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stephaniesteen73's review against another edition
3.0
Very strange book, but I did enjoy it! It had a lot to teach regarding the different "monsters" of Christianity - mad scientist, zombie, vampire. Definitely worth the price I paid on Kindle ($0!)
brendalovesbooks's review
2.0
I'm not sure that this book knows quite what it wants to be. At times it was a fun, light romp, and then it would turn super preachy. I guess I would say the flow just wasn't very good.
For the most part, I enjoyed the story. The zombie parts were probably my favorite. The author got pretty creative with his zombies, and it was just fun. I think if he had just let the monsters be a metaphor, and not got quite as heavy-handed, the book would have been better. But then, that's just my personal preference, and of course everyone likes different things about books.
If you're looking for a Christian fiction story where the religion is subtle, this is definitely not the book for you. I felt like I was jarred right out of the story and was reading a different book, like a non-fiction Christian book, at times.
Overall, though, the story was quite fun and very silly, and if you don't mind some preaching in your stories, you'd probably like it a lot.
Grade: C+
For the most part, I enjoyed the story. The zombie parts were probably my favorite. The author got pretty creative with his zombies, and it was just fun. I think if he had just let the monsters be a metaphor, and not got quite as heavy-handed, the book would have been better. But then, that's just my personal preference, and of course everyone likes different things about books.
If you're looking for a Christian fiction story where the religion is subtle, this is definitely not the book for you. I felt like I was jarred right out of the story and was reading a different book, like a non-fiction Christian book, at times.
Overall, though, the story was quite fun and very silly, and if you don't mind some preaching in your stories, you'd probably like it a lot.
Grade: C+
kanejim57's review against another edition
4.0
When the opportunity to review this book as part of a dedicated blog tour came from Tyndale House Publishers, I was somewhat at first skeptical about reading and reviewing it.
I have never been a fan of werewolves and vampires (though I liked Chewbacca (who isn't one) and was (and still am) a fan of the original Dark Shadows. (I cannot believe that Jonathan Frid is still alive! Wonderful! He is the original Barnabas Collins. What a name for a vampire, Barnabas. What would St Paul think?)
I watched the original Dracula in college as part of a film class as well as Frankenstein. Bela Lugosi was legendary in his performance. (And I will be leave the puns off this review, like "the critics were 'bitten' by his performance.")
When I think AMC I think Mad Men (and I am anxiously awaiting its return) and not The Walking Dead. And The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde scared me to death. (Though I think that Robert Louis Stevenson would enjoy Matt's book.)
And Zombies? No.thanks!
But I went ahead and requested the book and I am glad I did. At first, it was hard to follow the story line because I had trouble understanding the symbolism of the main characters, and characters they are, as the story unfolded.
But Matt Mikalatos has done us a big favor. He has depicted the brokenness of humanity in a refreshing way that younger generations who are enthralled with Twilight will understand...
...namely, that there is a monster within all of us that has, can, and does destroy people and their vital relationships.
As the hapless, okay, well almost hapless, side kick and neighbor to a werewolf, Luther Martin, Matt takes us on a journey both inward and nearby as we truly go behind close doors, secret doors, secret hideouts (a Toyota? My goodness Matt why not a Pacer?), and almost secret secret laboratories right next door, across the street, and downtown (if you live in a place that has a business district sometimes called Main Street) to look into the lives of people we are with, or nearby, nearly every day, our neighbors, fellow church goers, and family.
Seriously, it is not a pretty picture at times. For the werewolf gives into a base nature that causes his family much pain and the lonely vampire, who still struggles with her past, is always looking over her shoulder to see if someone is still after her. But in the midst of such pain and sadness, Matt, with candor and appropriate wit, develops the case for a faith in God that can, and does help Luther to start stopping his werewolf episodes. However Matt, again with candor and caring honesty, reminds us that it is not always a happy ending as Martin's marriage falls apart before he asks God into his life.
