Five Impressive Zombie Books

Just a short list of zombie books that have really wowed me lately, with a brief description:

1. Empire - David Dunwoody. The Grim Reaper has a real problem with a zombie outbreak, and the threat to his domain of dead souls. Much scythe cleaving, soul searching of the Grimster (!), and other grand mayhem ensue.
2. Day-by-Day Armageddon (sequel: Beyond Exile) - J.L. Bourne. A gripping account of survival zombie horror told from the perspective of a U.S. Marine officer. Bourne's experience as a military officer familiar with lethal military strategy creates an all-too-real vision of a post-infection world.
3. The Reapers Are The Angels - Alden Bell. One of those rare zombie books, with..umm...soul. Temple treks across an infected America, trying to connect with a past she can only imagine. Along the way, she encounters a bizarre collection of post-infection families not prone to hospitality.
4. The New Dead - Christopher Golden, Editor. Post Mortem Combatants (PMCs) employed by the U.S. military. An executioner for the post-animated attempts to continue a family tradition. All new and original, this collection charges up the zombie genre with some real creative gusto.
5. Dying to Live - Kim Paffenroth. Sure, you could say this is just another efficiently written zombie survival novel. But how many you know have a character with almost messianic powers over zombies? Meet half-zombified Milton, divine shepard of the undead.