Sunday, January 20, 2013

Devil’s Wake by Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due

Devil’s Wake by Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due

This is a new and weird twist on an old story.  The zombie apocalypse is brought on by the flu shot mixed with strange African mushrooms, mushrooms that are the core of a new weight loss craze.  Basically if you have been taking the mushrooms and you get a flu shot your mind is taken over by a strange red alien fungus and you become a biting machine infecting as many humans as you can. 

Delinquent teenagers from the Northwest are the heroes (read: survivors) in this story.  The zombies are quite disturbing because they can run and even speak a little bit – don’t trust convenience store clerks tempting you with tasty treats! 

This is definitely the first in a series.  The book ends quite abruptly.  Devil’s Wake is the name of an island in California that the teens are thinking of heading towards.  The decision is never made but since it’s the book’s title you have to think that’s where they will be in the next book.