Handling the Undead is the eagerly awaited (well by me anyway) second novel from Swedish horror writer John Ajvide Lindqvist, which was originally published in Sweden in 2005 but only translated into English earlier this year. Set in Stockholm, the story starts with a heat wave, followed by a strange phenomenon - lights and televisions remain on even when unplugged, and an unseen pressure builds up in the city, leaving everyone with the same horrendous headache. Suddenly everything seemingly returns to normality, but the inhabitants of the city soon realise that nothing will ever be 'normal' again. The city morgue is the first place where the dead ...  Read the complete review

Handling The Undead is J.A.Lindqvist's bestselling follow-up to his cult hit, Let The Right One In and does for the zombie novel what his previous book did for vampires; i.e bring them right up into the twenty-first century with a very modern update! During an intense heatwave in Stockholm which brings much pressure not just to the atmosphere but also its residents, there is a weird electrical surge that first prevents any electric device from being turned off before suddenly shutting everything down! Strange white grubs are spotted by a few people throughout the city falling from the sky and then something strange happens...the recent dead begin to ...  Read the complete review

Having read Let The Right One In and having watched the film, I picked this book up at the library hoping for a story as rich and descriptive as the first. I was not disappointed. The main premise of the story (set in Sweden as the first one is) is the re-animation of dead people. The story begins with extreme weather and pressure conditions (described in the book as like a thunderstorm waiting to break but not occuring) and the strange phenomenon of all electrical appliances not being able to be switched off. When it is attempted or when plug are removed there is a sparking from the plug to the wall socket, as if to keep the connection between ...  Read the complete review

I hadn't read Let The Right One In but raved about the film and shortly after received this as a gift so as a result I can't say whether I am a fan of John Ajvide Linqvist's writing. The story is set in Stockholm and asks the question - what would happen if the dead woke up? Rather than being a fantastical story it attempts to take place in the "real" world, so we have government being criticised for their handling of the undead, and the beaurocratic process involved in what to call them. There are 3 threads to the story - a stand up comedian and his son trying to come to terms with their wife/mother returning, a telepathic ...  Read the complete review