Passing Strange (Generation Dead, #3)

Aug 30, 2012 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 1 of 5 stars

It took me quite some time to get around to reading the third installment of the Generation Dead series and this largely because, Generation Dead and Kiss of Life were easily amongst the most failtastic books I have ever come across. Were it not for our commitment to finishing series once we start them, there is no way that I would have picked up this book.

Tommy is off in Washington trying to get legal rights for zombies who are living with the fall out for being framed for the death of Gutteri...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars

Imagine turning up to school and all your friends who had died are now Zombies except you are not allowed to call them Zombies , they are the Living Impaired.
For those who haven't read Generation Dead and Kiss of Life (Book One and Two) then you may find Passing Strange more than a tad odd."Just A Warning". This is one of those series , where in order to follow the story you have to read the books in order.
Whereas the first two stories follow the main characters of Phoebe , Tommy and her friend...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Johanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Passing Strange
(Generation Dead Book #3)
by Daniel Waters

Genre: Young Adult | Urban Fantasy | Paranormal Romance

Karen DeSonne is used to pretending to be something she’s not. All her life, she’s passed as a normal all-American teenager; with her friends, with her family, and at school. Passing cost her the love of her life. And now that Karen’s dead, she’s still passing – this time, as alive. Meanwhile, Karen’s dead friends have been fingered in a high-profile murder, causing a new round of anti-...more Passing Strange
(Generation Dead Book #3)
by Daniel Waters

Genre: Young Adult | Urban Fantasy | Paranormal Romance

Karen DeSonne is used to pretending to be something she’s not. All her life, she’s passed as a normal all-American teenager; with her friends, with her family, and at school. Passing cost her the love of her life. And now that Karen’s dead, she’s still passing – this time, as alive. Meanwhile, Karen’s dead friends have been fingered in a high-profile murder, causing a new round of anti-zombie regulations that have forced nearly all of Oakvale’s undead into hiding. Karen soon learns that the “murder” was a hoax, staged by Pete Martinsburg and his bioist zealots. Obtaining enough evidence to expose the fraud and prove her friends’ innocence means doing the unthinkable: betraying her love by becoming Pete’s girlfriend. Karen’s only hope is that the enemy never realizes who she really is – because the consequences would be even worse than death.

Karen has always been considered one of the "fast" zombies and the most caring and beautiful as well. She has dear friends who are both living-impaired and heart-beaters, but in the beginning of Passing Strange she learns something about herself that both fascinates and frightens her immensely. Thus, she decides to keep it a secret. Her world has also turned up-side-down, funny thinking that she's a rare zombie to begin with, but seriously . . . her fellow dead-walking friends are now in hiding on the bottom of the local frozen lake for a crime they didn't commit, her family is beginning to emotionally reach out to her in ways she never imagined since her suicide, the government has passed new strict laws where her kind are no longer allowed out without certain authorization, and she was able to pass as being "alive" long enough to get a job at the mall. Strange, right? Now she's taken it upon herself to help her friends, both living and dead, to overcome the injustice being dealt to them by falsely dating (ie. being an undercover agent) the main reason for most of their problems, Pete.

Like all readers following the Generation Dead series, Passing Strange created a twist for it's fans by getting new POVs. The previous two books where told from Tommy, Adam, and Phoebe's perspective, but now we're getting into the thoughts of Karen, Takuyaki, and Pete. Sadly, none of the new three narrators were my favorite in the series, but it was interesting to see the post-zombie world through their eyes. If you read the books, you know the whole concept of how everyone deals with these zombies is really one big metaphor for racism (aka "bioism" in the book). Some people deal with it a lot better than others, but overall it points out the ugliness of prejudices in society. Karen had some really touching moments throughout this book and even had me tearing up as times. Tak really learned about having to step up and take the spot of Tommy as the new leader of the local zombies. Pete was just as dark and evil throughout and didn't really convince me of his actions near the end when his conscious caught up with him, but could someone please explain what exactly was happening to him on page 369?

Also, Passing Strange ends in a why that has the reader really questioning just WHERE the series is headed. Karen's secret becomes even juicer at the end and the last sentence is a major turning point for Generation Dead, even though there seems to be a lot of foreshadowing hidden throughout the text. That's what I find so fasinating throughout these books, there's so many similarities to the past and it's a perfect example of the saying "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it".

