Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

Title: Generation Dead
Author: Daniel Waters
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: May 2008
Pages: 400

Rating: B+
Plot - 18/20
Characters - 17/20
Writing - 17/20
Originality - 20/20
Entertainment - 8/10
Recommendation - 8/10
Total: 88/100

Summary:
Phoebe is just your typical goth girl with a crush. He’s strong and silent -- and dead.

All over the country, a strange phenomenon is happening. Some teenagers who die aren't staying dead. They are coming back to life, but they are no longer the same -- they stutter, and their reactions to everything are slower. Termed "living impaired" or "differently biotic," they are doing their best to fit into a society that doesn’t want them.

Fitting in is hard enough when you don’t have the look or attitude, but when almost everyone else is alive and you’re not, it’s close to impossible. The kids at Oakvale High don’t want to take classes or eat in the cafeteria next to someone who isn’t breathing. And there are no laws that exist to protect the differently biotic from the people who want them to disappear -- for good.

With her pale skin and Goth wardrobe, Phoebe has never run with the popular crowd. But no one can believe it when she falls for Tommy Williams, the leader of the dead kids. Not her best friend, Margi, whose fear of the differently biotic is deeply rooted in guilt over the past. And especially not her neighbor, Adam, the star of the football team. Adam has just realized his feelings for Phoebe run much deeper than just friendship. He would do anything for her, but what if protecting Tommy is the one thing that would make her happy?

Review:
This book was on the top of my wish list for a very long time, so once I started it, I was really excited and hoping for the best. Now it wasn't the best, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good, it was really good, but there were some down times to it also.

I thought the whole story was so unique and it really was intriguing. Zombies teens arriving from the dead, as if for a second chance at a lifetime. It was totally fascinating. Waters definitely created an amazing new world where one can go to escape and live with Pheobe and her weird fascination with Zombie boy Tommy. There were slow parts, that had me stop along the way, but ultimately I kept going and I am so glad I did because, boy!, was the ending memorizing! But it was a cliffhanger ending so I reallllly need a copy of Kiss of Life, like, right now.

Waters is a talented writer and this new series is a hit in the Zombie lovers (me) world. Pheobe was a exclusive girl, and in their world her liking a zombie boy was wrong, and with that and just the fact that some people don't llike Zombies, it creates chaos. Waters created this new interesting world and I cannot wait to see where it brings us to in the next book. This novel explores the realms of popularity, racism, and acceptance, in a unique way.

Okay, so above was a little fan-girly, so here's this: Waters has written a clever and witty, but seemingly unique novel that explores different understanding of Zombies as you've never seen, heard, read them before. This book is great, and let's hope for the best in Kiss of Life (out May) after the shocking cliffhanger ending.



(P.S.--I'm so sooo sorry it's taken me this long to write this review. I have been lazy and unmotivated out of my mind lately, so I'm glad this is up. I guess you should hope for a review of EVERMORE by Alyson Noel soon, if I get to it.)