Razor Girl

by Mari Mancusi

Book Overview

Can true love survive the zombie apocalypse? Nineteen-year-old Peyton Anderson will never forget the day she was forced to make a choice--between her family--and Chris Parker, the boy she'd given her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0505527804
• ISBN13: 9780505527806
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Shomi
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful!

Razor Girl alternated between two timelines that eventually intersect. The first chronicles the events in 2030 leading up to the apocalypse and Molly entering the bunker. The second chronicles time from the moment Molly leaves the bunker in 2036. Molly is real, humble, and likable. I liked finding out about her past and present relationships to Chris/Chase, who was a pain in the bum but who eventually redeemed himself. The world they live in is very different from ours, but in a way that is entirely possible in the future. Kids now play virtual reality games, and most have never played a sport in real life. Everything is electronic and high tech, from tiny cell phones to televisions to refrigerators. There is now an AIDS vaccine, and sex is not allowed without a license. Ken dolls are now anatomically correct. Molly and her family are different though. Molly's mom is mentally ill and needs to be taken care of. Molly's dad, a paranoid scientist, believes the end of the world is coming and makes Molly physically train every day to prepare for it. He refuses to use new technology in his home, believing the government uses it to monitor and control people. He ends up "improving" Molly with razors under her fingernails, ocular implants in her eyes, and nanotechnology in her bloodstream that makes her faster and stronger. Molly and her friend Chris witness the start of the apocalypse when they discover an elderly neighbor who is coughing up blood. They call for an ambulance and instead a government van comes and takes the woman away. The government covers up people getting sick, and all the hospitals end up full and guarded by soldiers with guns. When Molly and Chris go out to investigate, they see a zombie, plus a dumpster full of rotting corpses. They come home to tell her dad, and he begins preparations to use the bunker keep his family alive. After the six years in the bunker, Molly meets Chris again, though he has changed dramatically. He brings her to a Wal-Mart where he has been living with three other men and eight children. Molly intends to only stay there one night, so she can rest and get supplies. She promised her father that she would journey to Disney World when her bunker time was up. He expected scientists to be gathered there working on rebuilding society and curing the plague, and he'd implanted a secret message in Molly to be retrieved at a later time. Also, he programmed her nanos to start breaking down after six years, so she could die if she doesn't get there fast enough. Molly ends up heading to Florida with a group from the Wal-Mart, and battling pus-ripping, hungry zombies and more on the way. What was really entertaining about this book was all of the pop culture references, including ones about the Thunderdome, the movie 'Pretty in Pink', Barbie dolls, and more. It was clever how Mancusi tweaked the future and also incorporated the past. I loved Razor Girl and definitely recommend it.

Post-apocalyptic adventure

'Razor Girl' is a very enjoyable story that consists of two narrative threads, separated by six years, in alternate chapters. One of these threads shows Molly Anderson as a fifteen year old getting to know her neighbour Chris Griffin, a slightly nerdy and intense boy, and the two of them beginning to suspect something very dangerous is starting to happen. Molly's father has been a conspiracy theorist who consistently warns of the forthcoming apocalypse but Molly never believed him - until the evidence starts to point his way. Molly and Chris want to escape together but Molly may find that family ties are more important. The second thread is post-apocalype when Molly finally emerges from the shelter in which she has lived with her mother for six years. Her mother is now dead and Molly's only option is to head for Disneyland where her father said to meet her. Apparently her father and other scientists would have worked on an antidote to the flu that had caused so much devastation. However the flu has had DNA-changing effects on various people which means that Molly is in danger from 'The Others', Zombie-like mutants who try to kill and eat people and whose disease is catching. When Molly bumps into Chris Griffin again she finds a very changed man, one who seems withdrawn and a mixture of helpless and self-sufficient, and as they set off together for Disneyland they will learn more about each other and about the cause of the pandemic. I enjoyed this story very much, finding the post-apocalyptic world very much food for thought. The twin narrative threads worked well although I felt that the post-event story was more interesting than that of Molly and Chris before the plague struck. Characterisation was generally good and Molly's self image (her father has given her various bionic enhancements) was well written. There were some slight plot holes/improbabilities which didn't always work for me but overall this was a really good read. Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2009

Stellar!

