Dread Nation

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Y'all need to understand that I am a coward, a complete chicken pants. I can't watch scary movies and I definitely can't read scary books...

...which makes Dread Nation something special.

It's the story of a young woman, Jane McKeene, born just two days before the dead at the Battle of Gettysburg began to rise up and attack the living. Now Jane is at a required school, where black girls are trained to kill the undead... and Jane has serious zombie-slaying skills.

Part suspense, part mystery, part adventure, and a big part social commentary, this book kept me turning pages from beginning to end. It's not too scary...but there are a lot of zombies. And they aren't all, um, dead yet.

Book #1 in a series but this one stands alone while offering a nice setup for book #2. Mild cussing, some kissing and other sexual situations, a bucket ton of racism, plus zombies. 

Highly recommended for ages 12 and up.

Illuminae : the Illuminae Files_01

Illuminae  by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Breaking up was hard enough for Kady and Ezra.  Then their planet got bombed by a hostile corporation.

Rescued by separate ships, Kady and Ezra stay in touch, kinda.  But when one of the other rescue ships is destroyed by the rescue ship Ezra is on, there is clearly a problem, and it's possible that only Kady can solve it.

A crazed artificial intelligence that makes HAL 9000 look like a Teletubby.  A virus that is turning some of the survivors (and some of the crew) into zombies.  And that hostile corporation ship still in pursuit.  

What could possibly go wrong?

This isn't the greatest book I've read this year, but it's certainly the don't-put-downablest book I've read in a long time.  The audiobook is produced with a full cast, and perfectly captures the suspense.

No sex (a few vague references to "the time we..." but no details).  LOTS of violence and blood and gore (zombies!).  All the swear words are bleeped, even in the audiobook.  As the introduction to the book says, "...the story kicks off with the deaths of thousands of people, but god forbid there be cussing in it..."

Recommended for ages 12 to adult.  The story may be too intense for young or sensitive readers. 

Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula

Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula  by Andi Watson (graphic novel)

Princess Decomposia of the Undead is overwhelmed with work.  Ghost papers to sign, alien reports to read, werewolf dignitaries to entertain...and her father the King is no help at all.  But when a vampire with a sweet tooth joins the Royal Staff, some changes are on the wing...and so is a bit of romance.

A cute love story with plenty of unexpected twists.  I've never considered Chocolate Monster Cake as a possible defense strategy for zombies...but maybe I should. 

Recommended for ages 10 to adult.  No cussing or sex, but lots of fun (un-) dead stuff.

Reboot

Reboot  by Amy Tintera

Dystopic action adventure and zombie romance.  What's not to love?

 

5 years ago, 12-year-old Wren Connolly was shot and killed.  178 minutes later, she woke up.  Now, she's a Reboot, a dead soldier working for the government to protect the peace of the living humans who have--so far--survived plagues, starvation, drug addiction, and the violence of the slums.  At least, that's what she's been told.

 

When she agrees to train Callum (who was only dead for 22 minutes, and thus is still "mostly human") Wren begins to look beyond the orders she is given.  She begins to recognize that her own emotions are not gone.  She even begins to fall in love with Callum.

 

But time is running out for Callum.  Wren is going to need all her Reboot strength and all her human cunning to escape...and she's going to need the other Reboots to help her do it.

 

Nonstop action, quite a lot of violence and bloodshed, but minimal cussing and nudity, and a few delightful scenes of romance and tenderness.  Fans of the Hunger Games will eat this up. 

(Ohh, bad zombie pun, sorry!)

Recommended for readers ages 12 to adult. 

The Diviners

The Diviners by Libba Bray
Evie McNeill is a thoroughly modern flapper, exiled from her Ohio hometown for revealing the unwholesome secrets of the son of a powerful local man, and sent (happily) to live with her uncle at the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and the Occult in Prohibition-era New York City. 

Once there, it becomes obvious to Evie and the reader that the "creepy-crawlies" aren't confined to Uncle Will's museum.  There are strange things afoot...and one of them is a serial killer, returned from the dead and determined to finish the grusome rituals that will release the Beast and drop Hell on the waiting world.

With a huge cast of characters, lots of historical context, accurate political, social and musical references, this book is a terrific immersion into 1920's New York.  It's also a ripping good mystery and thrilling horror story with just a touch of romance.

