Mad World: Epidemic
Samaire Provost
Mad World, Book 1
Createspace
149 Pages
Isbn: 978-1-478317-37-1
The Black Plague is ancient history. It killed 100 million people nearly seven centuries ago, halfway around the world from the technologically advanced research center at Stanford University. Scientists there have recently begun examining samples of bone marrow from plague-infected corpses unearthed in Europe. All the necessary safeguards are in place. What could go wrong?
Alyssa and Jake are away with their class on a highly anticipated year-end trip to Broadway with their senior acting class when all hell breaks loose at home. Traveling back, and trying to find their families, they encounter deadly results. Riots are breaking out. People are being evacuated. And they have no idea what's happening to their families.
Horrific ordeals, heart-pounding tragedy, and chance encounters harden them for what lies ahead. Faced with tormenting decisions, they're forced to follow their instinct for survival at any cost - even when the cost is a heart-wrenching decision of life or death.
My Review :
Teenagers, Deadly Diseases, and Zombies....oh my! Mad World: Epidemic by Samaire Provost has everything you would expect for a young adult book focusing on the catastrophic re-emergence of the black plague. With likable characters, decent dialogue and a couple of grotesque scenes, Ms. Provost captured my attention and kept it until the last page. While the world building is somewhat minimal in this book, Ms. Provost does capture the essence of current day California and the current world we inhabit.
As this story begins we have a group of teenagers from California in New York touring Broadway with their drama teacher, who also happens to be one of their high school's coaches. When they suddenly have problems trying to reach their families via telephone and see a short post in the news about some kind of situation taking place near home, a vote is taken and they all decide to go home to be with their families. Ignoring news reports asking people to stay away, the students and their teacher take off on a cross country journey in their van to get home. What should have been an easy journey becomes a nightmare.
Alyssa and Jake, the two primary characters of this book, and their fellow travelers soon discover via Google, Twitter, and first hand experience, that an experiment at Stanford has unleashed a strain of The Black Plague, unseen in over 7 centuries. With rapid exponential growth, the new virus is turning everyone exposed into a raging, flesh eating zombie which can only be stopped when they get decapitated. Unprepared for what's taking place, Allysa and Jake try to defend their classmates and connect with their families.
Will all who went to New York survive once they are back home? And what will Alyssa and Jake do when they find themselves back on the road? You'll have to read Mad World: Epidemic to find out. I've already started the next book, Mad World: Sanctuary, because I have to know what's going to take place next.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Crowns
As this story begins we have a group of teenagers from California in New York touring Broadway with their drama teacher, who also happens to be one of their high school's coaches. When they suddenly have problems trying to reach their families via telephone and see a short post in the news about some kind of situation taking place near home, a vote is taken and they all decide to go home to be with their families. Ignoring news reports asking people to stay away, the students and their teacher take off on a cross country journey in their van to get home. What should have been an easy journey becomes a nightmare.
Alyssa and Jake, the two primary characters of this book, and their fellow travelers soon discover via Google, Twitter, and first hand experience, that an experiment at Stanford has unleashed a strain of The Black Plague, unseen in over 7 centuries. With rapid exponential growth, the new virus is turning everyone exposed into a raging, flesh eating zombie which can only be stopped when they get decapitated. Unprepared for what's taking place, Allysa and Jake try to defend their classmates and connect with their families.
Will all who went to New York survive once they are back home? And what will Alyssa and Jake do when they find themselves back on the road? You'll have to read Mad World: Epidemic to find out. I've already started the next book, Mad World: Sanctuary, because I have to know what's going to take place next.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Crowns
FTC Disclosure: I was provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review
Interesting read. While I don't think this will be a book for me, I'm happy that it worked out for you. :)
ReplyDelete