Play Dead by Ryan Brown

From Good Reads: Today’s #1 New York Times bestselling thriller writers agree: Ryan Brown’s compulsively readable first novel is unbeatable—a darkly humorous, rich and pungent zombie shocker that melds our national obsession with football and the newest wave of fascination with the undead.For the first time in Killington High School history, the Jackrabbits football team is one win away from the district championship where it will face its most vicious rival, the Elmwood Heights Badgers. On the way to the game, the Jackrabbits’s bus plunges into a river, killing every player except for bad-boy quarterback Cole Logan who is certain the crash was no accident—given that Cole himself was severely injured in a brutal attack by three ski-masked men earlier that day. Bent on payback, Cole turns to a mysterious fan skilled in black magic to resurrect his teammates. But unless the undead Jackrabbits defeat their murderous rival on the field, the team is destined for hell. In a desperate race against time, with only his coach’s clever daughter, Savannah Hickman, to assist him, Cole must lead his zombie team to victory. . . in a final showdown where the stakes aren’t just life or death—but damnation or salvation. Boundlessly imaginative and thrillingly satisfying, Play Dead gives small-town Texas an electrifying jolt of the supernatural, and is unquestioningly The Zombie Novel of the Year!

The Comeback Story of the Season . . .


My Take:  Ok so Football and Zombies.  Football is usually not my cup of tea but I love the movie and series Friday Night Lights and this said that it was set in Texas amongst all that football hysteria ( hey I grew up in  Indiana and know about hysteria (basketball).  I have read several books about zombies lately (Forest of Hands and Teeth, Dead Tossed Waves) and lets face it the author is really cute. (I know that this has  been mentioned several times).  So I thought I would take a chance.

I wasn't sorry.  The story does involve football but it really isn't just about football.  It does involve zombies but it's not just about zombies.  This is a story about what kids need to do to fit in, stand out.

Yes there is the rivalry between two schools that causes the whole problem in the first place.  The pressure that is put on the football teams to perform and to win.  I think this is shown best by the second string quarterback throwing up in the bus on the way to the game because he has to play as first string.

Is there the usual zombie  eating brains thing going on?  Some but they don't really go after the brains.  This story has a twist where they are brought back  to life on purpose not because they were bitten by a zombie.

There is blood and guts , let's face it what would zombies be without it, so if you don't like that stuff this probably isn't the story for you (but you probably figured that out when you saw it was a book about zombies).  I liked the story and it kept me  up late so I could find out what happened next.  Great story!!

I read this book as part of a blog tour and received the book in exchange for my honest review.  You can check out the other blogs on the tour here.

        


I told you he was good looking!!