You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
M.R. Carey's "The Girl With All The Gifts" explores survival and how people handle psychological stress. He incorporates themes of altruism to illustrate the bond between Miss Justineau and Melanie, deepening their relationship amid the harsh realities of a dystopian world as they face tough survival situations. While zombies play a role in the story, it's the underlying theme of self-discovery that shape the narrative.
My top pick for a scientific explanation of a zombie apocalypse.
Carey imagines the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, better known as the zombie-ant fungus, making its way to humans. The way the Cordyceps fungus is described is both engaging and thorough; its history, its ability to infect different species, the characteristics of its infection cycle and maturation are concerning to the reader. Carey's utilization of these characteristics throughout the novel supplements the narrative.
By referencing a David Attenborough documentary, it encourages us to look it up and dive into more online research, adding credibility to the explanation. For those who might still be skeptical, it’s hard not to think of COVID-19 and its cross-species evolution. The presentation is outstanding, and I’m genuinely impressed.
From the start, I was captivated by the story of Melanie, a remarkably intelligent ten-year-old living in the secure environment of "Hotel Echo", just outside London. The children there are kept in separate cells and studied by Dr. Caldwell. Miss Justineau, one of the teachers, forms a strong bond with Melanie, crucial for both their futures.
The Girl with All the Gifts is primarily told from Melanie's perspective, depicting her as a smart and kind girl caught in a bizarre situation: locked in a cell and strapped to a chair by terrified soldiers and surviving on live grubs. Melanie is somewhere between "normal" and "the mindless "Hungries" (Zombie)", caused by the Cordyceps fungus that devastates adults.
Melanie and her classmates maintain their intellect, utilizing the concept of a "sentient zombie", making them valuable in the search for a cure. The concept of a "sentient zombie" evokes empathy, and by making them children, it is impossible but to have an emotional connection. However, Carey skillfully presents Melanie as a relatable protagonist unaware of her true nature as one of the monsters.
It's been twenty years since the "hungries" first appeared. When the government realized they couldn't control the outbreak they relocated the uninfected people into secure bases. Some people fought against this relocation and tried to fend for themselves, earning the name "junkers".
Over time, these junkers have slipped into a more brutal way of life, focused only on surviving. During a patrol, soldiers come across a group of junkers, leading to a fierce clash that ends with several junkers dead. In their quest for revenge, the junkers organise the hungries and attack the base. Melanie, along with Miss Justineau, Dr. Caldwell, and two soldiers, Sergeant Parks and Private Gallagher, manage to escape. They set off on a dangerous trek to another base 40 miles away, navigating the barren landscapes.
Moral Conflicts and Ethical Dilemmas
The story presents ethical dilemmas at its core: is it morally justifiable to treat Melanie and her fellow little "hungries" as lab specimens? Is the excuse of "survival of humanity" a justification for such actions, keeping in mind it has been two decades since civilization's collapse? Is it okay to perform life-ending surgery on kids for the sake of humanity's survival? This moral conflict is explored through the contrasting viewpoints of Doctor Caldwell, who is unconcerned about operating on the subjects, and Helen Justineau, a psychologist who prioritizes her students' welfare.
My top pick for a scientific explanation of a zombie apocalypse.
Carey imagines the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, better known as the zombie-ant fungus, making its way to humans. The way the Cordyceps fungus is described is both engaging and thorough; its history, its ability to infect different species, the characteristics of its infection cycle and maturation are concerning to the reader. Carey's utilization of these characteristics throughout the novel supplements the narrative.
By referencing a David Attenborough documentary, it encourages us to look it up and dive into more online research, adding credibility to the explanation. For those who might still be skeptical, it’s hard not to think of COVID-19 and its cross-species evolution. The presentation is outstanding, and I’m genuinely impressed.
From the start, I was captivated by the story of Melanie, a remarkably intelligent ten-year-old living in the secure environment of "Hotel Echo", just outside London. The children there are kept in separate cells and studied by Dr. Caldwell. Miss Justineau, one of the teachers, forms a strong bond with Melanie, crucial for both their futures.
