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geekess's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, but I detract a half star for the narrator.
This book is in this day and age a lot more relevant and difficult to read than it must have been when it came out in... 2011 I believe?
Going through a viral pandemic was, in that time, something far away from reality. Today it isn't.
We don't have zombies, thank goodness. The way people actually behave during a pandemic would have meant mankind would have been extinct within a year. But we have the Corona-virus.
When this book was written, social media weren't the thing they are now, but blogging was hot. But replace blogs with Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and you have the world of today, where the news isn't only in the hands of the traditional journalists, but also in the hand of online influencers, and the common man/woman/whatever.
It's a different world, and yet, frightfully the same.
There was this presidential campaign during a world-wide pandemic. A campaign the went on like everything was normal, while putting supporters at risk.
Well... this book wasn't easy to read.
Especially the conspiracy angle. I want to stay far away from conspiracy theories about the current situation, and reading this book, I understand how the media fuel and stoke the ideas in people that things like that have to be conspiracies. I understand why writers do this. But I can see every day around me how dangerous that can be.
Still... back to the book.
This was Seanan McGuire in excellent form. Not her best, but quite good. It floated a bit more on the Incryptid side than on the October Day. All her standard themes and motives are in this book. She really has a problem with her parents, doesn't she? Or so one would guess after reading most of her series.
While reading, I found that my brain tried to keep fitting puzzle pieces to the other series elements, and it was distracting. While she uses the same elements over and over (and the same names), she does manage to vary the elements enough to keep them separate. So while she clearly has a problem with authority (fatherly) figures, there are small changes that keep it interesting.
It reminded me the most of the Incryptid Werewolf book: the incredibly contagious virus, transmitted with a bite or bodily fluid. Shaun was some kind of Alex. The werewolf explanation sounded even the same. And yet, it is different. Well, for one, this wasn't in Australia :-) (then again, there were Irwins, so... ;-) )
While I really appreciated the acknowledgements, mentioning the massive amount of work and help she got with the work of getting all the facts and science straight, I was miffed about the shoddy work on the tech-side. But still... kuddoos for puting in the research!
The end of this book hit like a bullet to the frontal lobe. Now there was a twist I didn't see coming. That's great as well!
I like how she kept the language of this book (she does this in all her series) to a theme. "Feed" is about biting, chewing, puncturing, devouring, and those are the words she uses for the needles in the tests. The story is pulpy enough to almost forget what a lovely word-crafter she actually is.
I really enjoy how she manages to create very different series (in tone, setting). That's a skill not many writers posses.
Narration was... OK, I guess. I didn't like the narrator's accent. It was a drawl (a bit). Not pleasant to listen to (for me). The male narrator at the end had a problem with accents and speed-control. I hope that gets better in the next book.
I'll be continuing to the second part of the series.
This book is in this day and age a lot more relevant and difficult to read than it must have been when it came out in... 2011 I believe?
Going through a viral pandemic was, in that time, something far away from reality. Today it isn't.
We don't have zombies, thank goodness. The way people actually behave during a pandemic would have meant mankind would have been extinct within a year. But we have the Corona-virus.
When this book was written, social media weren't the thing they are now, but blogging was hot. But replace blogs with Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and you have the world of today, where the news isn't only in the hands of the traditional journalists, but also in the hand of online influencers, and the common man/woman/whatever.
It's a different world, and yet, frightfully the same.
There was this presidential campaign during a world-wide pandemic. A campaign the went on like everything was normal, while putting supporters at risk.
Well... this book wasn't easy to read.
Especially the conspiracy angle. I want to stay far away from conspiracy theories about the current situation, and reading this book, I understand how the media fuel and stoke the ideas in people that things like that have to be conspiracies. I understand why writers do this. But I can see every day around me how dangerous that can be.
Still... back to the book.
This was Seanan McGuire in excellent form. Not her best, but quite good. It floated a bit more on the Incryptid side than on the October Day. All her standard themes and motives are in this book. She really has a problem with her parents, doesn't she? Or so one would guess after reading most of her series.
While reading, I found that my brain tried to keep fitting puzzle pieces to the other series elements, and it was distracting. While she uses the same elements over and over (and the same names), she does manage to vary the elements enough to keep them separate. So while she clearly has a problem with authority (fatherly) figures, there are small changes that keep it interesting.
