REVIEW: Zom-B #3: City by Darren Shan

DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE OTHERS IN THE SERIES. I’M SERIOUS; I’M GOING TO INCLUDE BOOK 1 AND BOOK 2 SPOILERS.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars, Genre: Horror/Young Adult/Zombies, Pages: 166, Reading Level: Easy

Book Description from Barnes & Noble:

“After escaping a secret military complex amid the zombie apocalypse, B roams the streets of a very changed London, dirty and dangerous and eerily quiet, except for the shuffling of the undead. Once again, B must find a way to survive against brain-eating zombies- -and now also against those who have seized control of the city. With danger lurking around every corner and no one to trust, B must decide whether to join the creepy Mr. Dowling in exchange for his protection. When everyone around you is dead, where do you turn for help?”

In Zom-B City, B emerges from the underground compound to find a zombie infested city. B walks around the city and encounters zombies, survivors, religious freaks, military personnel, mutants and of course, Mr. Dowling, the freakishly horrific clown.

Let me just say that Darren Shan is a sick puppy; four stars sick. Since this is the third, I am comfortable commenting on some of the details of the story as revealed in Zom-B and Zom-B Underground. I was quite delighted to find that this zombie story was going to be different. I mean really, Zom-B ends with B’s heart being torn out. Wow. And then to find that B is actually a girl… that was a great surprise. Kudos to the author for that one. The clues were there and I completely missed them.

But then I was a little concerned about all the different varieties of… um… well, whatever they are. The clown, the mutants, the Owl Man… I have a guess as to what these things are, but I am probably totally off the mark. However, Shan makes them work. So far, all the varieties of zombies, or whatever, haven’t ruined the story.

As with the other books in the series, no one is immune in Zom-B City, not even babies. So be warned.

Finally, I may not pay as close attention to details as others, but as far as I can tell, Shan remains consistent in the story. For example, every time B eats, she has to regurgitate, otherwise the brains would rot in her stomach and attract maggots. That’s a very interesting, albeit disgusting, detail. I enjoy when authors think like readers and ask these types of questions. I’m not kidding- I actually asked about this very detail on a Goodreads thread. Think about it, if zombies are dead, that means whatever they eat would not get digested. So where does the food go? Does it sit in the stomach until the stomach eventually explodes? Does it get pushed through the digestive track? Does the zombie then poop? I can’t possibly be the only person who thinks of these questions and the fact that Shan actually addresses this proves that I am not crazy.

Anyway, I recommend this to hardcore zombie literature fans. I do not recommend introducing yourself to zombie literature with this series and I do not recommend this series for someone who is a fan of lighter zombie literature like Warm Bodies, Married with Zombies or even Rot & Ruin. Darren Shan’s Zom-B series is definitely a zombie of a different color.

Reviewed by Christina

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If you enjoyed Zom-B City by Darren Shan, you may also enjoy:

Zom-B and Zom-B Underground by Darren Shan

Walking Dead #1: Days Gone Bye, Walking Dead #2: Miles Behind Us, Walking Dead #3: Safety Behind Bars, Walking Dead #4: The Heart’s Desire, Walking Dead #5: The Best Defense, Walking Dead #6: This Sorrowful Life, Walking Dead #7: The Calm Before, Walking Dead #8: Made to Suffer, Walking Dead #9: Here We Remain, Walking Dead #10: What We Become, Walking Dead #11: Fear the Hunters, Walking Dead #12: Life Among Them, Walking Dead #13: Too Far Gone, Walking Dead #14: No Way Out, Walking Dead #15: We Find Ourselves, Walking Dead #16: A Larger World, Walking Dead #17: Something to Fear by Robert Kirkman