The Girl with All the Gifts is primarily told from Melanie's perspective, depicting her as a smart and kind girl caught in a bizarre situation: locked in a cell and strapped to a chair by terrified soldiers and surviving on live grubs. Melanie is somewhere between "normal" and "the mindless "Hungries" (Zombie)", caused by the Cordyceps fungus that devastates adults.
Melanie and her classmates maintain their intellect, utilizing the concept of a "sentient zombie", making them valuable in the search for a cure. The concept of a "sentient zombie" evokes empathy, and by making them children, it is impossible but to have an emotional connection. However, Carey skillfully presents Melanie as a relatable protagonist unaware of her true nature as one of the monsters.
It's been twenty years since the "hungries" first appeared. When the government realized they couldn't control the outbreak they relocated the uninfected people into secure bases. Some people fought against this relocation and tried to fend for themselves, earning the name "junkers".
Over time, these junkers have slipped into a more brutal way of life, focused only on surviving. During a patrol, soldiers come across a group of junkers, leading to a fierce clash that ends with several junkers dead. In their quest for revenge, the junkers organise the hungries and attack the base. Melanie, along with Miss Justineau, Dr. Caldwell, and two soldiers, Sergeant Parks and Private Gallagher, manage to escape. They set off on a dangerous trek to another base 40 miles away, navigating the barren landscapes.
Moral Conflicts and Ethical Dilemmas
The story presents ethical dilemmas at its core: is it morally justifiable to treat Melanie and her fellow little "hungries" as lab specimens? Is the excuse of "survival of humanity" a justification for such actions, keeping in mind it has been two decades since civilization's collapse? Is it okay to perform life-ending surgery on kids for the sake of humanity's survival? This moral conflict is explored through the contrasting viewpoints of Doctor Caldwell, who is unconcerned about operating on the subjects, and Helen Justineau, a psychologist who prioritizes her students' welfare.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! I just loved this book and flew through it. I am throwing 0.5 stars out to the zombies for Caldwell, boy that woman was a *insert some very big swear words*.
Phew, I am still not entirely sure if I can write a review, but I will try, bear with me it might be a bit chaotic.
So I heard a ton about this book and have wanted to read it for some time. A few days ago I heard about the movie coming out on bluray (didn't even know there was a movie, but then again it never got released here). I am always the type to read the book before the movie, especially if I am interested in the book.
This book took the zombie genre to quite a new level, at least for me. Normally zombie books are all about the action, about survival. And that is, at least a bit later, also what is happening, but mostly this book is quite philosophical. Talking about life, especially for Melanie it is something that is quite important. We quickly learn she is a zombie, but.... she is also quite different from the normal standard monsters outside. She can think, she is intelligent, she tries to control her emotions/her hunger, she feels, she has emotions, she is just a human being, just with a slight zombie problem that at times pops its nasty head up. :P
However to humans she is just a zombie. Not that she knows this exactly, it takes her some time to piece together the parts, it was definitely interesting (but also sad as it did affect her a lot) to see her realise what she was, her sadness that she would probably never have a life anywhere. That people will want to experiment on her. It just broke my heart. This girl tries oh so hard, she is so sweet, so smart. She deserves a life of happiness.
The book doesn't only focus on Melanie though, it focuses on Parks, on Gallagher, on Caldwell (urgghhhhhhh), on Ms. Justineau (my favourite character next to Melanie).
For those POVs, I didn't like Gallagher that much, he was interesting, and he had some good moments (I loved how he and Melanie were checking everything out on their journey as they never seen the outside world), but also some bad moments (for instance I do not need to know about his porno stuff, or that certain girls starred in his sex dreams, no thank you).
