Might be 4.5 stars but it was so close to perfect that I'll just give it 5. 
 I think we've transitioned from dystopia-mania to people sighing "another dystopian book?" Which isn't to say authors should stop writing them (post-apocalyptic worlds have been and probably always will be fascinating) but they should take care to make their story stand out if they want it to be remembered. Emily St. John Mandel does exactly that with Station Eleven, a creepy Walking Dead meets Lost novel. The "Georgia Flu" wipes out 99 percent of the earth, leaving among the survivors various characters for us to follow as the world crumbles around them and one to look back on from before the epidemic. 
 The Walking Dead aspects: Most prominently, the suspense that comes with walking down a quiet abandoned highway and not knowing if some creepy villain is following. There are also makeshift settlements that pop up, survivors that travel in packs, and people who are driven to become awful people or do awful things by the unrest. No zombies though. 
 But then there's the Lost aspect: the prophet. What a creepy dude. His belief that the survivors were chosen to be the light and that his status as the prophet earns him the right to people's weapons and women - classic cult leader taking advantage of those in need. His creepiness reminded me so much of the spiritual aspects of Lost, which are fuzzy to me now but left me with the same feelings of uneasiness. 
 I loved visiting the world of Station Eleven (both the post-apocalyptic wasteland and the comic version). For one, we get to skip past most of the early years of the downfall of civilization and see how the world evolves post-flu. This means less blood and gore and people figuring out how to survive and more of people surviving in their new world, the old one a distant memory. Kirsten evolves from a prissy child actress to a member of a traveling Shakespeare troupe with a talent for scavenging and throwing knives. Jeevan leaves his unsatisfying past as a paparazzi turned paramedic behind in search of a way to survive with meaning. Clark escapes the flu but holds on to the past via now useless objects. And then there is Arthur, the character who is written to remind readers of the world left behind, full of delicious food and tabloids and large houses and smartphones - but really, people had all those things but were they any better off? 
 Mandel's writing brings the immediate disbelief and shock of the events to life, and also paints the world we have today as an ancient civilization that young children can only imagine. It's easy to get transported to Mandel's world and forget things like the Internet and electricity still exist. 
 My one complaint is that I would have liked more of Jeevan's story. Kirsten evolves into the star of the novel, which she was completely deserving of, and Clark's story is adequately told. But I recall towards the beginning that I was itching to get back to Jeevan's story, and while we get glimpses of him, I would've liked to read even more. 
 Also can Marvel or DC or someone pick up the Station Eleven comics idea? That's one series I would pick up.