The fourth book in the series sees B finding a new group in the heart of London in County Hall… a group of revitalizeds like herself. Here, she finally starts getting some answers to how the zombie plague may have started, why she revitalized and who and what the twisted creature who calls himself Mr Dowling really is. But the truth isn’t exactly what any of us thought.

This book is the book where Shan slows down and really shows off his style of writing. Where it lacks gore and action, it makes up for in descriptions and reflection in an apocalyptic world. And we finally start to get some answers. Maybe there are a few questions still unanswered by the time you have finished, but you can guarantee that the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fit into place.

However, I really wish that there were more gory scenes and a bit of action, just to spice things up. There is no Mr Dowling in this one, but Shan could still have added some more gory moments here and there. Don’t get me wrong, I get the need to slow down and start explaining things, but still…

Anyway, criticism aside, it’s still a good story and very readable. Some particular moments to watch out for are when B is in the Groove Tube, the Angels prank on B and the twins and Jakob’s story of becoming a revitalized… not only is it gruesome, but it’s very sad and very moving. Then there is the test that B is put through in Waterloo Station, wDarren-Shanhich involves a lot of zombies and cool stunts. And then finally you have Dr Oystein’s story… again it is rather depressing.

My favourite quotes from this book are:

‘…and shake hands with the politely-spoken zombie.’

‘I’ve visited the great pyramids, Petra, the temples of Angkor Wat. Your bunghole doesn’t rank high on my list of must-sees.’

‘Boys always want to think that they’re able to do anything. We usually let them enjoy their fantasies. They’re happier that way and do less whining.’

‘That’s how bad things get when you’re that close to death. A Scotch egg becomes something special.’

‘And it’s not because I don’t want to be a hypocrite and say a prayer to a God I barely believe in. It’s because I figure what’s the point in saying any prayers for this broken, bloodied city of the ungodly dead?’

‘Truth is stranger than fiction…’

Overall, though this book did lack it’s normal bout of violence and gore, it did give us a lot of answers to some pressing questions and really starts to look at this dead world in general.

So that’s why it gets an 8.0 out of 10.