Germination (Zombies Are Human, Book Zero)

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jamie Thornton comes a stunning survival series that has readers raving about its dark and gritty thrills. Powerful enemies, twisted memories, a government willing to do anything for control. Find out how it all began…

ONCE UPON A TIME A PLAGUE ENDED THE WORLD. 

Mary knows how to thrive on the street. She makes it her mission to keep other kids away from everyday monsters. But when she's attacked by a crazed man clutching a bloody heart she realizes—there's a new kind of monster in town.

A single drop of blood, and now Mary's one of the infected. Unless she can stop the virus and save her friends, the new monster in town might just be her.

"…This isn't the boxcar children covered with a veneer of wholesomeness. These street kids know how to survive on the streets, and it isn't always pretty… heart-stopping and horrific…." ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"Where do I even start? I guess here: it's refreshing to finally read a disease-centred apocalyptic story that feels real… cannot wait to see what happens next…." ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

If you like anything (or most things) with quickly-spreading viruses, zombies, realistic teenaged characters, learning how homeless kids get by on the street, action, and strong loyalty…an intriguing, cannot-put-it-down tale…." ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"The first book left me hungry for the next one…" ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"This book was bad@sss…"  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

Q - What makes the Zombies Are Human (formerly Feast of Weeds) series special? An epidemic ravaging the human population. A world spiraling into chaos. People doing whatever it takes to survive. I wanted to write something I would love to read. I've always been drawn to the post-apocalyptic genre and thought about end-of-the-world books I've loved--Stephen King's The Stand, Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower. But also recent stories like The Girl With All the Gifts, The Passage, and even Stranger Things. Big epidemics/events that reinvent the world are so thrilling. I also love getting into the science, like genetic engineering, that would make the situations plausible. Zombies Are Human gives you some of that classic Walking Dead zombie fare, but...without giving too much away...I guarantee you've never read a zombie series like Zombies Are Human before.

Even though my cast of characters are teenagers, plenty of adults write me to say how much they love the series. Zombies Are Human hits the sweet spot of older Young Adult that will appeal to plenty of adults too. No matter what your age, the Zombies Are Human series is designed to keep you furiously turning those pages.

Q - What order should I read the books in? The complete series would be most enjoyable in the following sequence:

Germination (prequel short novel), Contamination, Infestation, Eradication

Q - Why should readers give these books a try? The prequel hit #5 on the New York Times and #8 on the USA Today bestseller lists. I've gotten tons of emails from readers letting me know how much they loved Zombies Are Human (stay-up-all-night-even-with-work-the-next-day love). But more than that, as a reader myself, I am always looking for the next Stranger Things, The Passage, The Girl With All The Gifts. THAT'S the kind of story I hope you'll find in Zombies Are Human. Smart. Dangerous. Gritty. With rip-your-heart-out intensity (literally and figuratively in some cases).