The Art of Eating through the Zombie Apocalypse

Based on this preview, I think this book is going to be a lot of fun. Food safety and preparation against a background of the zombie apocalypse -- what more could a mom of three zombie obsessed boys need? There are skills here that I've always wanted to learn, like using the "hand test" to check the heat of an oven. And others I'd never have thought of, like like harvesting kelp.

Based on the exerpt, this is humorous, practical, and entirely geeky. I definitely want to read the whole!

Laugh-out-loud introduction... This will definitely be purchased for our library. Looking forward to having the print edition. 5 stars.

This is actually a helpful book - now, wait... Hear me out...

The whole zombie aspect of this book seems like an afterthought. What this book offers is thoughtful, well-explained instructions on how to eat if there was a disaster. Say your power lines go down in a storm and you're without power for 10 days (hey, I've lived that scenario), then this would be the perfect book IF you did a little pre-planning.

I really thought this would be a book for chuckles. Instead, I think I may need this in case a tornado hits, or an earthquake, or any other disaster.

This clever marketing caught my attention but the practical contents kept me reading instead of chucibg and putting back the book.

To sum it up in one word - hilarious (but also surprisingly useful). This is a cookbook that you will want to actually read the whole way through - I did. Right from the start, the introduction will have you giggling. For starters they give you a few survival tips - how to make an Ammo Can oven and an earth oven, how to judge the temp using your hand (now there's an idea, LOL). Then you get a few recipes, good for using during the zombie apoc. Like roasted crickets (but they warn you, if you have a shellfish allergy, you should not eat crickets, grasshoppers, or cicadas - thank you very much for that tip!). The book teaches you how to grow sprouts, and how to harvest kelp and seaweed.
My only teensie problem with the book - its too short! With something this crazy good, it should have been longer.

"If you are reading this, it means that you are one of the few people on this planet being proactive about zombie apocalypse preparedness. Good for you. Or is you have acquired or found this book during the apocalypse, congratulations on still being alive."

Thank you Netgalley and "Smart Pop Books" for sending me this e-book for my honest review.

*review is for a 26 page preview* This book was so fun and interesting to read. It was full of recipes and information for things like how to harvest seaweed, cooking MRE's, and even how roast crickets. I would be interested to see what else the full book contains!

This book is one of the funnest and most informative cookbooks I have laid my hands on in some time. And it is way more than recipes for the those with a short list of items to pick from during the apocalypse. It is also full of info on how to build small ovens, fire pits, where to scavenge for food, and thinking outside the box (insects rolled in kelp and smoked over an open fire?). There’s also a list of tools for various projects (like setting up traps for game), how to clean your game before cooking, and even some basics on edible wild plants. And then it goes a step further and provides info on what to do after the initial apocalypse stage, once things settle down and you can too. This info includes such things as setting up a compost pile, shellfish gardening, and more. And there are recipes! Lots of very interesting and tasty (yep, I tried a few myself) recipes.

The book is full of illustrations, both comical (vacant eyed zombies wandering around) and useful (animal track identification). There’s plenty of illustrations of the recipes too, so you have an idea of how your food should look just before consuming it. I especially liked the Zpoc Food Pyramid! The illustrations really made this book a fully visual experience.

The accompanying text has a touch of snark to it (which I loved), plenty of humor, and heaps of practical advice. Let me point out that I live on a farm, so many of the things in this books were not new ideas to me. And yet this book had more than the basics; it had some innovative ideas on ovens (that I hadn’t seen before) and some food ideas that had not occurred to me (such as the kelp and seaweed as a major source of nutrients). I live in a land-locked state, so I hope you will forgive my ignorance on such things. But if the zombie apocalypse ever comes to pass, I will be sure to toss this book into my backpack to provide me guidance as I navigate my way through the turmoil.

The Z-Poc food pyramid, with Pico Heldig.
The Z-Poc food pyramid, with Pico Heldig.