Lastly, I'm so shocked this series hasn't become as popular as I would have liked it too. I was obsessed from book one and I know all these books will be a permanent fixture in my library. Yet, I would like more of the reading public to check them out as well since they're a delight and are definitely one of my favorites!!!

Likes: Tak and his gang (Popeye & Tayshawn) were really funny together.

Dislikes: I would have liked to see more of Tommy, but I know he's off doing better and brighter things right now and we'll be seeing more of him in the future of the series. Yet, if you think about who he's starting to become, that's just another huge foreshadowing of what will happen in the next couple of books. Just think about which historical figure he most resembles right now and sadly, I think they'll share the same fate!(less)

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Mar 07, 2012 Jessica Saylor rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

REVIEW:
Passing Strange was a lot different than the other two books in the series. Mainly because the main character switches from Phoebe to a zombie that could pass as human. I am still not sure whether or not I think this hindered or helped the series.

For one, I loved Phoebe. Her activism and willingness to help everyone was one of the main reasons I enjoyed this series, and now that it has switched to the zombie (I am not saying the name for those of you who ignored the spoiler warning) you...more

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Dec 27, 2010 Marian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, readit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. If the one thing that kept you from truly loving the Generation Dead novels was a little too much Phoebe and a little less Karen, this is the GD book for you. Most of the book is told from Karen's point of view (with occasional blip from Pete, whom you might recall was Adam's murderer but since Adam turned zombie, Pete didn't really get charged properly.) and a lot of questions you might have had about her are answered.

For instance, Karen is a firm believer in "fake it 'til you make it." She com...more If the one thing that kept you from truly loving the Generation Dead novels was a little too much Phoebe and a little less Karen, this is the GD book for you. Most of the book is told from Karen's point of view (with occasional blip from Pete, whom you might recall was Adam's murderer but since Adam turned zombie, Pete didn't really get charged properly.) and a lot of questions you might have had about her are answered.

For instance, Karen is a firm believer in "fake it 'til you make it." She comes across as calm, cool, and definitely collected in the other books, but once you see things from her side, you realize she's just as messed up as everyone else. It's just that she's learned to hide it better. Karen, you see, is a master at passing. She passes for alive, in many senses of the word. Without Tommy around, Karen has to find her own role to play in things.

So she gets a job at Wild Thingz! and somehow ends up dating Pete. She's spying on him, he's losing what's left of his mind, and things don't unravel quite as quickly as you'd imagine, given that he's not shy about sharing his hatred of the differently biotic and his plan to off Phoebe and lay the blame at Adam's feet.

Which was probably the worst thing to say to Karen since she's a little in love with Phoebe herself.

Karen's parts of the books are told as if she's sharing her story with the one who got away. Only they didn't get away so much as Karen pushed them away, afraid of things changing (which they already had) and how the rest of the world would see them. Karen's quick to point out that she didn't die of a broken heart, she died because she fell into a fit of blue-tinged depression she couldn't find her way out of, but the broken heart might be what brought her back.

That's the other fun thing. Karen isn't just good at passing, she can actually heal wounds. When she's shot at the start of the book, she's more than a little worried about her little sister's reaction to her new face, but after a nap (which is unusual enough) she wakes up and has begun to heal. Later, Karen will use this to her advantage, but it does begin to make her wonder what makes her so special and why?

Despite knowing that Karen's and Pete's plans are going to blow up in their faces, it's still incredibly interesting to watch exactly how that plays out. You're given enough insight into Pete's mind to decide if you feel a bit sorry for him, but not so much that you're sure whether he's changed enough to have actually earned that sympathy or not.

But my favorite bit is the end, when Karen goes 'home' to the one she's been dedicating her story to, and her best friend/could have been girlfriend, reacts the way most people who would kill to have one more day with someone they've lost would: she hugs her tightly and there are tears.(less)

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Feb 12, 2011 Darkfallen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-n-reviewed

So when I first started this book I was under the impression that it was the last book in the series. After reading it I was left searching to find out if there was another one. Need less to say I was able to find out that there might, and should be, a fouth and even a fifth book. That being said I give this book 4 stars. However if this book turns out to be the last and final book then it is more like a 3.

I only say this because for every question this book answers it leaves you asking 2 new on...more So when I first started this book I was under the impression that it was the last book in the series. After reading it I was left searching to find out if there was another one. Need less to say I was able to find out that there might, and should be, a fouth and even a fifth book. That being said I give this book 4 stars. However if this book turns out to be the last and final book then it is more like a 3.

