I had hoarded my copy of Virginia Bergin’s H20 on my bookcase for sometime and finally read it when I noticed the sequel, The Storm, had just come out and I hadn’t read the first one yet. This is another fast-paced YA thrill-ride reminiscent of a zombie story, but the virus here is caused by alien bacteria that get into the rain clouds and infect the water supply.
Bergin has worked as a TV writer and it shows in the writing of this novel. It’s very cinematographic and easy to imagine the action in visual images. There are a lot of action-packed scenes and some very clever plot twists, but the best thing about it is that it’s a good old fashioned thrill ride with horror and mystery around every corner. Poor old protagonist Ruby does her best to cope with her pre-apocalypse life in which her stepfather is a pain in her butt, then she does even better trying to cope with the post-apocalypse version where she has to team up with him in order to survive. She also wants to find her real dad who is somewhere in London, but needless to say, traveling is a little bit of a challenge with the infection everywhere and spreading quickly. Bergin thinks up a lot of plot twists and traps for Ruby to fall into, and she’s very good at thinking her way out of a situation only to find herself facing something even worse. Fans of The Walking Dead or 28 Days Later should really enjoy this one. I’m going to have to pick up a copy of the sequel, The Storm, now!