Soulless
by Christopher Golden

    SOULLESS by Christopher Golden
    Category:  Horror
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  10/21/08
    Publisher:  MTV Books
    Reviewed by:  Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
    Rating:  5 Stars


    I have a thing for zombies.  Don't worry, it's not as horrible as it sounds.  Okay, yes, it probably is kind of gruesome.  
    But anyway, back to the task at hand, which is Christopher Golden's SOULLESS.  I can basically sum up this review
    in four words: This. Book. Is. Awesome.

    However, readers have come to expect more from our reviews, so I'll do my best to oblige.

    The best thing about SOULLESS, besides it's amazing characters, great dialogue, and superb writing, is the actual
    premise.  I can honestly say that I have NEVER run across this plot line in any other book that I've ever read.  That
    point right there makes picking up a copy of the book imperative.  So now you're wanting to know what the premise is,
    right?  We've all read myriads of stories about séances.  We've also read tons of books about zombies.  But have you
    ever read a book about a mass séance that produces zombies?  I didn't think so.

    This is the dilemma that New York City finds itself in after three leading mediums, Professor Joe Cormier, Annelise
    Hirsch, and Eric Honen, get the brilliant idea to hold a mass séance on live television.  I have to admit, it IS a brilliant
    idea.  While mediums, on their own, can contact someone who has recently died, a group of mediums, "pooling" their
    power and resources, should be able to contact numerous dead, so that they can communicate with the loved ones they
    left behind.  Appearing on the morning show Sunrise, hosted by Amy Tjan and Steve Bell, the three hope to open the
    lines of communication with all of the recently departed within a few miles of the studio for a few short minutes.

    Their plan works.  Too well.  Well enough that hundreds, maybe even thousands, of dead rise from their graves,
    hungrily searching for the ones they left behind - not to communicate with them, but to eat them.  (Yes, I got a little thrill
    just from typing that.  Again, it's that gruesomeness I spoke of earlier.)

    And so begins SOULLESS, a book that will take you on a wild ride through New York with an unforgettable cast of
    characters.  From the gang member who decides to go searching for his family, to the two college guys who have to put
    their political differences aside to make it home, to the young actress/singer who just had her heart broken by her
    girlfriend, to Joe Cormier's daughter sitting in the audience of Sunrise, this is one story that you won't soon forget.

    Needless to say, I loved SOULLESS.  Even if you're not a typical zombie lover, you won't be able to resist this story.  
    Although there's a finite ending to SOULLESS, I really, really hope that Mr. Golden will write more, if not about these
    same characters, then at least about zombies running rampant, hungering for human flesh.  (The thrill, again!)

    Pick up a copy when it goes on sale on October 21st.  You won't regret it - although you might stay up a bit late with
    the lights on.