Series: Newsflesh
Publisher: Orbit, 2010
Genre: Horror
Sub-genre: Post-apocalyptic
Rating: 5 pints of blood
Having read the book, I can understand how relevant the cover is. I like the idea behind it a lot, and while I usually do like simplicity in a book cover, this one just isn't very striking. I'm not sure why exactly. It's certainly different from what else is out there, and the blood is effective without going over-the-top. So why don't I feel more than "meh" about this cover? I don't know, but it's never jumped out at me, despite having been on my radar for quite some time. And that's probably part of the reason I've never picked it up before. Yes, I am shallow, but that's not a new revelation.
I read this because of
calico_reaction. It is entirely her fault. Last year this was one of her book club picks, and she wrote a raving review (that I didn't read at the time because it was spoilerific). When I announced a zombie theme for this month, she told me I had to include Feed on my list, and since the library had a copy, I figured I might as well.
Folks, I have been writing book reviews for nearly 4 years, starting in Feb 2008. In that time, I have reviewed hundreds of books, two of which I've given a full 5 pints of blood. Two books in almost four years. I have no hesitation, though, in letting this one be the third. Some of you will disagree with me on that decision, but that's ok. This is my review.
Scientists have created a cure for the common cold. They've also created a cure for cancer. When a few enterprising folks steal these cures and release them to the public without proper testing, they discover the unfortunate side effect of the combination of the two: zombies. The resulting outbreaks are devastating and change the world forever.
More than 20 years later, people have mostly set into their complacent routines. Zombies are still an ever-present threat, and one that scares a lot of people out of ever leaving their homes, but life goes on and a new normal is achieved. Somewhere in this new world, Georgia and her brother Shaun, respected news bloggers, are selected to accompany Senator Ryman in his campaign to become leader of the Republican party, then President of the United States. The exclusive coverage they'll get could make their careers, as well as the careers of their blogging associates.
When a zombie outbreak happens along the campaign trail, at first it seems like business as usual. Tragic business, as several people are killed, but nothing that isn't happening on an everyday basis all over the world. After the dust has settled, though, and people have a chance to check their equipment, they discover the wires to their zombie sensors have been cut, allowing what should have been an easily defensible attack to kill. In short: sabotage. This is only the first attack on the would-be president's caravan, and very quickly the question becomes who would want to kill Senator Ryman and his campaign team. Perhaps just as urgent is a second question: how far will Georgia and her team chase this story, knowing how much danger it's put them in?
In the world of Feed, bloggers have essentially become the media. They've become the news, the entertainment, just about everything. I have no problems believing in this, considering it's already started happening. Blog ratings? Sure, why not? We already have superstar blogs and professional bloggers. People get competitive over their blog traffic, and I can absolutely see that progressing as blogs continue to evolve. It's a direction I don't think I've seen anyone go with futuristic media, but the fact that it comes from Seanan McGuire (yes, Mira Grant is a pen name for fantasy author Seanan McGuire) isn't a surprise, considering her excellent use of her own blog.
As far as characters go... I loved Georgia. Utterly, unabashedly fell in love with her early in the story and stayed that way to the bitter end. She's prickly and stubborn and a bit misanthropic and frankly those are the reasons I loved her. I absolutely believed in her as both a writer and as a person. And, well, I do prefer my heroines a bit on the difficult side, and it's pretty fair to say Georgia qualifies for that. I also loved her brother, Shaun, and found the relationship between them really well done. The nature of their relationship has been discussed and dissected in many places, but for myself, there was nothing in there to make me uncomfortable. Their banter actually sounds the way one of my brothers and I talk to each other. As for the rest of their relationship... yes, they're unusually close, enough to make other characters take note and occasionally raise eyebrows, but there didn't ever seem to be any sexual tension between the two of them. Yes, they were very codependent, and Georgia openly admits that, but given the home they grew up in and the world they're forced to survive in, it seemed pretty natural and I really enjoyed the way their two very different personalities mingled, each picking up for the other's weaknesses. I also really liked the lack of romance. There really wasn't time or space to work a love interest in there, and it's frankly refreshing to come across a book that doesn't feel the need to wedge one in there.
Most of the time, when someone says they couldn't put a book down, it's a compliment. In this case, I did put the book down. Frequently. Not because I lost interest, or because I wasn't invested enough in the plot or the characters, but because I often needed a chance to process what I'd just read. It's not a particularly complex book on the surface, but there are layers in here that make the story really pop, and I'm sure on a second read I'll pick up even more things. Take this passage, talking about the way she feels about Senator Ryman: "We're twice as critical as anyone else when the candidate screws up because, quite frankly, we expect better of him. He's ours. Win or lose, he belongs to us. And just like any proud parent or greedy shareholder, we want to see our investment make it to the finish line." Initally, when I read that line, I thought "uh, no. No parent worth their while feels that way about their kid." And then I realized the statement actually does fit Georgia's parents very well, which influences her views on parents and families enough to influence her thoughts, even for a throwaway analogy. That, my friends, is attention to detail.
There are a million other things I could go into that I loved about this book (some of which give out major spoilers because unexpected plot twists, this book has them). For now, though, I think I'll just point at the 5-pint rating and let that speak for me.
Feed is available in mass market paperback
.
