I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Feed by Mira Grant Narrator: Jesse Bernstein, Paula Christensen
Length: 15 Hours 10 Minutes
Series: Newsflesh #1
Published by Hachette Digital, Inc. on 2010-05-01
Genres: Action & Adventure, Dystopian, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction
Pages: 300
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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*SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE*The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.Now, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives-the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.FEED is the electrifying and critically acclaimed novel of a world a half-step from our own---a novel of geeks, zombies, politics and social media.
We open with the two main characters, Georgia and Shaun Mason, sister and brother, on the run from zombies. This is because Shaun is the type of blogger known as an Irwin, meaning he likes to poke at the zombies with a stick. The opening adrenaline does not stop with the end of the first chapter. Nor does it ever decrescendo. Mmmhmm music terms right there, bizzle. Upon getting home, they find out they have been selected to be a part of Senator Wryman’s campaign trail press corps. What ensues is a book fraught with blood testing kits, peril, and conspiracy.
I’m not sure if this counts as world building, as Feed takes place in the United States, but what emerges from the book is a world somewhat parallel to what we have now, just with zombies of the infected variety. I won’t go into a whole lot of detail, because what makes this book fantastic is letting the world unfold. I will say, although it has been done before, I liked Grant’s take on how people become zombies. I enjoyed seeing how people dealt with the problem. See, the book is set years after the zombie uprising, so it’s not as though it’s all about the downfall of society. Rather, we get a whole lot of political intrigue, mixed with the walking dead.
ALSO. Being somewhat of a cynic, a lot of the time, I think I am able to call the ending of a book, especially if the book is told in first person. With Feed, I was totally wrong. The ending blew me away and I definitely choked up a little bit while driving.
I should probably mention that I listened to an audiobook of Feed. As far as narration went, it was relatively decent. The narrator was female, however, she did male voices in a way that I did not find irritating. I often get irritated when audiobook narrators do a horrid job of voicing the opposite gender. The audio was crisp and clear. I found myself rather engaged. However, as this was an MP3 download from a BEA symtio card, the break down of the MP3s bothered me, as they were like hour long tracks. I myself prefer shorter tracks because I put the audio on my ipod and then turn it on and off in the car. Besides that, no complaints. OH WAIT. Yes, do not listen to this in the car with a snarky boyfriend. When you get out of the car he’ll be all like I think I contracted Kelis-Amberlee and Retinal K.A.
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Saw this book the othe rday on Goodreads and thought it sounded really awesome! Love the concept about bloggers being a part of it to. Great review! Helped me make up mind 🙂
Hey, you just reminded me I need to finish my copy. I was enjoying it…and then went through a break up and it got pushed aside in favour of comfort books. Must get back to it! Zombies rock!
Feed is on my to-be-read list. Can't wait to read it, but first I've got to buy it… 😀
with zombie month going on over at vvb32 reads, I've sort of been feeling like I might should (excuse my southernness) give zombies more of a chance. And this sounds like a FABULOUS zombie choice.
Besides, I love being wrong about the end of books! 🙂
LOL sounds like good advice re: not listening to it with a snarky boyfriend. Sounds like a good book though!
I just wishlisted this book. Thanks for the heads-up! This is my favorite type of book.
I need to pull this from my TBR pile! I'm thinking of reading it in October, sounds perfect for zombies reads. I love a surprising ending, too. Great review!
Loved this review – I kind of think that I have a real 'feel' for what it's like to read this one now. Glad you mentioned you listened to it on audiobook though, I was starting to wonder if you drove while reading!
Actually, I think the world building (rebuilding maybe?) sounds fascinating. I think I often feel more impact from a book when it's set in what's *almost* our world.
This is one of my favorite books this year, and I'm glad you also liked it! 🙂 The ending did have me choking, too, and I had to re-read it a couple of times before it sank in. I cannot wait for the next book. 🙂
OMG I love this book!
Wasn’t the ending totally nuts? I did not see it coming AT ALL!
I know I went WAY into your backlogs, but this is one of my all-time favorite books, and I’ve been trying to figure out if I want to go back and listen to it (I read it the first go through).
Love the blog, your reviews, and everything, I’m adding you to my list of “to-read” book bloggers.