Episode 73: Undead
Summary: Grab a bowl of brains and hunker down for a perfect theme for spooky season - the Undead! Today Holly and Devin sink their teeth into these legendary creatures; deceased but actually alive, depicted as everything from vampires, zombies, mummies and skeletons. Whether you vibe with Brendan Frasier in the iconic 1999 film or are a huge fan of The Walking Dead, these beings have captured our imaginations for centuries for a great reason.
Topics Discussed:
The Dagger (3:37): Holly discussed Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, an alternate history novel where the Civil War ended not because of political agreements or military victories, but because the dead begin to rise on the battlefield at Gettysburg, forcing both Union and Confederate forces to confront a new, common enemy: the undead. We follow Jane McKeene as she is trained in the art of combat against the undead (called Shamblers) at Miss Preston’s School of Combat for Negro Girls in Baltimore. Jane becomes increasingly disillusioned with the system and matters escalate when she and her friend are sent to Summerland, a western settlement that harbors dark secrets. Holly’s key takeaways were:
Ireland was inspired to write this book after reading “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”; it is unlikely that women who didn’t even dress themselves would be zombie fighting machines, and would likely have relied on their ladies’ maids instead. Ireland uses this speculative angle to shed light on the very real history of the United States and the implications of racism both then and now.
The Shamblers are pretty classic zombies: slow-moving, rotting, and relentless in their pursuit of human flesh. They can turn others into shamblers through bites, similar to traditional zombie lore and hoards of shamblers roam the countryside.
Jame is resilient, a master at surviving and must navigate the tricky path of how much one has to compromise their morals in order to survive; she is faced with illusions of safety and the crumbling facade of corruption while holding onto friendships and the trust she shares with her schoolmates.
The Heart (15:55): Devin discussed Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne, a reimagining of the Mary Shelley classic that follows Victor’s younger sister who has been unlucky in love. A great scientific mind but known as being a bit odd, she’s run out of suitors but strikes upon a solution as she assists her brother with his groundbreaking reanimation experiments; she’ll make her own! A lucky (and gorgeous) corpse lands on her lab table and soon, Will is (re)born. But will the spark of life lead to a spark of love? Devin’s key takeaways were:
This novel was such a fun re-imagining of the Frankenstein story. It keeps all the same creepiness and gothic energy without the moral quandary of hating your creation and instead falling in love with it. Will is a dashing, galant, and not-too-wonky reanimated corpse that any reader will root for.
Angelika as a protagonist is the twist this story needed; Thorne explores the power and powerlessness of women in this era, especially within the scientific community through Angelika and the scrapes her crew gets into.
Whenever you’re reanimating a dead body, you have to wonder if our lives are controlled by fate or by our own choices - is everything a coincidence or is it all meant to be? Throne uses a familiar tale to explore the implications of choice for characters and when love truly does conquer all, including death.
Hot On the Shelf (29:28):
What’s Making Our Hearts Race (33:10):
Holly: The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu
Devin: English Teacher on FX/Hulu
If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.
