One of the more interesting zombie novels I’ve read. This one is set about 20 years after the zombie apocalypse and focuses on a 10-year-old girl who is very smart, but must come to terms with the fact she is a Hungry, which is the name given to zombies in this story (the word zombie is conspicuously absent). She has no memory of living anywhere other than the military base where she is when the story begins, but all that changes the day the base’s lead scientist decides it’s Melaney’s turn to be cut up and examined.

The base is overrun by Junkers who are herding the Hungries before them as an advance force. Melaney and three companions flee and bond while having adventures on their way toward a larger base on the other side of London.

M.R. Carey does an excellent job of pacing and character development. The transition from one point of view to another is smooth and, while obviously done to heighten suspense, it works very well. The demise of certain characters is rather predictable, but it IS a zombie story, so …

I listened to this on audio, so a note on the narration: Flinty Williams has that perfect female British dialect that I guess most American men could listen to all day. It’s very pleasant without being so relaxing you want to go to sleep despite what’s happening in the story. She also is able to add enough inflection and change to let the listener know when a different character is speaking.

This was an excellent novel and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes zombie or survival stories.