I only say this because for every question this book answers it leaves you asking 2 new ones, making it a good "bridger" book. Not so much a good final book. You with me?

In the book we learn ALOT about our little Miss Karen DeSonne. Most of this book is from her perspective. While I was left missing Phoebe and Adam alot during this book I really grew to love Karen even more. We already learned that Karen committed suicide, but we never knew why until now...Has we grow to learn more about Karen we also learn more about about our villian Pete.
With Tommy off to Washington Karen and Tak are left to take care of the others. Since Tak is forced to hide underground Karen really steps up. She has spent her whole life pretending to be something that she is not. So why not spend her undead "life" pretending to be alive? Pretending to be a "trad" girl Karen uses Pete to clear Tak and the other zombies names from a murder case they didn't commit. But it takes alot more than pretending to be "trad" to be with Pete. What else is Karen pretending to be?

Well if you wanna know that then you are going to have to pick up the book. You didn't really think that I would spoil it did you? I will say this....in most books there is some hidden message. Like: Don't have sex or Don't do drugs or Stay in school, and so on. The issue that Daniel Waters presents us with in this book is one that I haven't seen anyone touch. My hat goes off to him. It is about time that someone addresses this issue and the consecqusenses that it threatens when people don't think it is all right to accept it. I know that I sound criptic but I really don't waant to give anything away. Trust me once you read this you will understand.

All I can leave you with it that I REALLLLLY want to give our girl Karen a hug and tell her that everything is going to be ok.

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Jun 06, 2012 Lauren-Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Of course, I really liked this; I expected nothing less. In all honesty, I think I would've enjoyed it even more had I read it two years ago, when it was published. That said, I found I still loved the 'good guys' and such; it was interesting to get to know more about the zombies that we didn't really know in the first two installments. I do love Karen and oh, Tak, I wasn't expecting so much feeling from him! It's a shame we don't get as much of Phoebe, Adam and Margi as in the other books, but...more

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May 30, 2011 Jessica (Sugar Coated Book Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-covers, best-characters, books-i-own, zombies

This book was surprisingly a lot better than I had imagined. Passing Strange is mostly in Karen DeSonne's point of view but switches between 1st and 3rd perspective. Which I found a little annoying.

It takes place almost RIGHT after the second book, Kiss Of Life. We find out what happens to Karen after she was shot. The book goes through a journey leaving off from the 2nd book. Most of the conflict revolves around the Guttridge death and Pete's crazy psycho clan thing he has goin' on called One L...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Lindy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, supernatural, series

I started reading this series out of pure curiosity. The first book, Generation Dead appeared to run according to the regular YA Paranormal Romance plot, but a quick glance revealed that there was so much more lurking within the pages.

The Generation Dead series raises questions about identity, religion, spirituality, ethics, civil rights, government, etc. Through a varied cast of characters, the author delves into questions and issues that far surpass other books of this genre.

In fact, I quest...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Rachael Smyczak rated it 5 of 5 stars

If I had to pick which book out of this series was my favorite, this would be it. Hands down. Passing Strange is told mostly from Karen's point of view and mostly in first person. Mixed in are chapters from Pete's and Tak's point of view. They really added to the story but Karen is my favorite character from the series.

Karen has stayed above the lake where her dead friends are hiding. New laws have made it dangerous for her but she is "passing," pretending to be alive. She works at the mall and...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Sydney rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 07, 2013 Christina Santo added it

Recommended to Christina by: reading too many books and starting to run out of them at the library

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Jul 29, 2011 Gabbicalabrese rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 9th-grade

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. The first two installments in the series was Okay, but this book really disappointed me.

Karen has always been one of my favorite characters. She's cute and fun and I always suspected that she had a thing for girls. When I discovered that this book would mostly be from her point of view, I was all like "Okay, I'm on board! Let's mix it up a little!" But as I began to read, I literally felt my eyelids closing. It took me nearly two hundred pages t...more I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. The first two installments in the series was Okay, but this book really disappointed me.

Karen has always been one of my favorite characters. She's cute and fun and I always suspected that she had a thing for girls. When I discovered that this book would mostly be from her point of view, I was all like "Okay, I'm on board! Let's mix it up a little!" But as I began to read, I literally felt my eyelids closing. It took me nearly two hundred pages to even get interested, and after that I didn't hang on very long. There were several times when I shoved the book to the side and started reading another.

