Never-DEAD

Never-Dead is a captivating story that any zombie or thriller lover would enjoy. I started reading this right before we were put in lock-down because of the pandemic. I have to admit that it was a little strange reading a book based around a zombie virus as memes about COVID zombies were lighting up my phone in group chats. That said, Greyson weaves together the story lines of a diverse cast of strong characters into a book you won't want to put down. ( )

With a story that is more about people learning how to survive – and takes you by surprise with its sense of humor, Never-DEAD may transcend the genre. A most realistic zombie novel, Ann Greyson uses applicable words placing the reader, firmly within the story, bringing you into the characters’ lives before, during, and after the virus so you feel for every one of them. It’s the characters, Hannah and Jenna – and not so much the zombies – that make this novel work. With a gamut of personality, I just love Hannah Winter and her narration from the get-go.

When the story opens in December 2012, a time when the world is forecast to end because of the end of the Maya long-count calendar, the outbreak is the result of a raccoon, with a fast-evolving strain of rabies, attack on a pair of campers in a forest in Mexico. In comes the character of Hannah Winter, who lives and works underground Dulce, New Mexico in a facility of Biogenetics & Disease Control, a medical research company that will become the focal point for an antidote to the virus. Her sister Jenna is in San Antonio, Texas, and has a tough road ahead, traveling to New Mexico to be with Hannah, venturing out into neighborhoods with lots of out-of-control mindless zombies.

How to stop the zombie disease from spreading is the issue facing Julie Mehta, the staff virologist at Biogenetics & Disease Control, who bears the fate of the world in her hands. And with the characters of Monsignor Anthony Lucca and Ken Langtry, the author presents a balancing philosophy about how to treat and deal with the undead.

From a naïve college dropout to standing her ground against the undead, much like Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, Jenna Winter is an unlikely heroine to introduce to young readers with interest in horror. With fast-pacing action, plenty of shooting and graphic zombie attacks with gore that will be enjoyable by any zombie fan, Never-DEAD is sure to call attention to those who love devouring a good zombie story. ( )