When Molly was fifteen-years-old, people thought her dad, Ian Anderson, was a mad scientist. Ian was a scientist, but just because the man totally believed that the end of the world, as we know it, was about to happen did not mean he was insane. Ian bought an old fallout shelter, packed it with food and supplies, and gave it a timer so it would unlock after six years. Convinced the end was close, he made Molly come home directly after school and practice martial arts with him for several hours. When a super flu begins spreading, no one really gives it any serious thoughts. But when rumors begin about hospitals turning people away, no matter how sick they were, Molly and Chris Griffin (a neighborhood and school friend) listens. The pair go to a local hospital to see if rumors are true. Not only do the two learn that it is true, but they see their first zombie! Of course, they tell no one. Who would believe the daughter of an insane scientist? But after Molly sees a zombie kill someone, she agrees to her dad's numerous suggestions of allowing him to perform surgery to give her a few enhancements for defense. It is very shortly thereafter that Ian escorts Molly and her mom into the shelter beneath their home and locks them within for six years. Twenty-one-year-old Molly emerges from the fallout shelter a different person. After hearing the shelter unlock, Molly's mom dies. Once her mom is cared for, Molly begins her journey to Florida (two states away) where she is to meet her dad at Disney World. According to Ian, while Molly was in the shelter, he and some scientist friends of his would be creating a safe haven for any humans that manage to survive the apocalypse. Molly has no doubt she can make the trip alive. Thanks to her dad, Molly has four inch razors under her nails (that she can extract and retract at will). She also has ocular implants (to see in the dark), mirrored plates covering her eyes (fused to her skull), an internal GPS navigation (linked to an old-time satellite to allow her access to special databases Ian left up and running), and her body has nano computers (which make her stronger and faster). It does not take Molly long to come face-to-face with her first zombie. She also meets up with Chris. He is now called Chase and explains that the "Others" may be cannibalistic zombies, but unlike the old horror movies, the Others are smart and often hunt in packs. Chase and a few guys have a small camp set up in the toy section of Walmart. They take care of eight kids found since the apocalypse. Disaster strikes, leaving Chase and the kids alone. Molly, Chase, and the kids must band together and struggle toward Disney World in hopes of finding safety. ***** This book will appeal to a large audience, especially for those gamers out there who played "Fallout". This book runs much like two stories. One chapter shows before the apocalypse, the next shows afterward, and it continues to alternate. Normally I detest this type of set up;

Post apocalyptic romance: A Razor Girl doesn't cry, she spits!

The year is 2036 and the world has changed. Mutated monsters walk the desolate landscape of South Carolina looking for the last remnants of mankind. What might have been the imagination of a horror movie now has become reality. Everyone had made fun of her conspiracy theorist father, but his fears have become the reality. Her father had seen the signs of the end days. Government regulation had whittled down civil rights with all communications monitored to protect society. The virtual world had become more real than outdoor activities and neighbors suddenly disappeared never to be seen again. Six years ago, Molly Anderson and her mother escaped into a bunker, avoiding the apocalyptic plague that ravaged the earth's inhabitants. With ocular implant, razor implants and nanotechnology, Molly's father rebuilt her into a new woman, a woman who can surpass any athlete. Molly is a superstar ---- a Razor Girl who can fight and outrun and outdo any of her peers. She doesn't cry, she spits. But what if a girl wants love as well as saving the world? Can a girl have both? Emerging from the bunker, Molly meets her childhood friend Chase. Six years ago, Chase had been a computer nerd. He always had a soft spot for Molly but she wasn't interested. Chase was the kind of a guy on whose shoulder a girl cries when love goes bad. Six years and an apocalypse later, Chase has changed. Now, he is a tough warrior, a man who fights the monsters, but he is man who may not be all that trustworthy. He and his brother head up a ragtag group of children, the last remnants of humanity. Together they plan to lead their tribe to Disney World, the place where Molly's father believed civilization would be reborn. Can Molly and Chase brave the now earth-ravaged landscape and the Others to save the world? Can childhood friends survive and discover love in this new strange world? Marianne Mancusi's RAZOR GIRL alternates the time periods of each chapter between pre- and post- apocalypse, allowing the reader to see both the lead up to the current world and the results as well as Molly and Chase's past in a more innocent time. As these two time periods converge, Marianne Mancusi gives the reader an increasingly intense, suspenseful edge-of-the-seat thrilling ride. New dangers arise at every turn--- not only the perils of living on the brink of survival but also the dangers of the heart. Any misstep or unmerited trust can lead Molly or Chase to their death. Marianne Mancusi's RAZOR GIRL is brilliant! Marianne takes the best of the best in classic literature, pop culture and familiar brand names morphed into survivalist mode, creating a hot new romance sensation all her own. George Orwell's 1984 and William Golding's Lord of the Flies meets horror and action romance in post-apocalyptic South Carolina. Imagine all the unique heart-warming tender emotion of Edward Scissorhands combined with the chilling danger of a futuristic devastated landscape, populated not by suburban families bu

A Powerhouse read

The action in Razor Girl is nonstop- a definite page-turner. The scenes between the present and past are a great device to drive the plot at a furious clip. The way the story-line unfolded was really engaging, creating an instant bond with the characters and their life-and-death struggle. Huge cross-genre appeal, fans of horror, urban fantasy, a good zombie flick and a great love story all can find something to love about this book because it's all inside.