The zombies of Raising Stony Mayhall are capable of coherent thought, speech, and have the ability to learn. In fact, since they don't need to eat or sleep to stay alive, nor do they feel any pain; One could almost argue that they are kinda like an evolved species of human. Granted, most of the zombies that populate Stony's world don't take advantage of this, and sit around all day smoking and watching daytime TV. Still, for me this distinction was important, and a very interesting part of the book. An interest that worked out well for me, because Stony too was interested in the science behind the zombies, and his search for the secrets of their genetics was one of my favorite aspects of the book.
As a group that is being hunted to extinction, the zombie underground network was another engaging aspect of this novel. I enjoyed reading how the population managed to survive, and how the various factions within the group tried to gain sway over the zombie people. (Big Bite anyone?) The political wranglings were quite fun to read, and the giant zombie meeting at a warehouse in the middle of nowhere made for a fantastic scene.
More than anything though this book is the story of Stony Mayhall's life, and his life is a pretty fascinating one. We see all the events of the story through his eyes, and his struggles to not only help his species survive, but also gain acceptance by the rest of the world is quite amazing. The fact the Gregory actually got me to root for zombies is no small feat.
