Thursday 12 November 2015

BOOK REVIEW: Zombies - A Cultural History

Zombies are everywhere these days, in shows like The Walking Dead, Hollywood blockbusters like World War Z and I Am Legend and the ambling and shambling undead were one of the most popular Halloween costumes this year.
But it was not always so and a brilliant new book charts the rise of the zombie from Voodoo tradition virtually unknown outside of Haiti and other Caribbean islands to the all-conquering relentless phenomenon they are today.
Robert Luckhurst, Professor of Modern Literature at Birkbeck College, University of London, explores zombie-lore through colonial history, comics, pulp fiction, B-movies, medical records and Hollywood films to examine the rise of the zombie, in his eminently readable Zombies – A Cultural History.
As well as the cultural and almost mass hysteria hunger for zombie fiction, Professor Luckhurst also looks into the facts behind the myth.
Are zombies real?

The author studies Haitian accounts were people are convinced the superstition is very real indeed.
There is the fascinating case of Felicia Felix-Mentor in 1936, who it was claimed had been brought back from the dead and was walking along a dirt track to her father’s house despite allegedly dying in 1907.
It was said her body had been reanimated by the terrifying power of Voodoo.

The 224-page hardback book is a must-read for all zombie fans and is available through Reaktion Books and priced at £16.

Sunday 8 November 2015

Plant Power! Zeos For Men's QU3 Range

Choice is a great thing, but with a now dizzying array of men’s grooming products available it can be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff – especially for a busy man about town.
So, with that in mind, allow me to recommend a range of products I hadn’t heard of, but which are made specifically to combat the harrowing effects of city life.
Leicester-based Zeos For Men’s Urban Living QU3 Skin Care range is just the ticket after a long day spent being bombarded with waves of pollution, stress and lazy food options.
All these assaults can leave skin looking haggard – and it is here that our new friend QU3 comes to the rescue.
The products, which include face wash (150ml for £7.95), face scrub (150ml for £7.95), face and body moisturiser (150ml for £8.95) and hair and body shower gel (150ml for £4.95), feature super ingredient Resistem.
The mysterious recently-discovered plant extract is obtained from the stem of the Globularia cordifolia plant and mimics the skin’s own defence mechanism.
On the first application of the all the products I was struck by the immediate feeling of protection and regeneration and this was no placebo effect.
The products moisturise and repair skin before your eyes.
My personal favourite was the absolute bargain hair and body shower gel, which incredibly, is yours for under a fiver.   
If you lead a hectic lifestyle, dealing with endless urban endurance, do yourself a favour and opt for the QU3 range.
For more information click here