Written in 28 fast paced chapters that includes first person narrative accounts, (given by Matt), and several back story chapters of Luther and some others, the reader gains a glimpse of the inner lives of people that we often overlook quite frankly, in our own zombie state of being. And this is where I think that Matt does us a second big favor. He gives us a glimpse into the contemporary American evangelical church and challenges us to move beyond a heartless faith and embrace one in which we love Jesus not with just our brains but our heart and soul. And he shows us, in an imperfect and halting way, what a mere friendship with those who struggle can do, if we stick with them. We need to embrace a discipleship that is not a continuous soul 'numbing' "fill-in-the-blank and read Rev. So and So's books" discipleship. But a discipleship that requires us to tell safe others of our own 'monsters' that are threatening to destroy us.
On my very unscientific rating scale, I give this book my first ever 4.5 It is a 'good' (the 4.0 part) book with 'great' (the 5.0 part) elements. (And I encourage new readers to refer to the section "Are You a Monster?" at the back of the book as you read. It will be a helpful guide to navigating the rich allegory of this book that essential for understanding it.)
Thanks Matt for this book!
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of Night of the Living Dead Christian in exchange for a review of it. I was not required to write a positive review.
I have never been a fan of werewolves and vampires (though I liked Chewbacca (who isn't one) and was (and still am) a fan of the original Dark Shadows. (I cannot believe that Jonathan Frid is still alive! Wonderful! He is the original Barnabas Collins. What a name for a vampire, Barnabas. What would St Paul think?)
I watched the original Dracula in college as part of a film class as well as Frankenstein. Bela Lugosi was legendary in his performance. (And I will be leave the puns off this review, like "the critics were 'bitten' by his performance.")
When I think AMC I think Mad Men (and I am anxiously awaiting its return) and not The Walking Dead. And The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde scared me to death. (Though I think that Robert Louis Stevenson would enjoy Matt's book.)
And Zombies? No.thanks!
But I went ahead and requested the book and I am glad I did. At first, it was hard to follow the story line because I had trouble understanding the symbolism of the main characters, and characters they are, as the story unfolded.
But Matt Mikalatos has done us a big favor. He has depicted the brokenness of humanity in a refreshing way that younger generations who are enthralled with Twilight will understand...
...namely, that there is a monster within all of us that has, can, and does destroy people and their vital relationships.
As the hapless, okay, well almost hapless, side kick and neighbor to a werewolf, Luther Martin, Matt takes us on a journey both inward and nearby as we truly go behind close doors, secret doors, secret hideouts (a Toyota? My goodness Matt why not a Pacer?), and almost secret secret laboratories right next door, across the street, and downtown (if you live in a place that has a business district sometimes called Main Street) to look into the lives of people we are with, or nearby, nearly every day, our neighbors, fellow church goers, and family.
Seriously, it is not a pretty picture at times. For the werewolf gives into a base nature that causes his family much pain and the lonely vampire, who still struggles with her past, is always looking over her shoulder to see if someone is still after her. But in the midst of such pain and sadness, Matt, with candor and appropriate wit, develops the case for a faith in God that can, and does help Luther to start stopping his werewolf episodes. However Matt, again with candor and caring honesty, reminds us that it is not always a happy ending as Martin's marriage falls apart before he asks God into his life.
Written in 28 fast paced chapters that includes first person narrative accounts, (given by Matt), and several back story chapters of Luther and some others, the reader gains a glimpse of the inner lives of people that we often overlook quite frankly, in our own zombie state of being. And this is where I think that Matt does us a second big favor. He gives us a glimpse into the contemporary American evangelical church and challenges us to move beyond a heartless faith and embrace one in which we love Jesus not with just our brains but our heart and soul. And he shows us, in an imperfect and halting way, what a mere friendship with those who struggle can do, if we stick with them. We need to embrace a discipleship that is not a continuous soul 'numbing' "fill-in-the-blank and read Rev. So and So's books" discipleship. But a discipleship that requires us to tell safe others of our own 'monsters' that are threatening to destroy us.
On my very unscientific rating scale, I give this book my first ever 4.5 It is a 'good' (the 4.0 part) book with 'great' (the 5.0 part) elements. (And I encourage new readers to refer to the section "Are You a Monster?" at the back of the book as you read. It will be a helpful guide to navigating the rich allegory of this book that essential for understanding it.)
Thanks Matt for this book!
