Synopsis
This fictional collection of artifacts answers that question as it details the raw output of survivors who scatter to whatever safe havens can be found in the wake of an Undead uprising. As the reader is moved along with them in their constant struggle for survival, a quiet order emerges reflecting the journey from shock and chaos, to resolute adaptation.
"I’ve said to everyone who will listen, it’s a brilliant and original piece of work that puts almost everything else to shame."
- Andy Cox, TTA Press
About This Book
Artists and writers from more than ten countries contributed zombie-inspired work to Brainchild.
Released as a limited edition of 250, this book is sold out.
Contributers
Dave Senecal
Scott Lambridis
Rebecca Brock
Ted Kohlman
Brian Keith Coleman
Charles Hogle
Daniel Williams
Dave Wellington
Gavin Sodo
Heisler Mulano
Jon Moos
Justin Mills
Angie Needels
Ken Meyer Jr
Paul Kelley
Mia Epstein
“A rather tasty looking book which resembles a collection of documents left after a zombie attack…always good to see someone doing something different with the often-overworked genre!”
“From the moment I picked it up and first flicked through it, the thing that stuck me most, and still strikes me, is just how well this is actually presented…The thing I’m really impressed with though, and which causes me to pick up and open the book every time I come across it, is the quality of the illustrations in it. There is an extraordinary richness and depth to the images that makes them look as if separate layers of colour were painstakingly and lovingly printed individually, building up an extraordinary, almost three-dimensional effect, that I simply haven’t ever seen in a book before…Brainchild is an exceptionally well crafted book with a slick and stylish design…Whilst any confirmed zombie nut should enjoy this volume thoroughly, its appeal is far wider than that. Brainchild is an attractive and solidly constructed horror anthology that shoots from the hip and aims for the head.”
—Pádraig Ó Méalóid and John Reppion, Fractal Matter
“…it is a polished professionally published collection that gives the reader the impression that it’s bits and pieces of work from the survivors of a horrific and catastrophic event ala 28 Days Later. If you were the survivor you’d not be sitting down to write and rewite and polish your words to they gleam with brilliance. Are the stories well told? Yes, but they have that unfinished edginess to them of “I was there. I saw this with my own eyes.”
“As you read through the stories, you cannot help but feel what the characters are going through. With the sharp contrast of the caring, feeling, loving human beings and the absolute emptiness of these walking killing machines, the struggles and conflicts that arise are given a wonderful depth. Unlike most undead themed work which focuses simply on the grotesque and ignores the humanity of the characters, the stories contained within this book capture both sides perfectly. Because of this level of depth, it allows for the reader to easily imagine him or herself in the place of the characters, which should always be a goal in horror - to make the reader feel like they are there, running for their life, as little time left there may be… This book also features an amazing collection of art throughout its pages. I can honestly say that it is the most visually-appealing anthology I have ever come across - the artwork could easily be published by itself.”
“I’ve said to everyone who will listen, it’s a brilliant and original piece of work that puts almost everything else to shame.”
—Andy Cox, TTA Press
“…creepy, unsettling, scary, terrifying, and wonderful collection of words, poetry, and images … The stories collected are from the memories of the people who endured these moments, and their streams of consciousness at a particular moment in time. The illustrations are just as dream-like; expressionist and modern, and in many different mediums… Because it’s a book about "zombie apocalypse", it’s probably going to be scoffed at by many genre-wary literary snobs and bookstores. The truth is that the stories in Brainchild could be changed in only the very slightest of ways to be about The Civil War, World War II, or the modern war in Iraq, and the horrors, sadness, and destruction would still be there and feel just as real…”
—Heidi Martinuzzi, Pretty-Scary
“…mixing horror stories, genre prose-poetry, and nonfiction, with many garishly appropriate paintings and striking drawings… I particularly enjoyed Mia Epstein’s critical essay My Zombie Girlfriend, which considers the evolution of un-ladylike human-flesh-eaters in movies like George Romero’s quartet of shockers, and their ghastly femme fatales’ sometimes-tenuous but often profound links to various otherworldly women in genre literature… among the very best looking small press items I have seen in recent years.”
“… the promise of visual and visceral flesh consumption at the hands of the walking dead is fulfilled… “Black Days: Sandy” does what horror should, keeps the pages turning and the fear close at hand… The final story, “Book of Matches” by Charles Hogle hits a homer… Love and despair oozes from the prose, making this story the highlight of the collection… Brainchild provides plenty of zombie action, combining fiction with graphic illustrations to create a neat little book of the living dead.”
— Suzanne Church, Tangent Short Fiction Review
“… neither standard horror anthology nor straight-up art book… the fragmented, nightmarish mix of styles and influences creates a powerful aura of horror and revulsion. The notion that these are pictures drawn by survivors adds a personal aspect, as if each piece of art tells its own gruesome story… The art creates a fantastic artistic backdrop of terror for the short fiction to build on… You can almost hear the glass smash and the screams shattering the night air… a fascinating glimpse into the terrifying world of zombie-outbreak survivors, represented by their ghoulish, chaotic art and disturbing fictional accounts.”
