Zombies vs. Unicorns has stories from: Garth Nix, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Naomi Novik, Carrie Ryan, Maureen Johnson, Diana Peterfreund, Scott Westerfield, Meg Cabot, Cassandra Clare, Kathleen Duey, and Libba Bray. The anthology is edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier.
The Highest Justice by Garth Nix
Meh. It's got zombies AND unicorns but it's too short. Yes, I know it's called a short story for a reason. This is why I don't like short stories. I've read some of his other YA stuff though and it's really good.
Love Will Tear Us Apart by Alaya Dawn Johnson
Yeh. Zombie romance? Yes please. I've never read her other stuff, but I'm going to.
Purity Test by Naomi Novik
Meh. I liked it but? It was funny but? I had to look this one up because I honestly couldn't remember what it was about. HOWEVER, I love the fuck out of her Temeraire series. That one is regular Fantasy for adults. Or for people who like dragons. No, those are not mutually exclusive terms.
Bougainvillea by Carrie Ryan
YEH! Abrupt ending, but more please. She has a series called The Forest of Hands and Teeth wherein this short story is set and it has jumped to sort-of-the-top of my TBR list. My TBR list has more than 300 books on it, so this sounds a lot less awesome than it is.
A Thousand Flowers by Margo Lanagan
Uhh? I liked it? But it's creepy and kind of gross. I wouldn't say I enjoyed it but it was a good story. Her book Tender Morsels is also sort-of-near-the-top of my TBR list. But honestly, I added it because of the dust-up over at Bitch Magazine.
The Children of the Revolution by Maureen Johnson
Meh. I REALLY wanted to love this one. Maureen Johnson is one of my favorite YA authors. This is the only story of hers that I have ever felt ambivalent about. I'M SORRY MAUREEN, I LOVE YOU.
The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn by Diana Peterfreund
Yeh. More please. This one is also based in a series/alternaverse that I would like to read more about.
Inoculata by Scott Westerfield
Yeh. Oh YEH. His stuff has been on my list for awhile, but I keep getting distracted by shiny things. But now, for REAL, Leviathan is coming up soon.
Princess Prettypants by Meg Cabot
Yeh. This is the one with the rainbow farting unicorn. She wrote The Princess Diaries, but I won't hold it against her.
Cold Hands by Cassandra Clare
Uhh? It was a little short. But on the other hand, I think if it had been longer or traversed a longer timeline, it would have been a little too creepy venturing into OH GOD NO. But her other stuff equals win. I've read most of it.
The Third Virgin by Kathleen Duey
Yeh. This story is really dark. Also, unicorns? Not so fluffy here.
Prom Night by Libba Bray
YEH. This may actually be my favorite. This one is really dark too. I've only read a couple of her short stories, but she's also on my list.
In spite of the dingers, as a whole, I say HELL YES. The stories are funny or gross or creepy or romantic or a combination of all that plus some other adjectives. Plus, the book itself is awesome looking (I borrowed this from the library because the Kindle version just doesn't do it justice). And you would think that with such a narrow theme that the stories would kind of meld together but YOU WOULD BE WRONG. And even when they start in familiar places, they move into something unexpected. I'm going to go read it again.
Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier
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