Booklist Review
World-weary Ellie hasn't known anything but the virus-ravaged, military-run region where she has spent the last few years shuttling between military boarding schools, and this new school isn't any different same thugs, same power-drunk administrators, same cruddy quarters. But when she spies spunky Riley sneaking out one night, she follows her into the outside world and meets the Fireflies, a vigilante group protecting citizens from heartless soldiers and hungry hordes of the infected (yes, zombies). Hicks (Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong, 2013) is up to her usual tricks deeply expressive faces, cinematic action sequences, and detailed cityscapes and her cartoony artwork is satisfyingly unsettling against the dark, horror-tinged tale. Teenage Riley and Ellie have grown up fast in a terrifying world, and their fatalistic worldview and copious use of f-bombs fit right in. Though this story is the prequel to the well-received video game of the same name, readers need not be familiar with (nor at all interested in) the game to be moved by this affecting, fast-paced tale.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Druckmann (creative director, The Last of Us video game) and Hicks (webcomic Demonology 101) have penned a prequel to The Last of Us video game, which takes place in a postapocalyptic world inhabited by zombies known as the "infected," victims of a parasitic fungal outbreak. The reader is introduced to a younger Ellie, a personality known from the video game, attending her first day at a military boarding school. Early on, Ellie befriends the adventurous Riley, who sneaks out of school on covert excursions into the city. During Ellie and Riley's first foray outside the institution walls, they run into a rogue group known as the Fireflies roaming the city. Unexpectedly, Ellie discovers the Fireflies' leader Marlene knows Ellie, knew Ellie's mother, and reveals guardian-like responsibility for orchestrating events in Ellie's life. Hicks also contributes the artwork, which emotes an unsettled edge, with dark tones and close-ups that show the characters' emotion. Verdict Familiarity with the video game is going to clarify some of the details of this prequel. Likewise, readers will find the abrupt ending frustrating unless they pick up the electronic game. Recommended to fans of this popular video game.-Scott Vieira, Sam Houston State Univ. Lib., Huntsville, TX (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