It reminded me the most of the Incryptid Werewolf book: the incredibly contagious virus, transmitted with a bite or bodily fluid. Shaun was some kind of Alex. The werewolf explanation sounded even the same. And yet, it is different. Well, for one, this wasn't in Australia :-) (then again, there were Irwins, so... ;-) )
While I really appreciated the acknowledgements, mentioning the massive amount of work and help she got with the work of getting all the facts and science straight, I was miffed about the shoddy work on the tech-side. But still... kuddoos for puting in the research!
The end of this book hit like a bullet to the frontal lobe. Now there was a twist I didn't see coming. That's great as well!
I like how she kept the language of this book (she does this in all her series) to a theme. "Feed" is about biting, chewing, puncturing, devouring, and those are the words she uses for the needles in the tests. The story is pulpy enough to almost forget what a lovely word-crafter she actually is.
I really enjoy how she manages to create very different series (in tone, setting). That's a skill not many writers posses.
Narration was... OK, I guess. I didn't like the narrator's accent. It was a drawl (a bit). Not pleasant to listen to (for me). The male narrator at the end had a problem with accents and speed-control. I hope that gets better in the next book.
I'll be continuing to the second part of the series.
witchystitches's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.25
meenie_14's review against another edition
1.0
I thought it wouldn’t be possible for me to dislike zombie apocalypse stories in a row, but Feed proved me wrong.
I’ll give praise where it’s due and say that as far as technology goes Grant did a good job of world building. And though she described blood test, after blood test, after bloody blood test they were technically impressive. But there were so many of them it almost negated the impressiveness of her creativity in that regard.
Overall the book is too long. There were so many words spent on needless descriptions, needless commentary, and needless humor. The prose were overwrought by an author who didn’t trust her audience as smart enough to get what she was saying. The book was also not funny, and so many attempts were hokey and cliché.
The main character was awful. Georgia was textbook Cool Girl a la Gone Girl with such comparisons as ‘most girls grow up learning how to accessorize but I learned how to ride a motorcycle’ or some such offal. It was a though she were written by someone whose understanding of what makes a woman badass was shaped only by women written by men. Not to mention the rest of the misogyny aimed at the rest of the female characters (Wagner being the worst). The overall effect was off putting.
The last thing I’ll say, bc I want to move past this book ASAP, is that the way Grant wrote the sibling relationship of George and Shaun was freakin gross. Their interactions were flirty and entirely boundary-crossing. It was uncomfortable to read and had me questioning what the heck was going on. If they had been bffs or simply colleagues the interactions between them would hint at a potential romance, but even as adopted siblings it was icky icky icky.
I do not recommend this book at all.
Edited 6/20
The narrator in this book was pretty good, despite not understand the nuances or even basics of a Southern accent. And for the record it’s pronounced “can-uh-pays” not “can-oh-pees”
I’ll give praise where it’s due and say that as far as technology goes Grant did a good job of world building. And though she described blood test, after blood test, after bloody blood test they were technically impressive. But there were so many of them it almost negated the impressiveness of her creativity in that regard.
Overall the book is too long. There were so many words spent on needless descriptions, needless commentary, and needless humor. The prose were overwrought by an author who didn’t trust her audience as smart enough to get what she was saying. The book was also not funny, and so many attempts were hokey and cliché.
The main character was awful. Georgia was textbook Cool Girl a la Gone Girl with such comparisons as ‘most girls grow up learning how to accessorize but I learned how to ride a motorcycle’ or some such offal. It was a though she were written by someone whose understanding of what makes a woman badass was shaped only by women written by men. Not to mention the rest of the misogyny aimed at the rest of the female characters (Wagner being the worst). The overall effect was off putting.
The last thing I’ll say, bc I want to move past this book ASAP, is that the way Grant wrote the sibling relationship of George and Shaun was freakin gross. Their interactions were flirty and entirely boundary-crossing. It was uncomfortable to read and had me questioning what the heck was going on. If they had been bffs or simply colleagues the interactions between them would hint at a potential romance, but even as adopted siblings it was icky icky icky.
I do not recommend this book at all.
