Nearly two years ago, the world changed; everyone over 16 became horrifically ill and began to crave fresh meat. As supplies are exhausted and the vicious grown-ups grow braver, Arrum and Maxie, along with their band of refugees, must embark on a perilous journey across London to reach the safest spot in the city: Buckingham Palace. Multiple narrators both propel the action and provide an abundance of danger-wrought scenarios. Such division weakens character development somewhat, however, leaving the lead teens rather thin in personality—but this story’s all about plot, anyway. Higson does an admirable job developing the survivalist theme; the addition of the crazed adults to the subgenre raises this above similar works, such as Michael Grant’s Gone series. Avoiding many English colloquialisms, the text will be easily understood by an American audience, and readers unfamiliar with London’s geography will appreciate the endpaper maps. Intrigue, betrayal and the basic heroic-teens-against-marauding-adults conflict give this work a high place on any beach-reading list. (Suspense. YA)
