Thursday, October 28, 2010

Review: Feed by Mira Grant


So I've kind of learned I have a thing for zombie stories. I think it's the mix of the apocalyptic sort of atmosphere and the tragedy. So much TRAGEDY in zombie stories because it's so EASY to get infected. And there might be some other deeper psychological reasons (that probably point to me being slightly nuts), but in any case, I was delighted to finally have a chance to read Mira Grant's Feed this past week.

Which was awesome! Feed takes place 25 years after the virus first broke out, so the world definitely has coping mechanisms now and zones of hazard and safety and all sorts of laws against big animals and taking like, 4 blood tests a day is completely normal. But what's really cool about this world? Bloggers are huge! The zombie outbreak was so mishandled by traditional news outlets that bloggers became the go to people for reliable information. And they've organized themselves and they have classifications and licenses and all kinds of stuff like that. Pretty awesome.

So our main character, Georgia, is a blogger, called a newsie. This means she hunts down the truth and reports facts as best she can. Georgia has an adoptive brother Shaun and these two are TIGHT, as Georgia says at one point, codependent. Not in any sick gross way, really, just that they are totally and completely comfortable with each other, they know each completely and trust each other that much, too. Shaun is the more adventurous sort (called an Irwin!)..he likes to go out in the field and taunt the zombies for amusements sake.

Georgia, Shaun, and their coblogger Buffy (yes Buffy--just how much do you love Mira Grant right now?) get invited to follow a presidential candidate's campaign. This means that they will have complete access to the candidate as he runs and also that their ratings will shoot through the roof. (they got rid of traffic as a measurement of blog popularity after the zombie apocalypse)

What this means is that Feed can be enjoyed on many levels. If you really like political thrillers it's a bit of one of those. If you love blogging, you're not going to top this. If you love close family relationships in your book, you've got that. If you like zombies...they are very present. Feed has a lot going for it.

What I loved about this book was the world building was so good! The explanation for the zombie virus made a lot of sense. The way the world recovered and moved on was fascinating. The fact that EVERYONE carries the virus in them and it activates on death is so rich with meaning I loved it. Using blogging as such a huge part of the story provided a glimpse into how a zombie's craving for flesh is a bit like our craving for information. And the fact that San Diego Comic-con got a mention was super cool because I saw Mira Grant on a zombie panel there and she was delightful and funny!

Feed is told in first person perspective. It is not in any way a romance. There are zombies. There is death. The dead rise again...but only to eat your brains. There's a lot of action and a lot of mystery. And the biggest compliment I can pay it is that when I wasn't reading it, I was wishing I was reading it.

Rating: 4.25/5
Things You Might Want to Know: Profanity. Also, zombies (and I would say a slightly unfavorable view of religious people)
Source of Book: Received for review from publisher
Publisher: Orbit

And Mira Grant is also Seanan McGuire who writes urban fantasy!

Amy

Comments (34)

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Ooh! Glad you reviewed this today while I am making out my amazon order - it's a great reminder why I put this on my wishlist in the first place.
1 reply · active 741 weeks ago
I've heard a lot about this one -- I can't wait to pick this one up!!
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
Great review! I have picked this one up a couple times in the library or book store but never actually read it. Looks like I'm going to have to now! Have you read World War Z? It's fabulous. I think you would really love it.
1 reply · active 741 weeks ago
I have the audio of this one. While it definitely isn't my typical read, I've heard such great things that I hope to get to it soon!
1 reply · active 741 weeks ago
I have this one...well I had it, then lost it, and got another copy from the library. I'm dying to read it! You should link this up to my Fright Fest Mr. Linky! You'll be eligible to win some great books, including THE FAITHFUL. I think you'd really enjoy that one. Ok..enough of the self-promotion. I'm glad you liked this one and I can't wait to read it!
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
Great review. I just finished this one the other day and was trying to decide how to review it without spoiling the book. You did an excellent job!
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
Hm. Can't decide if I want to read this one or not.
2 replies · active 741 weeks ago
This does sound interesting to read. I just wish the TBR pile was smaller so I could fit it in.
1 reply · active 741 weeks ago
Oooh, a zombie book with a female protag and it isn't a romance! Colour me interested :)
1 reply · active 741 weeks ago
Kathy at Bermudaonion told me I HAD to get this book. I would really like to get it on audio...I need to check to see if they have it yet or not. Power to the bloggers!
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
Tired of zombies, but the political part sounds of interest, especially with Tuesday coming up!
1 reply · active 741 weeks ago
I don't really care for zombie books and I thought this one was fantastic. The audio is top notch and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
1 reply · active 741 weeks ago
Yes! To wanting to be reading it whenever I wasn't. I listened to the audio and actually tweeted at one point that I was hoping for bad traffic so I could listen longer on my way home. I also tooootally agree about the world building, it was absolutely fabulous, which I think is what really made the book for me. There was maybe a slightly negative view of really fundamentalist people, but I think that the Senator whose campaign they were following was fairly religious, right? And everyone loved him. It seemed to me the negativity was more towards the people who use the guise of religiosity for political power.
1 reply · active 741 weeks ago
I really, really need to get my hands on this one! I'm going to ILL it, I think, since my book budget is spent for a while.
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
Oh, you're review makes me want to grab it right now from my TBR pile! In fact, I think it will be the next thing I read, perfect for Halloween.
Since you like Zombies, have you read "Married with Zombies" by Jesse Petersen? I read it recently, and it was both fun and horrific.
1 reply · active 741 weeks ago
Oh I'm so glad you loved this one. I have it on audio and can't wait to find the time to listen.
1 reply · active 741 weeks ago
I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed this one as much as I did. This was such a great read for me and I CANNOT wait for Deadline to come out. Great review!

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