Sunday 4 September 2011

Undead by Kirsty Mckay

Pages - 294

Published by Chicken House in September 2011

I would rather die than face them all again. Die horribly.In a messy, fleshy, blood 'n' guts kind of way. It is a total no-brainer. 


Goodreads Summary 
Being new at school bites. But at least it doesn't kill you. Mostly.
Bobby thinks she might well be on the School Trip from Hell. Too bad she's a noob, too bad her classmates don't rate her weirdo accent and too bad that Scotland is having the worst blizzard since the Ice Age. Looks like she's going to be on this school bus for a quite a while; could things get much worse?
Yep. They could.
Inexplicably, her classmates start dying...and then they come back to life again...and what's more, they're very, very hungry.
With nowhere to run and no contact with the outside world, Bobby is thrown together with a raggle-taggle group of survivors at a roadside café. There's indie kid drop-out Smitty, the class beauty queen Alice, dweeby Pete and two near useless adults: a half-conscious bus driver and a volatile petrol station attendant.
The frenemies struggle to stay alive - through explosions, deadly battles and a breakneck chase through the snowbound wilderness. Somehow they have to make it to safety - and get some answers - no matter what the cost.
Can they survive the Undead? And each other?

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Now you know I really struggle with zombies and steam punk. I am honest, I hold my hands up and normally avoid these books like the plague. Yet everyone kept telling me that Undead would change my views on zombies. So always eager to give a genre another go, I dived into Undead and rose to the service practically wetting myself with laughter.

This is a serious zombie book but with severe humour on each page. All I kept thinking of was Shaun of the Dead  mixing with the teenage cast of Eastenders! I am serious. As I was reading it, Smitty just kept appearing in my head as 'Arthur' aka 'Fatboy' in Eastenders, purely because the humour was the same. Smitty was definitely my favourite character throughout the book, he is such a cool dude who is quick with the  sarcasm. The banter between Bobby and Smitty is just hilarious and I loved their clever quips and retorts. It was fabulous to see their relationship grow throughout the book.

But this book isn't just funny. There is lots of gore and nastiness from the zombies which did scare me just a tad. They sounded disgusting and smell like poo, apparently! Yuck!

There is rather a huge twist at the end of the book  and I got the feeling that this might be the first book in the series. You don't appear to get the full picture by the end of the book and it seems the cycle begins again, so I will be intrigued to where the story goes. 

As for zombies, mmmm, I am still not keen on them and I am still not sure I would read another one. They are just dead and eat people - no appeal to me what so ever. However, Kirsty Mckay's writing really appeals to me and I look forward to reading something without zombies from her in the future. I have a similar sense of humour as her and I find her very entertaining.

12 comments:

  1. This sounds awesome! I'm a new convert to zombie books and having a lot of fun reading them. I've just finished reading Carrie Ryan's series, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead Tossed Waves and The Dark and Hollow Places - zombie, yet literary :-) Highly recommend them.

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  2. LOL This sounds funny, although like you I'm not a zombie fan. I'm not sure whether to give this a miss or dive in there. The humour makes me want to grab this one.

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  3. I loved this book! It was so funny and zombieliscious! ;p But the ending was evil! I hope there is more! Great review :)

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  4. I'm the same, I've avoided zombie books for a long time. I do love the sound of this though - it sounds like the humour makes this book great! Might have to venture into the world of zombies and read this one - fab review!

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  5. I really loved this book and you are spot on about the humour!

    I really hope that this is part of a series! :D

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  6. Danielle - why am I the only one who struggles with zombie books. Luckily for me the author was extremely funny.

    The Slowest Bookworm - I am beginning to think it is my age! The humour is really good and make the book worth reading.

    Cicely - I know you love your zombies!

    Liz R.- Thanks Liz. I am not sure if I will read another zombie book though, but I would definitely read more by this author. I like her style.

    Jules - I think it will be as the way it ended really left it open.

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  7. This one sounds great. I am a zombie fan :P Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite movies.

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  8. great review Viv, I loved this one, but I think for a person who doesn't like Zombies you did well even trying it!

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  9. I can read about zombies, but not watch them. Creepy things!

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  10. Im the same - I cannot get behind the whole zombie crazy. I just don't get it.

    But I do appreciate a book with great humor... so I may pick this one up. Or better yet - wait until the author comes out with something that doesn't have dead rotting people in :D

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  11. Naida - you will love this one then.

    Raimy - I think I did too. I was very brave!

    Blodeuedd - now how did I know you love zombies ;-)

    Amy - you are funny! My sentiments exactly.

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  12. Good review, but I'm not a zombie fan so think I will give this one a miss. x

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