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entanglednovels's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
ajwelch29's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
kemetaur's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
wyvernfriend's review against another edition
4.0
In the year 2014, cancer is cured as is the common cold, only there's a side effect. The dead don't always stay dead, they rise again, as zombies, with a lust for human flesh, and their bite can turn ordinary humans into zombies. Twenty years later people live lives that are largely secluded, relying on online newsfeeds for information and your popularity can make or break you. A popular feed can earn you a lot of income and Shaun and Georigia Mason are pretty popular. Shaun is a Irwin, a risktaker and Georgia is a newsie, a person who works with fact and trys to report it as objectively as possible. With their friend Buffy, an electronics geek and Fictional (or fiction writer) their star starts to rise when they're offerred a chance to join a presidential campaign, but far from being good it embroils them in a complicated and messy conspiracy and their lives will never be the same again.
Now I've read Seannan Maguire's blog over the years and enjoyed it, and read her October Daye books and enjoyed them too and Zombies are a major squick factor with me. They tend to give me nasty nightmares and have me almost running for the hills, but I had heard about this, and that it was good and I decided to try it, and left it on my TBR shelf for a while, picking it up and putting it down again. And then I had to take some time off sick, and there was some much-missing sun, so I decided that this was a good time to at least try. And it was a good read, I was totally sucked in and really enjoyed the story, it's compelling with twists that I really didn't expect and was quite shocked by. It left me wanting to read the next books immediately, which alas I can't do but seriously I will have to get them and read them.
It's a good read, forget that it's a zombie book, it's a good near-future science fiction series that left me wanting more.
Now I've read Seannan Maguire's blog over the years and enjoyed it, and read her October Daye books and enjoyed them too and Zombies are a major squick factor with me. They tend to give me nasty nightmares and have me almost running for the hills, but I had heard about this, and that it was good and I decided to try it, and left it on my TBR shelf for a while, picking it up and putting it down again. And then I had to take some time off sick, and there was some much-missing sun, so I decided that this was a good time to at least try. And it was a good read, I was totally sucked in and really enjoyed the story, it's compelling with twists that I really didn't expect and was quite shocked by. It left me wanting to read the next books immediately, which alas I can't do but seriously I will have to get them and read them.
It's a good read, forget that it's a zombie book, it's a good near-future science fiction series that left me wanting more.
vamarama's review against another edition
4.0
Easy fast read, and an interesting take on the zombie genre.
ammarahw's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
meginsanity's review against another edition
3.0
Very slight spoilers for the mechanism of zombification in this review follow; it's nothing you won't learn in the first 50 pages or so. Not enough to spoilerize the whole thing.
I just looked at the date I started this book and realized that it took me 8 days to read this. It's a 600-page paperback, and I think the reason it took so long is just the sheer amount of information in it.
Obviously, the author did her homework. The world is well thought-out, internally consistent, and very realistic. It is, I think, a totally accurate representation of how the United States would be after decades of dealing with the constant threat of zombies. While the politics seemed kind of dumbed-down for this world, the military response, the characterization of the CDC, and the infrastructure of the world seemed solid. The zombies were adequately creepy with their fright factor enhanced by the fact that, basically, anybody who dies is going to become a zombie, so you are never really safe unless you are totally alone. That also led to interesting ramifications considering the death penalty and other political factors.
My problems with the novel lied in the characters. I found it difficult to take the protagonist and her companions seriously. Georgia, the main character, has a tendency to ramble on and repeat herself, even in the middle of action. At times, she would go on for a paragraph or two about what was going on, and then the text would continue, but I wasn't really thinking about that, because I was in the middle of a zombie attack, or something like that. Then why write it? The novel could have cut around 200 pages and not lost a thing. By the end of it, I still had little idea what any of the characters looked like, except that Georgia has brown eyes, and Buffy has blonde hair. And everyone, everyone, likes to talk a lot - in entire paragraphs at a time. If the characters were more lively, even if they rambled, this would've gotten another star.
The ending of this novel is a real gut-puncher. I stayed up a bit later than I normally would have just to finish it, and I have to say Mira Grant/Seanan MacGuire has some balls to do what she did in the end. It was really kind of great even if it was a total emotional roller-coaster. I just wish the previous 550 pages were as emotional and riveting as the last 50.
I just looked at the date I started this book and realized that it took me 8 days to read this. It's a 600-page paperback, and I think the reason it took so long is just the sheer amount of information in it.
Obviously, the author did her homework. The world is well thought-out, internally consistent, and very realistic. It is, I think, a totally accurate representation of how the United States would be after decades of dealing with the constant threat of zombies. While the politics seemed kind of dumbed-down for this world, the military response, the characterization of the CDC, and the infrastructure of the world seemed solid. The zombies were adequately creepy with their fright factor enhanced by the fact that, basically, anybody who dies is going to become a zombie, so you are never really safe unless you are totally alone. That also led to interesting ramifications considering the death penalty and other political factors.
My problems with the novel lied in the characters. I found it difficult to take the protagonist and her companions seriously. Georgia, the main character, has a tendency to ramble on and repeat herself, even in the middle of action. At times, she would go on for a paragraph or two about what was going on, and then the text would continue, but I wasn't really thinking about that, because I was in the middle of a zombie attack, or something like that. Then why write it? The novel could have cut around 200 pages and not lost a thing. By the end of it, I still had little idea what any of the characters looked like, except that Georgia has brown eyes, and Buffy has blonde hair. And everyone, everyone, likes to talk a lot - in entire paragraphs at a time. If the characters were more lively, even if they rambled, this would've gotten another star.
The ending of this novel is a real gut-puncher. I stayed up a bit later than I normally would have just to finish it, and I have to say Mira Grant/Seanan MacGuire has some balls to do what she did in the end. It was really kind of great even if it was a total emotional roller-coaster. I just wish the previous 550 pages were as emotional and riveting as the last 50.
sidhes_reading_again's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
judicatorypedant's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5