Review: Feed by Mira Grant

Feed

By: Mira Grant

Published by: Orbit

Publication Date: May 1, 2010

608 pages

I won this in a contest

Book #1 of the Newsflesh Series

From Goodreads....

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

NOW, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives-the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.

Why I picked it up: In anticipation of the new Walking Dead series based on the comics by the same name and the fact that I truly love zombie stories but was so disappointed in the last one I attempted to read, I decided it was high time to get back on the zombie train.

Why I couldn't out it down: Cause it was damn good!! THIS is a zombie story done right. Keep your zombies with a conscience, I want my zombies to remain mindless feeding machines. And I want intelligent writing, and does this book ever deliver!!! It's been a few days since I read this one and I am still blown away by the detail and believable world-building in this book. While many zombie stories focus on the actual zombie uprising, this book happens 20 years later and is a fascinating look at how things have changed since society has had to adjust to zombies being a part of life. Grant does an incredible job of showing us a world that has changed yet is still familiar. Blood testing kits, the threat of diseased animals changing the diets of millions, houses with smaller windows, a zombie attack at Comic-Con and Urban Survival Barbie are all part of the landscape in this new world. Not just that though, I really love that Mira Grant has given a believable explanation for the rise of the zombies. The author has studied virology and it was evident in the scientific explanations given. I could almost believe this could actually happen.

The main characters Georgia (George Romero is now considered a hero for his zombie movies and it's quite common for parents to name their children after him,) Shaun and Buffy are bloggers (and since a lot of us here are, this added a very interesting component to the story.) In Grant's future, blogging is taking over as the most reliable news source and I found this to be a fascinating take on the media. These aren't just casual bloggers, the news and the truth and getting it out there means everything to these kids and when they get a chance to be the first blogging team selected to be part of one of the presidential candidates press pool, they jump on it. This decision puts them smack dab in the middle of danger, political conspiracies, terrorism and heartbreak.

Feed is a wonderful story of zombies, social commentary, politics, religion and the struggle to hold onto the ideals of a nation. It is intelligent and heartbreaking and don't be surprised if you find yourself shedding a tear when you read it.

5 Stars!