Parks, well it took me a LONG time to like him. For most of the book I just wanted to punch him. Especially with how he treated Melanie. Yes, I know, she is dangerous, but he was just a bit too much of a bully for me. Luckily, later he redeems himself and I could see a different side to him. He turned to be a great character and I quite liked him. He was a good person deep below, it just didn't always show because his soldier side was more dominant and more ingrained.
Caldwell, well, let me just say I wanted to feed her to the zombies. Many, many, many, many times. I still do want to do that. My lord that woman was terrible. In that way the author did a magnificent job on writing her this way. Unless of course he had a different way with her, in that case, bleh!
I don't want to waste a lot of time on her and why I hated her, but she was just disgusting. I know anaesthetics don't work on zombies, but really, did she have to do those things? She also endangered her group too much. Horrible person.
I loved how we found out why Melanie was the way she was. I definitely thought it might be that, but it seemed so implausible that I couldn't believe it until it was confirmed.
The first part of the book takes place mostly in the bunker/base, with the classroom (which was oh so interesting, though I was kind of glad that didn't turn out to be the whole book), but then poop hits the fan and we are back to a standard zombie story. One with lots of death, creepiness, and more! I do love the zombies in this one, oh yes, I do! The fact they just stand stock-still, as if they are lamps that have been turned off. But then when they see movement, or hear just a tiny bit of sound, they go to killing machines. That just creeped me out. Plus the fact that some zombies just retain stuff, and just go along with the things they did in their daily life.
Not to mention the kids like Melanie. *shivers*
Plus I liked what was causing the disease/the zombies. I have read many books and I have seen many causes for the zombies, but I haven't seen many that feature this kind. And I don't think I have read any that take it this far, and in that way. So I just have to clap in amazement.
The book had twists and turns, and like most/if not all zombie books, I do warn you to not get too attached to anyone. You may never know what happens. The book had twists and turns, and like most/if not all zombie books, I do warn you to not get too attached to anyone. You may never know what happens. And no, this is not a spoiler, just read some zombie books and you will understand what I mean. :)
The world, and how it came to be like this, was really well described. During the journey we got an even clearer image of the destruction, of the world as it is. We also learn about other parts of the world, which doesn't always happen in zombie books. Often it focuses on just one part of the world.
The ending? Boy, oh boy. On the one hand I wasn't that amused, but on the other hand that ending was just absolutely perfection. And yes, it was the best idea, even if not everyone is going to agree with it.
What more? I think I have everything that I wanted to post. I can't wait for The Boy on the Bridge, I hope it will be just as awesome as this one was! I don't want to leave this world just yet. There are still so many angles that can be explored and explained.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com
Phew, I am still not entirely sure if I can write a review, but I will try, bear with me it might be a bit chaotic.
So I heard a ton about this book and have wanted to read it for some time. A few days ago I heard about the movie coming out on bluray (didn't even know there was a movie, but then again it never got released here). I am always the type to read the book before the movie, especially if I am interested in the book.
This book took the zombie genre to quite a new level, at least for me. Normally zombie books are all about the action, about survival. And that is, at least a bit later, also what is happening, but mostly this book is quite philosophical. Talking about life, especially for Melanie it is something that is quite important. We quickly learn she is a zombie, but.... she is also quite different from the normal standard monsters outside. She can think, she is intelligent, she tries to control her emotions/her hunger, she feels, she has emotions, she is just a human being, just with a slight zombie problem that at times pops its nasty head up. :P
However to humans she is just a zombie. Not that she knows this exactly, it takes her some time to piece together the parts, it was definitely interesting (but also sad as it did affect her a lot) to see her realise what she was, her sadness that she would probably never have a life anywhere. That people will want to experiment on her. It just broke my heart. This girl tries oh so hard, she is so sweet, so smart. She deserves a life of happiness.
The book doesn't only focus on Melanie though, it focuses on Parks, on Gallagher, on Caldwell (urgghhhhhhh), on Ms. Justineau (my favourite character next to Melanie).
