Deadlands by Lily Herne REVIEW

BOOK REVIEW Teens vs zombies vs The State

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Deadlands book review.

Essentially The Hunger Games meets Dawn Of The Dead set in South Africa, YA apocalypser Deadlands is simultaneously massively derivative and enjoyably fresh.

In a dystopian Cape Town, years after the dead have risen, teenagers are singled out by the sinister city “lottery” to be delivered to the otherworldly Guardians. Our feisty teenage heroine Lele must navigate family problems, a love triangle and her first day at a new school before joining an underground faction, uncovering a conspiracy, learning to fight with throwing stars and battling the undead.

A good natured anti-capitalist message, pacey prose packed with cliffhangers, and an ensemble of diverse and likeable characters elevates Deadlands from generic teen mush to digestible political satire via a pop-culture plot.

Rosie Fletcher twitter.com/TotalFilm_Rosie

Read more of our book reviews .
Watch the World War Z trailer .
Read our The Walking Dead season 3 reviews .

SFX Magazine is the world's number one sci-fi, fantasy, and horror magazine published by Future PLC. Established in 1995, SFX Magazine prides itself on writing for its fans, welcoming geeks, collectors, and aficionados into its readership for over 25 years. Covering films, TV shows, books, comics, games, merch, and more, SFX Magazine is published every month. If you love it, chances are we do too and you'll find it in SFX.