This book also focuses on Tak (one of the creepy zombies) and Pete (a psychopathic zombie killer person). Karen has to date Pete in order to get to the bottom of the charges that were pressed against the zombies in the previous book. I expected it to be sort of suspenseful and really make me feel the repulsion of having to date the enemy. Instead, there was absolutely no suspense whatsoever. Throughout the entire book it flips perspectives from Karen to Pete to Tak. With all three of those combined there was really little mystery left in the plot.

I found myself really missing Adam and Pheobe, because now that they're together and Adam is breaking all sorts of zombie laws, I wanted to see more of their story. But they are only really mentioned in passing.

A lot of the characters felt very flat to me in this story. Tak and Pete especially. I mean, we understand why Pete hates all of zombiekind and why he's going off and trying to eliminate them all. It just feels kind of pushed for me. "Oh, my girlfriend didn't come back so you guys are all evil." That doesn't even make sense to me. I feel like his motives were more crazy than justified.

Now, onto The reasons I liked it:

The premise. I think the whole "trying to get zombies to fit in with society" idea is kind of nifty. I like that they're not "AHHHH BRAINS!" because, quite frankly, that kind of thing kind of makes me scared to go to sleep. I also like, in this book, the idea of a lesbian zombie. It's just unique.

You can find this review and many more on MY BLOG!(less)

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Aug 23, 2010 Nina rated it 5 of 5 stars

When Leanee Briggs asked me to review Passing Strange I wondered if I should do this. I hadn’t read the first two books in the Generation Dead series and I wondered if I would get lost without the knowledge of them. I read a couple reviews that said that they read it without reading the first two books and that’s why I took the chance. I’m glad I did, because I found out that I loved Passing Strange.
Generation Dead and Kiss of Life are momentarily on my wish list, but I will be ordering them ver...more When Leanee Briggs asked me to review Passing Strange I wondered if I should do this. I hadn’t read the first two books in the Generation Dead series and I wondered if I would get lost without the knowledge of them. I read a couple reviews that said that they read it without reading the first two books and that’s why I took the chance. I’m glad I did, because I found out that I loved Passing Strange.
Generation Dead and Kiss of Life are momentarily on my wish list, but I will be ordering them very soon.

Passing Strange is all about Karen. Karen has died, come back again, well not as a human being, but as a zombie. Karen was the best character that I have read about in while. She made me truly believe that zombies weren’t that scary and that they had a good side. Zombies should have no trouble living on earth next to people with a beating heart. I know, huh? She was a strong, confident character who wanted to do something good for her friends and zombies all around town. I love her strength and that she wasn’t afraid of doing the right thing, even if that mend risking her own well being.

The characters in the book are not all very well described. But believe me, I think this is just because it’s the third book in the series. Therefore you need to read one and two to know who they are. From the beginning I didn’t like Pete. He had a sick mind and just loathed zombies. I don’t even know if he truly changed in the end. Tak is one of the hero’s in this book. I want to know more about him. I love this character. Something about him makes me want to hug him and tell him that everything is going to be alright. Hopefully in the next book he get to know a happy ending.

There was not a lot of action going on, but the parts that where had my fullest attention.

I love the unique story that Daniel Waters brings us about zombies. I haven’t read a book where zombies should be accepted, even though they are not living people and where they don’t want to feed on humans. Do you have a special fondness of zombies? Then I highly recommend Passing Strange.
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Feb 03, 2011 Ricki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Karen committed suicide and is a zombie. She lives in a world where zombies aren't accepted. So, she decides to break the law and go to work, faking that she is alive with special makeup. I enjoyed this book much more than I anticipated. I haven't read the first two, and I heard this one can stand alone. This was true with the exception of a few confusing details or characters. I found it a bit confusing at the beginning of each chapter because the point of view shifts, and the reader is left tr...more

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Oct 04, 2010 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I think that this is my favorite book of the series so far. Walking through Karen's perspective was thrilling. She was my favorite character before this, and one of the most intriguing that we've run across in Daniel Water's world of the "undead". Not quite trad and not quite a zombie; She's the most unique in the new world they walk. I had a feeling that I knew some of the things to come. Other things took me by surprise. I fell even more in love with Tak, kind of started to dislike Pop-eye, an...more

