It took a while to understand the basics of the world, what had happened. And even after I finished it, I was still left with some questions. What were the Seveners? Were they just people that had died from the fever and yet still walking the earth? Would Ben wither away? Do the dead eat the flesh of the living or how do they go on?

But these were at the back of my mind. What kept my attention was Ben and John's relationship. John was your average cowboy farmer, interested in surviving the plague and taking care of his ranch. He comes across Ben, dead after a seven day fever and despite his initial scare and apprehension, treats him civilly. Even offers him a job at the ranch. They're shy and careful around each other but they grow accustomed to working together. And a strange and romantic connection forms between them. It was all the more precious amid the threat of the mobbers (infected animals suffering from the fever and on their last breath) and the sly manipulations of the Bancroft brothers intent on stealing the ranch from John.

So much tension and dread in so few pages. And yet, I fell in love with John and Ben and enjoyed the easy camaraderie that sprung between them. Hoping it could turn into something definite and long lasting. With bated breath I read through the final show down. I hated the open ending. I want a happily ever after for the pair, no matter how improbable it may seem.