Rot & Ruin

"Teens & fans of The Walking Dead will love ROT & RUIN: WARRIOR SMART" --Amy Taylor, Librarian at Lee's Summit West High School in Lee's Summit, Missouri.

"This is the series that turned my reluctant readers into avid readers."
-- Frank Spinney, Lead Teacher for Stillwater Academy in Maine

"ROT & RUIN: WARRIOR SMART is a gripping read that will keep students on the edge of their seats and wanting more! I can't wait to these into the hands of my students!"
--Sister Kimberly Miller, Teacher/Librarian at Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls in Philadelphia

"The stories Maberry give us in the ROT & RUIN: WARRIOR SMART are riveting, with a dark side untouched by other writers of the same ilk. How will the human race survive? What do they need to do? These are all questions Maberry asks of Benny, Nix, Chong and Lilah as they make their way across the deserted landscape of the West Coast. One of the best things about Jonathan Maberry is that his zombie world is not predictable. Yes, we have zombies, and yes, we have humans, clinging to life ever so desperately. But we have heroes in the shape of a 15 year old teenager who grew up in the shade of First Night, tested and tried on the battlefield called the living. The illustrations by Tony Vargas are more than just dramatic, they pull you into a world where you know you don't want to be but can't help staying. Maberry manages to bring humor into a world brimming with wall-to-wall violence, where there is little hope and no justice. Unpredictable and humorous, Maberry manages to connect the reader with the story in his ever-direct and creative manner."
--Ann Cole, Teacher, Pennsbury School District, Fairless Hills, PA

"I am a teacher and literacy coordinator at an Elementary School. It has long been my practice to include print of all types into classroom libraries: books, comics, how-to manuals, etc. You never know what will hook a student into reading more. However, I did not encourage the inclusion of "horror" which seemed inappropriate for their age level. The thing about the ROT & RUIN series of novels and the ROT & RUIN: WARRIOR SMART comic is...they are not horrific. They are a great example of major themes of literature: man against man, man against nature. What the kids and I have found is that they turn good and evil on its head. You would like to assume the zombies are evil and the humans are good, but that isn't a fair assumption. The very best and worst of humanity can be seen throughout the stories in unpredictable ways. Plus, students need good examples of youth who are pensive, surviving, befriending, struggling, succeeding. They have those examples in abundance in the Rot and Ruin books. Several students have agreed with me that they aren't really zombie stories...they are human stories...and that is why we feel such an emotional attachment to the characters and the episodes the experience. This series is transitional...and wins over more and more people as word of mouth gets out. I have had more parents ask to borrow the 4 books than have ever requested any other titles in my 23 years of teaching."
--Sheila Owen, Teacher and Literacy Coordinator; Palm Elementary, Beaumont, California

"Fast paced plots set in a dystopian, zombie-ridden California: ROT & RUIN: WARRIOR SMART provides all the gore and adventure any high school teenager could wish for, yet throughout Maberry continually teases at the moral questions of life, war and survival. A fine balancing act in graphic form, from a prolific author who never fails grab his readers and leave them breathless for the next installment. Kids will love them!"
--Stevens, Texas Lone Star Reading List Committee Member and Librarian, Waller Junior High, Waller, Texas

"ROT & RUIN: WARRIOR SMART isn't just a tale of fighting the undead, but a hard coming-of-age as well. Benny Imura's struggle to honor the teaching of his brother and protect his friends will appeal to young adults who are dealing with the swift changes that define life as adolescents while learning to navigate the terrors of adulthood."
--Misty Massey, York County Library, Rock Hill SC.

"With ROT & RUIN: WARRIOR SMART, Jonathan Maberry has created a graphic series that teens and teachers alike will rave about. It has all of the action, gore, and intrigue to grab even the most reluctant teen readers while providing the sort of thought-provoking substance teachers crave for their students."
--Melissa Singleton Josef, LTS Librarian, Garnet Valley High School, Glen Mills, PA; and blogger for The Suburban Barnyard.

"Mayhem, shocking kills, and heart! Just like the novels, you won't want to put them down…or shut off the lights. The Walking Dead has met its match in this teen empowered world of Rot and Ruin: Warrior Smart."
--Joanne Mumley, Tyrrell Middle School, CT

"ROT & RUIN: WARRIOR SMART is a thinking teens' comic book. Young people, just like them, facing moral dilemmas in a zombie infested world gives them a WALKING DEAD of their own to discuss and debate."
--Jay Nickerson Gimli High School, Gimli, Manitoba