City of the Dead

CITY OF THE DEAD

BY

BRIAN KEENE 

 HIGH PRAISE FOR BRIAN KEENE AND THE RISING!

'[Brian Keene's] first novel, The Rising, is a postapocalyptic narrative that revels in its blunt and visceral descriptions of the undead.'

-The New York Times Book Review

'[The Rising is] the most brilliant and scariest book ever written.

Brian Keene is the next Stephen King.'

-The Horror Review

'The Rising is more terrifying than anything currently on the shelf or screen.'

-Rue Morgue

'The Rising is chock-full of gore and violence...an apocalyptic epic.'  -Fangona

'The Rising by master wordsmith and storyteller Brian Keene is a gruesome and macabre tale of horrific madness sweeping across the civilized world.'

-Midwest Book Review

'An apocalyptic epic packed with violence, gore, scares and moral dilemmas. Brian Keene has given zombies their next upgrade.' ?, ^

-Cemetery Dance

'Hoping for a good night's sleep? Stay away from The Rising. It'll keep you awake, then fill your dreams with lurching, hungry corpses wanting to eat you.' -Richard Laymon, author of Resurrection Dreams

'More power to Brian Keene. He reminds us that horror fiction can deal with fear, not just indulge it.' -Ramsey Campbell, author of The Overnight ii MORE PRAISE FOR BRIAN KEENE AND THE RISING

'Quite simply, the first great horror novel of the new millennium!'

-Dark Fiuidity

'Brian Keene is one of the best new writers in the horror genre. Period.'

-Edward Lee, author of Flesh Gothic

'With The Rising, Brian Keene has forever raised the bar for extreme horror; this novel is not only gloriously grotesque, it's also smart, literate, exceptionally written, and filled with fully-realized characters that readers can actually care about. It doesn't get much better than this.'

-Gary A. Braunbeck, author of In Silent Graves

'With Keene at.the wheel, horror will never be the same' -Hellnotes

'Stephen King meets Brian Lumley. Keene will keep you turning the pages to the very end.'

-Terror Tales

'Different, unique and cool-this one doesn't disappoint!'

-Domain of the Dead

'Definitely transcends your basic run-of-the-mill horror.'

-The Haunted

'A must-read for fans of the living dead. Fresh, innovative and full of suspense!'

-AllThingsZombieCITY BEAD

Copyright ©2005 by Brian Keene

Special thanks to: Cassandra; Shane Staley; Don D'Auria; the Cabal; my fellow Necrophobiacs Mike, John and Brett; my overworked bodyguard Big Joe; Mark, Matt and Deena for once again being my eyes and ears; John, Shane and Chris of Drop of Water Productions; Greg Nicotero and Chad Savage (they know why); Ken Foree; Gary Klar; Reggie Bannister; Fiz, for the use of his lyrics; Alan Clark; Lisa, Ron and Kevin, winners of the fan club contest; Rich and Tim, who know what time it is; Jon Merz and Sean Terwilliger for their technical assistance; Ryan Harding for a really cool idea; and finally, to all the fans who read The Rising and wrote to me about how much the ending pissed them off... vi Other Leisure books by Brian Keene: THE RISING vii AUTHOR'S NOTE

Although New York City and New Jersey are real, I have taken fictional liberties with them. So if you live there, don't look for your house or your favorite coffee shop. You won't find it, and probably wouldn't want to know what lives there now. viii 'What is best of all is beyond your reach forever; not to be born, not to be, to be nothing. But the second best for you-is quickly to die.'

-Silenus

'During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.'

-Book of Revelation, Chapter 9, Verse 6

'I know that we will rise.'

-Fiz, 'Our Dream'