Author | Darren Shan (O'Shaughnessy) |
---|---|
Illustrator | Warren Pleece and Nick Stearn |
Cover artist | Warren Pleece and Cliff Nielson |
Language | English |
Genre | Horror and zombie apocalypse |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Published | 2012–16 |
Zom-B (alternatively known as the Zom-B Chronicles) is a young adult zombie apocalyptic-thriller novel series by written by Irish author Darren O'Shaughnessy under the pen name Darren Shan. The series is told by first-person perspective of B Smith, a teenager turned into a zombie. Like Shan's previous series, Zom-B is notable for exploring themes of racism, xenophobia, and the sociological concept of "us and them".
The series has received a universally positive critical reception.
Cover illustration copyright Warren Pleece
A short novella titled Zom-B: Circus , set between Zom-B: Gladiator and Zom-B: Mission, was released on 27 April 2014, following one of B's teachers, Cat Ward. [2]
The series centers around Becky "B" Smith, who finally rejects her racist father at the beginning of a zombie apocalypse after being forced by him to throw a black classmate to the zombies. B later has her heart ripped out by the same classmate. Awakening eighteen months later as a "reviitalised" zombie, B explores the world at large, the ongoing battle between Dr. Oystein and his Angels and Mr. Dowling and his mutant-controlled zombies. The series also explores B's own connections to the instigators of the apocalypse, including the Owl Man and a mysterious group of babies. [3] The majority of novels in the series are written as concluding with a cliffhanger leading to the subsequent book, structured in a manner similar to television serials. [4]
In the first novel, the titular B Smith is described with gender neutral terms until the final chapter, in which their first name is revealed to be Becky. [5] The decision to leave B's gender initially ambiguous was explained by Shan to allow the reader to question their own assumptions and biases with regards to the way B acts and how women "should" be written in works of fiction. [6] [7]
Todd Smith / Dad | Daisy Smith / Mum | Dr. Oystein | Schlesinger Dowling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Clements Dowling | Mr. Dowling | Becky Smith / B | 3 Children | Barnes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 Daughters | Owl Man | Holy-Moly Smith | The Babies | The Angels [a] | Stuart | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Character | Zom-B | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zom-B | Underground | City | Angels | Baby | Gladiator | Mission | Circus | Clans | Family | Bride | Fugitive | Goddess | ||
Main characters | ||||||||||||||
Becky "B" Smith | Main | Guest | Main | |||||||||||
Tom White | Owl Man | Main | Mentioned | Main | Mentioned | Main | Mentioned | Main | Mentioned | Main | ||||
Zachary Dowling | ||||||||||||||
Mr. William "Billy" Burke | Main | Mentioned | Main | Guest | Mentioned | |||||||||
Vinyl "V" | Main | Mentioned | Main | Mentioned | Main | Mentioned | ||||||||
Todd Smith / Dad | Main | Mentioned | Guest | Main | Mentioned | |||||||||
Daisy Smith / Mum | Main | Mentioned | Zombie | |||||||||||
Mrs. Lynne Reed | Main | Mentioned | Main | |||||||||||
Michael "Rage" Jarman | Main | Mentioned | Main | Main | Guest | Mentioned | Main | |||||||
Reilly | Main | Main | Guest | Main | ||||||||||
Josh Massoglia | Main | Mentioned | Main | Main | ||||||||||
The Zom Heads [b] | Main | Recap | Mentioned | |||||||||||
Barnes | Main | Main | Mentioned | Main | Corpse | |||||||||
Coley | Main | Main | Main | Mentioned | ||||||||||
Timothy Jackson | Main | Main | Mentioned | Mentioned | ||||||||||
Sister Clare of the Shnax | Main | Mentioned | Zombie | |||||||||||
Dr. Oystein Dowling | Voice | Main | Mentioned | Main | Mentioned | Main | ||||||||
Master Zhang | Main | Guest | Mentioned | Main | ||||||||||
The Angels [a] | Main | Recurring | Main | Recurring | Mentioned | Recurring | Main | |||||||
Holy-Moly Smith | Guest | Mentioned | Main | Mentioned | Guest | Guest | Main | |||||||
Emma | Main | Guest | ||||||||||||
Declan | Main | Guest | ||||||||||||
Lord Daniel Wood | Dan-Dan | Main | Mentioned | Main | Mentioned | |||||||||
Vicky Wedge | Main | Mentioned | Main | Mentioned | Main | |||||||||
Justin Bazini | Main | Main | Main | |||||||||||
Luca Wood | Main | Mentioned | ||||||||||||
Sakarias | Main | Main | Guest | Main | ||||||||||
Mr. Albrecht Dowling | Guest | Mentioned | Main | Mentioned | Guest | Main | ||||||||
Kinslow | Guest | Main | Guest | Main | ||||||||||
Cat Ward | Guest | Main |
Zom-B opened to largely positive reviews by critics.
In May 2019, Zom-B was optioned for a ten-part television series adaptation by London-based production company The Electric Shadow Company. [14] [15] In March 2020, it was announced that The Electric Shadow Company had partnered with Slam Films in developing the series. [16] In March 2021, Susan E. Connolly was announced to be attached as the lead writer on the project, with The Electric Shadow Company releasing a teaser image depicting a blood-spattered B Smith opposite her best friend Vinyl to their website. [17]
In December 2022, Darren O'Shaughnessy confirmed that while the series' television pilot script "didn't get any takers in the UK", that it was still in active development in "a different part of the world" as a non-English language series. [18] In January 2024, O'Shaughnessy announced that the adaptation was "no longer under option" following an unsuccessful succession of pitches in Finland. [19]
Charles Murray Higson is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer. He has also written and produced for television and is the author of the young adult post-apocalyptic book series The Enemy, as well as the first five novels in the Young Bond series.
Darren O'Shaughnessy is an Irish writer and novelist. He is best known for his young adult fiction series The Saga of Darren Shan, The Demonata, and Zom-B, published under the pseudonym Darren Shan. The former was adapted into a manga series from 2006 to 2009 as well as a live-action film in 2009, with a prequel series, The Saga of Larten Crepsley, being released from 2010 to 2012.
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The Saga of Darren Shan is a young adult 12-part book series written by Darren O'Shaughnessy about the struggle of Darren Shan, a boy who has become involved in the world of vampires. As of October 2008, the book has been published in 33 countries around the world, in 30 different languages. A film based on the first three books in the series was released in theatres on 23 October 2009. Blackstone Audio has also released CD recordings of all 12 books in the series, read by Ralph Lïster.
Warren Pleece is a British comics artist. He is best known for his work at the DC Comics imprint Vertigo and the 2012–16 Irish novel series Zom-B.
The Demonata is a young adult horror/fantasy series by author Darren Shan.
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