Return of the Living Dead by John Russo

 

(pb; 1978: sequel to Night of the Living Dead; prequel to Escape from the Living Dead)

 

Review

This book should not to be confused with the novelization of the 1985 horror comedy The Return of the Living Dead, for which Russo co-wrote the original screenplay—which was noticeably rewritten as a punk comedy later. John Russo also wrote the movie adaptation of the 1985 film, which is NOT this book.

Russo, co-screenwriter of the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead and its 1974 novel counterpart of the same name, keeps it raw, gory, and violent as the original film/novel, with posse-leading Sheriff Conan McClellan (who famously said “They’re dead. . . they’re all messed up” in Night) investigating what appears to be a fresh zombie outbreak in his county—it’s been ten years since the original undead attacks, something that haunts McClellan, who’s reluctant to publicly acknowledge this new zombie uprising. Still, he’s leading a new posse of thirty or forty men to put down this new spate of terror.

Meanwhile, taciturn farmer Bert Miller and his three daughters (Sue Ellen, Ann, and Karen—the latter of whom is pregnant) are four of the many people who also remember that pivotal event ten years ago and put spikes in the heads of the dead. When he lets three lawmen with two suspects in tow into their house, it might not be the best decision he makes.

As with his other works, Russo’s characters’ histories, motivations and personalities are sketched out throughout the book—thereby keeping their characters relatable, without cluttering the flow of the stark, action-oriented pacing of his storyline and, at the same time, maintaining Return’s palpable tension, effective gore, and stark, disturbing nothing and nobody is safe vibe. This is not a read for sensitive readers who need to know what the characters’ agendas and politics are or need their characters’ histories/emotions spelled out for them.

Was it the crashed Venus probe—also mentioned in passing in Night—or a weird energizing cancer spreading among the dead? It doesn’t matter for those in this tale; what matters is stopping the new uprising, something McClellan and, elsewhere, police officers Carl Martinelli and Dave Benton are keen on.  

Return, like Night, is about fear, violence, misunderstandings, and dark humanity, with touches of grim humor and an unsettling finish spicing up this blunt, sometimes horrific action read.