OK, now that I have gushed about this book, let me tell you about how I got my copy of the book. Initially, I was cruising around on NetGalley and saw this book. It was the cover that caught my eye and then the description. Zombies, cooking, survivalist theme – how could I not request it? Well, I was turned down by some sort of autofilter. But I pulled my courage together and sent a polite email to the publishers asking why I was rejected. They immediately unblocked me and I downloaded a copy. Alas, this NetGalley copy was pretty scant, a mere preview of the full-fledged awesome book I was expecting. And there was some serious formatting issues. So, I contemplated and then decided to contact the publisher again. I thought perhaps they would email over a full ebook version for me to review. But they went above and beyond that folks, they sent a physical copy! And it is a beauty of a book! I am so glad I had the chance to read and review the full version instead of the meager NetGalley version. Just an FYI (since I was unaware as well) – NetGalley has upload size limits on books and due to the numerous (and awesome) illustrations in this book, the publisher was forced to go with a much reduced, preview version of the book for NetGalley.

So, there you have it. This book is perfect for your zombie enthusiast, your adventurous cook, and your organized survivalist. Rarely have I seen such a useful book filled with so much humor!

Its the end of days and as you sit alone in your bunker, hands clutching at your rifle you hear a low growl that signifies the undead have risen and are making their way to your location... except its not the undead. Its your stomach.

The Art of eating through the Zombie apocalypse is, in one word, genius. In another word indispensable. I will be purchasing it without delay.

Any survivalist, prepper, or zombie enthusiast will love its candor and practicality as well as the tongue in cheek dialogue that accompanies it.
From the outset of having spices in your go bag (just because the zombie's taste buds are atrophying, doesn't mean yours has to), the seasoning kit and the ridiculously punny recipes (Wok-in dead stir fry anyone?) It was a delight.

There are early sections, which most survivalists should already know, such as how to catch and kill food but also how to check for the z-virus which was new and little comment boxes on things like movie inaccuracies (surprise Daryl Dixon has been doing it wrong!)
All in all a great book, easy and fun to read with more than just enough truth to have you staring a little more closely at your neighbors.
just in case.

This is an amusing survival handbook based on a zombie apocalypse, but had survival techniques applicable to many possible scenarios. I loved the recipes and tips the authors provided. I would buy the complete book.

For everyone except zombies (walking dead, zed, zeke, dreadfuls, etc.), this book will have something to appreciate. If you are not a foodie, have no worries - you can simply amuse yourself reading the explanations of why you might need these recipes. If you are into DIY, then the oven hacks will be right up your alley. Vegan? No problem - you can make do with the sprouts, seaweed, and other herbivorous options. Lucky enough to stumble upon a cache of MREs? Then this will be much more useful than a vintage Julia Child collection.

Lauren Wilson has taken into consideration what life after zpoc will actually be like. No more trucks delivering fresh produce to the nearest Walmart Super Center, no kosher deli down the block, no more drive-thru or fast food delivery. So she has thoughtfully provided instructions on how to construct various ovens (without electricity), to sprout beans/ seeds/grains for some densely nutritious green shoots, and even how to roast crickets and season them. Warning! Don't eat the crickets if you are allergic to shellfish.

Having read the preview copy, I cannot wait to read the entire book. And I need to buy several copies to give as gifts, or stash in secure locations along with stockpiles of other survival gear (just in case).

Being a bit of a prepper, I thought this might tie in nicely. I was right, it is a very fun book. It has the Zombie Apocalypse (of course) and recipes (cooking... hello!) BUT... it also has a LOT of really cool tips on cooking without a kitchen. I highly recommend this book for your collection, whether you are a prepper, a camper, a zombie fan or just a curious cook. Excellent work ladies!

So much fun! What a great Halloween book or good for a Walking Dead theme display!

This cookbook was written for preppers with tongue in cheek humor abot preparing for zombies! I loved it! It got very creative ranging from how to create meals from scavenging to how to survive by grouping together, and what to grow in a garden and how to cook it. It has great humor, but practicality throughout.! I received a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

WOW! What an amazing fun learning experience! So many wonderful tips and recipes! I cant wait to start trying them all out!