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Jun 18, 2010 P.M. rated it 4 of 5 stars

This third book in the Generation Dead series centers on Karen DeSonne, one of the biotically different (zombies) who is passing as a beating heart (living). After she is shot by a policeman and mysteriously heals unlike the other zombies who return with the damage that caused their deaths, Karen decides to date murderer Pete Martinsburg to try to expose the truth about the anti-zombie hate groups. As the story progresses, we learn more about Karen's death as a suicide. She drowned herself becau...more

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Sep 03, 2010 Pixie/PageTurners(Amber) C. rated it 3 of 5 stars

First off, I have not read the other book in this series. When I was offered Passing Strange for review, I was told it can be a stand alone- it can, but at times I was a little confused, so I would recommend reading the other books first.

The Generation Dead novels are about a group off teenage zombies, fighting for their human rights. In the previous books, there was an incident with a zombie bigot named Pete - and that is basically where Passing Strange picks up.

Karen, is a zombie, she is not...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I thought it was a very interesting and disturbing take on prejudice, intolerance and fear. The zombie kids could be almost any minority that has suffered in this horrible way. Using the popular paranormal theme brings the story current and sheds a new light onto these horrible issues. It really made me think about it more. It's hard enough to be a teenager trying to cope with all of the typical problems in their lives and then this comes along. The characters were interesting and engaging. I ha...more I thought it was a very interesting and disturbing take on prejudice, intolerance and fear. The zombie kids could be almost any minority that has suffered in this horrible way. Using the popular paranormal theme brings the story current and sheds a new light onto these horrible issues. It really made me think about it more. It's hard enough to be a teenager trying to cope with all of the typical problems in their lives and then this comes along. The characters were interesting and engaging. I had strong feelings for or against them and their actions. This wasn't a series to be taken lightly.

Passing Strange is written in the perspective of Karen DeSonne. A not-so-central character in the series and a zombie, or differently biotic if we’re being completely PC. Unlike Adam, Karen’s narration is smooth and flowing and very alive. In fact, if I didn’t know she was dead, I wouldn’t have been able to tell, especially as she was passing as alive. Until this book, Karen wasn’t really explored at all and I’m very glad that she got an entire novel to tell her story.

Karen’s life, death and after-death are much more complicated than her role in Generation Dead and Kiss of Life would suggest. The things in her life and past that caused her to commit suicide, Karen’s struggles with herself and her family’s reaction to her death and return were explored and explained in Passing Strange. But it was the relationship from her past that intrigued me the most as that was the person that Karen was telling her story to and whose identity was concealed for most of the novel.

It was during this instalment of the series that the beliefs about zombies that motivated Pete’s behaviour were finally revealed. He was under the tutorage of the Reverend who was poisoning his mind. I even began to feel a little sympathetic towards him by the end, even though he was horrible. But Karen definitely taught him a lesson he’ll never forget.

I was impressed with the author's story telling and look forward to reading more of his work.
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Aug 06, 2010 Emma rated it 3 of 5 stars

Karen DeSonne is good at fooling people. She's passed as the normal girl, the responsible daughter, and even the happy girl. The was before she killed herself.

That was before she came back.

Now, Karen is making the most of her second chance at life--or whatever it is when the dead start walking around.

Things go horribly wrong when her dead friends' planned social protest turns into a shootout after the zombies are accused of murder. Karen makes it away, but many other zombies in Oakvale are force...more Karen DeSonne is good at fooling people. She's passed as the normal girl, the responsible daughter, and even the happy girl. The was before she killed herself.

That was before she came back.

Now, Karen is making the most of her second chance at life--or whatever it is when the dead start walking around.

Things go horribly wrong when her dead friends' planned social protest turns into a shootout after the zombies are accused of murder. Karen makes it away, but many other zombies in Oakvale are forced into hiding when it becomes illegal to be dead and walking around.

Karen knows that zombies had nothing to do with this crime. And she knows where to go to clear their names. In order to get the proof and help her people, Karen is going to have to wear the ultimate disguise. She'll have to pretend to like Pete Martinsburg--a known zombie killer. But Karen's pretended to like people before. The hard part, the part that could land her in a whole world of trouble, will be pretending she's alive. Karen's fooled everyone close to her at least once, but will she be able to pull off the charade of a lifetime (or un-lifetime) in Passing Strange (2010) by Daniel Waters.

