"Dead Inside: Do Not Enter" is a collection of images of letters, text messages, post-it notes, forms, signs, photographs, memos, grocery lists and other material that tells a gripping fragmented story about the people across the United States and the world dealing with a zombie apocalypse from a mutated "super flu" virus. It has enough tropes of the zombie genre to feel familiar, but there's also something new about this book that I have never seen in any other zombie story, and that comes from its many convincing perspectives.
This book, lovingly crafted by devoted fans of the Zombie genre, really shines in its authentic voices. There is a genuine raw emotion that rings from the scribbled words and sketches included in the piece that is simultaneously horrifying and heart-breaking. Adding to the authenticity are unique handwriting (not just hand-writing fonts) and common spelling and grammar mistakes often seen in hand-written notes without spell-check to catch them out.
I must say, when I picked up this book, which I found in a quirky craft store, I had never heard of the Lost Zombies community, but after flipping through it, I googled it when I arrived home. And immediately, I had an answer to what made this tome so powerful. It was a labor of love created by people who really knew their zombie movies. The reason there are so many different voices in the notes and letters is because they were literally written by different people. Even so, they all follow the same rules of the universe, the same facts and storyline, and because of that there's also a cohesiveness to the piece that's rare in a piece that has so many contributors.
If you're into zombies, this is definitely a must-read. If you're into pseudo-historical fiction or even just chilling, touching and reaffirming insights into human nature, you should definitely check this book out. It's not to be missed.