Monday, July 9, 2012

Rot and Ruin


By Jonathan Maberry
Simon & Schuster, 2010. 458 pgs. Young Adult

In Benny Imura’s post-apocalypic America, zombies are a very real threat. After First Night (the first time a person turned into a zombie) society has changed to one largely of fear. Families are given food rations, but if teenagers don’t find a job by the time they turn 15, their rations are cut in half. Benny and his friends search for jobs, but don’t have much luck. In the end, he reluctantly ends up apprenticing with his brother Tom as a zombie hunter. Benny, however, gets more than just a job. He has to face the reality of his world and learns in the end to have compassion for the zombies. After all, they were people too!

I enjoyed this zombie novel much more than I was initially expecting. The book was really fast paced and each chapter made me want to read more. Benny and Tom’s relationship grows throughout the book and Benny realizes that things aren’t always what they seem. I’m looking forward to meeting Jonathan Maberry on October 20th at the Teen Book Fest!

AMM

No comments: