the forest of hands and teeth series order

The Forest of Hands and Teeth does not do well as a standalone its sequel, the more relevant but dumber-sounding The Dead-Tossed Waves is already in the works. The world created by the Return of the Unconsecrated is predictable but familiar, and a sense of utter authenticity runs throughout. The characters are charmless and the heroine unbearably bland, but the story that Ryan meant to tell remains in its undercurrents. In spite of its weaknesses, The Forest of Hands and Teeth has its own peculiar charm.

The story is competent, but its characters are interchangeable nobodies. The majority of the cast is a distant concern in the face of Mary’s suffering, and she greets and loses most of them with hardly a moment for real characterization. Where Ryan missteps most surprisingly is in her sparse consideration of the people in Mary’s world – they are always at arm’s length, in colors far dimmer than would be expected. Dialogue and plot are small percentage of the bulk it’s tempting to skim over Mary’s expository until another character dares to intrude.

Unfortunately, there is nothing sufficiently sophisticated or unusual about Mary, and she’s a dull host. As our tour guide to a world changed by the Unconsecrated, Mary is somewhat lacking, as she spends the majority of her time – and ours – in her own thoughts. The Forest of Hands and Teeth starts out with uncommon strength and focus but forfeits momentum quickly. It’s a story we’ve heard before, and will undoubtedly hear again, as Mary faces off against the Sisterhood, her family, and her village to discover the truth. Only when an outsider appears does Mary begin to question whether there is something worth finding outside the haven of the village. It is taken for granted that there is no world beyond the village, and to travel beyond its boundaries means death at the hands of the Unconsecrated – and then rebirth as one of them. Her village, overseen by the Sisterhood and protected by the aptly named Guardians, is encircled by a fence meant to keep the undead at bay. The constant fear of the Unconsecrated – the undead that populate the Forest that surrounds the village – is the driving force in Mary’s life. But, in spite of a strong opening and decent construction overall, The Forest of Hands and Teeth has its inadequacies, not the least of which is the nagging suspicion that the words keep piling up merely to fill space. Although there is nothing new in its subject matter – visions of 28 Days Later abound – Ryan comes at it with near-solid footing. As Carrie Ryan’s first novel, The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a small step above its contemporaries.

The forest of hands and teeth series order