Edited 6/20
The narrator in this book was pretty good, despite not understand the nuances or even basics of a Southern accent. And for the record it’s pronounced “can-uh-pays” not “can-oh-pees”
rubyrubay's review against another edition
5.0
I destroyed this book in a day, and I'm sad because I have to wait until May for the next installment. It's an utterly fantastic zombie read - very well-researched and scarily plausible, with great pacing and engaging characters that tread the fine line between being believably awesome and TOO badass. But not only do you get a virulent zombie scenario that could totally happen, you also get conspiracy and paranoia to go with it. My favorite part was all the relentless blood testing; every time the lights flashed, I was SURE it was going to come up positive. It lent a very subtle tension to even the very mundane act of getting into one's own house. Definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoyed World War Z and similar titles.
pcasebeer's review against another edition
4.0
Bought the trilogy along time ago and never read it. I saw it again on Goodreads ‘best of the best’ and decided it was time. I wish I read it sooner!
Being a zombie book had me hooked from the description. The interesting thing is this is a little different than most in that the zombies play an important but almost ancillary part of the story.
I enjoyed that it took part in a post-zombie breakout world making it revolve around that without conceding to most others like it where it’s bleak and society is completely lost.
Loved the characters and ending. Already have book 2 ready to go!
Being a zombie book had me hooked from the description. The interesting thing is this is a little different than most in that the zombies play an important but almost ancillary part of the story.
I enjoyed that it took part in a post-zombie breakout world making it revolve around that without conceding to most others like it where it’s bleak and society is completely lost.
Loved the characters and ending. Already have book 2 ready to go!
monkeelino's review against another edition
3.0
A rather unique take on the zombie novel with a focus on the epidemiology, the media, and politics. Teenage bloggers get boosted into the limelight thanks to winning a spot following a presidential candidate on the campaign trail. While they cover the campaign, a bigger, dangerous conspiracy emerges. Zombies almost end up being the least threatening part of this book. Four-star read through about 2/3 of it. Kinda started to lose my interest in the last 1/3.
krinirin's review against another edition
5.0
MY GOD
REVIEW TOMORROW. SLEEP NOW
*Edit for review*
This book was excellent. It took me a while to get through it because I was borrowing the ebook from my library, and had to keep returning it and re-borrowing it. The writing style was good- just my style to be honest. It was easy to follow, fast paced, and intriguing enough that it kept me wanting more (even when I was falling asleep reading from jet-lag and exhaustion haha.)
The story was what I liked the most though. I am a pretty big fan of zombie apocalypse stories and have seen several movies and TV shows in which these things happen... But this is the first time that I have read a book about the post-apocalypse. The what happens after isn't something that is seen as often and I really liked that the zombies weren't the main focus, just a fact of life for the people who survived the rising. My friend said that she had a harder time with it because the story is more about the journalism aspect than the zombies and I whole-heartedly agree that it is. I think that's what kept me interested though, because there has to be something to keep the story going. The zombies aren't really a threat to common folk anymore, just kinda... rather than mass shootings or gang wars to worry about it's zombies...
And I was completely hooked when we got into the conspiracy part. Within the past 5 years or so I have become super crazy about anything conspiracy (even outrageous conspiracies are interesting, if not entertaining.) And the fact that this book went into such a deep conspiracy really kept me going.
BUT SPOILERS
I didn't really care that much about Buffy. I thought that she was cute sounding and cool because she was such a techie but I didn't feel as attached to her as I did George and Shaun, and later Rick. (My attachment to Rick probably spawned from having a student whose English name is Rick and I also have a friend named Rick but I digress...) So, when Buffy was part of the problem involved with the conspiracy I was actually kinda surprised. I didn't see it coming at all actually, I thought that she was pretty insignificant.
However, Rick's cat dying got me. I thought that it was too foreshadowing of perhaps Rick dying soon as well. I was so pissed when he brought his poor dead cat- that poor thing had the worst luck, and Rick lost so much in his life that I was just completely heartbroken when his cat died. I was relieved that Rick didn't die... HOWEVER... WHAT THE HELL IS WITH HAVING GEORGE GET HIT BY A DART FULL OF KA VIRUS!?! I am STILL in shock over that. WHAT THE HELL!! ...Like, at first I really thought that it wasn't going to affect her. That somehow, because of her retinal KA that she would be okay because the virus is already in her body and that she would somehow have resistance to it or something. When her eyes started to be normal I really thought that she had a chance. But she was typing until she died and typed to Shaun to shoot her... Holy shit. That was so intense... Like... I don't even have words. Poor Shaun...
