Re: Urban Zombies and High Rises

flowersjustin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:10:48 -0000

Great questions, Suzi!!

And you raise a few interesting points, that I should have addressed in this post. The reason I didn't is because I wanted to focus on the immediate question about high-rise buildings.

But, now the point has come up again, and I should mention it. The creatures in the original Richard Matheson novel, "I Am Legend," were definitely, and without question, Vampires and not Zombies. I saw the movie, as well, and I don't think that this point was made.

But, it does bring up an interesting comparison: If Zombies are undead and Vampires are undead, aren't they the same thing? And, the answer is no. The difference lies primarily behind intelligence (With the vampire in the lead) and motivation (The vampire feeds on blood in order to continue its existence, the zombie eats flesh for no immediately apparent reason), and in many cases (excluding "I am Legend") religion as well. The Vampire is a legend inspired by christianity, while we are unsure of what brought the first zombie into existence.

This is also important when considering the legend of the Uruk-hai, most notably from Tolkein's Lord of the Rings. The Uruk-hai's creation seems very indicative of the creation of undead, but in reality they are a real, living and breathing race. The Uruk-hai were a special breed of orc, that was possibly cross-bread with men (or possibly with a goblin/man half-breed).

Now to the fortified compound. If you were willing to upgrade the stockade fence to a high wall and combine it with another form of defense (e.g. The interconnected buildings on extremely high pier beams) I would concede that this would be a great plan. The problem with a fence is that eventually one of the creatures will hurt it in some way. And, eventually the weakness would become a path through the fence. Your compound, with no other protection, wouldn't go very far toward protection. For reference, see "28 Days Later," and pay particular attention to the compound that is the setting of the end of the movie.

And, always keep Murphy's Law in mind: If it can go wrong, it will go wrong.

Thanks for the Comment,
Justin

Re: Urban Zombies and High Rises

Suzi — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:50:24 -0000

Excellent points, all...
And since I referenced "I Am Legend," do you think a compound surrounded by a stockade fence would provide protection? Seems unlikely to me, but then perhaps distance from the horde of undead would help, unless you have undead which, like the Uruk-hai, can cover distance at speed in daylight...

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