ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE

A girl eager to escape her quiet Scottish village must first face a burgeoning zombie apocalypse in this novel based on the musical film of the same name.

Anna Shepherd is in her final year of secondary school in the Scottish town of Little Haven. Despite her father’s disapproval, she plans to travel the world before entering university. The night of the annual school Christmas show, something happens that upends her plans: a zombie outbreak. She and her best friend, John, come upon a zombie dressed as a snowman and then run into their friend’s disco-obsessed–turned-undead stepbrother. After seeking shelter at Thunderballs, the bowling alley where they both work, they’re swarmed by an undead bachelor party. Anna and her friends must fight for survival as they wait for outside help that may never arrive. Her father is trapped at school with the now power-mad assistant principal, Mr. Savage, and she and John battle their way to him through a village run amok with zombies—many dressed as Christmas elves. The third-person omniscient point of view allows insight into the many characters’ heads, but it doesn’t make them dynamic enough to warrant the fear for their safety necessary to propel the plot. Instead a rote zombie thriller unfolds, replete with grim, random deaths and sprinkles of stilted humor. All characters appear to be white, and one character is lesbian.

Another clichéd zombie apocalypse with too many characters and no new shine.