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Reviewed by:
  • Zom-B
  • Claire Gross
Shan, Darren. Zom-B; illus. by Warren Pleece. Little, 2012. 174p. ISBN 978-0-316-21440-7 $9.99 Ad Gr. 7–10.

Having dispensed with vampires (Cirque du Freak, BCCB 6/01, etc.) and demons (Lord Loss, BCCB 1/06, etc.), Shan turns to zombies for his latest fast-paced horror-adventure novel. B only half-believes the reports of zombie outbreaks in Ireland until her own London school is overrun and she must fight for survival. Shan has an effortless command of nightmarish imagery, and fans will find just what they expect in this aggressively gory tale, from a woman who “dug through the shredded remains of her husband’s face to scoop out his brains” in the first chapter, to B’s ongoing dreams of being trapped on a plane with creepy talking cannibal babies, to the blood-soaked set piece of the zombie high-school invasion at the end. Unfortunately, attempts at deeper thematic explorations of gender (B’s gender is deliberately obscured throughout most of the book) and racism (B struggles to think for herself outside her dad’s white-supremacist influence) are oversimplified and, at least as far as the story progresses in this book, barely related to the central horror plot. Additionally, between her racist thought processes and her refusal to take responsibility for her heinous acts, B is a fairly unsympathetic heroine. Short chapters, copious action, and excruciatingly vivid descriptions of people getting eaten alive nonetheless ensure that this is a perfect fit for its target audience—reluctant and hi-lo readers with a taste for gore—if few others. Black and white illustrations are mostly stiff depictions of panicked humans; ironically, the occasional zombies are much more lively.

Claire Gross
Reviewer
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