Kiss of Life (Generation Dead Series #2) by Daniel Waters

From the Publisher

The phenomenon that's been sweeping the country seems to be here to stay.  Not only are the teenagers who have come back from their graves still here, but newlydeads are being unearthed all the time.  While scientists look for answers and politicians take their stands, the undead population of Oakville have banded together in a group they're calling the Sons of Romero, hoping to find solidarity in segregation.

Phoebe Kendall may be alive, but she feels just as lost and alone as her dead friends.  Just when she reconciled herself to having feelings for a zombie — her Homecoming date Tommy Williams — her friend Adam is murdered taking a bullet that was meant for her.  Things get even more confusing when Adam comes back from the grave.  Now she has romantic interest in two dead boys; one who saved her life, and one she can't seem to live without.

Children's Literature

While those familiar with the first "Generation Dead" novel won't make this mistake, I initially expected this to be a vampire story. After all, the cover art shows an ivory-skinned, blood-red-lipped goth girl lying in a coffin with a robust-looking football player poised to kiss her. But, no, this novel focuses on perhaps the most-reviled type of undead creatures around: zombies. No one knows why, but young adults who have died recently have been reanimating minutes, hours, days and even (for the very unfortunate) weeks after their deaths. Main character Phoebe Kendall is not one of the zombies (or "differently biotic") herself, but she has many friends who are. She was even dating one, the popular football player Tommy, in the first book of this series. That relationship ended tragically when her best friend Adam took a bullet meant for her. Adam reanimated, but with very limited abilities to speak or move. Remembering Tommy's theory that love could be why some zombies can function better than others, Phoebe has spent nearly all of her free time focused on helping Adam. This love triangle is just part of a larger story about discrimination, friendship and human rights. Readers should be prepared for bigotry, violence, deception, and more. Like so many series books, Daniel Waters' latest ends in media res. More questions are raised than answered in this novel, and readers are sure to wonder where the story is headed. Reviewer: Heidi Hauser Green

VOYA

This novel picks up immediately after Generation Dead (Disney/Hyperion, 2008/VOYA June 2008) ends. Previously Adam intercepted a bullet meant for Tommy, a "differently biotic" zombie. Adam dies and resurrects. Currently he is trying to relearn speech and body movement. Phoebe, whose life Adam saved, is devoted to assisting him in his recovery, while trying to sort out her feelings for Adam and Tommy. A zombie faction is pulling innocent nighttime pranks to call attention to their plight. Tommy, a born leader, travels to Washington DC to lobby for zombie rights. There is a growing backlash against zombies, led by Reverend Mather, whose minions are also pulling pranks, albeit more serious. Finally the zombies learn that Alish and Angela Hunter, their "friends," are performing dangerous experiments on them. A nighttime zombie prank turns disastrous, setting the stage for the third book in the series. This sequel will primarily attract fans of the first book and zombie lovers and does not stand well on its own. Few new characters are introduced. Water's writing is simple and in some cases silly, such as calling zombies "worm burgers." His attempt at aligning zombies' dialogue and thoughts to their jerky actions and speech is annoying, but there is action enough to interest readers. The plot parallels that of Robin Wasserman's Skinned trilogy, covering societal reaction to somewhat-human beings. Conflict, however, which should drive the book, is minimal. All cautions aside, there seems to be a fan base for this series. Use judgment. Reviewer: Ed Goldberg

School Library Journal

Gr 8–10—As this sequel to Generation Dead (Hyperion, 2008) opens, Adam is just beginning to "regenerate" after diving in front of Phoebe, the girl he always loved, when she was going to take a bullet aimed at her currently undead boyfriend. He is having a difficult time gaining control of his speech and movements, while Phoebe is under the impression that a kiss from a "beating heart" who truly loves him can help speed the process. The story then reveals a whole zombie activist movement, as well as an anti-zombie conspiracy. Taken on a superficial level, the story is an action-packed romp through the zombie subculture, including such products as "Z, the body spray for the active undead male." Taken at a more cerebral level, the novel comments on societal attitudes toward race, disability, and sexual orientation. It could also spark conversation about the afterlife as it raises a disturbing question: If there really is a God, has he turned the zombie kids away? The book is supported by an amazingly well-maintained Web site, but its downfall is that it bites off more than readers can chew. There are too many characters, too many subplots, and too many switches in perspective. Kiss of Life clearly screams for a sequel—if not two or three. With so much going on, it is easy to lose track of which character is which, never mind who is dead or undead. That being said, it's a must-buy if the first title is popular.—Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL

Kirkus Reviews

It's been one month since Adam took a bullet to the chest and saved Phoebe, the girl of his dreams, in Generation Dead (2008). Now a zombie (er, differently biotic), he doesn't know if Phoebe's affection is out of guilt or a love that neither will acknowledge. There's a lot going on: A string of crimes is blamed on the zombie population, causing a greater rift between the "dbs" (differently biotics) and "trads" (traditional biotics); a mystery surrounds the experiments taking place at the Hunter Foundation, an organization dedicated to uniting both sides of the living spectrum; and Phoebe is torn between Adam and Tommy, her first zombie crush. Adam's intermittent first-person narration reveals his difficult transformation from monosyllabic utterances to more trad-like behaviors. Although the first book poked fun at the relationship between the living and undead, this slower-paced and less witty continuation focuses on the underground (no pun intended) zombie culture. Dedicated Generation Dead fans are sure to enjoy it, however, especially the conclusion's sudden string of events and unanswered questions that shout "sequel." (Fiction. YA)

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