Dust - Joan Frances Turner

Jessie died nine years ago, and was reborn a zombie. She has been apart of a zombie gang, and has led a good afterlife, well as good as any zombie can. Then one day she notices that their leader, Teresa, doesn't smell like your typical zombie. At first she dismisses it, but then the zombies notice humans who start looking and smelling like zombies. Jessie's brother, Jim, finds her in the forest, and tells her that he's part of a group of scientists who are trying to find out why some people come back as zombies. The thing is that the bacteria they released into the surrounding area is making humans turn into zombies, and zombies back into humans. As most of the human population dies before they turn into zombies, the zombies turn into humans, but with a voracious appetite. They eat anything and everything until nothing is left. Can the zombie/humans survive, or will their hunger consume them all?

I absolutely enjoyed this book. It wasn't your typical zombie threat unleashed, and the few humans remaining try to fight back and survive. Dust gave the zombies personality, feelings, and a sense of belonging somwhere. To them they were almost human, even though they were dead.

I also recommend the Generation Dead series by Daniel Waters.

T.B. 10/22/10