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47 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bloggers (and zombies) have taken over the world, April 27, 2010
This review is from: Feed (Newsflesh, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
I am reviewing an Advance Reading Copy provided by the publisher. The year is 2039 and bloggers have taken over the world. Twenty five years ago the Kellis-Amberlee virus went live. Infected humans and animals began reanimating after death--some underwent spontaneous change--to become walking feeding machines. With an appetite for the truth as insatiable as a zombie's diet, Georgia--George--Mason and her brother, Shaun, have climbed the ranks of news bloggers around the world. Their ratings have everything to gain from their recent invitation to join a senator's political campaign. Now they're on the road providing coverage of what's promising to be the campaign trail for the next President of the United States of America. There's only one problem: wherever they go, KA begins breaking out, putting the team at risk. Will they survive to see their candidate win the Republican ticket? Feed is Seanan McGuire's third published book, but first under the pen name Mira Grant. Fans of her October Daye books will recognize some similarities between the two series. Mainly, these are minor--writers will invariably develop quirks that nuance their writing. Georgia is an independent, no-nonsense workaholic with a license that requires her to carry a gun and a disease that makes it impossible for her to cry. Clearly Grant likes writing strong female protagonists. They lean toward the flinty end of the spectrum and stop just short of growling when not amused. It might appear at first that the inability to cry is going a bit overboard. It isn't necessary to literally remove a reaction stereotypically associated with the female gender to show how tough she is, but Georgia makes it clear how frustrating Retinal KA really is. She wants access to that human reaction and is frequently reminded of the deprivation, however much reliant she is on it when the situation requires stoicism. Here is a character fighting against two polarities. Her tears were stolen and without the necessary moisture, she can't even "tear up" about it. Add to this being adopted by parents making the gesture for the ratings and Georgia's developed into a very sympathetic character. She's had a difficult life--who wouldn't, growing up in a world where fear of contagion has kept people indoors and glued to their computer screens? What makes her--and her fellow bloggers, Shaun and Buffy--different is knowing when to put fear and terror aside to keep living. How they earn that living is very interesting. When established media proved untrustworthy reporting the first outbreak, the world turned to bloggers. Bloggers spoke for the common good--as much to inform themselves as the frightened public. They helped make sense of the unexplained chaos breaking out across the nation. Enter Shaun and Georgia, sponsors willing to fund their efforts, and After the End Times was born. Grant manages to build a convincing news body which isn't too far from the truth. Some people already rely enormously on the internet and trust amateur bloggers for any number of needs. Grant's astute observations integrate this relationship with her own universe to mesh into the working framework of her narrative. Grant's characters are solid; her universe well-established. It's so established that readers may become as exasperated over the meticulous mention of blood testing kits and procedure as the characters were to get tested. Grant has thought of everything--not just the small details to consider when and how an outbreak could occur. Feed is politics-heavy, not just because George and Shaun are on the campaign trail. Kellis-Amberlee is cause to reconsider things like the death penalty (why kill someone when a dormant virus goes live at death, thus endangering the public at large), gun control laws, pet ownership, and public gatherings. Playing in the backyard now depends on the danger level your neighborhood has been zoned for. Presidential candidates are made or broken on a campaign trail riddled with archaic practices now seen as brave instead of expected. I do have one, and only one, thing to nitpick about. George's relationship with her brother Shaun was a bit too unrealistic for me. I say this only because I have a brother and we're pretty inseparable, but would never share the same bed with each other, let alone the same room. I suppose it's a bit immature of me, but I couldn't relate to certain aspects of their relationship and so didn't appreciate how close they were as much as I could have. Other readers (who have siblings) may feel otherwise--I can only hope they do. After all, this is a fault of my own. About as close to understanding as I came was realizing they also had a working relationship that functioned best under those circumstances. And in the end, they were a strong pair. I can't complain too much. With Feed, Mira Grant proves she's an author to be reckoned with. The book may be lengthy (almost 600 pages), but we have to remember it's the first in a self-contained trilogy. There's such a large and complex story to tell--a lesser book would not be this involved. If readers haven't already started paying attention to Seanan McGuire because of her October Daye books, Feed will do the trick. There may be similarities between it and her other books--mysterious murders, resilient and accident-prone female protagonist with ready access to pain medication and a constant need for good night's rest, deranged bad guy, suspect good guys--but you also can't let yourself miss a book where one of the main characters runs around in a chain-mail shirt for fun, can you? And, there's a kitty. You can't beat kitties. I do not know when its sequel, Deadline, will be out, but I'm looking forward to it. I hear it has epileptic teacup bulldogs.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinateingly original, but slow and long., March 29, 2011
