The Listeners

Demchick’s stylish debut makes an admirably ambitious, if flawed, attempt to breathe new life into the tried-and-true threat of zombies. After a mysterious plague decimates a thinly disguised Manhattan, 14-year-old Daniel is left home alone, wondering if he will ever see his mother again. Corrupt police officers raid his house, and he soon finds himself joining the menacing Listeners, led by cult leader Adam. Daniel’s gruesome initiation at the hands of the Listeners, who cut off an ear from each new member, ups the stakes for a story in which danger—from infected civilians as well as dangerous cultists—appears from all sides. Little occurs that’s truly original, but Demchick’s grab bag of techniques, including flashbacks, multiple narrators, and occasional breaks in form, lends some freshness to the familiar story even though it misses as often as it hits. (Dec.)