Dead Town

Name: Dead Town
Price: 12.95 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781537624488

✍️ Carrie Ann Lahain

Reader Score

4.4

(1 review)

$12.95

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A teen gamer and his friend evade zombie vaccines by burning a laundromat.

The story focuses on Scott Molloy, a fourteen-year-old video game champion dealing with challenging family life and severe allergies. He and his best friend Kyle Krankowski decide to burn down the local laundromat to miss their school vaccinations. This decision saves them when the vaccines turn other children into zombies. They team up with an ex-Marine and his zombie-sniffing military dog to rescue Scott’s sister and her baby. The plot moves from initial survival tactics to a confrontation with a monster scarier than the undead. Lahain structures the narrative around the irony of their escape plan and the betrayal of safe spaces.

Key Themes

zombie apocalypse teen survival family bonds

Literary Context

This novel sits within the contemporary young adult horror genre, published in 2016 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. It reflects modern anxieties about public health mandates and institutional trust through a supernatural lens. The setting is a small American town overwhelmed by a viral outbreak.

Difficulty

● Easy

Recommended For Fans Of

Max Brooks · John Scalzi · Stephen King

☣️

Apocalyptic

🏛 Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 📅 2016 📖 216 pages 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781537624488

📝 Description: Dead Town

Carrie Ann Lahain writes a horror narrative centered on fourteen-year-old Scott Molloy, a video game champion burdened by difficult family dynamics and severe allergies. The plot ignites when Scott and his best friend Kyle Krankowski intentionally burn down their local laundromat to avoid mandatory school vaccinations. This act of rebellion proves fortuitous as the required shots transform children into zombies. The story follows Scott and Kranky as they recruit an ex-Marine and his military dog, which possesses the ability to sniff out the undead. Their primary objective involves escaping with Scott’s sister and her infant child from their besieged small town. The narrative structure relies on the tension between survival and deception. As the group attempts to reach safety, Lahain reveals that secure locations may harbor hidden dangers. The protagonists eventually confront a monster more terrifying than the zombie horde pursuing them. This work appeals to readers who enjoy young adult horror with elements of military action and supernatural suspense. It may not suit those seeking slow-burning gothic atmospheres or complex literary prose. The book operates within the tradition of apocalyptic fiction where ordinary teenagers must utilize unconventional skills to survive a collapsing society.

💎 Our verdict on Dead Town

“

🩸

Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Lahain delivers a kinetic narrative centered on Scott Molloy, a fourteen-year-old video game champion navigating severe allergies and family struggles. The plot hinges on the ironic premise that burning down a laundromat to avoid vaccinations inadvertently saves the protagonists from zombie transformation. The story effectively utilizes tension between survival and deception, revealing that safe spaces may harbor hidden dangers. While it lacks the slow-burning gothic atmosphere some horror enthusiasts seek, it excels in delivering military-style action and supernatural suspense. The inclusion of an ex-Marine and his scent-sensitive dog adds a unique tactical layer to the escape from the besieged town.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers who enjoy fast-paced young adult horror with elements of military action and supernatural suspense will find this narrative engaging. The story appeals to those interested in apocalyptic scenarios where protagonists must rely on unconventional skills rather than traditional heroism. It offers a thrilling exploration of survival tactics through the lens of adolescent rebellion, specifically focusing on how minor acts of defiance can have monumental consequences. Fans of stories that blend teen drama with high-stakes zombie threats will appreciate the dynamic between Scott and his allies. The book provides an accessible entry point into the genre for those who prefer action-oriented plots over slow-burning atmospheric dread or complex literary prose.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.4

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Lahain delivers a kinetic narrative centered on Scott Molloy, a fourteen-year-old video game champion navigating severe allergies and family struggles. The plot hinges on the ironic premise that burning down a laundromat to avoid vaccinations inadvertently saves the protagonists from zombie transformation. The story effectively utilizes tension between survival and deception, revealing that safe spaces may harbor hidden dangers. While it lacks the slow-burning gothic atmosphere some horror enthusiasts seek, it excels in delivering military-style action and supernatural suspense. The inclusion of an ex-Marine and his scent-sensitive dog adds a unique tactical layer to the escape from the besieged town.