Generation Dead: Passing Strange

Generation Dead: Passing Strange
Author(s)
Publisher
Age Range
12+
Release Date
June 01, 2010
ISBN
1423121996
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Karen DeSonne is used to pretending to be something she’s not. All her life, she’s passed as a normal all-American teenager; with her friends, with her family, and at school. Passing cost her the love of her life. And now that Karen’s dead, she’s still passing – this time, as alive.

Meanwhile, Karen’s dead friends have been fingered in a high-profile murder, causing a new round of anti-zombie regulations that have forced nearly all of Oakvale’s undead into hiding. Karen soon learns that the “murder” was a hoax, staged by Pete Martinsburg and his bioist zealots. Obtaining enough evidence to expose the fraud and prove her friends’ innocence means doing the unthinkable: betraying her love by becoming Pete’s girlfriend. Karen’s only hope is that the enemy never realizes who she really is – because the consequences would be even worse than death.

Editor reviews

2 reviews
Dangerous double life of a zombie
(Updated: July 26, 2026)
Overall rating
 
3.0
Plot
 
3.0
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Karen Desonne is living a dangerous double life. When she was alive, Karen lived the live of a normal teen. Now that she's a dead, she's trying to pass as a 'beating heart', someone who is alive.

In the meantime, her other zombie friends have been framed in the murder of a lawyer. They have to go underground to avoid being killed again. This time for good. Karen ends up trying to get close to Pete Martinsburg, someone she thinks is behind the hoax. She hopes by doing this she'll be able to expose Pete and help her friends. But is Karen playing with fire?

This is the third book in the Generation Dead series. Karen is fighting not only against the prejudice of being undead but in being true to herself. I liked Karen's struggle to try to pass off as a beating heart. She even ends up working for a shop in the mall which is against the law. It was kind of hard to accept at times that no one wouldn't know she was in fact undead. But Karen has an ability that the other zombies lack. I found this ability intriguing and couldn't help but wonder if other zombies in future books will be able to do the same thing.

Also I wanted to know more about Tommy's experience in Washington DC and his campaign to get a proposition passed that guaranteed rights to the recent undead. I found that these injustices mirrored other minority groups and ones right now. The whole political correctness felt kind of real. I mean, what would happen if a virus caused teens to come back from the dead? Interesting premise that I totally loved in the first book. I felt some of the newest was kind of lacking in this book. One reason why I give this book a 3 and a half rating. Loved the premise and writing. The ending is a total shocker. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

Peter's character was down right creepy at times though his past gives him some vulnerabilities. It would have been very easy to make him just evil but the author does a great job peeling back some of his layers.

Generation Dead is one of those books that gives a unique twist to the whole zombie premise.
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User reviews

1 review
Overall rating
 
4.3
Plot
 
5.0(1)
Characters
 
4.0(1)
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4.0(1)
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living a double life
(Updated: July 26, 2026)
Overall rating
 
4.3
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5.0
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4.0
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4.0
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i loved this book and i can't wait for what happens next
Good Points
i think its really great that karen is being brave and passes off as a living person
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