Nick reviews Dust & Decay

Dust & Decay
by Jonathan Maberry
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: August 30th 2011
Edition: Hardcover 519 pages (purchased)

What the inside flap says...

      Benny Imura and Nix Riley can't forget the jet they saw fly over the zombie-infest mountains of the Rot and Ruin. The jet meant leaving, something that Nix and Benny were going to do. Now--after months of rigorous training with Tom, Benny's zombie-hunter brother--Benny, Nix, Lilah the Lost Girl, and Chong are ready to leave their home forever and search for a better future.

       But from the start, everything goes wrong. They are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, and insane murderers, and are faced with the horrors of a rebuilt Gameland, where teenagers are forced to fight for their lives in zombie pits. Worst of all... could the evil Charlie Pink-eye still be alive? 

         

Likes:
It's certainly very tough to beat out a book like Rot & Ruin. It was an amazing zombie story and in my eyes, it could not be touched by anyone else in the YA Zombie genre. So, when I picked up Dust & Decay, the 2nd book in the series, I was expecting a lot more of the same great story that Jonathan Maberry created in the first book. Man, was I wrong. This book was even better. I will go as far as to say Jonathan Maberry is the Bob Ross of the YA zombie genre. Yes, he has painted that darn good of a zombie apocalypse. The characters are just as great if not better than they were in Rot & Ruin. Benny has done a lot of growing up and he is a bit more enjoyable to read about and not as "snot-nosed" whiny. One of my favorite parts about this book is that they include even more of the "Bounty Hunters" that exist in the Rot & Ruin. Good and bad, it's nice to see more of them around this time. Another great part about this one is that there is a lot more of the silly "Children of Lazarus" religion going on and it makes up for some quite interesting theories. Oh yeah and the ending. Just WOW.

Dislikes:
I could sit here for 30 mins again and try to think of something negative to say about this book but I just can't. Oh wait! I know! It ended. There is my dislike.

Who would I recommend this to:
Everyone. Seriously, despite it being a zombie book, it is just that good. It's more than just any zombie book. There are a lot of good things going on in this book that opens your eyes a bit about humanity and how evil people can be. It's not one of those "Zombie killing" books that are so everywhere and run-of-the-mill. This book is truly unique and is just a wonderful book to read.