Generation Dead - Daniel Waters

Author: Daniel Waters

Length: 392 pages

Release Date: May 6 2008

Publisher: Hyperion

Blurb

All over the country, teenagers who die aren’t staying dead…

Against her better judgement, Phoebe finds herself drawn to Tommy Williams. He’s gorgeous, funny, on the football team. And dead.

But not everyone is as accepting as Phoebe. There are those would like to rid the community of this sinister phenomenon, and they’ll stop at nothing to achieve it.

Review

This book was a Waterstones find but I have to confess that the first one I bought and started to read was the final book in the trilogy. I should have taken the hint when I had no idea what was going on, but Passing Strange led me to Generation Dead. I’m certainly glad I bought the third book that day because the first instalment in the series was fantastic. If you like realistic fiction with a twist, this book is definitely for you. There are no warring vampires or devious fallen angels to this book, just ordinary zombie kids trying to make their way in a prejudiced world.

Waters sets the tone immediately; from the very first sentence there is obvious prejudice toward the zombie community as the unexplained phenomenon continues to grip America. Waters paces well, allowing the information that the living dead wander the face of the Earth to sink in a little with some normalcy before hitting the reader with more conflict facing the zombies. Generation Dead is very much politically driven, without being preachy, and the hardships facing the dead teenagers and those who support them ring true of widespread racial prejudice that occurred not too many years ago. A set of fantastic characters are introduced, our protagonists easily likeable and brimming with potential as the story moves forward.

The book is very much centred on the simple day to day struggles of the living dead, and the persecution they face by the living population. The likes of Phoebe and Adam are beginning to adjust to a world of both living and dead, causing well written and believable conflict between characters.  Events progress at a steady pace, as Phoebe becomes attracted to differently biotic Tommy, setting of a chain of events that leads to a shocking denouement that leads easily and excitably into a sequel. Story threads such as Margi’s inability to cope with her friend’s death and subsequent afterlife, as well as Adam’s hidden feelings for Phoebe run parallel, dragging a reader in with a plot bursting with topical ideas and thought provoking twists.

From the start, I felt that the relationship between Phoebe and Tommy did not mesh well; it felt like the spark just wasn’t there. Throughout Generation Dead, I knew Phoebe’s heart lay with strong and silent Adam, making the finale of the book bittersweet. The psychosis of Pete Martinsburg was sensitively written too; turning from a teenager and his ill-informed prejudices to a full blown vendetta provided action and tension that bled into the main story arc in a subtle and exciting way, playing on the actions and hate crimes we see so often in our world today; this truly is edge of your seat reading.

Overall, Generation Dead was a riveting subject driven piece with supernatural spice that worked just right. The romantic tension between Phoebe, Tommy and Adam was played out beautifully, whilst Pete’s hatred for zombies and his subsequent action edged in action for those readers begging for a little bloodlust. Waters hits a home run with this beauty of a book, sucking in an audience that will be hooked on his effortlessly lyrical narrative and high suspense plot. Kiss of Life if just around the corner, and I cannot wait to continue this story; an excellent read with the edge of a sword.

Dusty :]