‘Night of the Living Dead’ – John Russo (Titan Books)

Page Count: 145 Pages

The last few days have seen me trying to clear a little space on my bookshelves because damn they need it… It’s like trimming a hedge back; every so often the books start to encroach and I have to be a little bit ruthless about what I keep and what goes. I say that though… What’s actually happened is another TBR pile of books that I’d forgotten I had but quite fancy reading now I remember. Oh well, it looks like some books will be leaving the house a little slower than normal… :o)

I had totally forgotten that I had a copy of John Russo’s ‘Undead’ (collecting the novelization of ‘Night of the Living Dead’ along with ‘Return of the Living Dead’) so when I found it lurking on a shelf, I figured I was due another read. I was also interested to see if my opinion changed since the last time I read it, years ago. I didn't enjoy it then, had a little rant about it in fact :o) 

I’m a little more mellow about my reading these days so ‘Night of the Living Dead’ wasn’t a bad read as such. It wasn’t a great read though and left me with no real urge to carry on and read ‘Return of the Living Dead’ right away.

I’d normally use this paragraph for some blurb but… You all know the story, right? You don’t…? Not to worry, it’s all pretty straightforward. The dead are returning to life and attacking the living… In the midst of the upheaval, several strangers find themselves trapped in a farmhouse and under siege by the undead. Can they hold out until rescue arrives…?

Russo does a decent job of recounting the plot and giving it some sense of urgency (along with a tiny dash of gore). I’d say that he also does well in capturing the dynamic of the people trapped in the farmhouse. If you’re coming to the story fresh then I reckon you’ll enjoy what’s on offer here. For me though, not so much… I found that the tension was there but crowded out by Russo’s insistence on giving his reader all the background detail. I can see why he took that approach but for me, it made the book drag when it really didn’t need to.

And without giving the ending of the film away, Russo makes a tiny tweak here that robs the ending of its impact. Again, I can see why he went with it but it didn’t work, not for me anyway.

So not a bad read then (there are worse ways to spend an evening) but like I said, not a great read either. Your mileage will inevitably vary but I’ll probably just stick with the movie in future.