For those POVs, I didn't like Gallagher that much, he was interesting, and he had some good moments (I loved how he and Melanie were checking everything out on their journey as they never seen the outside world), but also some bad moments (for instance I do not need to know about his porno stuff, or that certain girls starred in his sex dreams, no thank you).
Parks, well it took me a LONG time to like him. For most of the book I just wanted to punch him. Especially with how he treated Melanie. Yes, I know, she is dangerous, but he was just a bit too much of a bully for me. Luckily, later he redeems himself and I could see a different side to him. He turned to be a great character and I quite liked him. He was a good person deep below, it just didn't always show because his soldier side was more dominant and more ingrained.
Spoiler
I just didn't want him to die. That was absolutely heartbreaking, especially considering what took place before it happened.Caldwell, well, let me just say I wanted to feed her to the zombies. Many, many, many, many times. I still do want to do that. My lord that woman was terrible. In that way the author did a magnificent job on writing her this way. Unless of course he had a different way with her, in that case, bleh!
I don't want to waste a lot of time on her and why I hated her, but she was just disgusting. I know anaesthetics don't work on zombies, but really, did she have to do those things? She also endangered her group too much. Horrible person.
Spoiler
Still sad that she just died because of an infection to her hand, I had quite hoped she would be eaten. I guess we can't have everything in life.I loved how we found out why Melanie was the way she was. I definitely thought it might be that, but it seemed so implausible that I couldn't believe it until it was confirmed.
The first part of the book takes place mostly in the bunker/base, with the classroom (which was oh so interesting, though I was kind of glad that didn't turn out to be the whole book), but then poop hits the fan and we are back to a standard zombie story. One with lots of death, creepiness, and more! I do love the zombies in this one, oh yes, I do! The fact they just stand stock-still, as if they are lamps that have been turned off. But then when they see movement, or hear just a tiny bit of sound, they go to killing machines. That just creeped me out. Plus the fact that some zombies just retain stuff, and just go along with the things they did in their daily life.
Not to mention the kids like Melanie. *shivers*
Plus I liked what was causing the disease/the zombies. I have read many books and I have seen many causes for the zombies, but I haven't seen many that feature this kind. And I don't think I have read any that take it this far, and in that way. So I just have to clap in amazement.
The book had twists and turns, and like most/if not all zombie books, I do warn you to not get too attached to anyone. You may never know what happens. The book had twists and turns, and like most/if not all zombie books, I do warn you to not get too attached to anyone. You may never know what happens. And no, this is not a spoiler, just read some zombie books and you will understand what I mean. :)
The world, and how it came to be like this, was really well described. During the journey we got an even clearer image of the destruction, of the world as it is. We also learn about other parts of the world, which doesn't always happen in zombie books. Often it focuses on just one part of the world.
The ending? Boy, oh boy. On the one hand I wasn't that amused, but on the other hand that ending was just absolutely perfection. And yes, it was the best idea, even if not everyone is going to agree with it.
What more? I think I have everything that I wanted to post. I can't wait for The Boy on the Bridge, I hope it will be just as awesome as this one was! I don't want to leave this world just yet. There are still so many angles that can be explored and explained.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com
This book is so hard to rate. I loved it, I did. And pretty much everything went the way I wanted, but it felt so unfinished. What happened to the other kids? What happens to the world next? What about Beacon??? How do things evolve? I NEED ANSWERS, DAMMIT.
There better be a second book coming! Otherwise I might even lower this another star, Carey!! (yes, that's the kind of threat I tend to hang over authors' heads)
Melanie and Helen are the OTP of the century, btw. hee
There better be a second book coming! Otherwise I might even lower this another star, Carey!! (yes, that's the kind of threat I tend to hang over authors' heads)
Melanie and Helen are the OTP of the century, btw. hee
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The narrator deserved the Audie Award. She was brilliant. I also enjoyed the book :) Actually I liked it even more this time around.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Un tres bon thriller postapocalyptique, bien mené
Took me a while to get into it, but eventually did and enjoyed the writing.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
