Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

Title: Generation Dead
Author: Daniel Waters
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 978-1-84738-327-3
Pages: 392
Series: Generation Dead #1
Type: Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

All over America teenagers who die aren't staying dead, they're coming back. Goth girl outcast Phoebe finds herself drawn to hunky funny jock Tommy Williams, but Tommy is already dead. Not everyone is as accepting of the 'living impaired' as Phoebe, and some are trying to rid the community of these individuals and will stop at nothing to reach their goals.

I got this book in a 5 book set for just under £10 in WHSmiths, and I have to say I'm glad I didn't pay more for it. I hadn't heard much about these books although I had seen them in stores, and as I'm not a massive fan of zombies I doubt I would have read this were it not in the set.

A large portion of the plot of the book is given over to exploring the prejudice between the living and the living impaired. While it draws interesting parallels to racial and disability discrimination, it's covered to the point of being overdone here and I ended up becoming very bored with it. It also overpowers the rest of the plot which means that the reason why American teenagers are coming back from the dead is never fully explained and the romance is poorly developed.

I wasn't thrilled with Phoebe as a main character as she seemed to be quite stereotypical. I don't know much about Goth culture, but I doubt it involves continually pointing out what bands you're into or slipping off to write overly emotional poetry. A love triangle is quickly set up involving Phoebe's lifelong friend and boy-next-door Adam and the newly dead Tommy. However Phoebe never really figures out what she feels for Tommy and is completely oblivious to Adam so the love triangle is more like boring dates and dull conversations.

The plot doesn't really flow, and it seems more like the author is setting up the series than writing a good book. The book flounders about until the inevitable cliffhanger ending. From the blurb this book seems like it has a lot of potential, but it has been sacrificed in order to create a world where a series of books can be set. Some incredible series have grown out of books that suffer from first-in-a-series-itis, but after reading this I'm reluctant to give any other books in the series a chance.

All in all this was an okay read, and while I may eventually read The Kiss of Life I doubt it'll be any time soon.

Plot: 7/10
Characters: 7/10
Ending: 7/10
Enjoyment: 6/10
Cover: 7/10

Overall: 34/50