Plague Nationby Dana Fredsti

Titan Books, out 26 April

The zombie apocalypse is spreading across America – and it seems to be having a little help…

If you’ve been watching the recent TV series In the Flesh and been missing some of the human versus zombie action that is more usually characteristic of such tales, then look no further than Dana Fredsti’s fun follow-up to Plague Town. Like its predecessor, there’s plenty of violent zombie-killing to whet the keenest appetites, often in scenes (told in italics) set around the country.

Fredsti clearly revels in the resurgence of zombie stories in the various media: Ashley Parker and her colleagues in the DZN are as ready to throw references around as ever, although even Ashley’s quick quips are stilled by some of the situations she encounters in this novel. It’s not giving too much away to say that not everyone gets out of this story alive, and at least one of the deaths later on in the novel is likely to have a catastrophic effect on the survivors as we move into the final book in the trilogy.

In my review of the first book, I wondered how Fredsti would handle moving her characters onto a wider stage, and wisely she has kept their focus on one basic mission – get to a new base in San Francisco. We do get some hints as to how the plague is spreading, and the introduction of a new set of antagonists promises some interesting times ahead…

Verdict: Maintaining the Team America vibe of its predecessor, Plague Nation ups the ante, and makes at least this reader eagerly awaiting the conclusion.  7/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order Plague Nation from Amazon.co.uk

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