(reviewed 12 months after purchase)

Given the plethora of zombie literature that outs at the moment this is a surprisingly unique look at the genre told through the eyes of the a 17 year old high school student and a 30 year old taxi driver who come together in extraordinary circumstances in the aisle of the local Walmart. The book opens with a letter submitted with the journals to the records department that remains in the years after the events described in the journals, explaining that she is the daughter of one of the journal's authors and that they detail the apocalyptic events from their earlier days to the years following. The first journal is written by a 17 year high school girl who takes an interest in the little news items that aren't given much credence until they escalate beyond control. It is these early days that give this book its unique aspect as Zukow has obviously done a lot of research and considered how such events could really come about and the most likely origins and locations of such causes. It follows her as she deals with the lose of her family and friends and civilisation as a whole. The second journal is begun in hindsight then maintained by a 30 year old taxi driver as he deals with the psychological side of life post-apocalypse. The writing is superb with distinct changes in tone and word use between all three authors, giving a more realistic impression that the works were written by three different people, at distinctly different times and psychological states. My only critique would be that some of the events are a little cliched but this is partly due to the amount of zombie literature I've read (pretty much covering every aspect of such things) and partly because there is only so much one can do with the undead. However this is a superb read and I look forward to reading more in this series and by this author.