Ahhh felt good to get those spoilers out of my system. Seriously this book is really good. Highly recommend it to everyone. I'm hoping to start the second one tonight (though to be honest, I might go for a lighter, less depressing book first. Not sure yet.)
REVIEW TOMORROW. SLEEP NOW
*Edit for review*
This book was excellent. It took me a while to get through it because I was borrowing the ebook from my library, and had to keep returning it and re-borrowing it. The writing style was good- just my style to be honest. It was easy to follow, fast paced, and intriguing enough that it kept me wanting more (even when I was falling asleep reading from jet-lag and exhaustion haha.)
The story was what I liked the most though. I am a pretty big fan of zombie apocalypse stories and have seen several movies and TV shows in which these things happen... But this is the first time that I have read a book about the post-apocalypse. The what happens after isn't something that is seen as often and I really liked that the zombies weren't the main focus, just a fact of life for the people who survived the rising. My friend said that she had a harder time with it because the story is more about the journalism aspect than the zombies and I whole-heartedly agree that it is. I think that's what kept me interested though, because there has to be something to keep the story going. The zombies aren't really a threat to common folk anymore, just kinda... rather than mass shootings or gang wars to worry about it's zombies...
And I was completely hooked when we got into the conspiracy part. Within the past 5 years or so I have become super crazy about anything conspiracy (even outrageous conspiracies are interesting, if not entertaining.) And the fact that this book went into such a deep conspiracy really kept me going.
BUT SPOILERS
Spoiler
I didn't really care that much about Buffy. I thought that she was cute sounding and cool because she was such a techie but I didn't feel as attached to her as I did George and Shaun, and later Rick. (My attachment to Rick probably spawned from having a student whose English name is Rick and I also have a friend named Rick but I digress...) So, when Buffy was part of the problem involved with the conspiracy I was actually kinda surprised. I didn't see it coming at all actually, I thought that she was pretty insignificant.
However, Rick's cat dying got me. I thought that it was too foreshadowing of perhaps Rick dying soon as well. I was so pissed when he brought his poor dead cat- that poor thing had the worst luck, and Rick lost so much in his life that I was just completely heartbroken when his cat died. I was relieved that Rick didn't die... HOWEVER... WHAT THE HELL IS WITH HAVING GEORGE GET HIT BY A DART FULL OF KA VIRUS!?! I am STILL in shock over that. WHAT THE HELL!! ...Like, at first I really thought that it wasn't going to affect her. That somehow, because of her retinal KA that she would be okay because the virus is already in her body and that she would somehow have resistance to it or something. When her eyes started to be normal I really thought that she had a chance. But she was typing until she died and typed to Shaun to shoot her... Holy shit. That was so intense... Like... I don't even have words. Poor Shaun...
Ahhh felt good to get those spoilers out of my system. Seriously this book is really good. Highly recommend it to everyone. I'm hoping to start the second one tonight (though to be honest, I might go for a lighter, less depressing book first. Not sure yet.)
corliss12000's review against another edition
4.0
Normally would not read a book about zombies, but I love Seanan McGuires writing so decided to give her alter ego a try. Glad I did. Not your typical zombie tale, this one pulled me in quickly.
westberg1977's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked how news is dealt with in this book. The online bloggers have more credibility than the actual news media. I don't read many zombie books, but I did enjoy this one.
juushika's review against another edition
4.0
After a worldwide zombie outbreak, blogging has become the news. A trio of bloggers embark on coverage of a presidential campaign. I sure do hate zombies (it's a good question, then, as to why I read this), but this book held my attention. The zombies are distinctly not different, but the worldbuilding elements are intelligent and unique, from the mechanics of infection to technological developments to post-outbreak social structures. On a local scale, moment to moment, this has energy and conviction. The relatively simple conspiracy plot is less successful, and the frequent action sequences grow tiresome; but that anyone can die creates significant risk and consequence, and that's what sells the ending. Characters are distinctive (the protagonist's disability, which informs all aspects of her experience but isn't her singular defining trait, is particularly well-rendered) and the relationships are engaging, but the urban fantasy-style banter destroys the dialog. I can see why some readers find this series so engaging, and I was pleasantly surprised, but just this book is enough for me.