The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The trend for zombie books has largely passed me by, but having picked up The Girl with all the Gifts and was drawn into the fast-paced story before I realised what it was about. Turns out it was very good indeed, so when this appeared on my library shelves I grabbed it.
It is not a sequel as such, rather a story set in the same world that he created in The Girl with all the Gifts. Up in Scotland are a small team of soldiers and scientists who have left the last stronghold of humanity, Beacon, and who have been tasked with finding a cure for the virus that has turned the population into ‘hungries’. With them is possibly the only person who would be capable of finding the cure from the caches of Cordyceps cultures, should there be one, Stephen. He was a survivor of an outbreak and his strange behaviour is tolerated as he is quite brilliant.
Packed in the cross between an articulated truck and a tank called ‘Rosie’ are two commanders, one with a military brief to get the mission to the places they need to go and retrieve the samples that they need and the other is in charge of the science team. In this confined space comes the news of an unauthorised pregnancy, challenges to the authority of those holding the mission together. Unknown to most of the team the seeds of sabotage are being sown and they lose contact with Beacon. In amongst this turmoil is also the glimmer of hope as a discovery is made that may be the bridge between hungry and human.
This is another really good book that uses a solid scientific foundation for Carey to build the story on. It is fairly fast paced, with plenty of intrigue and tension as the events on ‘Rosie’ build. If you have read and liked the Girl with all the Gifts, then this is going to be right up your street. I am hoping that there is another book set in this world soon.
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