: Being "Vexed" requires surviving a process that killed most of an entire generation, framing immunity as a survivor's guilt.
: The "Wicked" are uniquely terrifying because they remain articulate and polite while committing atrocities. How We Became Wicked by Alexander Yates Pdf
: The use of insects (Singers) as vectors grounds the horror in a plausible, if amplified, biological reality. Reviews - How We Became Wicked | The StoryGraph : Being "Vexed" requires surviving a process that
The essay below examines the book's central themes of morality, isolation, and the blurred lines between safety and monstrosity. Reviews - How We Became Wicked | The
In Alexander Yates’s How We Became Wicked , the apocalypse arrives not with a bang, but with the buzzing of "Singers"—mosquito-like insects that carry a virus of pure malevolence. Through the eyes of three teenagers—Astrid, Hank, and Natalie—the novel deconstructs the traditional zombie narrative by introducing the "Wicked": infected individuals who retain their intelligence and manners while harboring a singular, obsessive desire to maim others. By placing this horror against a backdrop of crumbling societal structures, Yates argues that "wickedness" is not merely a biological infection but a potential inherent in all human choices.
