Devil's Wake

June 4, 2012
Barnes and Due (South by Southeast) retread a lot of familiar ground in this fast-paced but predictable homage to zombie film and fiction. An unusual confluence of events—the consumption of yahanna mushrooms and inoculation against the Amsterdam flu—turns people into rampaging zombies who spread their taint through bites. Within six months, civilization has all but collapsed and pockets of survivors seek each other out. Among them are teen Kendra Brookings, who saw her parents and grandfather felled by “freaks,” and a pack of juvenile delinquents rehabbing as summer camp counselors. Traveling from southern Washington to California, Kendra and her companions endure the expected tense encounters with freaks and opportunistic humans. The authors leave enough plot threads untied to suggest that further adventures in this postapocalyptic world are planned; perhaps those will include some original ideas. Agents: (for Barnes) Eleanor Wood, Spectrum Literary Agency; (for Due) Bill Reiss, John Hawkins & Associates.

March 15, 2012

Plague is sweeping the country, but the victims don't die or join the realm of the undead. They're simply front runners for an alien life force intent on taking over Earth. First in a new series from a husband-and-wife team who jointly boast a stack of awards and best sellers, this title has a built-in audience.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2012
The first book in Hugo Award nominee Barnes and his award-winning wife and coauthor Due's thrilling new series finds a ragtag band of teenagers struggling to survive in a world of zombies. Kendra watched both of her parents succumb to the bizarre disease that turns people into freaks with one mission: to bite other human beings and spread the infection. She finds refuge with her grandfather until he's attacked by an old friend who carries the disease, forcing her to flee from freaks and pirates, humans who resort to crime to survive. She's rescued from one pirate by Terry, a troubled teen who opted for a stint as a camp counselor over juvenile detention. Terry and his five friends are headed for a safe harbor they've heard about on intermittent radio broadcasts, but Kendra is hoping to get them to go to Devil's Wake, an island off the coast of Southern California that she believes could be their salvation. Zombie lovers won't be able to put down Barnes and Due's gripping yarn, which will leave them hungry for the next installment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)