— James Long, Science Fiction & Fantasy World
“…Stories. An article. A bunch of artwork. Even a bit of poetry… The book is filled with artwork by various artists, all of it dark, some of it truly impressive. There is even an illustration of a rampaging zombie done by a nine-year-old boy. How cool is that? …a must-have for fans of zombie fiction… this book is sure to stand out no matter where it sits on your bookshelf.”
“It is a delightfully macabre illustrated collection of short zombie stories, which looks like the perfect thing to read as you snack on fresh brains… Mmmm, brains… The site is also well worth a look, with some cool previews and sound to help get you into a suitably doom-laden, Gothic mindset.”
— Joe Gordon, Forbidden Planet
“A time capsule from the distant future, to both the inhabitants of an even more distant future, and we in the present who are about to experience the end of civilization as we know it. This limited edition book is a high quality collection of original color artwork in various media… The subtitle “a collection of artifacts” really sums up the assembled contributions, produced by professional writers, artists, and Justin Mills, a nine year old boy, who according to his bio hopes that someday his mother will actually permit him to read the book…”
“…fascinating concept behind a new book from Omnibucket… “Brainchild” is a classy addition to the genre, bringing a nice sense of style and form following function to an area of horror that can be, well, a little messy… It is definitely worth owning.”
“I personally would recommend this to the fans of the genre and I eagerly await future releases from the authors involved. I give “Brainchild…a collection of artifacts” four and a half corpses out of five!”
“By page 10 of Brainchild you’ve crossed the threshold into a world that no longer recognizes dead from undead.”
“…this book is sure to stand out no matter where it sits on your bookshelf…”
— Ray Wallace, ChiZine, SFReader.com
“Haunting images accompany the horror stories, often setting the images into place stronger than the words do… check this collection out for the superb artwork by names such as Daniel Williams, Ken Meyer Jr., and Angie Needels.”
— Paul Abbamondi, Horror Book Spot
“…spiffy and disturbing at the same time. The page treatments used throughout were done well and add wonderfully to the whole feel. The illustrations were well placed between and throughout the stories so that they complimented, rather than conflicted with, the stories… They were like tiny glimpses into a terrible event… I’m quite satisfied and don’t hesitate to recommend it to other fans of the zombie sub-genre.”
— Collin Burton, Fizzle and Pop
“…what impressed me most about this anthology was the artwork… there is some genuinely eye-catching stuff here… for me the best piece was the snippet - somewhere between vignette and prose poem - that opens the work. In just a few words this one truly succeeds where so much other zombie lit and film has failed, in that it captures the sheer horror that such a situation would actually entail.”
— William I. Lengeman III, Ultraverse
“…presented in a very methodical way with a very clever theme in mind… There is a very interactive feel to the way things flow together, as if you’ve stumbled across these personal accounts in some future time and are delineating the ambiguous clues to piece together a fractured history. From one story to the next, there is a growing sense of doom and an overwhelming sense of the horror of it all. One is compelled to continue reading, as if bearing witness, and assuming the mantle of a living chronicle… Each story captures a feeling of progression from the previous.. The recurring artwork in Brainchild offers reflective moments in between each story… From stark paintings, to expressive drawings, to surrealistic altered photos, each piece is engrossing and fits the ambience perfectly… Brainchild is obviously a very ambitious project and a labor of love by some very talented people. It certainly should meet or exceed anyone’s expectations of a work of this kind.”
— Brandon Begley, Zombie-A-Go-Go
“…as easy a must-buy as anything else you’re going to stumble across on your way to consume thy neighbor. It’s cheap, it’s gorgeous, it’s disturbing as all hell. In fact, it’s so nice, I’d venture to say that even were I to be infected, afflicted, in between bouts of consuming the living flesh of my neighbors, I’d still be able to pull together the brain cells to pick this one up…. buying this zombie anthology is something of a no-brainer… a kind of poetic gore that makes you sort of wistful for this violent undoing of everything we’ve done thus far. Rebecca Brock contributes a couple of entries from a journal called Black Days. Well named! Mia Epstein contributes poetry and film criticism; both work wonderfully within the red-streaked pages. David Wellington offers brain-eating action… Not to be taken lightly is the care, the precision and the beauty that has gone into designing and printing Brainchild… It’s drop-dead gorgeous… beautiful but sick, gory but slick.”
