Zombies Vs. Unicorns

Garth Nix: Unicorn ** This story was mid. Pretty weak start for team Unicorn.
Alaya Dawn Johnson: Zombie *** I love them. I want them to live happy forever. Naomi Novik: Unicorn ** Fairyland and chocolate milk!!
Carrie Ryan: Zombie * I did not care about home girl or her wanting to be like her dad.
Margo Lanagan: Unicorn * It was the exposed breast of the minor for me.
Maureen Johnson: Zombie *** I loved this one. Also, is the Angelina Jolie shade? Diana Peterfreund: Unicorn *** I want a baby unicorn. I don't mind if it eats people.
Scott Westenfeld: Zombie * This was weird, but I think I liked it? Meg Cabot: Unicorn *** This was the quintessential teen story from my teen years. This shit wouldn't pass the Gen Z lens, but I liked it. Cassandra Clare: Zombie ** This would have been higher if not for the romance among lynchings and picnics... Kathleen Duey: Unicorn * I hated this one. So depressing. Libba Bray: Zombie ** I liked this one, even if the dialogue was cringey. It was 2010 though, so...
Zombies = 20 *'s
Unicorns = 16 *'s
3 *'s overall.
I vaguely remember being team unicorn the first time through this in 2011, but I'm clearly team zombie now.

3.5 stars
most of the stories were good, not all of them.

I liked the few stories with LGBT characters. They weren't de-sexed secondary characters nor were they full of stereotypical crap. My favorite was “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Alaya Dawn Johnson, I liked the use of song titles and love of music as a uniting force between the two characters and that the main character was a “zombie” with what seemed to be a fluid sexuality that didn't fit into a heteronormative world. It was like Juno mixed with a zombie flick mixed with From Dusk Til Dawn.

As much as I love unicorns, the zombie stories here are WAY more awesome.

I'm not even done with this book but I'm enjoying it immensely. Zombies vs Unicorns is a fun literary romp that pits the eternal undead against the pristine unicorn. The stories in this collection are good (many better than those I've read in various other zombie anthologies) but the real fun is the commentary provided by the editors, Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier, who root for their respective teams and snark their way through determining which side is better. Their wit and friendly banter make this anthology one of the most fun I've read. Even the cover and interior art is laced with hilarity as zombies and unicorns fight one another, poised in the eternal struggle to answer the question who is better, zombies or unicorns?

I couldn't wait to read this because some of my fave authors are in here, but I came away with some new names to check out! Of course, I also came through the other side as Team Zombie, as the unicorn stories got on my nerves (although I love what Meg Cabot did with hers). Go zombies!

I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. I'm not a huge fan of zombies or unicorns, per se, but I flipped through it and Holly Black and Justine Larbestier's commentary seemed entertaining, so I went for it. There's an amazing range of stories here on both topics, from lighthearted to serious social commentary (and a few zombie stories that I shouldn't have read right before bedtime). A few faves... Maureen Johnson's story strongly suggests that maybe Brangelina have adopted ZOMBIE children and Meg Cabot's story features a unicorn named Princess Prettypants, need I say more?

I debated for a good long time whether to review this book as a whole, or to break it into story components like I've seen a few others do. I finally decided to just do a general review. After all, half the fun of diving into a compilation like this is discovering each story for yourself! I wouldn't want to take that away from my dear readers. So instead, I'll try to explain what I love overall. Shall we?

Let me start out by saying that I don't generally read many anthologies. As a reader, I'm big on being able to connect with my characters and their lives. I want to feel invested in them as I follow them throughout the story. Anthologies make that a bit difficult to do, since the authors are limited to a short story and therefore limited in the amount of character building that they can do. Make sense? Okay, now take everything that I just said and throw it out the window. Yup, I'll wait. Toss it right out. This book made me 100% love anthologies and I only hope that there are more out there like this!

Each story in Zombies vs. Unicorns opens with banter between Holly and Justine, and that in itself is pure fun! I enjoyed all the stories in this anthology so very much, that it's impossible for me to declare a favorite. However I will say that Maureen Johnson's zombie children gave me some crazy dreams! Some of the stories are slightly disturbing. Some of them will have you giggling maniacally and then wondering why on Earth everyone is staring at you. You might think I'm kidding but I warn you, don't read this book on the bus. (Unless of course you're on a bus full of crazy people, in which case you'll blend right in.) The swap between zombie and unicorn themed stories keeps the book light and moving, and I read straight on through until the end!

In an effort not to ramble on about my love for this book, I'll wrap it up here. Suffice it to say that if you enjoy zombies or unicorns, or “zombicorns” (zombie/unicorn hybrids that a friend and I fully support) then you will enjoy this anthology immensely! The sheer talent on the contributing writers makes it hard to choose what side you are truly on. I've debated this deep question and I think I've come up with an answer. Yes friends, overall I'm Team Zombie. Celebrate or throw tomatoes as you wish, then get down to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of Zombies vs. Unicorns!