Besides the Goldfinch, this is the longest book I've ever read. Unlike the Goldfinch, it didn't feel like it. I'm not even a big "zombie aficionado" and this book sucked me in from page one. An amalgamation of dozens of stories told from multiple points of view, it's a study in humanity, the best and worst of us. I cheered at moments, cringed at gore, flipped pages faster and faster to inhale this story. Truly a great read and an absolute credit to the genre. All of the individual characters were truly fleshed out and lended their own voices to the story, creating a vivid picture and imagery of where they were and what they went through. Absolutely fantastic read.............................