Rot and Ruin

A teen who reluctantly starts work as a zombie hunter uncovers corruption in his community in this first book in the post-apocalyptic dystopian Rot & Ruin series by New York Times bestselling and five-time Bram Stoker Award–winning author Jonathan Maberry.

Benny Imura lives in a zombie-infested America where every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn’t want to apprentice as a zombie hunter (or “closure specialist”) with his boring older brother, Tom, but he has no choice.

He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash but seeing Tom’s compassion and quiet bravery while killing zombies beyond the wall changes how he sees the world around him…and the older brother he’s kept at a distance since their parents’ death.

But not everyone treats their hunting career as an important vocation. Thrill-seeking closure specialists and greedy citizens endanger the community’s safety. As Benny fights the corruption, he learns what it means to be human.

Jonathan Maberry is a New York Times bestselling author, five-time Bram Stoker Award winner, and comic book writer. He writes in multiple genres including suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, fantasy, and adventure; and he writes for adults, teens, and middle grade. His works include the Joe Ledger thrillers, Glimpse, the Rot & Ruin series, the Dead of Night series, The Wolfman, The X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate, Mars One, and many others. Several of his works are in development for film and TV, including V Wars, which is a Netflix original series. He is the editor of high-profile anthologies including the X-Files books, Aliens: Bug Hunt, Out of Tune, Hardboiled Horror, Baker Street Irregulars, Nights of the Living Dead, and others. He lives in Del Mar, California. Visit him at JonathanMaberry.com and on X (@JonathanMaberry) and Facebook.