June 3, 2024
In this laugh-out-loud horror adventure, 16-year-old twins Soren and Eira must get their cardio game on-point if they hope to survive the zombie apocalypse that’s descending upon a small Alaskan town. Deciding to strike out on their own away from their fundamentalist parents (who don’t know that both siblings are queer), Soren and Eira leave their prepper family’s remote homestead. Upon their arrival to the nearest town, Marion Gap, the sisters discover it has been ripped apart by zombies. The only survivor seems to be their friend Racer, a Special Olympics gold medalist who has his work cut out for him in training the twins to outrun and outpace the infected hordes. As the trio attempt to make sense of this new and ravaged world, they venture out in search of help and community amid the collapse of society and find like-minded (and not-so-like-minded) survivors. Fans of zombies and comedic horror novels will find a lot to enjoy here; snappy prose by Mac (Wildfire) drives the subversive plot at a brisk clip, bouncing from place to place and introducing new and intriguing characters while maintaining focus on the girls’ catalyzing plight. Though the ending is somewhat abrupt, the emotional punch it delivers is well earned. Main characters read as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jess Regel, Helm Literary.