After the Fall, nothing recognizable remained. Only ashes, walls, and fear. Zombies rule the outside world, and humanity survives however it can, locked away in Reserves that promise protection in exchange for obedience. In this devastated landscape grows Astria Liverman, far from any epic destiny, in the Dump—the place where those who don’t matter end up. There, no one dreams of saving the world; you learn how not to die.
Academy Z doesn’t begin with heroes; it begins with survivors. And that changes everything.
Astria’s selection for Academy Z marks a turning point—not because it’s a reward, but because it’s a sentence disguised as an opportunity. At the Academy, young people aren’t trained; they’re molded. Broken down and rebuilt as weapons in service of a system that needs desperate fighters to maintain the illusion of control. The trials are physical, mental, and moral, and each one makes it clear that making it out alive doesn’t always mean winning.
If you’re drawn to stories where tension never lets up, you’ll find rivalries that burn, alliances that crack, and choices more terrifying than any horde of zombies. True horror isn’t always on the other side of the wall, and Astria will discover this as she begins to understand what is really expected of her—and the price of obedience.
The great strength of this young adult dystopia lies in its balance between action and darkness. It has the narrative pulse of Attack on Titan, the brutal competitiveness of The Hunger Games, and a zombie element that isn’t merely decorative but essential for exploring dehumanization, power, and sacrifice. This isn’t just a fight against the undead; it’s a fight to avoid becoming one of them, even if you’re still breathing.
Behind this story is F. M. Wylde, an author who writes exactly the books he would have loved to read. It shows in the worldbuilding, the relentless pacing, and the understanding of the hero—not as someone perfect, but as someone who keeps going even when everything invites them to give up. His love for epic stories and apocalyptic universes coexists with a deeply human взгляд on fear, loss, and the need to believe in something, even when the world has fallen apart.
If you’re looking for an addictive, dark dystopia with characters who stick with you, this book isn’t a lukewarm recommendation—it’s a warning. You start out of curiosity and keep reading because you need to know how far Astria can go and what she’s willing to lose to survive.
When you close the final page, you won’t look at walls that promise safety—or at those who decide who deserves to be saved—in the same way again. And in a good dystopia, that’s exactly what should happen.
