Melanie is a special, brilliant girl living in a terrifying post-apocalyptic world where flesh-eating zombies own the British countryside. She is safe living in Hotel Oscar compound, though. She loves her classes, especially mathematics, and her teachers, especially Ms. Justineau, who sometimes reads stories from Greek mythology. Her favorite myth is the myth of Pandora. She doesn’t understand why the soldiers are so careful to keep their hands away from her mouth when they strap her to her chair. After all, she jokes, she doesn’t bite. 

M.R. Carey puts a striking, innovative spin on the zombie apocalypse, one of our most modern myths. He ties it back to Greek mythology through Melanie’s thoughtful narration. She has no life experience outside of her limited world, so she uses the myths she learns in class to make sense of her experiences. The myth of Pandora is the central theme running through this story, but the Trojan war, the sacrifice of Iphigenia, the fate of Actaeon, and even the sacrifice of Isaac all play a role in her journey. Mythology is often useful to children processing trauma, and Carey paints a vivid, if fictional, portrait of why humanity still needs these stories. 

A word to the wise: this book is emphatically for fans of the horror genre. Admirers of Mira Grant’s Newsflesh series will love it. Melanie and her friends do encounter zombies, and the results are gruesome. The characters curse lavishly and often, and who can blame them under the circumstances? There are no happy endings in this world, but there are still some glimmers of hope. I usually avoid this kind of book like the (zombie) plague, but I sincerely enjoyed this unique take on one of humanity’s oldest myths as told through one of its newest. - Krishni Burns