"The Dead" is a science fiction short story by American writer Michael Swanwick, published in 1996.
[2] The story begins with Donald having dinner with his ex-lover Courtney, who tries to headhunt him for a company called Koestler Biological.
The story ends with Donald thinking about the millions of working class people who will now be unable to get jobs, and wondering it they will rise up against corporations.
Derek Thiess notes that while athletes are typically seen as domineeringly masculine, their consent is frequently elided, especially in the context of American college sports.
In the boxing scene, the zombie fighter’s calm is superficially disorienting but fits the paradigm of the hegemonised athlete.
[8] Judge Karen Joy Fowler called it an "intense disturbing story written in Swanwick’s usual elegant ice."