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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Regular zombie combat and some human-on-human violence; death is a constant presence in the post-apocalyptic world
Language
Barely any
Mild language appropriate to YA
Sexual Content
None
No sexual content
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Some
The ethical questions Benny confronts about violence, mercy, and his brother's choices give the novel genuine moral weight
What this book is about
Jonathan Maberry's post-zombie-apocalypse YA novel follows fifteen-year-old Benny Imura, who reluctantly apprentices with his older brother Tom — a bounty hunter who kills zombies in the Rot and Ruin. Benny thinks Tom is a coward until he sees the work up close. Maberry uses the zombie genre to explore coming-of-age themes about violence, mercy, and what it means to be human. The violence involves zombie kills and some human conflict. Thoughtful YA horror.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Regular zombie violence
Questions about mercy killing
Reader Verification
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