Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Zombie vs Vampire stories - undead by another name or fundamentally different?

Do you think there are story elements that tend to be particular to zombie or vampire stories?

7 comments:

Nic said...

I think I'll have to wait until after I've read my chosen books to comment fully on this one, but at the moment I'd say the biggest divide is that vampires can be the main characters of their stories, even heros or at least the focus. Where zombies are always the destructive mob, obligatory bad-things, non-characters. Vampires can be endowed with purpose, feelings and brains. Zombies just eat other peoples :)

Nic said...

Also, there's not much soppy teen romance or its older more disturbing older cousin - I'm looking at you Laurell K Hamilton - written about zombies. Since when did vampires and werewolves stop being horror and become "paranormal romance"? I'd object, but I don't like reading horror and do like reading other stuff that I refuse to call paranormal romance!!

PJ said...

Now that would be interesting - paranormal romance with the love interest as a zombie....i would read that! :-)

爱书 said...

shall I find you one PJ? If I do will you REALLY read it?

detecktive said...

I actually had always thought Zombies were your traditional 'unaware' undead monsters that only lived for its next hit of brains, while the pansy...ooops...I meant 'self aware' vampires were out traipsing around like playboys/girls making people fall in love with them and then killing them for sustenance.

If this is true, then who can blame zombies for their dietary choice? It'd be like blaming a lion for eating a gazelle.

HOWEVER...

Vampires, with full knowledge and intent, still eat people. Technically they could be clever enough to figure out a way to stop from having to eat people*.

* See Blade (1998) Goyer, David S (Writer), Norrington, S (Director), Amen Ra Films, London UK.

PJ said...

Yes I would read it!!! :-D

爱书 said...

Nic found one PJ - once she lends it to me I will pass it along (if there's still time on the loan)