Books and video games, two of my favourite things. Why not combine them?

This is the start of a new series, Read-A-Like where I give book recommendations based on video games. Not exactly original, I know but again, this combines two of my passions so why not?

Since folk are loving the latest Resident Evil game, I decided to go with that franchise for the first instalment.

Before we begin, I want to give an honourable mention to S.D. Perry’s adaptations. She wrote seven novels based on the franchise. The only reason I’m not giving a spot to them is that I am trying to give suggestions that aren’t official tie ins or the inspiration for the game in the first place.

With that being said, grab your herbs and let’s get right into the undead horror.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

A team of specialists are sent into a mysterious and dangerous location to uncover its secrets. Sound familiar?

I wrote a whole ramble for this book, so for a proper review please read that.

Dealing with themes of sanity, shadowy organisations that are more than willing to sacrifice human lives in the name of progress and written in a first-person perspective, I think any Resident Evil fan will enjoy Annihilation.

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

Not all undead horrors are bioweapons, sometimes they are ghosts.

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt tells the story of a small town of Black Spring cursed by the ghost of a witch. Namely, Black Rock Witch, she has haunted the town since the 17th century. Anyone born here is doomed to live there forever, once you move in, you are stuck there.

The book gives off serious Resident Evil 4 vibes. From the isolated town to the mania in the latter half of the book. Her evil seems to spread like a virus itself, infecting folk in different ways.

Feed by Mira Grant

Zombie outbreak? Check. Conspiracy? Check? Folk dying to help uncover the truth? Check.

Feed by Mira Grant takes place in a world where disease seems to be a thing of the past, no more cancer or common cold. However, now when folk die they instantly get back on their feet as zombies. How? No one knows. Even twenty years after “The Rising” first started, folk are still in the dark about the phenomena’s origin.

Mainstream media can no longer be trusted, so it is up to independent bloggers to spread the truth. Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail for the biggest scoop of their career. Namely, some is trying to weaponise the undead to assassinate a presidential candidate.

Sounds like something Umbrella would try, doesn’t it?

Zombies: Encounters with the Hungry Dead

Zombies: Encounters with the Hungry Dead is a little different from the other books on this list, as it isn’t by an individual author. It’s a collection of several short stories all about the undead.

We are talking about Stephan King, Max Brooks and Neil Gaiman as well as a few others. Each brings something different to the table. A different take and angle. Boasting 32 short stories, there are bound to be several you can really sink your teeth into.

What I love about Resident Evil is while all the games are set in the same world, the stories are all distinct. From true survival horror to action-packed B-movie fun, they all have their own vibe. A book that celebrates different types of zombie stories seems fitting. That, and admittedly I am a sucker for short stories, especially horror ones.