A good zombie tale. That’s what I needed. In this case, zombies are called hungries because they just want to EAT. The zombie condition was caused by a naturally existing fungus Ophiocordyceps. The sci-fi aspect is that this ant-infecting fungus somehow leaps to create a human condition.
It wasn’t revealed to the reader that the protagonist, Melanie, was a zombie until 1/3 through the story. Melanie didn’t even know she was a zombie until 1/2 way through the story. A set of zombie children were enrolled in a school (locked into chairs so they couldn’t eat their teachers and caregivers) where a scientist was studying them to see why they had regular brain function, differing from the common zombie.
Melanie had a close relationship with one of her teachers so when the compound was overrun and a band of humans had to flee, Melanie was taken along. The goal of the group was to reach a safe place. The story then revolved around coping with the zombies, having the humans learn to trust Melanie, and learning about the true nature Ophiocordyceps.
Good character development, dystopian fun, entertaining read.
I liked that the author used the word shambles once. I also like that Charlaine Harris, my favorite author, was an editor on this book.