Passing Strange is the third installment in Daniel Water's quirky series about the walking dead in Oakvale (preceeded by the first book Generation Dead and Kiss of Life). This book is a departure from the first two in the series and would be a good place to start the series without missing a lot . . . except that this one is so much less than the first (and even the second) book.

Waters has abandoned his usual alternating perspectives and instead spends most of the book narrating in Karen's voice. Unfortunately that voice is vacuous and sadly under-developed, particularly when compared to the writing from the other books (or even the third person parts in Passing Strange). Karen has had a complete personality shift from earlier in the series with seemingly no reason except to titillate readers. A girl who had previously seemed strong and grounded, comes across as flighty and insipid.

The entire book was erratic and a shocking departure from its two tightly written and well-put-together predecessors. Sometimes Karen is talking in present tense, sometimes the past tense. Sometimes she addresses a mysterious "you" to no effect.* To make matters worse story threads that were raised in the earlier books are largely abandoned and sloppily set aside.

This book is a must read for anyone who has been following the series and wants to know what's happening with their favorite zombies and their traditionally biotic friends (unless that includes Tommy or Phoebe who are barely in this one) but it is also a vast disappointment after Waters' clever, sharp debut.

*The person is revealed by the end of the book but she isn't speaking directly to the person the way a character does in A Conspiracy of Kings so it really makes no sense at all.

Possible Pairings: 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson, Tamar by Mal Peet, Pretties by Scott Westerfeld, A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner(less)

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Jan 04, 2011 Librarysteph rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Passing Strange by Daniel Waters is a Generation Dead novel. While I think the book is most effective read within the series it can stand alone. I'm going to outline some major issues it deals with and then talk about the plot.

"I pretended I wasn't depressed. I pretended I wasn't in love--look where that got me. I pretended lots of other thing too, and now I'm pretending I'm alive."

Issues It Deals With

Depression:

"sometime almost feeling alive is worse than not feeling alive at all. When I was d...more

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Aug 05, 2010 Lindsey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: clean, horror-elements, some-romance, teen, sci-fi

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Jun 23, 2010 Erika rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Karen DeSonne has tricked a lot of people lately. She works at the local Wild Thingz! store, until recently attended Oakvale High, and even develops a passing relationship with a boy. There’s a few problems, though. One, which boy is she dating? Two, why is she dating him? And three, Karen’s been dead for about four years. With her friend Tommy Williams lobbying in Washington D.C. for fair treatment for the Differently Biotic across America, Karen’s been helping Phoebe, Adam, and other Oakvale t...more Karen DeSonne has tricked a lot of people lately. She works at the local Wild Thingz! store, until recently attended Oakvale High, and even develops a passing relationship with a boy. There’s a few problems, though. One, which boy is she dating? Two, why is she dating him? And three, Karen’s been dead for about four years. With her friend Tommy Williams lobbying in Washington D.C. for fair treatment for the Differently Biotic across America, Karen’s been helping Phoebe, Adam, and other Oakvale teenagers (living or not) investigate a suspicious murder, uncover a possible conspiracy, and protect other zombie teens who have had to go into hiding due to rising anti-zombie sentiment. She has her hands full, to say the least. Then again, don’t most teenagers?

Daniel Waters has switched POV on us before. Generation Dead and Kiss of Life both have multiple character threads, but usually one is a bit more dominant than the others. Passing Strange follows that trend with one notable difference: Karen’s POV overwhelms all others, and those are few and far between. Karen’s narrative is so intensely personal, I felt intrusive at times. She’s still quite guarded, which doesn’t hinder the novel in any way. In fact, it makes it better. We already know Karen’s an odd case. Suicides never come back to life. Or, at least they didn’t before Karen. Not only does that make her unique, but so does her strange ability to smell, her faster than average speech, and her smooth body movements when compared to the jerky coordination and sluggish articulation trademark to most Differently Biotic persons. She’s become very good at passing for a living teenager. What we don’t know—and what we continue to not know until well into the book—is the reason behind Karen’s suicide.

That’s a big mystery and it’s been a looming question in my mind from the moment we first met her. She’s determined, optimistic, loving, supportive, but most important of all: Karen appears to be the least likely girl to become depressed. So what drove her to feel that taking her life was the next best available option was very important to understanding her character. That being said, I don’t completely want to spoil you, but I do think Waters handles teen depression very respectfully—better than he has other social and political issues so far. That’s not to say he’s handled the others poorly. He’s done very well overall. I just think he took special care with Karen. And with nearly an entire book dedicated to her and her past, how could he not?

