Scan barcode
kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
It really should be a 7!
First in the Newsflesh Trilogy, a horror suspense series about a small group of bloggers determined to push the truth, the boundaries of sense, and plumb its emotional depths.
My Take
I got sucked right in. Two pages and I could not put this story down. It was exciting, horrible, suspenseful, and populated with the most decent people---well, except for the bad guys, of course.
If the down-and-dirty of politics fascinates you. If you wonder about conspiracies. If you can appreciate brave, bold, and decent...read this.
It's grim. A grim picture of a world encased in fear of the Kellis-Amberlee virus that, once activated, turns recently deceased people into shambling zombies. Grant does an amazing job of painting this picture in a natural way allowing us to draw the comparisons between life as we know it now and what it could be. Like I said, grim. But not without its joys.
While following the political campaign is interesting, the behind-the-scenes work in putting out a blog is much more fascinating. Each has their strength and it supports the whole. They talk of ratings and what's required to make it happen. The situations they get into will make you, certainly them, extremely pleased to be tricked out with Buffy's multitude of toys---it makes hiding anything damned difficult!!
You can't help but be so very proud of George's stance and so many of her teammates backing her up. They will find the truth about these attacks and put it out there for their readers. No matter what. Thank god for all those cameras...
Grant makes a good point in the Extras at the back of the book about the difference between fear and terror:
In the end, it's also a scathing indictment of journalism and politics.
The Story
A story about a presidential hopeful inviting bloggers to join his campaign and blog about everything that occurs. Only, it doesn't occur to anyone that there's a target painted on his campaign.
Kellis-Amberlee virus evolved from a terrorist dispersal. Men who thought they were doing the world a favor in bypassing testing protocols for new medications.
The Characters
Georgia "Georgie" Carolyn Mason is slightly older than Shaun. So joined at the hip, they might as well be twins. George swings to the Newsie end of blogging while her brother Shaun Phillip Mason is much more intrepid, an Irwin. He likes to go out into the field and poke the zombies to get a reaction. Create excitement, tension, fear to crank up those ratings. It's a good thing they have Georgette "Buffy" Meissonier as their computer tech...the CIA should have someone so good! Buffy, a Fictional, keeps their equipment running and more than up-to-date as well as ensuring that each team member and any vehicles they use are festooned with cameras and listening devices sending live. Together the three make an incredible team for the After the End Times reporting the news from all its angles.
Their parents adopted them shortly after their biological son Phillip died from the virus. Not from a desire to provide a home or a loving family...instead, it's a good photo op, good for ratings.
Senator Peter Ryman, WI, wants bloggers as part of his press team because it was bloggers who stood up in 2014 and shouted the truth from the start about the virus. Emily is his retiring wife with Rebecca, Jeanne, and Amber their children. Robert Channing is his chief aide. Chuck Wong and Carlos are part of his tech team while his security team includes Steve, Tyrone, Andres, Tracy, Heidi, and Mike.
Governor David Tate and Kirsten Wagman are his opponents for the Republican nomination. Richard "Rick" Cousins is a Newsie who joins their team after the nominations. Doctors Joe Wynne and Kelly Connolly of the CDC.
Mahir is a London-based Newsie blogger who works for them as does Luis; Magdalene is another Fictional along with Andrea; and, of the Irwins, there's Becks, Dave, and Alaric.
The Cover
The cover is horrendous with its patchy cement walls, a bloody RSS feed icon, and the book's title also written in blood. It certainly suits the story.
Just as the title Feed suits the story addressing the news feed being sent out to the world as well as the zombies' own feeding frenzy. In a macabre way, it also suits the groups who believe that only their way is right as they feed their particular frenzy.
First in the Newsflesh Trilogy, a horror suspense series about a small group of bloggers determined to push the truth, the boundaries of sense, and plumb its emotional depths.
My Take
I got sucked right in. Two pages and I could not put this story down. It was exciting, horrible, suspenseful, and populated with the most decent people---well, except for the bad guys, of course.
If the down-and-dirty of politics fascinates you. If you wonder about conspiracies. If you can appreciate brave, bold, and decent...read this.
