Zombies Vs. Unicorns by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

Zombies Vs. Unicorns

by Holly Black (Editor), Justine Larbalestier (Editor), Alaya Dawn Johnson, Maureen Johnson, Carrie Ryan, Scott Westerfeld, Meg Cabot, Garth Nix, Kathleen Duey, Margo Lanagan, Naomi Novik, Diana Peterfreund, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare

It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths--for good and evil--of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?

(summary from goodreads.com)

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As with most anthologies, I picked this up from the library because I loved the list of authors. What an AWESOME list! I have read and loved books from several of the authors and looked forward to reading their short stories. I was also curious to know which side I would be on - it was honestly a question I have never considered, since I'm more of a dragon lover. I find Zombies fairly disgusting and have only read one book about them I enjoyed, mostly because it was based on one of my favorite books and not because it contained brain eating creatures from the dead. Unicorns - sure, they are beautiful, I can't say I'm girlie enough to love them. I would probably prefer meeting a unicorn to meeting a zombie, but wouldn't most sane people? But seriously, give me a dragon any day. 

At the end, were my preconceived notions and opinions changed, or did they stand firm in the face of awesome zombies and gorgeous yet sometimes vicious unicorns? Well ... I still think zombies are disgusting. And I still don't love unicorns. And I still prefer dragons. BUT ... several of the stories were a ton of fun to read, though it was certainly a mixed bag. What I loved most about the book was 1) the banter between Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier throughout the book and 2) the fabulous differences in each story. No author treated either unicorns or zombies in the same way, which made each story refreshing and new. What I liked least about the book was the huge disparity in appropriateness. Some stories were fine and others were a distasteful and went way beyond what I feel is appropriate for YA literature, which means my children will never ever read this book until they are no longer under my roof and I am no longer responsible for their moral decisions. Some stories were simply fabulous - Meg Cabot? Well played. SUCH a fun story. The authors I knew I would like I liked, and only one new author made me interested in reading more of her works. Some of the new authors - well, I won't touch their books with a ten foot pole. (Harsh? Perhaps. But I won't name names, so no harm done, right?)

 

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: yes, moderate, lots of brain eating. Profanity: YES, ick. Sex: YES, ick.