HISSERS by Ryan C. Thomas is not a zombie story. Yes, the infected are reanimated victims who have died from their injuries. Yes, the infection is spread through bites/wounds, and, yes, it takes a head shot to kill them, but that is where the similarities end. These are undead mutants caused by a man-made virus that was designed with a benevolent purpose in mind: to help soldiers heal faster in battle - not anything sinister like the usual government plots you find in most apocalyptic novels. I would love to tell you how the virus was made, what specific qualities it has, and how brilliantly horrific these mutated monsters are, but that would ruin the story.
The set-up is exquisitely crafted. Readers are first introduced to the experiment and the initial success that prompts the decision to fly samples to a high profile meeting with government officials. Then the story switches POVs, centering on a group of teens making plans for their last big party before the new school year. Just enough of the characters' lives were revealed to give us their state of mind: their concerns, their plans for the future, and the friendships between them. Readers are even given glimpses into their distant childhoods which functions as dramatic foreshadowing into the reasoning behind the hard choices they make later in the book.
The description comparing this story to "The Breakfast Club meets Resident Evil" is a serious disservice to this novel. Neither one of those movies comes anywhere close to the suspense and tragedy that is presented in this novel. These aren't 14 yr olds forced to grow up fast, or any other cheesy cliché...they are children who are desperate for the help of an adult - any adult...children who feel abandoned by the people who were suppose to protect them...children who can't drive a car, and pee themselves from fright. They are not adult survivors trying to make a stand or rebuild society. They are more than aware of their limitations, and they don't waste time with deep-thinking; they just want to stay ahead of the monsters. The author does a great job of showing how the teens are clutching at the little sanity they have left, as they experience the ultimate waking nightmare.
This is one of the few horror stories that will appeal to the YA fiction crowd, while still frightening the old school horror fans.
As always,
AstraDaemon
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