In the post-zombie world of Frail, being human is a liability. Seventeen-year-old Amy believes herself to be the last pure human--a "frail"--in a world of ex-zombies and ex-humans, both infected by a secondary plague that changed the already changed world of the zombie apocalypse. It was bad enough when there were just zombies, undead flesh eaters, slowly devouring the humans. Now the "exes" rule the world--fast, strong, self-healing, immortal and brutal.
Frail is the second book in a planned trilogy; the first book, Dust, described the world from the perspective of the undead zombie. In this book, we get a terrifying glimpse of a life where humans are no longer the top of the food chain. Amy's life is saved, several times, by an ex-human named Lisa, and a fragile--one might say frail--friendship is formed. When they are forcibly recruited into a new town where humans are treated as slaves or pets, Amy and Lisa begin to look for ways to change the status quo. The plot resolves in several satisfying scenes while creating more satisfying ambiguity.
The tone is gritty and the prose gets more ethereal as the story moves forward; the end of the book introduces some beings with seemingly supernatural powers, but manages to stay firmly rooted in the bone and sinew and blood of the human experience. Amy's adolescent voice is strong and clear throughout the novel, allowing readers to come in close to the inner workings of a frail human being who has been through too much and who may in fact have to experience much more. --Rob LeFebvre, freelance writer & editor