This review is from: Feed (Newsflesh, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Feed is set in the year 2040, twenty-six years after two viruses merging caused the zombie apocalypse. Zombies in this world are just an accepted annoyance to be avoided, like mosquitoes. Georgia and Shaun, sister and brother blogger journalists, get a revolutionary job offer - to be part of a promising presidential candidate's press campaign. Except the zombies might not be the only dangers out there. I loved the twist Mira Grant used in this zombie novel. The virus cause for zombies is everywhere and part of everyone. As soon as one dies for any reason, BAM! They are a zombie. There are intricate laws and personal rules for the treatment of people who are injured. Animals over 40 lbs also reanimate. So there are no pets, you can't eat those animals for food, you can't go into the wilderness, ect. Mira Grant created this fantastic world, that was simply a joy to read the complexity of. The story, however, focuses on journalistic blogging and the politics of a presidential candidate. These topics were only somewhat interesting to me. Feed is 560 pages long and I lost interest in the story about ¾ the through. It did have an exciting finish with an unexpected twist, but for me the story was just way too long and too slow. I considered not finishing it, but after 450 pages I felt rather committed. Feed is the first in a new series. I will probably take a look at the sequel, Blackout. But unless it is mind-blowingly thrilling and suspenseful, I don't think I will be investing more time into this series. Conclusion: This is a fascinating original series about a post-apocalyptic zombie world. So if zombies are your thing, this will definitely entertain you. But the slow pace and length of Feed makes it a definite try-before-you-buy for me.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Zombie Novel That's... Not, January 20, 2012
This review is from: Feed (Newsflesh, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
I think it's important to distinguish really early on that this book is not really about zombies. Sure, the aftermath of the zombie outbreak is paramount to the story, but zombies themselves are not really the focus. Rather, the book is about conspiracy, politics, intrigue, and humanity's good intentions gone horribly awry. As other reviewers have gone over the plot in great detail, I'll skip the bulk of the summation, but in short, the book is about a future where we've cured cancer, cured the common cold, and accidentally unleashed the hell that is the zombie "apocalypse." The world isn't ended, but it's certainly changed. Our story follows a group of bloggers who get their big break -- Following a presidential campaign in the wake of "The Rising." In this future, blogs are the last bastion of the Truth with a capital T, and the group of bloggers we follow is led by Georgia "George" Mason, a "Newsie" who takes this truth very seriously. With her is her adopted brother, Shaun, who is an "Irwin," bloggers who take serious risks to get a great story. As I'm sure you can guess by the length of the book, the plot thickens in a huge way. I'll start my feedback with "The Bad," which is a pretty small complaint. The book is a lot longer than it needs to be. A good chunk of the book is in the form of blog entries from either George, Shaun, or Buffy, their "Fictional." (It's just what it sounds like.) This format is pretty cool, and definitely lends us some depth to the characters, but it really isn't necessary to the extent it's presented. Shaun and George, especially, are very well fleshed out without these entries, and I feel like they could have been used more effectively in short bursts. There were a few really excellent blog entries (especially one near the end... No spoilers, but it made me cry on the bus home, and I'm an adult woman. It's pretty powerful.), but for the most part, they only add a small amount, and really take away from the movement of the story. However, I am pretty happy with the book overall. For one thing, it has enough little references to make it read somewhat like a love letter to the zombie genre in general, ie : the popularity of the name George/Georgia/Georgette in the wake of the Rising, George Romero's zombie being used to further research. There's enough subtlety to this that those not into the genre may miss things -- For example, Shaun may seem like a common name, but I mean... Shaun of the Dead? Yes? That pleased me. It also takes what is wrong and simplified in the zombie genre and really ramps it up a notch. Zombie outbreak caused be a virus? Not exactly -- It's caused by two antiviruses combining to create a horribly virulent strain of a brand new virus. It's a pretty cool twist, and while I'm sure it's been done before, it's incredibly well put together. Granted, that probably added to the length in a big way, but in this regard, I don't mind the extra reading. It's interesting to see the epidemiology in this case. I loved the character development. People have criticized Shaun and George's somewhat unbelievable relationship, but if you consider that these are two adopted kids that have grown up with, really, just each other to truly rely on and truly form a connection to in a world where every day means the potential for a horrible death (or undeath, as it could be), it's not all that far-fetched. Another noteworthy connection was that between Rick and Lois -- I won't spoil it, but it's incredibly touching and sad. I don't think the book is perfect -- It did drag a bit, and, if you're looking for a lot of action, this isn't necessarily for you. The action that exists is great, but it is relatively sporadic. I've been hearing that the second book in the series has more zombie related action, and I plan on starting it soon. However, the overall feel of this book is just really great. I really did cry on the bus, and I felt physically sick and tense at a few parts. I highly recommend reading it if you're into realistic "outbreak" scenarios, or if you're a fan of the zombie genre who isn't really feeling like a straight book o' violence. Definitely recommend borrowing it from a library to start, but I know I'll be picking it up for my personal library.
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