The Infects by Sean Beaudoin

Summary:
A feast for the brain, this gory and genuinely hilarious take on zombie culture simultaneously skewers, pays tribute to, and elevates the horror genre.

Seventeen-year-old Nero is stuck in the wilderness with a bunch of other juvenile delinquents on an “Inward Trek.” As if that weren’t bad enough, his counselors have turned into flesh-eating maniacs overnight and are now chowing down on his fellow miscreants. As in any classic monster flick worth its salted popcorn, plentiful carnage sends survivors rabbiting into the woods while the mindless horde of “infects” shambles, moans, and drools behind. Of course, these kids have seen zombie movies. They generate “Zombie Rules” almost as quickly as cheeky remarks, but attitude alone can’t keep the biters back.

Serving up a cast of irreverent, slightly twisted characters, an unexpected villain, and an ending you won’t see coming, here is a savvy tale that that’s a delight to read—whether you’re a rabid zombie fan or freshly bitten—and an incisive commentary on the evil that lurks within each of us. (from GoodReads)

Review:
Another zombie book! Unfortunately, The Infects was nowhere near as good as This is Not a Test. In my opinion, this novel does not "skewer, pay tribute to or elevate the horror genre" in any way, shape or form.

I honestly don't know if The Infects is a bad book or I just didn't "get it." Because, I'll be honest, sometimes books are just not for me and I believe this is one of them (especially because there are some positive reviews on GoodReads). The Infects is supposed to be a witty and satirical look at current horror genre trends but I didn't see any of that. I could tell the author wanted to be funny but I didn't really laugh that much and if there was any commentary on society it whizzed by me.

So mostly my feelings on this book are confusion, because I really didn't see any of the scathing remarks and witty banter that supposedly is in full force in The Infects. I also didn't like any of the characters, especially since none of them were developed or even likable. I like zombie books but this one wasn't scary or gripping or interesting at all. The author tried to be hip with pop culture references but it added little to the narrative.

So I did not enjoy The Infects and I think the synopsis is misleading because the author did not do a very good job of proving his point, whatever that was.

Rating: 3 out of 10.
FTC: reviewed through LitPick

2012/Candlewick/384 pages.