Deadhead
Glenn Wood
OneTree House
Pub. 2020

May 3, 2022

Glenn Wood’s Deadhead is an exciting thriller story following an experiment going wrong in the most unexpected way.

After becoming the number one target for a group of bullies at his school, thirteen-year-old Spencer Langley and his unwitting friend Regan create a robot zombie bodyguard to scare them away. Working better than he expected, he uses it for other tasks as well but in an unfortunate accident the body comes alive and can think for himself.

Meanwhile, Constable Cadence Green is investigating her partner, Constable Garret Hunter’s, death, which was deemed an accident, and is certainly surprised when she comes across his resurrected corpse. Having to work with the police officers to stop the criminal boss The Undertaker who wants the zombie for himself, Spencer and Reagan soon find themselves caught up in something bigger than they ever imagined.

This book fits into many genres: thriller, mystery, crime and sci-fi which means that a wide range of readers will enjoy it and it is always interesting. The point of view of the story switches regularly and the way the mood and the language of the story changes for each character is engaging and very well written. I loved how the book started with multiple different plots going on that then all connected at the end as all the characters had to unite and work together against the real villain.

From the beginning it was very gripping and foreshadowed a few potential problems, which gave an exciting element of suspense. Each character was well thought through and had clear morals and traits. They also had flaws, making them realistic and relatable. The writing clearly showed how their goals changed throughout the book and how their thoughts and interactions with others changed as they learned something new about each other. Although it was a fantasy book there were some realistic problems involved, like sexism, financial issues, and criminal gangs. This subtly teaches people about these issues in a fun and interesting way.

This is not your typical zombie horror story which is good, because it makes it interesting and unexpected. The comic like illustrations throughout the book give a visual idea of what is going on and makes it very enjoyable to read and easier to understand.

Throughout, there are comic style illustrations, which made it enjoyable to read and you kind of got more of an idea of what was going on.  The pace changes throughout the book, but it is never too slow or too fast, which means it is not too intense but always compelling.

I would recommend this book for readers aged 12 and up as there are some more adult concepts as well as violence and gore. It would also be enjoyable for most older readers especially fans of other science fiction books.

Overall, this was an engaging story with great description, relatable characters and an exciting adventure.

• Thora is 14 years old and lives in Nelson.