It's grim. A grim picture of a world encased in fear of the Kellis-Amberlee virus that, once activated, turns recently deceased people into shambling zombies. Grant does an amazing job of painting this picture in a natural way allowing us to draw the comparisons between life as we know it now and what it could be. Like I said, grim. But not without its joys.
While following the political campaign is interesting, the behind-the-scenes work in putting out a blog is much more fascinating. Each has their strength and it supports the whole. They talk of ratings and what's required to make it happen. The situations they get into will make you, certainly them, extremely pleased to be tricked out with Buffy's multitude of toys---it makes hiding anything damned difficult!!
You can't help but be so very proud of George's stance and so many of her teammates backing her up. They will find the truth about these attacks and put it out there for their readers. No matter what. Thank god for all those cameras...
Grant makes a good point in the Extras at the back of the book about the difference between fear and terror:
Fear says, "Do not actually put your hand in the alligator", while terror says, "Avoid Florida entirely because alligators exist".
In the end, it's also a scathing indictment of journalism and politics.
The Story
A story about a presidential hopeful inviting bloggers to join his campaign and blog about everything that occurs. Only, it doesn't occur to anyone that there's a target painted on his campaign.
Kellis-Amberlee virus evolved from a terrorist dispersal. Men who thought they were doing the world a favor in bypassing testing protocols for new medications.
The Characters
Georgia "Georgie" Carolyn Mason is slightly older than Shaun. So joined at the hip, they might as well be twins. George swings to the Newsie end of blogging while her brother Shaun Phillip Mason is much more intrepid, an Irwin. He likes to go out into the field and poke the zombies to get a reaction. Create excitement, tension, fear to crank up those ratings. It's a good thing they have Georgette "Buffy" Meissonier as their computer tech...the CIA should have someone so good! Buffy, a Fictional, keeps their equipment running and more than up-to-date as well as ensuring that each team member and any vehicles they use are festooned with cameras and listening devices sending live. Together the three make an incredible team for the After the End Times reporting the news from all its angles.
Their parents adopted them shortly after their biological son Phillip died from the virus. Not from a desire to provide a home or a loving family...instead, it's a good photo op, good for ratings.
Senator Peter Ryman, WI, wants bloggers as part of his press team because it was bloggers who stood up in 2014 and shouted the truth from the start about the virus. Emily is his retiring wife with Rebecca, Jeanne, and Amber their children. Robert Channing is his chief aide. Chuck Wong and Carlos are part of his tech team while his security team includes Steve, Tyrone, Andres, Tracy, Heidi, and Mike.
Governor David Tate and Kirsten Wagman are his opponents for the Republican nomination. Richard "Rick" Cousins is a Newsie who joins their team after the nominations. Doctors Joe Wynne and Kelly Connolly of the CDC.
Mahir is a London-based Newsie blogger who works for them as does Luis; Magdalene is another Fictional along with Andrea; and, of the Irwins, there's Becks, Dave, and Alaric.
The Cover
The cover is horrendous with its patchy cement walls, a bloody RSS feed icon, and the book's title also written in blood. It certainly suits the story.
Just as the title Feed suits the story addressing the news feed being sent out to the world as well as the zombies' own feeding frenzy. In a macabre way, it also suits the groups who believe that only their way is right as they feed their particular frenzy.
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
5.0
ETA: Upgrading this to a five. It was even better the second time though.
I just cried through the last 10% of this book and I can’t wait for the next one. You think it’s just going to be a zombie book but then it turns out to be a political thriller and the politics are excellent. What’s not to love? I do miss the sirens though.
I just cried through the last 10% of this book and I can’t wait for the next one. You think it’s just going to be a zombie book but then it turns out to be a political thriller and the politics are excellent. What’s not to love? I do miss the sirens though.
klblackwell83's review against another edition
4.0
A political story with a zombie story underneath it. I wasn't entirely impressed with the buildup of the plot. It was halfway through the book before there was anything that held my attention. However, once it got going, I was hooked until the last page. If you can hold out for the action to begin, it's a great read.
ecpritchard's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
minnaobrien's review against another edition
Edit: Without including any spoilers, the sequel to Feed really turned me off to the whole series. I retroactively recommend avoiding this book.
Original review:
I highly and completely recommend this book!
