Title: Zom-B
Author: Darren Shan
Release Date: 27th September 2012
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
CAN YOU LOVE A BULLYING, RACIST THUG IF HE’S YOUR FATHER?
HOW DO YOU REACT WHEN CONFRONTED WITH YOUR DARKEST INNER
DEMONS?
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN ZOMBIES ATTACK?
B SMITH IS ABOUT TO FIND OUT!
Well I’ve been waiting for long enough to read Darren Shan’s
latest epic instalment and I was not disappointed. While many of his novels
contain this amount of gore, I haven’t come across one this gritty before,
dealing with racism and abuse and it is definitely a teenage and not a children’s
book. Not only did the characters address modern and relevant themes, they were
surprisingly handled and it was often the main character, B Smith, that is in
the wrong which creates a mix of emotions for the reader.
The first chapter introduces the novel in a Shan-like way,
with the death of a young boy. What offers a surprise is the description of day
to day occurrences which follow,
allowing snippets of zombie invasion to weave their way throughout the story. I
really enjoyed this, as often Shan’s skilful writing can be obscured by his
gore and bloody thirsty imagery so this gave me the opportunity to see a
different side to his writing, especially dealing with such serious hard-hitting
themes.
I can’t write a review about this novel without mentioning
the illustrations. I am a big fan of illustrations within young adult novels
(the awesome Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell contain some
fabulously detailed ones) and these ones really added to the story as well as
setting up the big twist towards the end of the book.
How to write a review without revealing what has to be the
best twist I’ve read in a while? My intentions have always been to make readers
want to read the novels for themselves and with this one I would urge just
that. Wonderfully planned and executed, there is a shocker to come towards the
end of the novel which will literally make you want to reread the tale to hunt
down clues. A brilliant twist that changes your perceptions of the entire book
and some of the characters within it. Shan also delivers a fast paced and interesting
ending that made me more than ready to read the next book.
Overall, another brilliant Shan instalment! I can’t wait for
what I’m sure will be another epic series and I’m only sorry that it took me so
long to read this book. Definitely another gory story but also one with gritty
themes (as well as crude and bad language) which make it not for the faint
hearted or younger readers.
5/5 A must read for lovers of Shan and the horror genre.
**** The next book in this series is already published, ‘Zom-B
Underground’, and the third book in the series ‘Zom-B City’ is out in March... watch this space for the next review****
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