Review: The Zombie Project by Alice Nuttall

The Zombie Project is a gripping, thought-provoking, one-of-a-kind zombie story that completely captured me from start to finish.

Eleven-year-old Merian wakes to a familiar sound: a zombie tapping at her cabin window. Unperturbed by such occurrences, she traps it and drops it into a dead-trap pit and then takes her cat for a walk in the forest … where she is confronted by another zombie. Luckily, friend and ranger, Justin, is on hand to help her deal with the danger. Despite this perilous situation, Merian does not wish to kill zombies as she knows human survival depends on them …

Merian is the daughter of scientist, Dr Gwen Hope, who is the leading expert in the field of death-flies, the world’s most important pollinator after the extinction of many other insect pollinators, including bees. The larvae of the death-flies incubate in humans and are activated when they die, turning them into zombies until the death-flies hatch. This makes zombies a vital part of the ecosystem and instrumental in the survival of the human race, but what if there are those whose greed supersedes the needs of humanity?

As Merian and her mum leave their home to attend a science exhibition in the city where her mum is facing challenge from those with opposing views, they leave behind possible sabotage and head towards dangerous encounters. Will they be able to convince people that zombies are essential to survival, or will others persuade people that they have been fed a lie about the necessity of zombies?

And so begins an action-packed, edge-of your-seat read that I absolutely couldn’t put down. With plenty of scares, horror and unexpected twists and turns, this is a story that completely gripped me as tension builds and danger intensifies to heart-pounding levels. A perfect blend of excitement and terror!

This is such a thought-provoking read with so many powerful messages around environmental issues, media manipulation and influence, corporation control, activism and fake news conflicting with science. I found the portrayal of zombies as both something to be feared, but also absolutely necessary to the survival of humanity, absolutely fascinating. I won’t deny that I found the zombies scary but they also engendered pity and, with dawning realisation, hope.

Merian is an incredible character: strong, determined, resilient and courageous. She understands the importance of the zombies to the ecosystem and, when she makes an important discovery, she takes great risks to ensure the future of the zombies – and the future of humanity! When she finds others trying to manipulate situations, she takes control, often placing herself in danger, to ensure that the truth unfolds.

An unmissable, one-of-a-kind zombie adventure for our time – a thought-provoking story of courage and determination, survival and hope, frights and horror … young readers of 11+ will absolutely devour this!

Thank you to Laura Smythe PR and Chicken House Books for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.