ALIVE

Teenagers break out of coffins in Sigler’s (Pandemic, 2014, etc.) latest sci-fi thriller.

A girl who thinks she's waking up on her 12th birthday finds herself trapped inside a coffin instead. She escapes into a room full of coffins and opens them to find others like her, boys and girls who think they're 12 but have the mature bodies of older teenagers. None of them remember who they are or where they came from. They're all wearing the same clothes, which are too small for them. On their coffins are names, of which they have no memory. The girl who was first to come out is apparently named M. Savage. The others call her Em, and appoint her as their leader. Em is charged with getting the group out of this underground complex, full of horrifying scenes and corpses. They all want to find food, water, and "Grownups" to take care of them. Eventually, they come upon a larger group of teenagers like them, who are just as lost and frightened. As they realize there are no adults who will save them, they come of age quickly, growing stronger as a unit to fight for their own survival. Em is a well-developed and interesting heroine, who questions her own leadership while trying to squelch some of her darker thoughts and ambitions. There is well-drawn suspense in the mystery of where they are, why they're there, and what kinds of monsters have created the carnage they see everywhere, though some of their wanderings through the endless rooms and hallways of the complex become repetitive.

Sure to win Sigler younger fans, this is the first book of a new trilogy. Em and her group of teenagers end up in an interesting place, creating plenty of energy for Book 2.