— Rick Kleffel, The Agony Column
“Not a typical anthology. There’s a certain, gradual progression throughout the volume, which, despite the patchy nature of the booklet, resembles a kind of plot… Starting with the vivid report of a zombie outbreak and the desperate efforts of a group of people on the run, searching for safety on a highway (Running), we end up in the tense atmosphere of the after-horror, when adaptation to the peculiar, tragic circumstances takes place as a natural, human reaction (On the Western Front and Finnegan’s Scoop). To kill the undead is the only way of trying to restore normality and of staying alive. But people’s worries include how to avoid the curse of dying and turning into zombies themselves (Book of Matches). In between, several fragments of melancholy, horror and gloom. And everywhere incredible artwork where death is represented in full colours and in its many faces… I won’t offer any bottom line. Just try it.”
— Mario Guslandi, Whispers of Wickedness
“On one level it’s a damn-fine art book, showcasing the many facets of talent that this group possesses. But on a totally different level it’s a thematic masterpiece whose individual pieces come together to form one perfectly crafted whole. If you enjoy well-paced and colorful (ie. blood red) writing, beautiful yet disturbing (ie. corpses) art, and a wonderfully thought-out design and layout of the book itself, you’ll love Brainchild. And if you also happen to love zombies, well, then this may very well be your new Bible. Great for both creative and disturbed minds, Brainchild is one of the best anthologies to grace my bookshelf.”
— Wayne Shinsang, editor, Tastes Like Chicken
“I was really impressed with BRAINCHILD. Often times, labors of love are well-intentioned but lacking in execution; BRAINCHILD not only meets but exceeds the standards. Don’t be put off by its limited print run; this is no chapbook run off at Kinko’s and tied together with yarn, but a professionally bound, well-designed, full-color glossy paperback. It’s hard to imagine horror fans not getting a rush from it, and I hope it’s the start of many more volumes to come.”
— Rod Lott, editor,Bookgasm.com
“Brainchild provides plenty of zombie action, combining fiction with graphic illustrations to create a neat little book of the living dead.”
— Suzanne Church, Tangent Fiction
“I received my contributor’s copies of “Brainchild” and I have to say you put out one hell of a gorgeous book. I’m proud to be included.”
“Brainchild: A Collection of Artifacts is an insightful window into what life might be like after the rise of the dead. Films such as Dawn of the Dead or 28 Days Later allow you to follow one group of survivors through such a world, but your viewpoint is restricted to what they can see. This volume has more of a scattershot approach. As the title suggests, it is an almost random collection of journals, images, diaries, and stories about the rise. These are the artifacts referenced in the title. The literary elements range from nail-biting drama, to introspective journals, while the art runs the gamut from drawings done by a small child to photorealistic pictures of the walking dead. Not everything is perfect about the book. For one, the role of the reader is somewhat undefined. If this is a collection of artifacts, how were they collected? Where is the reader that he can view these as artifacts, since the stories take place in the present day? Another slight complaint centers on an excellent piece talking about the evolution of the zombie throughout films. Until I got to that piece, I was exploring this world, eager to uncover more about the walking dead and the survivors and victims. Once I got to the essay, I was suddenly back in the real world, reading an essay about zombie movies. Don’t get me wrong. I like zombie movies. And it’s a good essay. But I resented the intrusion. I would’ve preferred to see that essay at the end of the collection, or at the beginning. Despite these minor quibbles about the collection, it is still a remarkable piece, and one I am glad to own. For fans of roleplaying games, especially horror based ones such as All Flesh Must Be Eaten or Call of Cthulhu, it’s a great thing to let your players flip through while preparing for a game.”
— A. Einhorn, Writer, from A window into another world on Amazon.com 1.25.06
“Being a newbie to the Zombie form, I was repeatedly surprised at how little effort was required to make the leaps of imagination. It’s as if terrorism and hurricanes have made survivalist and apocalyptic scenarios far more familiar to my mind’s eye. Like Ambrose Bierce and Francis Bacon before them, the artists behind Brainchild compel us to take up torches and encounter those persistent creatures we’d rather keep locked away in our secret labyrinths.”
— Stacy Evans, writer
“The production quality is top notch, very rare for an independent release and the content is excellent.”
— Fernando Weatherall
“Like the rotting flesh it features, this book reeks of quality!”
— Tim McClurg, Illustrator Extraordinare
“The book-design is gorgeous and the material looks terrifying and dark. I’m glad I was able to get a copy before they sold out.”
— Awfulman, AllThingsZombie.com
“Freaking beautiful!”
— DrBrown, HomePageoftheDead.com
“I got mine in as well yesterday. Loving it so far, also enjoyed the little gifts that came with it…! I wished i had known about the press release party much sooner, i’d have taken my vacation and visited ohio for a week ;) got friends up there!”
— nyteKrawlerr, Zombie Lieutenant at AllThingsZombie.com
“Wow dude. This (Suburbs Oct. 31) is one of the best pieces of art i’ve seen! I set it as my desktop.”
— Ghoul, HomePageoftheDead.com
Coming soon...
