Teenage Wasteland

by Jack Wallen

The apocalypse has become a playground for the surviving youth in this Young Adult spin off of Jack Wallen’s I Zombie series. A ragtag collection of teenagers scrape and scramble about the apocalyptic landscape to survive and bring what little joy they can back to existence.

In the first entry to this new series, we follow Jingo, Mikko, Kubrick, Nicco, Fay, and Frenzy as they fight against the odds to save themselves and the other young inhabitants of Asylum.

134 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 21, 2015

About the author

Jack Wallen is what happens when a Gen Xer mind-melds with present day snark. Jack is a seeker of truth and a writer of words with a quantum mechanical pencil and a disjointed beat of sound and soul. Although he resides in the unlikely city of Louisville, Kentucky, Jack likes to think of himself more as an interplanetary traveler, on the lookout for the Satellite of Love and a perpetual movie sign...or so he tells the reflection in the mirror (some times in 3rd person). Jack is the author of numerous tales of dark, twisty fiction including the I Zombie series, the Klockwerk Movement, the Fringe Killer series, Shero, The Nameless Saga, and much more.

Reviews

[Katie Wooten · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can I really put into words just how awesome this book is?? This reminds me of The Breakfast Club meeting Walking Dead. Usually when you read a book, or watch a tv show or movie with zombies in it, the main characters are adults. It's refreshing to see the aftermaths of a zombie outbreak from a teenagers perspective. I am a huge fan of Jack Wallen's I Zombie I series, and this is a great spin off!! The plot was very exciting and at times heart-wrenching. And the ending is not something you will see coming at all! I would recommend this book for YA readers, and even adults! It's really something unique that I haven't seen before. The more I read Jack Wallen's books, the more I want to be a part of these worlds that he creates. This is one book you will not be able to put down.

[Britta Grissom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is Amazing!! Jack has captured Teenagers adjusting to complete devastation and trying to find a way out on top. The Zombies are perfectly Scary and the Adults? Well you'll have to find that out for yourself!

[Pheebz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teenage Wasteland By Jack Wallen
12 23 2015

A spinoff based in the world of I Zombie I.We first met these young characters in two separate short stories Mr.Jack Wallen wrote."Cut "appeared in Bite-Sized Offerings We meet Kubrick(Brick),Fay, Nico and Frenzy.The others were from "Seven minutes In Hell"Written for ATZ The Gathering Horde We meet Mikko,Ike,Jingo.
Mr.Wallen did a wonderful job of combining these two groups of tweens, teens and early 20'splus the added pleasure of meeting new characters for the fist time like the two little girls that are sisters.They happened across the sisters playing a deadly game with the Moaner’s in a hotel.The mantra went something like this:"Death,death everywhere:I see, I smell, I taste. When I reach out and touch your soul, we begin the chase." Like the older kids the enemy was not the undead, it was boredom. But these two were too small and Mikko felt the need to corral them with the help of Jingo.The situation went from bad to worse in mere seconds when they heard the cry of a Screamer. The deadliest of the undead. In this situation, they needed to break the number one rule of the Wasteland: You play the game, no matter what said game may be. They grabbed the girls and hid in a large refrigerator in the kitchen of the hotel and hoped for the best.
Asylum a place for orphans ran by a cold unfeeling and conniving man named Crowbar. Each day the children must go out and collect the heads of the dead that they killed that day. At night upon their return a tally is taken and the one or group with the most heads gets a meal. Many of the older kids scavenge for food while they are out to help feed the younger children. Mikko & Jingo do not trust Crowbar and with the help of their new friends the film crew made up of Kubrick, Nicco, fay and Frenz they set up their equipment to try to figure out just what Crowbar is doing with all those heads.The story goes on from here. Pick up this book and find out more.
Mr.Jack Wallen is a amazing story teller. The worlds he creates , the characters with depth are a delight. He always brings to the table a unique take on life in the post apocalyptic world.

[Halima (Starlight_and_blooms) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I game, therefore I am.

The apocalypse has become a playground for the surviving youth in this Young Adult spin off of Jack Wallen’s I Zombie series. A ragtag collection of teenagers scrape and scramble about the apocalyptic landscape to survive and bring what little joy they can back to existence.

In the first entry to this new series, we follow Jingo, Mikko, Kubrick, Nicco, Fay, and Frenzy as they fight against the odds to save themselves and the other young inhabitants of Asylum.
Jack Wallen is the very embodiment of fantastic writing, of dark twisted fiction and and amazing apocalyptic adventures.
Jack has definitely upped the stakes with his extended young adult take on the I zombie series. Some of the story is thought provoking while other parts are heart-wrenching, frightening and exciting. I found myself a bit subdued after the book’s climax, as I did not see that one coming. I did love that we got to see some continuity from the I zombie series though, yet it was refreshing, young & unique. The perfect book for teenagers and those of you that are still young at heart!

As an English tutor I'm often asked what books I would recommend to get young adults reading again - something other than twilight & hunger games that would reach both teenage boys and girls. Well I would most definitely recommend Teenage Wasteland. Jack's writing is flawless, he ticks all the books for the perfect narrative yet the language is realistic and the genre and plot is fantastic - appealing to the youth of today.
I have bought this for my 15 year old son as I'm sure it will evoke the sleepy teenager within him and get him reading again.