Imagine a world where the scariest monsters aren't just undead corpses, but something far more insidious: a fungus that hijacks your brain and turns you into a grotesque puppet. That's the terrifying premise of "The Last of Us," but did you know it wasn't the first story to explore this chilling concept? Before Joel and Ellie navigated a Cordyceps-ravaged America, another author was already planting the seeds of fungal horror in our minds.
The HBO hit "The Last of Us" captivated audiences with its unique zombie origin. Unlike traditional zombie stories where the undead roam due to a virus or other mystical means, the infected in "The Last of Us" are victims of the Cordyceps fungus. This isn't some made-up monster; Cordyceps is a real-world parasite that infects insects, most famously ants. The fungus infiltrates the ant's brain, controlling its actions and ultimately leading to its death, often in a high location ideal for spore dispersal. In "The Last of Us," this parasitic fungus makes the leap to humans with devastating consequences.
These Cordyceps-infected humans are visually disturbing, covered in fungal growths that become increasingly grotesque over time. Long-term infections result in heads resembling mushrooms, making them far creepier than your average zombie. The fact that Cordyceps is a real entity, unlike a purely fictional zombie virus, lends a disturbing plausibility to the apocalypse. The popularity of "The Last of Us" has definitely boosted awareness of Cordyceps, even influencing other horror projects like the film "Weapons," where it's used metaphorically for the central villain.
But here's where it gets controversial... Was "The Last of Us" truly the originator of the fungal zombie apocalypse? In 2012, a year before the game's initial release, author Mike "M. R." Carey published a short story titled "Iphigenia in Aulis," which depicted a world overrun by Cordyceps zombies. Carey later expanded this story into a full-length novel, "The Girl with All the Gifts," published in 2014, which was subsequently adapted into a movie in 2016. You can find the book on Amazon if you're interested in diving deeper into this parallel narrative.
The near-simultaneous emergence of these stories, each with such similar premises, is a coincidence that might raise a few eyebrows. While "Iphigenia in Aulis" predates "The Last of Us" in publication, the game had been in development since 2009, with a trailer released as early as December 2011. For what it's worth, Carey has stated in a Goodreads Q&A that he was completely unaware of "The Last of Us" until after he had finished writing "The Girl with All the Gifts."
And this is the part most people miss... It seems both "The Last of Us" and "The Girl with All the Gifts" drew inspiration from the same wellspring of natural horror. Carey has mentioned that he first learned about Cordyceps from a David Attenborough nature documentary. It's highly probable that this was the BBC series "Planet Earth" (2006). Interestingly, Neil Druckmann, the creator of "The Last of Us," has also cited Attenborough's "Planet Earth" as a key source of inspiration. It's easy to see how two creative minds, upon learning about the terrifying reality of Cordyceps, could independently arrive at similar ideas. As Carey himself noted, Cordyceps sounds so fantastical and frightening that it's hard to believe it's real. Its existence inevitably prompts the thought, "Thank God it doesn't infect humans..." and then, for a creative writer, the inevitable follow-up: "Except, what if...?"
So, given the striking similarities in premise and setting, what truly differentiates these two stories? Let's explore the unique twist "The Girl with All the Gifts" brings to the fungal apocalypse narrative.
Both "The Last of Us" and "The Girl with All the Gifts" feature a young girl as a central figure with a vital genetic destiny. In "The Last of Us," it's Ellie, who possesses a natural immunity to the Cordyceps infection. In Carey's story, the titular "Girl with All the Gifts," Melanie, is infected but retains higher cognitive functions and a human personality, unlike the typical mindless "Hungries.” Both Melanie and Ellie become subjects of scientific interest, with researchers hoping to develop a vaccine based on their unique characteristics.
However, "The Girl with All the Gifts" diverges significantly in its ending. Melanie's immunity isn't due to a mutation but because she's a second-generation Hungry. The infected parents pass the fungus to their children, but these children are born with a degree of natural immunity. They're not fully human, but they're also not mindless and feral like those infected later in life. The story presents a bleak choice: with no hope of a vaccine, the only path forward is to allow the plague to run its course until everyone is infected, paving the way for a new civilization built by the next generation.
The story culminates with Melanie releasing infectious spores across the globe. The title "The Girl with All the Gifts" is a direct allusion to the Greek myth of Pandora, who opened a box unleashing evil upon mankind. Melanie, in her own way, opens Pandora's Box, unleashing a different kind of infection on humanity. The final scene depicts Melanie and her teacher, Ms. Justineau, collaborating to educate the infected children, teaching them how to be human. It's an ending filled with hope, but one that definitively closes the door on any possibility of restoring the pre-apocalyptic world.
Beyond his prose work, Carey is also a successful comic book writer. His story's themes of human evolution and a new generation of mutants inheriting the Earth take on a new dimension when you consider his acclaimed run on "X-Men."
Carey's most recent book, "Once Was Willem," is another fascinating take on the zombie trope. Set in 12th-century England, it tells the story of a poor village family who strike a bargain with a wizard to resurrect their deceased son, Willem. The resulting revenant, however, is a distorted and unsettling imitation, clearly inhuman in appearance. Essentially a medieval, folk-horror version of "Frankenstein," "Once Was Willem" is a must-read for Carey fans, just as "The Girl with All the Gifts" will undoubtedly captivate those who enjoyed "The Last of Us."
You can stream "The Girl with All the Gifts" on Tubi right now.
Now, here's a question for you: Which story, "The Last of Us" or "The Girl with All the Gifts," presents a more compelling or terrifying vision of a fungal apocalypse, and why? Do you prefer the fight for survival against the infection, or the acceptance of a new, albeit infected, future? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
