Generation Dead

Phoebe is just your typical goth girl with a crush. He's strong and silent.and dead.

All over the country, a strange phenomenon is happening. Some teenagers who die aren't staying dead. They are coming back to life, but they are no longer the same-they stutter, and their reactions to everything are slower. Termed "living impaired" or "differently biotic," they are doing their best to fit into a society that doesn't want them.

Fitting in is hard enough when you don't have the look or attitude, but when almost everyone else is alive and you're not, it's close to impossible. The kids at Oakvale High don't want to take classes or eat in the cafeteria next to someone who isn't breathing. And there are no laws that exist to protect the differently biotic from the people who want them to disappear-for good.

With her pale skin and Goth wardrobe, Phoebe has never run with the popular crowd. But no one can believe it when she falls for Tommy Williams, the leader of the dead kids. Not her best friend, Margi, whose fear of the differently biotic is deeply rooted in guilt over the past. And especially not her neighbor, Adam, the star of the football team. Adam has just realized his feelings for Phoebe run much deeper than just friendship. He would do anything for her, but what if protecting Tommy is the one thing that would make her happy?

Beth says 4.5 Stars...
I love the title of this book, but I'm not the biggest fan of the cover. Thankfully, the book felt more like the title. I was struck by the originality in how Waters handled the very done topic of zombies. There was no apocalypse, and the zombies , or differently biotic, didn't eat brains. There was a much deeper message about how society views others and about the prejudices that still exist in society beneath all of our politically correct terminology. This was helped along by a striking cast of characters, with Phoebe at the helm. She was a good main character, and felt easy to relate to. Somehow, though, I felt myself wanting more from her. All of the DB (short for differently biotic) kids were really interesting, and I can't wait to her more of their stories. Karen in particular was fascinating. I felt like there was a good balance struck with the characters; all of them had a purpose in the story. The plot moved forward well, although sometimes all of the different messages got a bit crossed and slowed everything down. I think that this was an interesting debut, and I look forward to the second novel!