Essential info for everyone

Think of this first as a fun gift book for your camping buddies and whacked out survivalist friends, although it will, of course, be very useful in the event of a zombie or any other kind of apocalypse. Chock full of helpful field cooking and survival tips, it provides helpful methods on making sure your campfire is invisible from scouting eyes while cooking gourmet meals on the run.

The book is comprehensive, covering topics such as which spices to include in your Go Bag, how to forage in rural and urban settings, sanitation when rotting bodies could be anywhere, how to stock a safe house, basic agriculture techniques, and how to make MREs palatable. Essential info for everyone.

I received a review copy of "The Art of Eating through the Zombie Apocalypse" by Lauren Wilson, illustrations by Kristian Bauthus (BenBella Books) through NetGalley.com.

This is legit. Written by an actual chef, it's broken down into segments of how your life will be. Bugging in, holed up in your home? Recipes for that! Bugging out (fleeing for your life) - yup, recipes for that too! Actual tiips for trapping wildlife and instructions on how to properly butcher them (make sure you have a sharp knife!) or how to can so that fruits (whether you grew or gleaned) and veg are around beyond summer season. Need to collect water? Check! Even covers food safety, including some basic determinations if a strange plant or fruit is seen - is it safe to eat?

Bugging out but need to cook? Earth and mud ovens are both explained.

The one downside is that about 1/2 the recipes require MREs - so perhaps the moral of the story is to make sure to always have some rations on hand.

A total mix between a satire, how-to, and informational guide, it's funny in places. Illustrations are fantastic. Preppers would benefit from this book. Make sure to have a copy on hand if you have to bug out.

Long, long ago, when the earth was young – or at least when we were younger – my brother was determined to get on Survivor. He got so far as getting a call from a producer; I still say he would have been a lot more entertaining than half the chuckleheads they've had on. Being the data freak I am, I decided that if he could just do his part and get on, I could make him King of Survivor, and I started getting books out of the library and looking up all sorts of weird and wild stuff online, and filled a notebook with the most relevant and useful and efficient methods of starting a fire, building a shelter, purifying water, catching fish, and more. (If the end of the world occurs, I ask that the gentle reader keep this in mind when planning his or her survival team: I still have that book (since my brother never got on the show) and I still remember a lot of it… And now I have this book. Think Eugene without a Y chromosome or a mullet. That's me.)

This book is that notebook, with awesomely snazzier illustrations and a whole heck of a lot more information.

It already had my attention with its premise, but it won my heart with this sentence: "Let us set the scene. Paint the big picture (a little less Thomas Cole pastoral and a little more Edvard Munch horror)".

And that premise? TAoETtZA proposes to show how not to just survive after TSHTF (one of the authors' favorite acronyms), but to live. Why settle for bland squirrel while huddling in your improvised shelter, or flavorless fish after clearing the undead out of the local prison? There's no need, if only you read this book.

Not only is it a smart guide to how to eat well when things fall apart, it's a smart guide to basically everything you need to know about that basic survival: how to prepare while things are normal (if that's what you want to call it), what to bring when you bug out – and whether you should bug out, what you should concentrate on when foraging in the woods or in town, and the most basic basics of all: how to start a fire, how to purify water, and why you shouldn't eat cockroaches (apart from the obvious). There are recipes (with punny or otherwise clever names), diagrams (MRE's come with chewing gum?), and short- and long-range plans for survival. For living. It's fantastic.
Let's face it – there are days when I agree with Frodo Baggins: "there have been times when I thought the inhabitants too stupid and dull for words, and have felt that an earthquake or an invasion of dragons might be good for them." (An invasion of dragons would, in its end result, strongly resemble a zombie apocalypse, although dragons are smarter. And cooler. And they fly. Well, and "scorched earth" might be a relevant phrase. Okay, not so strong a resemblance.)

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.

I give the book 5 stars. I would recommend this book to anyone. I would especially recommend it to fans of "The Walking Dead" and "Fear the Walking Dead" who love cooking. It's really fun book! I learned a lot and I feel I am better prepared for the zombie apocalypse.