Book Review: Feed by Mira Grant

RATING:

(Newsflesh #1)

In 2014, two experimental viruses—a genetically engineered flu strain designed by Dr. Alexander Kellis, intended to act as a cure for the common cold, and a cancer-killing strain of Marburg, known as “Marburg Amberlee”—escaped the lab and combined to form a single airborne pathogen that swept around the world in a matter of days. It cured cancer. It stopped a thousand cold and flu viruses in their tracks.

It raised the dead.

Millions died in the chaos that followed. The summer of 2014 was dubbed “The Rising,” and only the lessons learned from a thousand zombie movies allowed mankind to survive. Even then, the world was changed forever. The mainstream media fell, Internet news acquired an undeniable new legitimacy, and the CDC rose to a new level of power.

Set twenty years after the Rising, the Newsflesh trilogy follows a team of bloggers, led by Georgia and Shaun Mason, as they search for the brutal truths behind the infection. Danger, deceit, and betrayal lurk around every corner, as does the hardest question of them all:

When will you rise?

Literary Award: 2011 Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel

*****

Danger is a side effect of what I do, not the reason behind it.

UNNERVING.

There are three points I want to make: One – the talk of politics bored me to death. Two – there are barely zombie-killing scenes and this disappointed me. Three – the twist, and ultimately the ending stupefied me… to the highest level! Point Three made up for the lack of Point Two and the abundance of Point One.

Feed is unlike any other zombie book I’ve read (this is my first zombie read, compared to Enclave which I consider more of dystopia than zombie). It follows the story of siblings Georgia (or George) and Shaun, with their friend Buffy and correspondent-turned-friend Rick through a series of blog entries. They are the Press team of a senator-turned-presidential candidate and together they battle out politics, post-apocalyptic controversies and zombie-filled intermissions.

What struck me strong the most is the absence of sibling rivalry between Georgia and Shaun. Oh, there’s still a lot of bickering and swearing between them, but at the end of the day, all they have is each other and for that reason alone, living in a zombie-infested country is worth it. It amazes me that besides being bloggers/journalists, Georgia & Shaun can kick ass with their powered guns and crossbows. They are efficient in their defense and I love that about them. Georgia is pessimistic, but realistic at most; Shaun knows when to be serious and when to be crazy. I must say, Shaun’s POV is more fun and engaging than Georgia.

The ending left me powerless, hopeless, and with a broken heart. I must have retinal KA (just like Georgia) because I can’t seem to shed a tear when I wanted to. Mira Grant rendered me speechless and broken.

Feed is an intelligent read – you gotta get past the political intrigue to appreciate it’s zombieness. Despite the haunting ending, Feed is beautifully made by the love and devotion between Georgia and Shaun and their dauntless belief to search out for the truth. *sniff*

RISE UP WHILE YOU CAN.

 I wanted the truth, and I wanted the news, and I’d be damned before I settled for anything less.

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.: maria :.

“giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”