’re mutants–whatever they truly are, their sole desire is to murder and eat those unaffected. A small group of survivors from Illinois attempts to escape further south away from the deepening cold of the nuclear winter. Along the way, they discover that the true monsters are not the Changed–the enemy to fear most is their fellow man.

Riley Haig is a mild-mannered wage slave returning to his hometown following a decade-long absence. From the moment he arrives, everything feels off by a degree or two. Dark secrets lurk behind every corner, long-forgotten figures re-emerge from his murky past, and he is haunted by the eerie notion that something terrible could happen at any given moment. Then the bodies begin piling up. Langdon Pryce is a bestselling novelist in creative freefall, in the middle of writing a story about a mild-mannered wage slave returning to his hometown following a decade-long absence. A crisis of confidence forces him to re-examine his own life and values, spurring him on to produce what he hopes could be his greatest work to date. Then things get weird.

In the wake of a devastating disease, everyone sixteen and older is either dead or a decomposing, brainless creature with a ravenous appetite for flesh. Teens have barricaded themselves in buildings throughout London and venture outside only when they need to scavenge for food. The group of kids living a Waitrose supermarket is beginning to run out of options. When a mysterious traveler arrives and offers them safe haven at Buckingham Palace, they begin a harrowing journey across London. But their fight is far from over???the threat from within the palace is as real as the one outside it. Full of unexpected twists and quick-thinking heroes, The Enemy is a fast-paced, white-knuckle tale of survival in the face of unimaginable horror.

"Like Stephen King, he knows how to summon serious scares." - Bentley Little, The Burning ZOMBIE BITS A collection of zombie short stories from best-selling author Scott Nicholson. Includes two stories from "The Best of All Flesh" series, as well as the original post-apocalyptic story "A Farewell to Arms" written especially for this volume, along with five more post-apocalyptic thriller and survival horror stories. Also includes a short story from Jack Kilborn (ENDURANCE) and a "Zombie Apocalypse Survival Scorecard" from Jonathan Maberry (PATIENT ZERO, ROT AND RUIN), as well as a post-apocalyptic survival tale from Joe McKinney (DEAD WORLD series). From bone-chilling terror to horror humor, this collection is for zombie fans with good taste. Or who taste good. -------- keywords: zombie apocalypse, zombie fiction. zombie stories, survival horror stories, thriller fiction, post-apocalyptic horror, Max Brooks, World War Z, Walking Dead, science fiction horror