ZOM-B Mission by Darren Shan
| ZOM-B Mission by Darren Shan | |
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| Category: Teens | |
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Reviewer: Jill Murphy
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| Summary: Darren Shan's zombie series moves outside the capital and into the countryside to give readers a slightly bigger picture than the one they've had so far. A quick read but packed full of gore and action. The Owl Man shows up! | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 224 | Date: March 2014 |
| Publisher: Simon & Schuster | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 0857077767 | |
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Ok. Have an obligatory warning about possible spoilers for the series so far. If you don't want any, then run along and read our review of the first book. Otherwise, read this review at your own risk.
Gone? Still here? Hi!
B Smith has finally fully committed to the Angels, a group of conscious zombies led by Dr Oystein. B has worked through some of her issues about friendship and attachment in this post-apocalyptic world and is beginning to forge genuine friendships with her fellow revitalised. She's even getting on ok with her nemesis, Rage. And both B and Rage are ecstatic when Dr Oystein finally sends them on a mission.
They are to take Emma and Declan, humans they rescued in a previous book in the series, to a commune outside London. It's a perilous journey and - as you'd expect! - there will be casualties along the way. B meets up with both an old friend and an old enemy and the reader gets to see a picture of the world outside London that the series hasn't shown them yet. I liked this aspect of Mission - I felt as though the series was properly advancing, something I've criticised slightly in other books.
Mission also reintroduces racism as a theme. This was important in the first book and it's been talked about since but it hasn't really been front and centre as it is here. I don't think I'm giving too much away if I say that the nasty of nasties Owl Man is caught up in all this. Zombie stories can be read as allegories of racism - how we hate and distrust the other - and I like the way Darren Shan is making us think about it in ZOM-B - humans distrust the revitalised and many of them still can't let go of a skin colour prejudice. And in this devastated world, it's easy to incite hate.
ZOM-B Mission is fast and furious and gory and great fun. Of course, it also ends on a blasted cliffhanger but I've given up moaning about that. I loved it.
More deliciously gory undead series you might enjoy include The Enemy by Charlie Higson and Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry.
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You can read more book reviews or buy ZOM-B Mission by Darren Shan at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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