Publisher: Orbit, 2010
Genre: Horror
Sub-genre: Post-apocalyptic
Rating: 5 pints of blood
Having read the book, I can understand how relevant the cover is. I like the idea behind it a lot, and while I usually do like simplicity in a book cover, this one just isn't very striking. I'm not sure why exactly. It's certainly different from what else is out there, and the blood is effective without going over-the-top. So why don't I feel more than "meh" about this cover? I don't know, but it's never jumped out at me, despite having been on my radar for quite some time. And that's probably part of the reason I've never picked it up before. Yes, I am shallow, but that's not a new revelation.
I read this because of
calico_reaction. It is entirely her fault. Last year this was one of her book club picks, and she wrote a raving review (that I didn't read at the time because it was spoilerific). When I announced a zombie theme for this month, she told me I had to include Feed on my list, and since the library had a copy, I figured I might as well.Folks, I have been writing book reviews for nearly 4 years, starting in Feb 2008. In that time, I have reviewed hundreds of books, two of which I've given a full 5 pints of blood. Two books in almost four years. I have no hesitation, though, in letting this one be the third. Some of you will disagree with me on that decision, but that's ok. This is my review.
Scientists have created a cure for the common cold. They've also created a cure for cancer. When a few enterprising folks steal these cures and release them to the public without proper testing, they discover the unfortunate side effect of the combination of the two: zombies. The resulting outbreaks are devastating and change the world forever.
More than 20 years later, people have mostly set into their complacent routines. Zombies are still an ever-present threat, and one that scares a lot of people out of ever leaving their homes, but life goes on and a new normal is achieved. Somewhere in this new world, Georgia and her brother Shaun, respected news bloggers, are selected to accompany Senator Ryman in his campaign to become leader of the Republican party, then President of the United States. The exclusive coverage they'll get could make their careers, as well as the careers of their blogging associates.
When a zombie outbreak happens along the campaign trail, at first it seems like business as usual. Tragic business, as several people are killed, but nothing that isn't happening on an everyday basis all over the world. After the dust has settled, though, and people have a chance to check their equipment, they discover the wires to their zombie sensors have been cut, allowing what should have been an easily defensible attack to kill. In short: sabotage. This is only the first attack on the would-be president's caravan, and very quickly the question becomes who would want to kill Senator Ryman and his campaign team. Perhaps just as urgent is a second question: how far will Georgia and her team chase this story, knowing how much danger it's put them in?
In the world of Feed, bloggers have essentially become the media. They've become the news, the entertainment, just about everything. I have no problems believing in this, considering it's already started happening. Blog ratings? Sure, why not? We already have superstar blogs and professional bloggers. People get competitive over their blog traffic, and I can absolutely see that progressing as blogs continue to evolve. It's a direction I don't think I've seen anyone go with futuristic media, but the fact that it comes from Seanan McGuire (yes, Mira Grant is a pen name for fantasy author Seanan McGuire) isn't a surprise, considering her excellent use of her own blog.
As far as characters go... I loved Georgia. Utterly, unabashedly fell in love with her early in the story and stayed that way to the bitter end. She's prickly and stubborn and a bit misanthropic and frankly those are the reasons I loved her. I absolutely believed in her as both a writer and as a person. And, well, I do prefer my heroines a bit on the difficult side, and it's pretty fair to say Georgia qualifies for that. I also loved her brother, Shaun, and found the relationship between them really well done. The nature of their relationship has been discussed and dissected in many places, but for myself, there was nothing in there to make me uncomfortable. Their banter actually sounds the way one of my brothers and I talk to each other. As for the rest of their relationship... yes, they're unusually close, enough to make other characters take note and occasionally raise eyebrows, but there didn't ever seem to be any sexual tension between the two of them. Yes, they were very codependent, and Georgia openly admits that, but given the home they grew up in and the world they're forced to survive in, it seemed pretty natural and I really enjoyed the way their two very different personalities mingled, each picking up for the other's weaknesses. I also really liked the lack of romance. There really wasn't time or space to work a love interest in there, and it's frankly refreshing to come across a book that doesn't feel the need to wedge one in there.
Most of the time, when someone says they couldn't put a book down, it's a compliment. In this case, I did put the book down. Frequently. Not because I lost interest, or because I wasn't invested enough in the plot or the characters, but because I often needed a chance to process what I'd just read. It's not a particularly complex book on the surface, but there are layers in here that make the story really pop, and I'm sure on a second read I'll pick up even more things. Take this passage, talking about the way she feels about Senator Ryman: "We're twice as critical as anyone else when the candidate screws up because, quite frankly, we expect better of him. He's ours. Win or lose, he belongs to us. And just like any proud parent or greedy shareholder, we want to see our investment make it to the finish line." Initally, when I read that line, I thought "uh, no. No parent worth their while feels that way about their kid." And then I realized the statement actually does fit Georgia's parents very well, which influences her views on parents and families enough to influence her thoughts, even for a throwaway analogy. That, my friends, is attention to detail.
There are a million other things I could go into that I loved about this book (some of which give out major spoilers because unexpected plot twists, this book has them). For now, though, I think I'll just point at the 5-pint rating and let that speak for me.
Feed is available in mass market paperback
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