There are some things that aren’t explained, for all the effort Waters put into Karen. Pete Martinsburg, for example, is one sick boy I struggled to sympathize with. I dug real deep. Real, real deep, but kept coming up with nasty things to say about him (or to him, if I ever met him). I still feel he’s more pathetic and loathsome than he is regretful. The insight Waters gave us to Pete’s psyche in Generation Dead seemed like he was tipping his hand a bit too early. Finding out the villain’s motivations right away tends to ruin the suspense or the chance that she/he might be more complicated than cardboard. What it really did, though, was open a can of worms that refused to be cleaned up. Pete probably stepped on some, smashed others, or tore a few in half with his teeth. He has so much anger and hatred that is clearly misdirected at Phoebe and her zombie friends, that I really couldn’t stand the guy. I still can’t, to be honest. His last appearance makes him out to be a frightened, lost kid who really does need guidance and is groping for the only real help he thinks he can get. Call me hard-hearted, but I still don’t like him.

Is Pete more complicated? Probably. He certainly convinced me that there is a lot going on inside that head of his. Frankly, I don’t care to peek inside any longer, but Waters made me think his journey isn’t over yet. In fact, I think another sequel is a must! Passing Strange seemed like it had a happy ending: Karen found resolution, Davidson is hauled off to jail, the zombie teens are well on their way to having their names cleared, but it isn’t all rainbows and cupcakes in Oakvale. The Hunter Foundation is still being funded by shady individuals and organizations, or at least that’s what I came to understand. Not to mention the Reverend Nathan Mathers and his sinister machinations, especially when compared to Father Fitzpatrick and how benevolent he’s been, helping the plight of Differently Biotics, is outrageous enough to make my skin crawl. And he’s the one who Pete keeps turning back to. I cannot wait to see whether Pete goes and comes back from Arizona with a roving hoard of enraged and religious zealouts claiming God on their side against the Demons, or, whether as Luke Skywalker says, “There is still good in him.”

The Generation Dead books are a lot of fun, but also very engrossing. Waters has a knack for showing humanity at its best and its worst, even if sometimes it’s more transparent than I’d like. There is still something very endearing about this series and I hope he continues to write more. If you’ve read the previous two, you need to read Passing Strange.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster UK for my review copy!(less)

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Aug 18, 2010 Milly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: zombies, young-adult

If you like the Generation Dead series, you would also like this book. Although this book did not focus on Phoebe, Tommy, and Adam, it was still a very interesting and entertaining read. The heroine here instead is Karen, the 16-year old zombie from the previous books. This is about her and successfully blending in and passing as one of the living human beings or 'trads' as they are called in the book. Karen looked so much like the rest of the trads that she had the hateful trad, Pete, fall for...more

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Aug 14, 2009 Dani marked it as to-read

Yes! Yes! Yes! #3! Yay!
On Daniel Waters' blog he says hes shooting for a May release!
So Far Away! Alas!
But I'm Still Happy That There's a #3!

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Aug 07, 2010 Nikki (Wicked Awesome Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural, ya, paranormal, read-in-2010, for-review, own, zombies

Passing Strange, the third installment in the Generation Dead series, was not quite what I had expected. The majority of the novel was from Karen’s point of view, which carries a drastically different tone from the first two. The lack of appearances by the characters that were heavily featured in the last two novels was difficult to get used to at first.

For a zombie, Karen is quite the lively character. She’s feisty and strong, but she hides her incredibly vulnerable and insecure side from every...more Passing Strange, the third installment in the Generation Dead series, was not quite what I had expected. The majority of the novel was from Karen’s point of view, which carries a drastically different tone from the first two. The lack of appearances by the characters that were heavily featured in the last two novels was difficult to get used to at first.

For a zombie, Karen is quite the lively character. She’s feisty and strong, but she hides her incredibly vulnerable and insecure side from everyone. This is entire book is really about getting to know Karen DeSonne, the once in love, once suicidal, once zombie, but always caring person that will go to no ends to protect the people she cares for. Like all teens, zombie or otherwise, Karen really isn’t sure who she is yet. She knows who she wants to be though and that pushes her to figure out exactly what Pete Martinsburg is up to and to figure out a way to exonerate her zombie buddies for crimes they didn’t commit.

