Here’s a sketch of the coverage of Zone One by Colson Whitehead. The pre-publication attention that the work has received has been remarkable.

On February 1, Colson Whitehead announced on his twitter page: “Ok: My new book is called Zone One & it comes out 10/18. It concerns the rehabilitation of NYC after the apocalypse.”

February 1,  The GalleyCat blog (“The First Word on the Book Publishing Industry”) posted a short entry “Colson Whitehead Unveils New Novel on Twitter” by Jason Boog.

February 2, bookforum posted an entry about the upcoming Whitehead novel.

The March 2011 issue of Vogue magazine includes a photo spread featuring artists Savion Glover, Antonio Douthit, John Legend, Anthony Mackie, and Colson Whithead. The caption for the novelist is titled “Colson Whitead Man of His Word” and reads “The latest novel from the author–Zone One, due out this fall–is set in a post-apocalyptic New York. ‘It’s a lot like now. Long lines, can’t get a cab. Wait, I have to write that down–I have ten pages left!’ (560).

On March 24, on The Rumpus site, Michael Berger identifies Colson Whitehead and his upcoming novel as an example of another “’serious’” “’literary’” novelist writing about zombies. 

The July  issue of Harper’s Magazine included an excerpt from Whitehead’s novel entitled “Last Night.”

July 1, Harper’s published an interview with Whitehead by Jeremy Keehn: Six Questions for Colson Whitehead. 

June 6, on the blog keep your bridges burning, a blogger who got an advance reader copy provided a short review of Zone One.

June 20, Publishers Weekly ran a favorable review of the novel. 

July 5, on the Millions site, Whitehead’s novel was mentioned in a list of “Most Anticipated: The Great Second-Half 2011 Book Preview.”

Also on July 5, Choire Sicha, in an article for The Awl, identified Zone One as one of “The Seven Most Exciting Books of the Rest of 2011.” 

In the August edition of booklist, Donna Seaman includes Zone One in a list of upcoming zombie novels.

The August 21 issue of New York Magazine includes Whitehead’s book in a fall preview list noting: “Because who could better write a funny, self-aware, and strangely contemplative zombie novel than the literary Brooklynite responsible for The Intuitionist?”  

On August 31, USA Today published an interview by Deirdre Donahue with Colson Whitehead. 

On September 7, The Village Voice included Zone One in a fall preview. 

On September 19, Tom Chiarella published a review of Whitehead’s book in Esquire.

On October 4, James Camp published a review “Dead on Arrival: Whitehead Gives Zombies a Shot” in the New York Observer. 

In the October issue of booklist, Donna Seaman published a review of Whitehead’s novel.