Mira Grant does excellent world building. Her zombie virus is interesting, well thought out, and well researched. Not only does she build a well-crafted post-zombie world, she also has great insight imagining a future in which the internet, internet culture, and information technology have progressed and institutionalized.
Mira Grant also has a great skill for characters, and emotionally evocative and fulfilling writing. I loved her themes of fear vs terror, and dedication to truth.
Feed is a new favorite of mine and I unreservedly recommend it.
Original review:
I highly and completely recommend this book!
Mira Grant does excellent world building. Her zombie virus is interesting, well thought out, and well researched. Not only does she build a well-crafted post-zombie world, she also has great insight imagining a future in which the internet, internet culture, and information technology have progressed and institutionalized.
Mira Grant also has a great skill for characters, and emotionally evocative and fulfilling writing. I loved her themes of fear vs terror, and dedication to truth.
Feed is a new favorite of mine and I unreservedly recommend it.
jennrocca's review against another edition
4.0
It's not really about zombies.
I was told that before I started reading this book but I was skeptical. It's really not about the zombies. I mean, there are definitely zombies involved, but they are not the point of the book. They're just... a fact of life. A post-zombie apocalypse story that focuses on a fully recognizable and functioning society was a nice change from your typical zombie death/destruction/mayhem/suffering kind of story.
At first I thought I'd pass on the sequel. (I liked this one but didn't feel compelled to read on) But I might change my mind about that and give the sequel a shot.
I was told that before I started reading this book but I was skeptical. It's really not about the zombies. I mean, there are definitely zombies involved, but they are not the point of the book. They're just... a fact of life. A post-zombie apocalypse story that focuses on a fully recognizable and functioning society was a nice change from your typical zombie death/destruction/mayhem/suffering kind of story.
At first I thought I'd pass on the sequel. (I liked this one but didn't feel compelled to read on) But I might change my mind about that and give the sequel a shot.
chiefmcclane's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
Zombies + Politics + Blogging = Epicness!
This book was awesome! I was at first a bit worried as to how it would turn out. But now, I want to read the whole series. It was really wonderful, great and also at times sad.
The world is overrun by zombies, but a lot is already reclaimed or still alive. I really liked that, though I would have loved to know how they got there, how they reclaimed the world bit by bit. How they survived.
Since this book is about 26 years after it all happened.
We have a brother and a sister, Shaun and Georgia (yes those names, you can already guess a lot), they blog. One of them is more of the adventurous type, aka an Irwin, while the other is more of the truth seeking person, aka a Newsie. Then we also have their friend Buffy who writes poems and is the technician.
I really loved the characters. And I was heartbroken when
Shaun was just an idiot at times, prodding zombies, going into danger zones and more, but I really like him. And he is a really great brother.
I didn't think there was much wrong with the book, it was a great story, and I have also bought the second book and waiting for it to arrive.
This book was awesome! I was at first a bit worried as to how it would turn out. But now, I want to read the whole series. It was really wonderful, great and also at times sad.
The world is overrun by zombies, but a lot is already reclaimed or still alive. I really liked that, though I would have loved to know how they got there, how they reclaimed the world bit by bit. How they survived.
Since this book is about 26 years after it all happened.
We have a brother and a sister, Shaun and Georgia (yes those names, you can already guess a lot), they blog. One of them is more of the adventurous type, aka an Irwin, while the other is more of the truth seeking person, aka a Newsie. Then we also have their friend Buffy who writes poems and is the technician.
I really loved the characters. And I was heartbroken when
Spoiler
first Buffy dies, and then Georgia. Really they killed the main characters, especially Georgia, who is the real main character. It was quite a shock that they did this. Seriously, I didn't expect it. Most books leave their main characters to live on until forever.Shaun was just an idiot at times, prodding zombies, going into danger zones and more, but I really like him. And he is a really great brother.
I didn't think there was much wrong with the book, it was a great story, and I have also bought the second book and waiting for it to arrive.
qutir111's review against another edition
5.0
I am honest to god bawling my eyes out right now. I knew when I started reading this book that I would love it, but I honestly didn't realise how much I would. Definitely worth reading, because I couldn't put this book down.
cateasp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5