New York is a bayou. New Orleans is a reef.
The entire country has been devastated by natural disasters and governmental
collapse, and on top of everything else there is the annoying problem of
zombies trying to devour you at every turn. But sixteen-year-old Nora and her
younger brother, Addis, are about to discover the most frightening thing yet:
being abandoned in this horrific world by their own parents.
Left with only a bag of clothes and a
first-aid kit, Nora and Addis begin a harrowing journey to connect with anyone
who isn’t looking to rob them or eat them. A wounded man wrecks a meal of green
beans and French fries at the top of the Space Needle in Seattle. An attempt to
get a good night’s sleep in a fortified motel is ruined by an undead face staring
at them through the window. And they just can’t seem to shake someone –
something – that’s been following them everywhere they go…
Meanwhile, a girl named Julie is traveling
toward the city in an SUV with her parents. She is only twelve, but has already
seen friends die and her school burn. She has watched her father become nearly
as cold and remorseless as the Dead. All she wants is someplace to call home,
even if it never really will be.
And somewhere nearby, a tall man awakens in
the woods, unsure of exactly where he is, or even who he is. As he struggles to
remember details of his life, a single consonant comes to him: R. He is…a name
that begins with R…
*I received an ARC from the publisher, Zola Books*
If you loved Warm Bodies, I would definitely recommend The New Hunger. This novella is a prequel to Warm Bodies that takes you on three separate journeys in the early
days after the US collapse. You’ll follow alongside a brother and sister
struggling to find food, weapons, shelter, and basically anything that will
help them stay alive; a twelve-year-old girl traveling across the country with
her father and mother as they try to find any city, town, or suburb that hasn’t
been wiped out; and lastly, a newly Dead zombie who is trying to figure out
just exactly what he is, who he is – and more importantly, what this new “life”
means for him.
This novella was only 128 pages,
so there isn’t a whole lot I can say without giving away spoilers. You’ll get live
R’s first days as a zombie, see how he
stumbles (literally) upon meeting M, and he gets his first glimpse of Julie. As
much as I love R and Julie, my favorite story line in this prequel was that of
Nora and Addis, a sixteen-year-old girl and a six-year-old boy trying to
survive on their own. They’re relationship was heartwarming and comical, yet tragic
as you see Nora absorb the motherly role for Addis after their parents leave
them to fend for themselves.
Isaac Marion once again shows off his tremendous ability to weave gruesome, heartwarming, and suspense into the perfect zombie apocalypse series. The New Hunger is a quick read, and it fuses the story lines
together to set up the relationships in Warm
Bodies perfectly. In all honesty, if you haven’t read Warm Bodies, I would suggest reading this novella first; it will
give you backgrounds on some major characters, and won’t reveal any spoilers. If
you’re looking for a gritty, yet funny zombie series – look no further, because
this is it, y’all.
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