海角大神

Two days after Jane McKeene was born 鈥� a black baby to a wealthy white woman in Civil War-era Kentucky 鈥� the dead began to rise from the bloody fields of Gettysburg. Now a teenager, Jane attends a combat academy where the curriculum is equal parts etiquette and execution.

I don鈥檛 know about you, but I鈥檓 all ears.

Dread Nation, Justina Ireland鈥檚 latest YA novel, is a rollicking 鈥淕one With the Wind and Zombies鈥� adventure with a biting commentary on contemporary race relations in America. Those overtones should come as little surprise; Ireland is an outspoken activist whose frank comments about diversity in YA have spurred both uproar and introspection. She was recently described in a Vulture profile as 鈥淵A Twitter鈥檚 leading warrior鈥� and 鈥渢he most controversial figure in young-adult literature.鈥�

In the warped alt-history of 鈥淒read Nation,鈥� the North and the South have agreed to table the Civil War and battle the undead, known as 鈥渟hamblers.鈥� Though the original conflict was shelved in the face of the plague, its issues were never resolved. It should be said that modern politics are never out of frame in this novel; Ireland isn鈥檛 shy about invoking #MAGA or underlining her point that, as with the shambler hordes, racism just won鈥檛 die.

鈥淒read Nation鈥� politics are dominated by the Survivalist party. She explains, 鈥淪urvivalists believe that the continued existence of humanity depends on securing the safety of white 海角大神 men and women 鈥� whites being superior and closest to God 鈥� so that they might 鈥榮et about rebuilding the country in the image of its former glory,鈥� the way it was before the War Against the Dead.鈥�

The Survivalists see the plague as God鈥檚 punishment for previous efforts to establish egalitarianism; scientists have only just began to study viruses and pathogens here. In order to keep shamblers at bay, an earlier Congress passed the Negro and Native Reeducation Act (NNRA), which decreed that blacks and Native Americans alone should fight the undead.

Under the NNRA, minority children are removed from their families and placed in institutions 鈥渇or the betterment of themselves and of society.鈥� Jane attends one such combat school outside of Baltimore. In an afterword, Ireland unpacks the all-too-real exploitation and forced assimilation in institutions such as the Carlisle Indian Industrial School; she also includes a list of recommended reading material.

If Jane finishes at the top of her class, she could be hired as an Attendant (a kind of battle-ready lady鈥檚 maid and virtue chaperone for well-to-do white women). Yet Jane doesn鈥檛 care about becoming an Attendant. Her only goal is to return home to her mother鈥檚 plantation. She hasn鈥檛 received a letter from her mother in almost a year.

As a child, Jane watched friends be infected and subsequently killed. This scarring experience gave her two life lessons: 鈥淥ne: the dead will take everything you love. You have to end them before they can end you. That鈥檚 exactly what I aim to do. And two: the person poking the dead ain鈥檛 always the one paying for it. In fact, most times, it鈥檚 the ones minding their own business who suffer. That鈥檚 a problem I still don鈥檛 have an answer for yet.鈥�

Jane is a YA treasure. She has voice for days and sass in equal measure, plus a casual relationship with honesty, which gets her both into and out of trouble (鈥淭he truth and I ain鈥檛 very close 鈥� uneasy acquaintances at best.鈥�)

As an experienced fighter and decent markswoman, she takes neither verbal nor physical prisoners. Combat scenes show her dispatching the dead with the same delightful, ruthless efficiency of River Tam from the TV show 鈥淔irefly.鈥�

Dialogue in 鈥淒read Nation,鈥� both mental and spoken, has the precision of a dagger and the wallop of a 12-gauge shotgun. Saucy, snappish highlights include Jane鈥檚 commentary on her arch rival, Katherine, an 鈥渙ffensively pretty鈥� fellow student whose light skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes 鈥渕ake [Jane] question the school鈥檚 admissions criteria.鈥� Katherine is dead-set (no pun intended) on a comfortable Attendant life. She鈥檚 forever trying to pass as a lady, even wearing corsets into battle; Jane鈥檚 accompanying eyerolls test the limits of ocular physics.

鈥淪he鈥檚 the prettiest girl at Miss Preston鈥檚, and I figure that鈥檚 as good a reason as any to hate her,鈥� Jane quips. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a know-it-all that could try the patience of Jesus Christ himself. I ain鈥檛 a very good 海角大神, so you know where that leaves me.鈥�

When a local family vanishes, Jane finds herself investigating, along with Katherine and a roguish acquaintance. Together, they discover a slew of powerful enemies involved in a massive conspiracy.

Whew! It sounds like a lot of plot, but it flows smoothly under Ireland鈥檚 guiding hand. I enjoyed 鈥淒read Nation鈥� far more than I thought I would, as zombie fiction isn鈥檛 my typical fare.

Dozens of fandoms will relish 鈥淒read Nation,鈥� though. Send out the word to those who鈥檝e watched 鈥淲estworld,鈥� 鈥淔irefly,鈥� or 鈥淶ombieland鈥�; anyone who鈥檚 played the 鈥淏orderlands鈥� video games; fans of Gail Carriger鈥檚 鈥淔inishing School鈥� or 鈥淧arasol Protectorate鈥� series; and readers who crave a splash of wry, cutting humor in this cracked American history.