How to Make a Zombie

April 15, 2013
Readers expecting a quirky faux-instruction manual for assembling their own zombie armies will be sorely disappointed by Swain’s study of zombification efforts, but those curious about scientific attempts to control the minds and bodies of others will relish this accessible, informative, and anecdote-rich account. Swain, founder of the SciencePunk blog, digs deep to uncover mind-control practices dating from antiquity to the modern day, examining the phenomena of near-death experiences, lobotomies (which were once promoted via billboards), parasitic wasps that turn their prey into living incubators for their offspring, radio-controlled implants, the infamous Russian experiments in animal reanimation during WWII, and rabies—“the closest thing we have” to a “zombie virus.” What he discovers is that death is not an absolute; nor are we entirely in control of our own minds. All it takes is an injury, an illness, or a bite from a rabid animal to turn us into something else. Likely a little too dry for horror fans, Swain’s study is nevertheless unsettling and fascinating. 7 b&w photos. Agent: Peter Tallack, the Science Factory (U.K.).

June 1, 2013
"This is not a book about fictional zombies. This is a book about what happens to the zombie when it crawls off the page and out of the screen and into our world," writes SciencePunk founder Swain at the beginning of this thoughtful, colorful, slow poke through the world of zombiedom. The slow pacing works both for and against the stories, alternately bringing a good and ominous feel and then letting things drift a bit. But no one will nod off during this grand tour of sorcerers, necromancers, secret societies, and people who mess with brains and the black market in body parts. By zombies, Swain is not specifically referring to the characters who traipse around in tattered clothing with their hands raised in front of them. Rather, he wonders about those of us with the glazed, undead look, sometimes doing others' bidding in a violent manner, or especially, those who have been reanimated--brought back from the dead. To that end, Swain has a juicy cast of contenders responsible for such activities, and he presents them with point-by-point progress, leaving the facts to wow readers but providing both moody and electric atmosphere. The author explores the effects of keeping organisms--like humans--organically functioning after death (as eminent biologist J.B.S. Haldane said, "technique is everything"); the autojerker, which was more successful at delivering oxygenated blood than the teeter-totter, a seesaw device that tried to rock circulation back into action. Certainly, the unknowns are many, but the degree of scientific research into zombies will leave you agog--zombielike. In this enjoyable and authoritative text, Swain will have readers wondering exactly how many zombies they brushed past today.

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June 1, 2013

Swain (founder, SciencePunk blog) reviews the science behind historical attempts at creating zombies, i.e., reanimated persons and other animals, as well as such variants on the theme as mind control of people. From reviewing 19th-century stories of zombies in the Caribbean to 20th-century experiments at resuscitation of humans and dogs, Swain looks at our fascination with seeking to bring the dead to life. He also examines various forms of mind control from mind-dulling drugs and hypnotism to the evolution of what we now call lobotomies. He points out actual creatures capable of inducing zombielike effects on their prey, including parasitic wasps and rabid animals. VERDICT Owing to the seemingly ever-increasing interest in the zombie as a creature of popular culture, Swain's accessible book will appeal to a wide audience. However, it does not present the foundations of science behind these subjects, except occasionally, making this more of a general-interest work than a history of science. Some readers may find sections, such as on the reanimation of dog heads, disturbing. Recommended for general readers interested in fringe science and the notion of zombies.--Eric D. Albright, Tufts Univ. Lib., Boston

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