Zombies Are In Fashion In Izzy Von's Debut Novel, 'A Dandy Among The Dead'

Dan·dy (dan’dē), n, pl. -dies, adj. -di·er, -diest. —n. 1. a person excessively concerned about their clothes and appearance; fop. 2. something or someone of exceptional quality. —adj. 3. characteristic of a dandy; foppish. 4. fine; excellent; first-rate. [1770-80, origin uncertain] See also: —dan’dy·ish, adj. —dan’dy·ism, n.

Zom·bie (zom’bē), n. the body of a dead person supernaturally imbued with the semblance of life.

Ah, the zombie. Those shambling, putrefying cannibalistic corpses we all know and love forever became part of the collective unconscious in 1968 when an intrepid young Pittsburgh filmmaker named George A. Romero unleashed a nihilistic low-budget fright flick called Night of the Living Dead. Fusing elements of Haitian folklore with the flesh-devouring Arabic ghoul, zombies have become part of the twenty-first century zeitgeist, overrunning popular culture through innumerable films, television shows, video games and comic books; there are zombie-themed bakeries and weddings, marathon runs, greeting cards and children’s clothing. The public’s undying appetite for zombies has led to every possible permutation of their constantly-evolving mythology: slow zombies, fast zombies, undead zombies, viral-infected human zombies, romantic zombie comedies (the rom-zom-com) and bleak apocalyptic nightmares. No less an authority than the Centers for Disease Control has an actual doomsday contingency in place for the spread of a theoretical zombie contagion.

Countless articles, essays, and books have been published exploring the continued fascination with zombies, and in fiction, gut-munching hordes have consumed hundreds of anthologies and novels of both a mainstream (Max Brooks’ The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z), and indie horror nature (Denver Grenell & Ian J. Middleton’s superb Red Ruin, and Bryan Smith’s Slowly We Rot and The Fucking Zombie Apocalypse). One of the more colorful entries of the recent resurgence is Texas author Izzy Von’s debut novel, A Dandy Among The Dead, a quirky romp sure to please fans hungry for their zombie fix.

When fully half the world’s population inexplicably drops dead and resurrects as human-hankering revenants the day after Thanksgiving—an event cheekily referred to by survivors as Black Friday—civilization as it’s been known is destroyed. Ten months later we’re introduced to The Dandy, a.k.a. The Fashionable One, a.k.a. Her Chicness, a.k.a. the Warcane Wielder, a nomadic scavenger cruising The Lone Star State on her pedicab in a tireless search for supplies. A fashionista of the highest order even after society’s collapse, The Dandy’s solitary road-tripping existence is thrown a serious curve when she encounters eleven-year-old Ashley hiding in a house’s closet; Ash has survived in her former subdivision alongside her brother Andrew—a curiously pacified zombie who craves books rather than brains—and after vanquishing the remaining rotters, The Dandy reluctantly agrees to shepherd the siblings to their grandfather’s Louisiana residence. Along the way the trio must contend with not only garden-variety shoot-‘em-in-the-head Romero-style shufflers, but Grey Eyes, zombies able to regenerate from any wound with whatever material is near them, and Leviathans, massive tentacled monstrosities that command swarms of the undead in their wake. More dangerous than any monsters, however, are The Templars, fire-and-brimstone pseudo-religious survivalists intent on exterminating anyone who doesn’t adhere to their narrow-minded extremist ideology. Can The Dandy navigate such a hostile environment, manage an impromptu reunion with her ex, save the day (several times), and look damn good while doing so?

The greatest strength in A Dandy Among The Dead is undoubtedly its characters. Von excels at furnishing small details that turn even supporting players into fully-developed three-dimensional figures. As a lead, The Dandy is more than an impeccably-dressed pretty face: she’s self-assured, knowledgeable and brave, but her cynical take-no-crap attitude and sharp-tongued world-weariness safeguard a warm and often fragile heart. Her pre-Black Friday persona as ring announcer and manager for her lunkhead semipro wrestler boyfriend Kory—and their resultant break-up—served as the catalyst for her current wandering lifestyle, and the scenes of their unexpected meeting are portrayed with heartbreaking realism. Ash, too, is intelligent and resourceful (she’s a certified dead-shot with throwing knives), and loyal to her brother; like The Dandy, she’s endured her share of trauma, but shows resilience and wisdom beyond her years. Andrew, too, is more than he initially appears: far from your run-of-the-mill walking cadaver, he’s retained some of his earthly memories and can even talk (or zlur: zombie + slur = zlur).

This gift for humor gives A Dandy Among The Dead its sharpest edge. Rapid-fire, sardonic back-and-forth banter livens every scene, and nary a page passes without inducing genuine laugh-out-loud moments or dialogue. Gorehounds salivating for splatter won’t be disappointed, either, though unlike many zombie-centric stories, Von doesn’t wallow in depictions of extreme violence. In true Romero fashion, the narrative’s ultimate nemeses aren’t the dead at all, but the living, and how those living interact provides welcomed social commentary about gender, identity, acceptance, intolerance, love and loss.

The major—in fact, the only—obstacle to fully enjoying A Dandy Among The Dead is an unfortunate excess of editorial, grammatical, and typographical errors that may put off more persnickety readers. That one glaring issue aside, Von has crafted a fun, energetic, and amusing tale well worth the time investiture. And the best part, according to the novel’s final page, is The Dandy’s misadventures will continue in a sequel. Thank El Diablo for that.

In terms of sheer storytelling quality I give A Dandy Among The Dead a solid 4 (out of 5) on my Fang Scale. Deduct half a point if you’re overly aggravated by editorial mistakes. If not, throw on your favorite Depeche Mode CD and take a ride with your new best friend through zombie country.