The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey

The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey - 400 pages

This book is a companion to "The Girl with All the Gifts" by the same author.  It tells the story of how  society fell to a fungal pathogen that turns people into mindless zombies known as "hungries."   A heavily fortified research RV is sent out from the Beacon which is where British society has retreated to in the wake of the plague.   Their mission is to try and find a possible way to combat or even cure the fungal plague.  The reader is thrust into a mission in progress with fully realized well lived in characters in the midst of all sorts of personal and external crises.  It reminded me a little of Alien as a character study of the choices made in the face of an unrelenting enemy.  Towards the end of their journey something new is discovered which turns everything on its head and leads to the events that are featured in "The Girl with All the Gifts."  An epilogue ties the two books together in a satisfying way.  Highly recommend.