Excellent book that gave the perfect blend of history, characterization, and zombies. Knowing the background of some of the allusions Justina Ireland made has given a bigger meaning to the story. I can honestly say the characters were written in 3D, and the action kept me going. The ending was good, too, in that if I choose to not read the 2nd book, I'll still be satisfied. However, to all those who are to read this book, I highly recommend you doing your research as the situations and attitudes are all written for a historical purpose.