Detention of the Living Dead

by Rusty Fischer
Release date: 29th September, 2012
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Pages: 199 (ebook provided for review in exchange of an honest review)

Summary from Goodreads:

Maxine “Max” Compton is in detention when the outbreak starts; so are several other students when Max’s best friend Brie storms in – chomping on the thigh bone of their favorite Home Ec teacher, Ms. Watkins!

Brie is a zombie, and quickly starts biting everyone in the room—even her best friend, Max!

When the class realizes what happens, it’s too late; they are all zombies—and they’re no longer alone.

Now a thin gray man in a white lab coat is testing them; making them read, and once they can no longer read, the zombies are led from the room, never to be seen again.

One by one the zombies stop reading, all but a few of them, Max included. Oh, and that cute thug she’s been crushing on for years, Zander Cash!

That’s when Max learns that there are good zombies, and bad zombies. And if she’s to survive, she has to pick a side.

Who knew Detention could be this hard… or last forever?

Review By Alaiel Kreuz:

Our main character, Max, is a very normal and simple girl that is sometimes bullied by the cool girls of her class, like Jaycee, who likes tormenting her a little too much.
And everything begins the day Brie (Max's best friend) tells Max to step up and defend herself... which ends with them all in Detention.

During Detention and while Max is trying not to stare at Cory (her sort of love interest) the sound system of the school turns on and the Principal begins to shout that zombies are taking the school and are killing everyone they find in their way.
The last sentence he pronounces, before he is eaten, will give you the chills.

This is when all hell breaks loose and everything changes for the ones inside the Detention class. No one will get out of it alive. And that's not their biggest problem. The real problem is, what happens when a zombie realizes he can't read anymore? No one will give them an answer to that, specially because Proctor (some sort of clever guy wearing a white doctor's coat) takes away everyone that starts acting like a real zombie (scary/crazy face, muttering and shouting Brains! like it's the new trend) and they never come back.

And when Brie leaves the room with a look of desperation behind her crazy-zombie-mode-turned-on Max takes a decision. After all, she is already dead, right?

Personal opinion:

Once again I was struck by Rusty's ability to create so many wonderful characters that I grew to care about in such a short time. And zombies, teenage zombies to be more precise. That's even more fantastic 'cause zombies are not my cup of tea.
Except for Rusty's. He has an extraordinary way of presenting them and their personality that's it's impossible not to like them.

This book would be a great addition for all lovers of zombie books. Detention of the Living Dead is not too long and it has the right amount of adventures, surprises and troubles to keep your reading until the end in one sit.

Alaiel's Rating: