Four friends from Atlanta embark on a canoe trip in the remote wilderness of Georgia, expecting a fun, adventurous weekend. However, their journey quickly turns into a nightmare when they are brutally attacked by a pair of backwoods locals. The friends are forced to kill their attackers in self-defense, leading to a harrowing escape down the river and through the woods, pursued by vengeful locals. The experience forever changes their lives, leaving them with deep physical and psychological scars.

This novel is a harrowing tale of survival and the dark side of human nature, set against the backdrop of colonialism in the early 20th century. It follows a group of British schoolgirls and their teacher who become stranded on a remote island in the Bay of Bengal after a catastrophic shipwreck. As they struggle to survive in an alien environment, their societal norms and civility begin to unravel, leading to a descent into savagery that mirrors the imperialistic brutality of the era. The story serves as an allegory for the destructive impacts of colonialism and the inherent violence within human beings when stripped of the veneer of civilization.

The novel takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a pandemic has turned many people into zombies, or "skels." The protagonist is a survivor who is part of a team tasked with clearing out the remaining skels in Zone One, the area in and around lower Manhattan. The story alternates between the present and the past, revealing the protagonist's experiences during the initial outbreak and his struggle to hold onto his humanity in the face of such devastation.

In a post-apocalyptic world, an unseen terror drives society to madness and suicide upon sight, leading survivors to navigate their lives blindfolded. The story follows a mother who must guide her two young children to safety on a perilous river journey to what she hopes will be a sanctuary. With the ever-present threat of the unseen horrors and the challenges of survival in a collapsed society, the novel is a tense exploration of fear, the unknown, and the lengths one will go to protect their family.