Benny Imura and his legendary zombie slaying/samurai older brother Tom are leaving their home behind a fence and heading East. Ever since they saw a jet flying over the abandoned wild country of North America in the previous book, they and their friends Nix, Chong, and Lilah can't forget about it. A jet means that people might be still be alive somewhere. A jet means that maybe, far away, zombies don't rule the world.
This is where the story starts off. Right in the first chapter we're introduced to the plot: Tom, Benny, Nix, Chong and Lilah are going to pack their bags and head East. Easier said than done. There are millions of zombies in the world - or as they call them in the books, 'zoms' - and what's worse, it looks like a bunch of local thugs are creating a new Gameland, a place where kidnapped children are forced to fight zombies in big pits. It's just as awful as it sounds, and it's up to our brave heroes to survive the living dead, skirt their old enemies from book one, and...oh yeah. Stay alive.
I really liked this book. Call me crazy, but there's something about the post-apocolyptic survive-or-die genre that really entertains me. I like the absence of cars and cell phones and satellites. It's just such an interesting premise. Plus, Jonathan Maberry has a way with non-stop action, not to mention he knows how to strike an emotional chord with the reader. Really impressive. The only character I didn't like was Nix, and that's because I found her kind of bossy and insensitive. But maybe that's how she was supposed to come across. I didn't like the first book much, so I was happily surprised with this second installment. I'm waiting for number 3....