Alice in Deadland

Alice in Deadland

by Mainak Dhar

(also available in paperback)

From Amazon:

Civilization as we know it ended more than fifteen years ago, leaving as it’s legacy barren wastelands called the Deadland and a new terror for the humans who survived- hordes of undead Biters.

Fifteen year-old Alice has spent her entire life in the Deadland, her education consisting of how best to use guns and knives in the ongoing war for survival against the Biters. One day, Alice spots a Biter disappearing into a hole in the ground and follows it, in search of fabled underground Biter bases.

What Alice discovers there propels her into an action-packed adventure that changes her life and that of all humans in the Deadland forever. An adventure where she learns the terrible conspiracy behind the ruin of humanity, the truth behind the origin of the Biters, and the prophecy the mysterious Biter Queen believes Alice is destined to fulfill.

A prophecy based on the charred remains of the last book in the Deadland- a book called Alice in Wonderland.

I’m not normally a fan of zombies, but I am a fan of “fairy tale” spin-offs. When I read the description and the reviews on Amazon for this book and I saw the price for this book I thought I’d give it a shot. I’m glad I did.

This book was unexpected in many ways. For one thing it took place in India. Not your typical locale for a sci-fi/fantasy book or one you’d find a blond-haired Alice. For another thing, she doesn’t end up in another reality. She remains firmly planted in one dimension. It’s just not that kind of fantasy.

Also, as the tale unfolds, the events start to become almost plausible. Turning into something more of a conspiracy theory type story rather then just a fantasy/sci-fi story. I started thinking “Gee. Something like this could happen.” Maybe not with the undead, but something similar. It positively gave me chills down my spine. Added to the chills the rest of the book was already giving me, it made for a good spook book.

Dhar weaves an action-packed and intelligent plot with a very likable heroine. His characters are nicely developed and nicely fleshed out. His world evolved at a good pace with the story and didn’t overly dominate the action. In the end, I was rooting and cheering for this Alice and her companions as she fought the evil doers in the Deadland.

4 of 5 stars

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