TITLE: Dead Meat: Day 1 (Dead Meat, #1)AUTHOR: Nick Clausen
GENRE: Horror
AGE RANGE: YA
PAGES: 140pg
SOURCE: Author
The end of the world, one day at a time.
In this new apocalyptic zombie series from the author of They Come at Night and Human Flesh, we follow events day for day as the world slowly but surely descends into mayhem as the zombies take over. Don’t miss the thrilling ride! For fans of The Walking Dead, The Orphans Book and World War Z.
Thomas has played a lot of Resident Evil and watched every episode of The Walking Dead—he knows what a zombie looks like. Her eyes are pale yet piercing, her mouth contorted into a snarl, the grimace made even more pronounced because of the missing piece of her lower lip. It looks like it might have been torn off, revealing the grey teeth and pink gums. Blood has run down her chin and stained the front of the dress, which once was white but now looks more like a butcher’s apron. Her long, silver hair hangs in a thin, whiplike braid.
She reaches out her arms and staggers towards him on bony, wobbly legs, while producing a low rumbling growl from deep down her throat.
Then, everything turns to chaos.
It’s been a while since I’ve reached for a zombie book, but after loving Nick Clausen’s Human Flesh so much earlier this year, I was incredibly eager to pick up the beginning of his new Dead Meat series. A trilogy packed into 3 very short novellas revolving around teens trying to survive the start of the zombie apocalypse sounded like too much fun to pass up, and I can safely say that, after reading just the first installment, I’m hooked — I’ve gotta see how it ends!
Day 1 picks up right in the beginning of the ordeal, and we follow a few teens — Thomas, Dan, and Jennie — as they try (and usually fail) to make it out of things unscathed. I love the pop culture references and the fact that Thomas, our primary hero, recognizes so much of his surroundings in the zombie culture he loves through video games and films, because it felt totally authentic. I know, if a zombie apocalypse were to hit right now, that myself and most of my friends and loved ones would definitely be just like Thomas and Dan, batting around ideas we borrowed from The Walking Dead or the Left 4 Dead games or whatever else, while our non-zombie-media-loving acquaintances would be laughing us off and trying to convince us that no, of course the sweet old lady down the street hasn’t risen from the dead in search of guts and brains to eat…
Anyways, I digress — Dead Meat: Day 1 was a super fun and suspenseful read that gets right into the heart of things without ever being too heavy or gory. In fact, I think this would be an A+ read for my non-horror-loving friends who are looking to step out of the norm and grab a spooky read for Halloween without committing themselves to anything that will keep them up too badly. Likewise, I think even seasoned horror fans are going to have a really good time with this one (just like I did) and will be eagerly awaiting the second installment (again, just like I am). And luckily, we don’t have long to wait, because a little birdy has told me there are just a few weeks until the release of Day 2…
All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Nick Clausen for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
violence, gore, cannibalism
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If you’re looking for a fairly light, straight-forward zombie story featuring snarky, pop-culture-savvy teens, pick up this one!
WOULD I RECOMMEND IT? Yes!
— destiny ♥
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