Zombies vs. Unicorns
Edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier, S&S/McElderry, $16.99 (432p) ISBN 978-1-4169-8953-0
In this offbeat anthology, editors Black and Larbalestier embark upon a literary throw-down to determine which is superior: zombies or unicorns. To that end, each assembled a six-person team of writers and set them loose. Each story is prefaced by editorial banter as each editor (hilariously) makes her case. Highlights include Diana Peterfreund's Rampant tie-in, "The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn"; Libba Bray's postapocalyptic tale of teens trying to maintain a semblance of civilization in "Prom Night"; and Maureen Johnson's pointed take on celebrity fads in "The Children of the Revolution." Meg Cabot's "Princess Prettypants" skewers the image of unicorns as sparkling, rainbow-farting "symbols of pure happiness, hope, and awesomesauce," while Carrie Ryan's "Bougainvillea" acts as a prologue to The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Scott Westerfeld's "Inoculata" examines what happens when the zombie hordes finally win, while the zombie in Alaya Dawn Johnson's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" isn't nearly as far gone. Without a clunker in the bunch, this anthology more than lives up to the potential its concept suggests. Zombies or unicorns? There's no clear winner, unless it's readers. Ages 14–up. (Sept.)
Reviewed on: 08/23/2010
Release date: 09/01/2010
Genre: Children's
Ebook - 432 pages - 978-1-4424-1283-5
Paperback - 415 pages - 978-1-4169-8954-7
Compact Disc - 978-1-4418-8922-5
MP3 CD - 978-1-4418-8925-6
Compact Disc - 10 pages - 978-1-4418-8923-2
Pre-Recorded Audio Player - 978-1-4418-9519-6
Downloadable Audio - 978-1-4418-8926-3
MP3 CD - 978-1-4692-0398-0
Compact Disc - 978-1-4692-0396-6
Compact Disc - 978-1-4692-0397-3
Compact Disc - 978-1-5012-5261-7
Mass Market Paperbound - 432 pages - 978-1-4814-4283-1
MP3 CD - 978-1-5012-5262-4
Downloadable Audio - 978-1-4418-8927-0
