Zom-B Underground (Zom-B #2)

B has become a zombie! Yet, she can still remember everything; she can still think. So what is she doing in a room full of zombies and leather clad killers? Then it hits her. Tyler, a black kid she threw to the zombies, ripped her heart out! So how is she still alive? B has become a revitalized! Although she is dead, her brain is still functioning. They have been examining her for six months now trying to determine her unique situation (the fact she has no HEART). In this time, she is taught how to keep her eyes moistened (since she cannot close her eyelids and her tear ducts have dried out), how to eat properly without becoming a walking maggot infested cafeteria, and introduced to the other revitalizeds. On her first simulation, B is attacked by a zombie (or revived) and watches in horror as the other revitalizeds enjoy massacring them. She cannot bring herself to torture these defenseless creatures, and attempts to take her own life. The simulation gets out of hand when Rage, one of the revitalized, steps in to stop B from harming herself. B goes berserk and has to be detained. Through the mass confusion, out steps the teacher who changed her way of thinking; the teacher B idolizes and the one who pointed out B’s racism, Mr. Burke. But this Mr. Burke is different. He seems ok with this inhuman massacre using the excuse that this is what happens during a war. After some time has passed and B is detained in another more private room, she is brought up to speed on what they do know (since this whole “operation” has been kept secret) and informed of an estimated life span. Two years at the most! The only thing keeping the revitalized going is….. HUMAN BRAINS! So that is the nasty gruel they have been eating. Although they push and threaten, B stands firm. She will not kill the revived. After days of starvation (which is being suffered upon the other revitalized also) and the threat of turning back into a revived, B is visited by a deranged clown who breaks her free. All too quickly she realizes that the revived are also running wild. So what now? Who will make it out? Can B save her “friends” this time? This is just one of the mysteries you will have to read to reveal.

I'm loving this new series by Darren Shan. For teens who grew up with Cirque Du Freak, it is the perfect next step. The focus is on zombies rather than vampires, and it has just the right amount of blood, gore, and brain matter to satisfy the truest zombie fans.

ZOM-B:UNDERGROUND is book #2 in the series with book #3 due out in the U.S. in April. B continues as the main character in book #2, but now she finds herself one of a select group of zombies called revitalized zom heads. As a zom head she has regained some of her human characteristics and is "alive" in a different way than she once was.

B is being gradually assimilated into a group of zom heads. They are being studied by medical professionals, and they are frequently sent to interact with the regular zombies to see what happens. Readers are given a few peeks into the horrific violence that results from these meetings.

A continued underlying theme is that of racism. B was raised by a racist father and managed to avoid his wrath by playing along with his twisted ideas. She is now reliving some of those times and realizing the error of her ways. She is trying to make amends by changing her behavior, but changing negative behavior is totally contrary to her new life as a zom head.

The new ZOM-B series is not for the faint of heart, but for those looking for raw adventure and a slightly different approach to zombies, it is definitely worth a try.