The Last Days

This is a YA novel by Scott Westerfield, and it’s a sequel to Peeps which I reviewed earlier. Set nowish in NY, more people have caught the vampire virus, and there are more signs of the underground worms who are going to eat everyone. A couple of young people put a band together, and get signed up to play at a massive concert. Their unique sound not only draws a crowd, but calls up the worms, too. They end up going round the world calling worms out of the ground so everyone can kill them. Obviously, it’s an end of the world novel, but it focuses on a small bunch of people and while it’s simple, it’s not simplistic. It’s slightly depressing, although the obvious fantasy element does engender enough disbelief to stop the reader wallowing in it. The author introduces some basic ideas about viruses and civilisation, in a less complex way than in his previous book, which is food for thought, even if he doesn’t elaborate on it.