In the near future, zombies roam the American landscape. Society has learned to live with them, keeping them largely at bay through smart science and government-mandated caution. The world has changed in other ways, too. In the information sphere, the country is ruled by bloggers rather than journalists, including a brother-and-sister team working on a senate campaign.
Will the bloggers get chomped by the undead? Will the senator? Or is there a dark, zombie-related conspiracy lurking on the campaign trail? Despite the painstaking world-building in this novel (and although NPR ranked this the 74th best thriller novel of all time), it’s hard to care. There are worthy moments, but the novel ignores Elmore Leonard’s often-quoted rule for fiction writing: “Try to leave out the boring stuff.” The tale takes too long to unfold. You shouldn’t have to be patient when you’re reading a zombie novel.