The Pretty Dead is a gory, suspenseful read for teens who are music minded, really listen to the poetry of lyrics, and enjoy some dark comic relief. The main character, Blake, inventor of the virtual rock band Posterband, is one of several uniquely described co-protagonists, all of whom are sympathetically written. Blake directly addresses the reader, and so engages and invests us very effectively. The horror elements are well balanced by Blake’s sister “M”, the treehugger, and her very valid concerns about a mysterious corporation and its involvement in the terrifying events building around them.
David Stack weaves several parallel themes into a single, brisk plot. Beginning with a kidnapped loved one, he establishes an intimate group of cool, music-minded friends who face nightmarish episodes with the reanimated dead, bloodthirsty rockers, and zombie-like minions. Behind it all is an untouchable evil corporate entity, misplaced trust, and a complicated conspiracy. Climaxing the action is the ultimate showdown: a battle of the bands, accessible only to monsters and the hip crowd.
The vinyl-collecting Blake experiments with the possibility of achieving fame by creating and promoting every aspect of a band except original music, and this speaks directly to a generation of art clipping, sound-biting, remixing, teens. An actual website for Posterband (www.posterband.com) that includes a playlist of music from the book, member bios and a merch table where fans of the book can buy real t-shirts for the virtual band, adds to the readability and authenticity of Stack’s book. A portion of the proceeds for the book goes to children’s literacy programs. Recommended for grade 7 and up.
Contains: brief cannibalism, dismemberment, mild torture, not too graphic.
Reviewed by: Sheila Shedd