Bel Reviews: Daniel Waters—"Generation Dead"

What if death wasn’t the end for teenagers? If you died in your teen years, you got a second chance. You got to ‘live’ as an undead person. You were able to go home, to go to school, and spend time with your friends.

What if your friends and family didn’t want to let you back into their lives?
What if an undead guy wanted to join the school gridiron team?
What if an undead guy asked you to the homecoming dance?

These questions and quite a few more are put into the spotlight in Daniel Waters’ novel Generation Dead.

Oakville High has the highest populace of ‘differently biotic’ teens in the states, and not too many of the ‘traditionally biotic’ students are sympathetic to their situation. The first book in this series is set in and around Oakville High’s community. We get to spy on the hotbed of political correctness gone crazy as living and dead students alike try to get on with their ‘lives’ as best they can.
Mainly we’re following Adam, Phoebe and Tommy as they figure out what is going on with each other and what is wrong with society.
I have an incredibly biased opinion of men writing female characters and make no secret of it. Daniel blew my expectations out of the water, and wrote a gripping, well thought out, emotionally charged and entertaining book, spending a good part of the book in the heads of his female characters.

The book travels in so many different directions that you would think you’d be easily lost. However the character viewpoints are easily followed as we head hop through our cast. Each character’s voice is very individual; there is no mistaking who you’re with. There is definite character development and plot lines are tight.

I can only imagine how our own communities would be shaken up if something like this actually happened in real life. I hope I would have the intestinal fortitude to have an open mind and the patience to get to know the differently biotic kids in my area.

Daniel keeps a pretty cool blog or two online as well; including one that is mentioned in the book, written by one of the undead characters.

http://watersdan.blogspot.com/ and http://mysocalledundeath.blogspot.com/
I recommend them both.

There’s the Generation Dead series website, which also looks like a bit of fun.

Daniel Waters – Generation Dead

Published 4 July, 2009 by Hyperion Press
Series: Generation Dead Ser.
Paperback, 416 pages
ISBN: 9781423109228