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of Night of the Living Dead Christian in exchange for a review of it. I was not required to write a positive review.
adamrshields's review against another edition
4.0
Short Review: There are no other humours Christian allegory writers quite like Matt Mikalatos. Who else tries to have a serious theological discussion about being transformed as a Christian in the midst of a farcical story about monsters. Mikalatos is a good and funny author. But what I really appreciate (and I think some will disagree with me on this) is that he does not try to hide his point in a story. Too many Christian fiction books try to write a story with a sermon hidden in it and it ends up feeling more like propaganda than a good story. Mikalatos writes an open allegory. We know what he is doing, he knows what he is doing. So it is a fun and interesting way to have a discussion about a Transformed Christian life in a format that allows him to do things he could not do in non-fiction. I really do recommend it. I think his writing feels a bit like Douglas Adams.
Full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/living-dead/
Full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/living-dead/
juliebihn's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable, humorous read full of allegory and wacky hijinks. I wouldn't call it high art, but I got quite a few smiles out of it. Worth reading.
Detailed review at http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/2012/03/csff-blog-tour-review-night-of-living.html
Detailed review at http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/2012/03/csff-blog-tour-review-night-of-living.html
faerwalder's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this book, it's humorous, insightful, and a refreshing take on Christianity.
Plus there are monsters.
Plus there are monsters.
lmbartelt's review against another edition
5.0
Zombies, werewolves, vampires, mad scientists ... and Christianity? Yep. That's what matt Mikalatos offers in Night of the Living Dead Christian. I LOVED his first book Imaginary Jesus, so I was excited to read this one. Mikalatos has a wild and warped sense of humor that left me laughing out loud. Literally. If you've ever wondered if you can really, truly change who you are ... if you think there's got to be more to being a Christian than just getting into heaven someday ... if you don't consier yourself a monster ... pick up a copy of this book and let its truth wrapped in a ridiculous story pierce your heart like a stake prepped for a vampire killing. (Do stakes kill vampires? I'd be super unprepared for a monster battle.)
Mikalatos' allegorical style is like chocolate-covered medicine -- it'll cure what ails you and taste good going down -- even if it's a hard pill to swallow.
Well done.
Mikalatos' allegorical style is like chocolate-covered medicine -- it'll cure what ails you and taste good going down -- even if it's a hard pill to swallow.
Well done.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
4.0
Great book, very different feel, and yeah, I enjoyed it a lot!
elephant's review against another edition
5.0
Matt is the only member of his Neighborhood Watch group. He meets a robot and a mad scientist and learns that his neighbors include a werewolf and a vampire. In an attempt to help his friend Luther Ann Martin, the wife-beating werewolf redeem himself and restore his marriage, Mike takes the werewolf to church and finds that it is full of zombies – the living dead. The zombies sport giant study Bibles and believe everything that the study Bible’s author says, thus making it easy for them to continue being dead while having the appearance of being living. They “think they are following Jesus but are actually following a moral system. “ Vampires suck the life out of others, only caring about themselves. Mad Scientists run around trying to help everyone else while ignoring their own families.
This book is funny and it points out some interesting things about the Christian religion.
I received this book free to review from the Tyndale Publicity Team
http://www.tyndale.com/video/296
http://mattmikalatos.com
www.tyndale.com
I also received a certificate for a free copy of this book to give away to a follower of my blog!
Please follow my blog and leave a comment to enter my drawing for a free copy of this book!
http://becauseisaidsothathswhy.blogspot.com/2011/12/night-of-living-dead-christian-by-matt.html
This book is funny and it points out some interesting things about the Christian religion.
I received this book free to review from the Tyndale Publicity Team
http://www.tyndale.com/video/296
http://mattmikalatos.com
www.tyndale.com
I also received a certificate for a free copy of this book to give away to a follower of my blog!
Please follow my blog and leave a comment to enter my drawing for a free copy of this book!
http://becauseisaidsothathswhy.blogspot.com/2011/12/night-of-living-dead-christian-by-matt.html
jasoncjoyner's review against another edition
4.0
Matt Mikalatos books are unique. They are fiction, but the main character is Matt himself, inserted into a wacky world where anything can happen. They preach more than any other novel you'll read this year, but they are so fun you won't really notice. Matt manages to poke fun and satirize the Church, our religious goofiness, and himself whle making the reader laugh. Then the reader will be asking what kind of monster they could be.
