Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

                Dread Nation is an alternate history novel where the Civil War ended because the dead started to rise on the battlefields, biting and infecting the living. The undead plague had begun. It’s been over ten years since the deathless began roaming the Earth and some of the land has been given up for good. The shamblers outnumber the living and they have become such a threat that the land has simply been abandoned. Large cities like Baltimore have built walls protecting themselves. The wealthy hire Attendants from schools like Ms. Preston’s School of Combat where Jane McKeeney, a seventeen-year-old Negro girl is being trained to kill the shamblers. Ever since the Negro and Native Reeducation Act has been passed, all of the Native and Negro children have to learn to fight in order to earn a living. But a family near the school has gone missing and everything isn’t what it seems in Baltimore county.

                This novel is a lot to take in. The idea that the Civil War ended because the dead began to rise and slaves would be of better use freed and fighting against the horde is interesting and if done right can be extremely fascinating, if not absolutely terrifying. This story was in the right hands. Ireland from the very beginning establishes a history wholly different than the one we know, but similar enough to be believable. I would expect nothing less from the people in charge to continue breaking up families and to institute another form of systemic racism and oppression. That is exactly what happens here. It’s very obvious that anyone non-white is a second-class citizen. Jane’s own parentage is a perfect example. She was born with dark skin to a white woman and the truth of her parentage was hidden from her own father and people in the town. But even girls who could pass for white were still stuck training in the schools preparing for a different life of servitude. Religion also plays a significant role in this story, with most of the explanations for why the “lesser races” are placed on a lower rung of the ladder were believed to be God’s will. All of this is weaved into the narrative seamlessly. Jane isn’t fighting against just the shamblers but the systems of oppression that have been a factor in her life since she was born.

                Ireland’s entire narrative is told in the first person by Jane. It’s intimate, raw, hilarious and at times downright disturbing. I loved that this was how the story was told. I thought it enhanced the mystery of the story and shamblers. Jane is painfully unaware of much of what’s going on outside of where she lives. The little that she does know, she is wary of, so the reader is also automatically wary of the information as well. This greatly benefited the gradual world building. Our world is only as large as Jane’s knowledge. We know very early in the story that America isn’t the only country affected by the shamblers but how other places are choosing to handle the problem remains a mystery. We learn more about what’s happening in the United States as the story progresses.

                There is so much I want to say about this novel but I genuinely don’t want to give anything away. I was fully engrossed in this story. The plot was continuously moving and unpredictable. Overall the characters were well written, the world building was well thought out and a great tool for the advancing plot. There was never a dull moment. One of the little things that I really enjoyed about this novel was the opening for each chapter, which consisted of snippets from letters between Jane and her mother. They set this tone that we see throughout which has to do with the importance of family and this longing for a home, the uncertainty that came with such a perilous time. I loved this book. There is so much to be said about how Ireland chose to display systematic oppression and disregard for human life. I’m not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t this highly well-done story that captured flawed human thinking and the need to value one life over another. I definitely recommend this book. I cannot wait for the sequel. I give this 5 out of 5 stars.