21 April 2014
Quarantine: The Loners

The thrilling novel, Quarantine, by Lex Thomas is not one for those who have a soft heart or a weak stomach. Lex describes death and fighting in the most action-packed and gory ways possible. This is exactly the kind of book that sucks me into the story and makes me want to keep reading. Lex Thomas creates the ultimate story line with plenty of detailed artistry as well as making it possible for me and many others to escape from realism.

As a senior in high school, the protagonist of Quarantine, David, and his freshman brother Will, get trapped in McKinley High School when the government is forced to quarantine everyone in the school due to a virus that has spread throughout. They all start forming gangs because if you are alone, you are most likely to die of starvation, or fighting over supplies from the airdrops from the government. David and Will are undesirables so they have to fend for themselves for 18 months before they are let free of the quarantine and are allowed to return home.

Quarantine was a very easy read because it was extremely clear, and I rarely had to go back and reread a page or a paragraph. The fight scenes that Lex Thomas describes are so incredibly gory and detailed that I can actually picture myself sneaking around the halls of McKinley High watching the fights. His attention to detail is superb compared to other novels that are directed towards young readers. I also found myself able to easily escape realism because although I am in high school, an event like this has never occurred to my knowledge. I found myself getting more sucked into this novel with each and every page that I read.