To do so, she does a crazy thing. She passes for a human and starts dating Pete. With this, we get to go inside the mind of the sadistic teen and maybe even glimpse his softer side. Karen’s constant struggle with herself keeps the story interesting, but this one certainly has less going on. It took me a while to really get into Karen and want to know what was going to happen to her. I find it funny that she goes on about how much she loves Phoebe and how Phoebe has such a magnetic personality because I couldn’t agree more. Throughout Passing Strange, I found myself missing Phoebe more and more. The story wasn’t the same with such few appearances by my favorite character, but without her, we get to know other characters, like Tak. Before, I couldn’t help but hate Tak, but after reading this, I’m more than willing to give him another shot and Passing Strange won't be my favorite book in the series, but it was a very different and interesting installment. Karen's story is one that needed to be told and I enjoyed the journey she went on to find out just who she is.

While this installment doesn’t quite live up to the others, there were many moments that demonstrated Waters uncanny ability to turn words into beauty and find hope in even the most dire of situations.

Opening line: I don’t want to die, I thought. Not again. ~ pg. 1

Favorite line(s): Where there’s life, no matter how we define it, there’s hope. ~ pg 257(less)

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Mar 28, 2012 Alysse Morgason rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I have to admit, the change of POV threw me off a bit -- and not just the switch from Phoebe to Karen. Why was this one written primarily in first person when the first two had been written in third? It only tripped me up for a few pages, though. After that, I was just as hooked by this novel as I had been by the previous two, maybe even more so.

Something about getting into Karen's head, getting to learn about her feelings and her past in such an intimate way, made this book much, much deeper th...more

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Jun 18, 2011 Myr rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was ready to love this book but I just couldn't. It's a decent book it just isn't as deep or engaging as the two previous installments in the series. The book focuses on Karen, who is an interesting character but so much was put into the super secret, you'll never believe it, have you figured it out yet because we've beat you upside the head with clues reveal ( which shouldn't have been a big surprise to those who read the first two ) that it left the rest of the story a little flat. I'm still...more

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Aug 17, 2010 Sharli rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

Passing Strange tells the story of Karen DeSonne. She was a normal teenager until one day, she kills herself. But her plan didn't go quiet as planned. She dies... but then comes back as a zombie.
And now more than ever, Karen is in serious trouble. After being accused of murder, her "living impaired" friends make a protest that quickly turns into a shootout. Karen manages to escape but all her other friends are forced into hiding. Then she makes the dangerous decision of passing... as a living pe...more Passing Strange tells the story of Karen DeSonne. She was a normal teenager until one day, she kills herself. But her plan didn't go quiet as planned. She dies... but then comes back as a zombie.
And now more than ever, Karen is in serious trouble. After being accused of murder, her "living impaired" friends make a protest that quickly turns into a shootout. Karen manages to escape but all her other friends are forced into hiding. Then she makes the dangerous decision of passing... as a living person. And not only that, she takes on the task of clearing the names of her friends, whatever the cost.
Unfortunately that cost is having to date Peter Martinsburg, a radical zombie hater, whom she suspects is behind the whole plan to incriminate her friends.
Will Karen be able to keep up all her lies or will the whole zombie community suffer the consequences?

“I don’t want to die, I thought. Not again.”

This is the first line of the book and it managed to capture me so that I almost couldn't stop reading. Waters presents creatures that we normally see as revolting monsters, but manages to do so in a way that allows readers to sympathize with their feelings and the situation they are going through.
Karen's struggle, not only with the zombies place in the society, but with her family and her own inner battle, make of her a full, tridimensional character and give fluency to the story in general. The more I read, the more anxious I was to know the outcome of the story.
I found that all the secondary characters were very likeable in their own way. Even Pete, the “bad guy”, even though he did have a psycho side to him, he offered what he thought were very good reasons for his actions. Especially towards the end I found myself feeling sorry for him for all the things he shares when we get to read from his POV.
What I liked the most about the book was how unpredictable it was. With several unexpected twists, the author keeps you guessing and turning the pages.
In general, I really enjoyed the book, both because of the character’s voices and the author’s writing style. I will surely be on the lookout for more D. Water’s books.
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Jul 18, 2011 Larissa added it

i cant wait for the third one to come out!!!!!! it needs to come out soon!!!!!!!!!!!

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Passing Strange (Generation Dead #3)

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