The audiobook read by January LaVoy is outstanding, and successfully created all the suspense, terror, and fun of the book in the front seat of my pickup truck.

Pos-i-tute-ly adorable book trailer available online HERE.
Search for "Diviners Radio" on You Tube to find episodes of the story interpreted as a radio play

With blood and guts on the page, this book may be overwhelming for squeamish or timid readers.  Be bold if you are able.   Highly recommended--I'm can hardly wait for the second book!

Blud and Magick

Blud and Magick  by Preston Norton

Edwin the Educated, one of the surviving Sages of Hazirrez Tower, is given the responsibility of raising a baby girl created from the ashes of the ultra-evil wizard Remmus Alrad.  He takes her away from the magickal realm of Trivaesia into the mundane world of Oklahoma, calls her his "niece" and pretends to everyone that she is completely normal.  But on the first day in a new school, 14-year-old Darla ("Alrad" spelled backwards--get it?) learns that her teacher isn't really her teacher, that her uncle isn't really her uncle, and that she is...not human at all.

The writing is rife with clichés (a hunchback guarding the castle and a vampire seeking revenge?  Really?) and many of the settings and themes seem copycatted from Harry Potter.   Not recommended for discerning readers, but teens seeking fast-moving paranormal  fiction with minimal originality or character development will enjoy the action and not worry about the lack of depth. 

No sex, no drugs.  Some magickal bloodshed, a potentially deadly virtual-reality game that is a dead ringer for Quiddich, and a dragon.  Sequels are clearly planned, and the sequels will probably include some romancing.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer  by Lish McBride
College dropout Sam ("Samhain Corvus LaCroix") feels lost in a dead-end burger-flipping job in Seattle's U-District...until a seriously creepy dude called Douglas takes a seriously unhealthy interest in Sam.  The next morning, Sam's smart-alecky girl-buddy's head is delivered to him in a box.

Ooky?   Actually, no:  it's hilarious.

Because Brooke's head is still smart-alecky. 

It turns out that Sam's talent as a necromancer has been disguised all his life, but now the secret is out and there are dead things showing up everywhere.  Including the panda cage at the zoo, and certain high-profile rock bands. 

It also turns out that Seattle isn't just full of dead stuff.  It's also full of werewolves, witches and various other fey creatures, including a bum-kicking hybrid were-hound who looks great in a Batman t-shirt.

And this book?  It's full of awesome.  Think smart-talking slapstick "Ferris Bueller" meets ultra-camp "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Minor cussing, blood, zombies, battlefield violence between the bad guys and an impromptu cavalry of witches and weres, Star Trek sex, and waffles. 

Highly recommended for readers ages 14 to adult.

ULTIMATE Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook

The Ultimate Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook by David Borgenicht, Joshua Piven and Ben H. Winters

At last, all of the accumlated survival wisdom from the 13 Worst Case Survival books is compiled into one gigantic volume of preparedness.  Everything from "How to Wrestle Free from an Alligator" to "How to Survive an Alien Abduction," from "How to Remove Stains from Carpet" to "How to Jump from a Building into a Dumpster,"  and from "How to Treat a Severed Limb" to "How to Survive Nuclear Fall Out" -- it's all here, plus much more. 

 

With important points emphasized in red print, and line drawings to illustrate important concepts, the information is presented clearly, concisely, and with characteristic humor.  You may never need to know "How to Stop a Car With No Brakes," but there's no telling when you might need to know "How to Detect a Letter Bomb" or "How to Survive a Zombie Attack." 

The information is great, and the book is easy--and fun--to read.  I wish the authors had cited their source material.  They say that their material has been derived from "experts in the subjects at hand, as recorded by accomplished journalists and writers."  The Table of Contents is useful, but there is no index, making the book more of a browsing favorite than an actual survival resource.

The book contains descriptions of bloody situations (plane crashes, bear attacks, and accidental dismemberments), and sexual situations (including fake sexual situations, as in "How to Fake an Orgasm"), as well as descriptions of unwise activities (sword fights, crossing buildings on a wire, and breaking into cars).  The humor diffuses most of the situations that some readers may find offensive.

Recommended for recreational readers and survival wonks, ages 12 to adult.