Severance

By Ling Ma, published in 2018

Rating: ★★★★✩ (4 stars out of 5)

This book has nothing to do with the tv show of the same name, though they are both sort of light sci-fi or even sci-fi horror, in a way. They are also what I would call maybe “workplace horror” or dark takes on the nature of work in the modern age.

Ling Ma’s take on zombies is fascinating and unconventional — they are by all accounts “zombies” but have none of the dangerous behaviors we culturally associate with zombies. They’re sad and tragic, not monsters. Yes, the people are the monsters here but not in ways you expect.