Book excerpt: Though civilization is in apocalyptic ruin, there's one stronghold where the residents live in the lap of luxury. The estate of Cynthia Wrothchilde has everything the young heiress could ask for in a palace: private gardens; armed, gen-enhanced guards who obey her every command; hundreds of human slaves; and her collection of pet zombies, to whom she feeds the slaves occasionally. Everything except something exciting and new to play with. But the next crop of undead brought in by Cynthia's bio-gen scouts seems to hold the cure to her boredom: the cutest little zombie she's ever seen! Oh, she simply must have this one bound, shackled and dressed for a little tea party!