Night of the Living Dead Christian

Title: Night of the Living Dead Christian

Series: Sequel to Imaginary Jesus

Author: Matt Mikalatos

Genre: Adult allegorical satire

Excerpt from “INTRODUCTION” Chapter 1 of Night of the Living Dead Christian:

Monsters do, of course, exist.

Despite our preferences, despite our denunciations and scientific proofs, despite illuminating our porches at night in the vain hope that these brave lights will keep the darkness from our homes, this simple fact remains. I know this all too well, and from common experience. I do not speak of metaphors or children in skulled clothing at Halloween, but true monsters—creatures of darkness who walk among us with impunity and ill intent.

Nevertheless, when our children cry out in the night we hush them and say, “There is nothing to fear” before we triple-check the locks on the doors, before we shut the windows and draw the blinds. We reassure our children that they are safe, despite the fact that we know such assertions to be demonstrably false. We all know that there are pale-skinned raptures in the darkness, and that the howl at full moon is not always the neighborhood dog, and that fear in the world such as ours is a sane and laudable emotion designed to spare us harm. 

A werewolf, with the help of his neighbors, searches for the cure to his monstrous ailment.

Craft: Night of the Living Dead Christian is a solid follow-up to Mr. Mikalatos’s first book, Imaginary Jesus.

The humorous and the serious are mixed in a nice balance. The plot moves along at a smooth pace. The writing is clean, the theology doesn’t overwhelm the story, and the voices of the characters are unique and entertaining.

So while this novel might not win any grand awards for the craft, it provides the powerful emotional experience that many readers are looking for in an entertaining and humorous package.

Content: Much like Imaginary Jesus, Night of the Living Dead Christian is a story that will ruffle feathers, as it is not safe and it is not comfortable.

Rather, it tackles the difficulty of what being a Christian means: How we are both transformed immediately and yet we must grow into that transformed life. How we are given a fresh start and yet must live with consequences from the old life. How faith in Christ is both a one-time conversion and a daily lifestyle.

While I personally craved a little more wrap around at the end, this story, in short, will challenge readers to think deep and re-examine their lives from a different angle.

Summary: Neither safe or comfortable, Night of the Living Dead Christian is sure to stir some readers up. However, in this case, I believe that to be a good thing and expect many will find much worthwhile in this novel. Accessible to all teens and adults except perhaps the very newest of Christians, Night of the Living Dead Christian will especially appeal to readers who like a little meat to their entertainment.

Ratings: Craft—4, Content—4, Overall—3.9 out of 5 stars