Feed (Newsflesh Book 1)

Feed (Newsflesh Book 1)
Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire), 2010

Challenge Book! Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2016 - Read a horror book

Premise: Georgia, Shaun, and Buffy are too young to remember a world without zombies. Their job: to go out and report on it.

This has been the summer of Seanan McGuire for me, as I try a little bit of everything. Here writing as Mira Grant, she’s presenting a sci-fi horror story in the aftermath of a zombie outbreak. Society changed forever, but there are still politics and conspiracies and news.

And there are bloggers.

The three main characters: Georgia, the narrator, her brother Shaun, and their friend Buffy are a blogging team that goes into dangerous territory and reports on what they find. They are part of a community providing both news and entertainment to a population mostly hiding in fortified homes and enclaves.

The story follows them as they get a huge opportunity: follow a presidential hopeful around. They jump at the chance and follow the story, even as things get more and more dangerous.

My main complaint was with the build-up to the final climax. There was a lot of off-screen information gathering and otherwise hand-wavy explanation, and I didn’t fully understand the catalyst for the climax, even when it was explained. The villain is too obvious, although the resolution worked well for me.

That said, I loved the style enough to offset my minor complaints. Georgia’s narrative voice was just right for the world and the story, and the interspersed online posts were just enough foreshadowing and additional character development. The author’s extensive research showed through all the careful nuances of the world. I really liked all the little details about human behavior changes or law changes based on the presence of the zombie virus.

Overall, a solid story that punched me in the feelings. (It’s a zombie story, you know not everyone gets out alive.)

4 Stars - A Very Good Book