Monster Face Off By Julianne Snow!

I am so honored to be stopping on Carole Gill’s site as a part of my book tour for Days with the Undead: Book One. As a huge fan of hers, I was delighted to hear the news! Like myself, Carole writes about all of the things that go bump in the night and I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if a Zombie-Vampire-Werewolf war were to commence, who would claim victory?



Monster Face Off: Zombies vs. Werewolves vs. Vampires

In a war fought only by zombies, werewolves and vampires, who would win? Is there one supernatural creature that would reign supreme? In order to answer that question, we must first consider each of the creatures in turn.



The Zombie: The modern archetype of the Zombie is rooted deep in the genre. Zombies are undead; that’s fairly simple to ascertain. They are plagued with a voracious hunger, they never stop to rest, and they move whether it’s night or day. They have no preference in whom they will kill and they can add to their ranks with a single, infected bite. The Zombie exists with no subtlety, no brains, and absolutely no subterfuge. That makes them pretty formidable, but how will they stack up against the Vampire or the Werewolf?



The Werewolf: Again, let’s consider the modern archetypes from literature and books. Werewolves are shape shifters; they do not remain in their wolven forms for the duration of their lifespan. Generally thought to be slaves to the lunar cycles, some werewolves change form at the most inopportune times while others can control when they shift. They are portrayed as supernaturally strong with a keen intelligence and highly developed senses. They have the ability to evade other predators or creatures but they do have their weaknesses; silver is thought to harm them, even kill them. In some cases the werewolf is invincible, proving to be a remarkable adversary, but the reality is that they can be killed. It is accepted in some circles that a bite form a werewolf can be enough to infect you with the “werewolf virus” while in others, it’s hereditary. The Werewolf is a worthy rival but how would they fare against the undead creatures known as Vampires and Zombies?



The Vampire: The modern archetype of the Vampire casts them as an undead creature of the night. They are intelligent and strong but have their fair share of weakness, the biggest of which is their aversion to sunlight. As a result, they can only hunt and kill their prey during nocturnal hours and making them vulnerable to sneak attacks during the day. Vampires are not easily killed but it is possible; exposure to sunlight, decapitation and the handy wooden stake through the heart are all recognized ways to slay them. The only way to add to the Vampiric ranks is via the transfer of infected blood from a Vampire into a non-infected human. But can the suave Vampire hold its own against the Zombie and the Werewolf?



Given what we know about these supernatural creatures, it’s only safe to assume that the first to go would likely be the Werewolf. While they can evade and hunt during the day, they can be infected by the single bite of a Zombie or a well-placed blow from a Vampire. That is not to say that each and every time the Werewolf would lose the fight, it’s just more likely that they will join the ranks of the Zombie undead before eradicating either of the two foes. It should be noted that a Werewolf Zombie is a pretty interesting idea as well as a scary thought. Mortality will always lose its foothold first.



The second supernatural creature likely to succumb would be the Vampire. Their inability to fight during the day makes them an easy target. There is always the chance that the Undead would stumble across the locales they have chosen to hide their coffins or other sleeping compartments. It is also beneficial to note that wars rarely happen on schedule – none of the other supernatural creatures are going to cease fighting just because the Vampire needs to go to bed. That’s not the way it works. It should be noted that one bite from a Zombie could result in the Vampire Zombie. New hybrids have the potential to make the war irrelevant.



Does that mean that the Zombie will inherit the earth? Let’s consider this. They pursue doggedly without getting tired. Their bites can infect anything and as they tend to accumulate in larger groups, an attack on one will only result in the perpetrator getting ambushed and bogged down with many more. Vampires and Werewolves may stand a chance against them but in the end, I think the Zombie wants it more.



                                                                  

It was watching George Romero's Night of the Living Dead at the tender age of six that solidified Julianne’s respect of the Undead. Since that day, she has prepared herself for the (inevitable) Zombie Apocalypse. While classically trained in all of the ways to defend herself, she took up writing in order to process the desire she now covets; to bestow a second and final death upon the Undead. As the only girl growing up in a family with four children in the Canadian countryside, Julianne needed some form of escape. Her choice was the imaginations of others which only fostered the vibrancy of her own.




Days with the Undead: Book One is her first full-length book, the basis of which can be found in her popular web serial of the same name.

You can find Julianne’s The Living Dead of Penderghast Manor in the anthology Women of the Living Dead and stories in upcoming anthologies called Childhood Nightmares: Under The Bed and Twisted Realities: Of Myth and Monstrosity from Sirens Call Publications.

Thank you, Julianne.

What a great post!