The MissingSarah Langan
I don't know how I heard about The Missing, but if you're the one who mentioned the awesomeness that is this novel, then I owe you a debt of gratitude. Finally, a zombie novel that isn't cliched or melodramatic, that treats the subject matter seriously, and that...wait for it...is well written.
GASP.
Sarah Langan has pulled it off, and The Missing didn't leave my hands until I had finished it, which didn't take very long. The novel surrounds a small Maine community affected by an environmental catastrophe. Infection spreads when a third-grade teacher decides to take her class on a field trip to the abandoned town destroyed by said catastrophe. When a child is separated from the group, he unearths a particularly dangerous substance (although "substance" isn't quite accurate here, but we'll all just have to deal with my poor word choice). The rest, as they say, is history.
(In truth, this setup is the weakest part of the novel: that a teacher would take young children to such a place -- environmental education notwithstanding -- simply doesn't make sense. I could think of another way to lose a child in these woods, but still. I don't care. I loved The Missing, so I can easily overlook this flaw.)
It isn't long before the contamination spreads to the community at large. Bad things happen; people die, and many more wish they had. As this community is ravaged by the effects of this plague, several characters offer us their perspectives on the horror. Overall, this is an intelligent novel that doesn't treat its readers as idiots looking for only a good action scene, not that I'm pointing any fingers.
In a nutshell: The Missing is well written, fast paced, and entirely engrossing. I plan on picking up everything else Sarah Langan has written.
Bibliolatry Scale: 5 out of 6 stars
GASP.
Sarah Langan has pulled it off, and The Missing didn't leave my hands until I had finished it, which didn't take very long. The novel surrounds a small Maine community affected by an environmental catastrophe. Infection spreads when a third-grade teacher decides to take her class on a field trip to the abandoned town destroyed by said catastrophe. When a child is separated from the group, he unearths a particularly dangerous substance (although "substance" isn't quite accurate here, but we'll all just have to deal with my poor word choice). The rest, as they say, is history.
(In truth, this setup is the weakest part of the novel: that a teacher would take young children to such a place -- environmental education notwithstanding -- simply doesn't make sense. I could think of another way to lose a child in these woods, but still. I don't care. I loved The Missing, so I can easily overlook this flaw.)It isn't long before the contamination spreads to the community at large. Bad things happen; people die, and many more wish they had. As this community is ravaged by the effects of this plague, several characters offer us their perspectives on the horror. Overall, this is an intelligent novel that doesn't treat its readers as idiots looking for only a good action scene, not that I'm pointing any fingers.
In a nutshell: The Missing is well written, fast paced, and entirely engrossing. I plan on picking up everything else Sarah Langan has written.
Bibliolatry Scale: 5 out of 6 stars
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