In Night Of The Living Dead Christian, intrepid Matt is the lone Neighborhood Watchman for his street. After happening upon a mad scientist, his android sidekick, and a horde of zombies, he finally ends up doing something interesting.
He meets a Lutheran werewolf. His name: Luther Anne Martin.
Luther seems like a perfectly decent fellow. Other than he's a Lutheran but not a Christian. He has a wife and daughter. But they've moved out because Luther has an itch he can't quite scratch. At least, not in his human form.
Lycanthropes have much sharper claws with which to itch.
Matt, being the helpful fellow he is, and being stuck in his own story, tries to help Luther make a transformation for good rather than evil. Along the way they dodge well-dressed zombies, a reluctant vampire, and Matt's pregnant wife in their quest.
Confused? Yeah, you're just going to have to read it.
Matt Mikalatos wrote a funny book to make the medicine go down better. He's a smiling Mary Poppins. But we need to see that as Christians, we often have a monster form that we take.
What is a monster? Generally it is anything outside of the norm for a creature. Whether it is a cross of types (like a werewolf or Sasquatch) or a perverted form (vampire, zombie), it is a recognition that something is not right. The person is not who they seem to be.
How many Christians can attest to the fact they don't live up to the transformed life that we are supposed to have in Christ? How many of us have tried to deny the animal desires, only to fail when we are tired, stressed, or challenged by a strong temptation?
Thus the monster motif is a perfect vehicle for challenging Church, Christians, and ultimately ourselves. This book is not for everyone. People need a certain sense of humor to really get into it. It fits me to a tee, but someone who has a different humor or are too serious may not appreciate it. It appeals to a younger demographic that is used to The Walking Dead and the Twilight phenomena, but that doesn't mean older people can't enjoy it. It is a novel, but not quite. It is a spoof-y (is that a word) Pilgrim's Progress.
To sum up: It is a book that has a powerful message in a tortilla wrap of fun (it is close to lunch, sorry).
In Night Of The Living Dead Christian, intrepid Matt is the lone Neighborhood Watchman for his street. After happening upon a mad scientist, his android sidekick, and a horde of zombies, he finally ends up doing something interesting.
He meets a Lutheran werewolf. His name: Luther Anne Martin.
Luther seems like a perfectly decent fellow. Other than he's a Lutheran but not a Christian. He has a wife and daughter. But they've moved out because Luther has an itch he can't quite scratch. At least, not in his human form.
Lycanthropes have much sharper claws with which to itch.
Matt, being the helpful fellow he is, and being stuck in his own story, tries to help Luther make a transformation for good rather than evil. Along the way they dodge well-dressed zombies, a reluctant vampire, and Matt's pregnant wife in their quest.
Confused? Yeah, you're just going to have to read it.
Matt Mikalatos wrote a funny book to make the medicine go down better. He's a smiling Mary Poppins. But we need to see that as Christians, we often have a monster form that we take.
What is a monster? Generally it is anything outside of the norm for a creature. Whether it is a cross of types (like a werewolf or Sasquatch) or a perverted form (vampire, zombie), it is a recognition that something is not right. The person is not who they seem to be.
How many Christians can attest to the fact they don't live up to the transformed life that we are supposed to have in Christ? How many of us have tried to deny the animal desires, only to fail when we are tired, stressed, or challenged by a strong temptation?
Thus the monster motif is a perfect vehicle for challenging Church, Christians, and ultimately ourselves. This book is not for everyone. People need a certain sense of humor to really get into it. It fits me to a tee, but someone who has a different humor or are too serious may not appreciate it. It appeals to a younger demographic that is used to The Walking Dead and the Twilight phenomena, but that doesn't mean older people can't enjoy it. It is a novel, but not quite. It is a spoof-y (is that a word) Pilgrim's Progress.
To sum up: It is a book that has a powerful message in a tortilla wrap of fun (it is close to lunch, sorry).
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